What is being an Atheist like?

[houseofcantor]

My questions:

1.) Why are you an atheist?

godditit.

2.) What is life like for an atheist?

What life is like for a human without a bunch of cognitive dissonance.

3.) There is no God. How do you cope with that? How do you find purpose and meaning in your life?

Standard method - I made it up.

4.) What are your thoughts on death?

5.) Has being an atheist changed your life in any way? If so, how?

[Homeless Nutter]

My questions:

1.) Why are you an atheist?

Because despite thousands of claims, no one has ever presented evidence for the existence of any gods.

2.) What is life like for an atheist?

It's awesome. Well, actually - it's pretty much the same as for anyone else, except - I can kill and rape anyone I want to. But - and here's the best part - I DON'T HAVE TO.

3.) There is no God. How do you cope with that?

Same way I cope with non-existence of Santa Claus, Easter Bunny and Xena, the Warrior Princess - I cry a little every night, before bed.

How do you find purpose and meaning in your life?

Uhm... A what and a what, now?

4.) What are your thoughts on death?

Everybody dies...

5.) Has being an atheist changed your life in any way? If so, how?

Well - sure. Nobody's watching me masturbate, for one thing... Unless I want them to and pay them, of course.


Hope this helps...

[BlackBird]

I won't answer all your questions, as I feel a lot like the others, but I will say this: I am surprisingly less afraid of death now that I am no longer a Christian. The afterlife as I was taught it would be was a lot more terrifying than ceasing to exist. And I'm not talking about hell.

[Brian37]

For most of human history in the majority of the world religions, all, have a majority that do not take kindly to LGBT, but I am sure you are aware of that. Not a good reason to accept or reject any claim. Evidence , not good feelings, not bad feelings, not popularity, not tradition. Evidence only.

What is it like being an atheist? Feels the same as when I did believe minus the Superstition. It did feel good not to have to defend old unproven stories. We have ups and downs like everyone else, we simply don't asign all this to a cosmic Superman vs Lex Luther.

I have been online almost every day for the past 14 years and have seen the same patterns of arguments from all the world's major religions. I have debated Jews, Mulsims, Hindus, Christians, and even a Rastafarian once. It makes more sense to me that humans make up these clubs to ignore their finite existence.

None of the world's religions were arround 200,000 years ago, much less 4 billion years ago,much less 14 billion years ago. Our universe has hundreds of billions of galaxies. I cannot take the claim all this was put here for us seriously.

Now, that doesn't make me fatalistic, nor does that mean we can be lawless and hurt others. You can still live life, just like you go to a movie knowing it will end, just like you love a pet knowing they will not live as long as you.

Just be yourself, the good news is there is no hell to burn in, no sky bully to threaten or bribe you.

[MentalGiant]

1.) Why are you an atheist?

Because I had enough bad things happen to me in childhood (all whilst being a 'good' Catholic girl who prayed very hard for God to stop these things from happening), I came to realization either God is a sadist or simply doesn't exist. As I got older, I learned more about science. That removed all doubt. I don't 100% discredit the concept of a higher power, but I've seen absolutely no LEGITIMATE evidence of one. I have seen plenty of evidence supporting scientific theories that contradicts the religious perception of a higher power though.

2.) What is life like for an atheist?

Ummmm.... Good??? You don't suddenly become an amoral psychopath if you don't believe in god. I try very hard to be a good person because it benefits myself and society. I don't need the fear of hell or god's wrath to be kind to others and to not lie, cheat and kill. I'm married and I'm a housewife (but I chose that for myself, it wasn't automatically expected of me as it is of religious women).

3.) There is no God. How do you cope with that? How do you find purpose and meaning in your life?

I don't think life has meaning or purpose per se (beyond perhaps the biological drive to pass on your DNA, but not every human even posses that).  I exist strictly due to random happenstance, and I enjoy what I'm fortunate enough to be able to perceive (the physical world). I love learning new things, both new skills and general knowledge. I guess I don't need church and the goal of reaching heaven in my life to have a fulfilling life.  

4.) What are your thoughts on death?

My consciousness will cease, my physical body will go back to the earth and on a long enough time scale, will eventually go back to the stars from which it came. I am a being made of matter, and since matter cannot be created or destroyed, in a way I suppose it is analogous in some ways to eternal life, just not in this physical form and without the continuation of consciousness. The elements that made me came from the stars and one day will go back to the stars.


5.) Has being an atheist changed your life in any way? If so, how?

For me, it wasn't really some "life changing" thing. I already knew deep down from a very young age the whole church/praying/saying my rosary was an act. Total bullshit done for show. Atheism is simply continuing forward in life without the guilt religion put upon me. I guess the biggest change was being able to decide things FOR MYSELF without the shadow of the bible and church doctrine cast over every life decision. I realized I needed to help myself, not wait on the mythical sky being to help me. Also, had I been in church on a Sunday morning in May like a good little Catholic girl should have been, I would have never met my husband. Not having the burden of religion has freed up my life to do what I know to be right for me, which does not always align with right in the eyes of the judeo-christian "god".

[Brian37]

RationalPoet..... My recommended reading list.

The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins
God The Failed Hypothesis ......&
The New Atheism, Victor Stenger
God is not great, Christopher Hitchens
The end of faith, Sam Harris
Letter to a Christian nation, Harris
Infidel, Ayaan Hersi Ali

Oh, and if you ever feel stumped by someone, never simply think they are right. Bounce what they say, not to your own camp, but to multiple people, even outside your positions.

Don't fish for feelings or excuses to cling to a position. Always keep learning.

[Clueless Morgan]

1) Why are you an atheist?

Because I'm not convinced any gods exist.

2) What is life like for an atheist?

I can't speak for anyone but myself, and for me not much changed after I realized I was an atheist. My family wasn't super religious to begin with and I was, at most, culturally Christian.

3) There is no God. How do you cope with that? How do you find purpose and meaning in your life?

First of all, I disagree with the premise. I don't know whether there is a god, many gods, or no gods at all.

With that said, until there's evidence presented that a thing exists there's not much coping to be done. I don't have to cope with the fact that I am also unconvinced that aliens are visiting the earth and abducting people, nor do I have to cope with the idea that the Sasquatch is most probably nothing more than a mythological creature.

Lastly, I give my life meaning and purpose.

4) What are your thoughts on death?

It's gonna happen, get used to the idea.

5) Has being an atheist changed your life in any way? If so, how?

It has probably had less of an impact on my life than on someone who was more heavily indoctrinated or who lives in a more religious area of the country like the deep South.

[drfuzzy]

Brian37 forgot a book.  The Bible.  Read it.  Really read it, not for inspiration, but for how your react to the stories.  Maybe start with Exodus.  Or the flood.   Or - heck, just open the book and start.

My questions:

1.) Why are you an atheist?

Because I started paying attention to bible readings and what they were really saying.  (Like you, I was raised Southern Baptist - then my parents went Pentecostal.  I used to have to recite bible verses before dinner each night.)  And I also started reading more about science and philosophy.

2.) What is life like for an atheist?

In the American Bible Belt, it's closeted, I'm afraid.  People hate atheists more than homosexuals here.  (sigh)  Westboro Baptist Church is within easy driving distance of my house.  (sigh)  But even so, mentally and emotionally, I feel - more open, less fearful.

3.) There is no God. How do you cope with that? How do you find purpose and meaning in your life?

???  I'm an adult.  I don't need Santa Clause/Big Daddy in the sky.  I don't need to fear judgement and hell and rejection, which was really all gawd ever meant to me.  There is work to do here in real life.  People to care for.  Education, environment, health, poverty, art, beauty, science - pick your favorite issue and run with it.

4.) What are your thoughts on death?

Lights out, time's up.

5.) Has being an atheist changed your life in any way? If so, how?

As I said in #2 - I feel more intellectually honest and open and receptive - no fear of angering the gawds with my questions.

[robvalue]

RationalPoet..... My recommended reading list.

The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins
God The Failed Hypothesis ......&
The New Atheism, Victor Stenger
God is not great, Christopher Hitchens
The end of faith, Sam Harris
Letter to a Christian nation, Harris
Infidel, Ayaan Hersi Ali

Oh, and if you ever feel stumped by someone, never simply think they are right. Bounce what they say, not to your own camp, but to multiple people, even outside your positions.

Don't fish for feelings or excuses to cling to a position. Always keep learning.

Excellent advice!

[Brian37]

Flood never happened. Hebrews were never slaves in Egypt. Sorry, but I cannot take a book with men magically popping out of dirt, talking snakes and talking donkey's seriously.