Happiness level after embracing atheism

[ignoramus]

Has he gone rogue like Jason Bourne! Cool! (But why is he still talking like an idiot then?)

[RobbyPants]

Let me simplify what I was trying to say.  Since I believe that so many of our tax contributions are wasted and wrongly spent, that, if I was an atheist, I would try to hide as much income as I could so as not to pay so much in taxes.  As a christian I am directed to pay my taxes.

I guess in your case, it's a good thing your morality system is based on doing what you're told to do, and not on looking at the reasons behind and effects of your behavior. I pay my taxes because I think it's fair and that things are better with government services, even if I don't agree with all of them or their implementation.

[RobbyPants]

I'm interested in what others felt in their lives, especially if you left a religion.

There's not a simple answer to this.

• I got rid of the cognitive dissonance that I'd had for several years, which lead to depression. That was good, and was like a weight lifted.
  
• I found myself revisiting things after having Christian "knee jerk" responses, wondering what my views were, now. This was mostly positive, but kind of odd. I didn't realize how many Christian assumptions I'd made about the world.
  
• I found myself going from being the most privileged group in the US to the least-trusted minority. Of course, the odd thing is, it's the kind of thing no one knows unless I tell them. This is somewhat negative in that I now get pissed much more quickly when I see Christians flexing their "I want the biggest piece of the pie because I've always had it" muscle.
  
• I've found a lot of my friends and relatives who aren't religious, and this both gives me a support group and lets us talk freely about something we hadn't before. It's mostly a positive (offset by a few fundies who bother me more than they used to).
  

[Angrboda]

I was depressed before becoming an atheist, and I'm depressed now that I'm an atheist. (But not about atheism.) So, no change.

I kind of miss the cultural aspects of being a believer.

[Whateverist]

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.

Or maybe he did think his immortal soul was in the balance but that just didn't seem like such a biggie?

[robvalue]

Let me simplify what I was trying to say.  Since I believe that so many of our tax contributions are wasted and wrongly spent, that, if I was an atheist, I would try to hide as much income as I could so as not to pay so much in taxes.  As a christian I am directed to pay my taxes.

I guess in your case, it's a good thing your morality system is based on doing what you're told to do, and not on looking at the reasons behind and effects of your behavior. I pay my taxes because I think it's fair and that things are better with government services, even if I don't agree with all of them or their implementation.

This is so bizarre. Lek already said he just ignored the Catholic Church rules because he didn't like following them. Why is taxes any different?

Lek also appears to be saying us law abiding atheists are naturally better people than him, and that he needs threats to keep him in line... or is he saying Christianity is in fact corrupting him, to make him pay taxes against his better judgement?

As I said, I don't actually believe this is true, but the fact he thinks it is shows how Christianity breaks your damn legs for you.

[Whateverist]

I was depressed before becoming an atheist, and I'm depressed now that I'm an atheist.  (But not about atheism.) So, no change.  

I kind of miss the cultural aspects of being a believer.

I find I can have all the god belief I like so long as I keep them very small and personal.  Wouldn't help with depression of course.  Maybe the cultural aspects would be less enjoyable with a tiny personal god?

[robvalue]

It's really hard for me to understand the Christian mind.

I have one last possibility. Maybe Lek feels conflicted about paying taxes, because he doesn't like what some of the money is spent on. Fair enough. I feel the same way (well I did when earnt enough money even pay tax).

But he can justify it to himself by saying he's just following orders. Then he doesn't feel so bad about it. It's a coping mechanism (if this bit of bollocks psychology is correct), we all have to find them one way or another.

However, it doesn't work properly because he's decided to take that part of the bible literally. Like all Christians, the bits he doesn't like following he can say are metaphors, parables, translation errors, traditions of bygone eras, misquotations, overridden by other contradictory bits... so each Christian does in fact choose exactly what parts they "have to follow".

[GodCherry]

Ignorance is bliss?

I can't say I get it. For me, ignorance makes me antsy and uncomfortable. Christianity teaches nothing because it strives to answer questions with falsities. I could never be satisfied with that.

The components of happiness to me have nothing to do with religion.

Happiness is about personal acceptance, finding true partnership with family and friends and figuring out what you're good at. Happiness is about finding PURPOSE.

Walking around with a bunch of lies in your head won't make you happy...just brainwashed.

[Lek]

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.

Good point Rob. The rules and laws did stress me out, but I wouldn't have left the catholic church if I didn't see that the rules weren't biblical. I never stopped being a christian in the process. I just grew in my faith and followed what the scriptures taught me. Christianity isn't some rigid set of beliefs that we grit our teeth and accept, but rather a relationship with Christ that continues to develop throughout our lives. I assume you're an evolutionist, but I'm sure you don't agree with every evolutionist as to how every detail of the process occurred. Christians follow Christ, but have disagreements on certain meanings of scripture. Nobody has perfect understanding of scripture on the day they die, but we all rely on Christ for our salvation.