Happiness level after embracing atheism

[Lek]

I called you sleazy because of the shameless self-promotion you injected into your response to a forum member's personal struggles.

You did more than attempt to exploit another poster's hardship in order to "win one for Da Lord". You went the extra mile in suggesting that that her prior beliefs as an actual Christian (Catholic) weren't Christian enough; because she didn't observe Lek's preferred rendition of the same horseshit.

Why don't you just read Aurora's reply to my "devastating" remarks in post #36.  She considered my suggestions and then rejected them and threw some stuff back at me.  That's all.  You're all making a big deal out of nothing.  The truth is that I also left the catholic church, one of the reasons being that I couldn't take the stress of following the laws, and I actually was trying to help her.

[Athene]

I called you sleazy because of the shameless self-promotion you injected into your response to a forum member's personal struggles.

You did more than attempt to exploit another poster's hardship in order to "win one for Da Lord". You went the extra mile in suggesting that that her prior beliefs as an actual Christian (Catholic) weren't Christian enough; because she didn't observe Lek's preferred rendition of the same horseshit.

Why don't you just read Aurora's reply to my "devastating" remarks in post #36.  She considered my suggestions and then rejected them and threw some stuff back at me.  That's all.  You're all making a big deal out of nothing.  The truth is that I also left the catholic church, one of the reasons being that I couldn't take the stress of following the laws, and I actually was trying to help her.

Dude, I never said anyone was devastated by your dumb-ass comment.
I was simply explaining why I thought your comment was sleazy. 

That will be all.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

Honestly, I struggle.  I cannot honestly say I am happier.  I am more mindful, and more aware, and more open to new information.  I feel like I am able to understand many things more fully, but this actually leads me to quite a bit more suffering.  Back when I could pass everything off as Gods plan, I could grieve with an odd sense of joy underlining it (kind of sick, looking back).  But now, I just grieve....like, for everything.  There is this strange duality to the world I never knew before.  I feel wonder and awe and joy at life, the universe, and everything.  I sing and dance, kiss and hug my family, laugh and cry with joy. But underneath it I have this constant sense of grief that it is all temporary and, in the grandest scheme of things, kind of meaningless. (I know theists will attack this, and I know that many atheists do not experience these, but I do.)  I think if I had been raised without religion, I would not have these issues, this is all a result of me having to learn how to discard the illusions of religion and the false crutches of prayer and magic, and accept reality.

I'm doing things in an attempt to overcome all of this.  I've started Dialectical behavior therapy, which focuses on mindfulness and radical acceptance, something I actually feel is helping.  I've delved into reading the Tao (not the spiritual mumbo jumbo, but more of the philosophy of acceptance, living in the now, and meditation to supplement the therapy).

I am still very anxious and have dark moods, but I am able to embrace them, accept things, and move on more quickly now.  Still, every day is a struggle. Growing up in a deeply religious household, going to a private Catholic school for so long, I was never given any real tools to deal with the real world.  Prayer, or giving things up to god, are clearly pretty effing useless now that I know that is all BS.  So I feel a bit like I've been dumped in an ocean without ever having been taught to swim.

I have always been an extremely empathetic person, but now all the pain I feel when I see or imagine the suffering of others is harder to channel.  I cannot participate in a lot of things because I find them emotionally overwhelming.

In the end, I am still glad to have shed the fairy tale, but embracing reality is really a chore for me, sometimes.

Sounds like you may be clinically depressed, but did you ever stop to think that it may be the catholic church, and not Christ and christianity, that was the cause of your problems?  Why do you have to go to therapy to be able to accept an atheistic world?  Maybe it's because the world really is meaningless without God.

Twat.

[robvalue]

I'll rephrase my analogy a bit.

It was like someone poured their heart out at AA about how whiskey had caused them so much pain, and that even after kicking the habit it has left mental scars.

The next guy along pulls out a bottle and says, "What you need is some vodka! This will get rid of all your troubles."

That is not how you help someone. That's the exact opposite of help.

[Lek]

I'll rephrase my analogy a bit.

It was like someone poured their heart out at AA about how whiskey had caused them so much pain, and that even after kicking the habit it has left mental scars.

The next guy along pulls out a bottle and says, "What you need is some vodka! This will get rid of all your troubles."

That is not how you help someone. That's the exact opposite of help.

That's strictly your opinion Rob. If I believe a person is lost without God and I care about that person, I'm not going to suggest they stay away from him. It's like telling a person who is anorexic, and feels better about herself while weighing 80 pounds, that she should continue to starve herself.

[Excited Penguin]

I'm not depressed because I "lost God". I'm depressed because I'm a lazy fuck with a plethora of issues entirely of my own making, to a certain extent.

If you want meaning, you'll find plenty of it by preoccupying yourself with something to the point that it becomes an all-consuming passion. But this takes serious perseverance and extensive reserves of willpower.

Religion can purportedly alleviate some of the existential angst bearing on each and everyone of us, however obscurely, but at what cost does it apply its anesthetic properties? How advised is it to prefer a taste of insanity over an -admittedly- sisyphean struggle against time?

[God of Mr. Hanky]

I'll rephrase my analogy a bit.

It was like someone poured their heart out at AA about how whiskey had caused them so much pain, and that even after kicking the habit it has left mental scars.

The next guy along pulls out a bottle and says, "What you need is some vodka! This will get rid of all your troubles."

That is not how you help someone. That's the exact opposite of help.

That's strictly your opinion Rob.  If I believe a person is lost without God and I care about that person, I'm not going to suggest they stay away from him.  It's like telling a person who is anorexic, and feels better about herself while weighing 80 pounds, that she should continue to starve herself.

But Xtians say that it's a glory to suffer for Christ - therefore it is no less to starve. Fasting is indeed quite fashionable among millions of Christians in America. So come on in, we're all starving and we're all having a glorious fucking blast!

Just like your doctrines, your twat-rot analogies are all bloated with gas and no solid substance.

[Ravenshire]

I'll rephrase my analogy a bit.

It was like someone poured their heart out at AA about how whiskey had caused them so much pain, and that even after kicking the habit it has left mental scars.

The next guy along pulls out a bottle and says, "What you need is some vodka! This will get rid of all your troubles."

That is not how you help someone. That's the exact opposite of help.

That's strictly your opinion Rob.  If I believe a person is lost without God and I care about that person, I'm not going to suggest they stay away from him.  It's like telling a person who is anorexic, and feels better about herself while weighing 80 pounds, that she should continue to starve herself.

Except that there's loads of evidence that eating will help keep you healthy and absolutely none that there are any sky daddies taking care of you.

[Ravenshire]

Maybe I'm just too cynical.

Maybe, maybe not...Doesn't matter.
New usernames do, and yours is quite excellent.

Yeah, what a cool ass name!

Glad you both like it, but I must give credit to Scott Lynch, creator of the "Gentleman Bastard" series of books. Some of the best grimdark fantasy I've ever read.

[robvalue]

Wait, did I read this right...

Lek gave up following the Catholic Church because it was... too hard? Too many rules?

That doesn't sound like someone who seriously thinks their immortal soul is in the balance.