Irony

[Der/die AtheistIn]

A thought has just comed to my mind. My family practises religion, because imaginig that a god exists makes them feel happy. Dad is very into this thing, he makes the sign of cross every time he sees a church, he likes to talk about religion and so on. Inspite all of that, he is almost constantly nervous, paranoid and has anger issues. I'm atheist and I'm the other extreme, I have difficulties because I'm too happy sometimes. I have happy thoughts most of the time, I like to think about jokes I've heard and fiction. There are many times when I smile alone in public, though I'm trying to controll it. I laugh alot when I'm alone in my room and I also like to jump. I tell alot of jokes to my family. Sometimes I have problems to concentrate when I'm learning, but they don't occur very often , and they're very mild, almost nonexisting. I might have a mild case of ADHD if I think about it. It seems that your level of happines depends more on your personality and upbringing rather than faith.

[Astonished]

A thought has just comed to my mind. My family practises religion, because imaginig that a god exists makes them feel happy. Dad is very into this thing, he makes the sign of cross every time he sees a church, he likes to talk about religion and so on. Inspite all of that, he is almost constantly nervous, paranoid and has anger issues. I'm atheist and I'm the other extreme, I have difficulties because I'm too happy sometimes. I have happy thoughts most of the time, I like to think about jokes I've heard and fiction. There are many times when I smile alone in public, though I'm trying to controll it. I laugh alot when I'm alone in my room and I also like to jump. I tell alot of jokes to my family. Sometimes I have problems to concentrate when I'm learning, but they don't occur very often , and they're very mild, almost nonexisting. I might have a mild case of ADHD if I think about it. It seems that your level of happines depends more on your personality and upbringing rather than faith.

Cognitive. Dissonance. It's vicious.

This is the result of a fundamental misunderstanding of their lopsided doctrine. God is simultaneously loving and merciful and yet hates us for our sins and threatens us with hell. My friend's elderly mother was horrified of dying for exactly that reason; having a belief in something awaiting you after death is a scary fucking prospect and when no one has ever come up with a half-decent idea of what the fuck heaven is actually like but have painted hell with oh-so-great detail, well, that guilt's going to catch up to you (not that it's helpful that the deck is so stacked against us that no one is incapable of committing a 'sin'). Their anti-outgroup doctrine encourages them to look at non-believers or members of other faiths as deluded or deliberately wicked for rejecting their just-as-stupid bullshit. What can anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of psychology conclude will be the result of this kind of thing?

You're very lucky they weren't able to indoctrinate you. You sound like you would be all the worse for juggling around that inside your head when you're mentioning having other issues already.

Anyone who claims their faith makes them happy misses the point; you could replace faith with literally anything as long as it makes you happy. It need not be something preposterous nor psychologically cancerous as most doctrines are. Also using other things is far less likely to result in your father's sort of 'side effects'.

Religion really is like taking a medicine that causes the harshest possible side effects, has a dubious success rate and is made from very unhealthy ingredients rather than a far more natural, side-effect-free and nearly 100% effective alternate medication. It's the worst idea for solving any problem yet people are convinced otherwise, and a bit more like something you take for an imagined illness rather than a genuine one and believing the non-existent symptoms are cleared up by it when there's never been any for them to treat. The most unfortunate part is that children are force-fed this rather than being allowed to grow up uninfected by this virus of the mind.

[Minimalist]

Dad is very into this thing, he makes the sign of cross every time he sees a church,

He'd be very upset if he saw the sign I make whenever I see a church!

[Fireball]

A thought has just comed to my mind. My family practises religion, because imaginig that a god exists makes them feel happy. Dad is very into this thing, he makes the sign of cross every time he sees a church, he likes to talk about religion and so on. Inspite all of that, he is almost constantly nervous, paranoid and has anger issues. I'm atheist and I'm the other extreme, I have difficulties because I'm too happy sometimes. I have happy thoughts most of the time, I like to think about jokes I've heard and fiction. There are many times when I smile alone in public, though I'm trying to controll it. I laugh alot when I'm alone in my room and I also like to jump. I tell alot of jokes to my family. Sometimes I have problems to concentrate when I'm learning, but they don't occur very often , and they're very mild, almost nonexisting. I might have a mild case of ADHD if I think about it. It seems that your level of happines depends more on your personality and upbringing rather than faith.

A lot of what happens in your life depends on what you have been conditioned to believe. If you believe that there is an all-powerful being who is watching you for every alleged transgression, you would be pretty fearful and careful to not end up burning in some sort of perdition because of one slip in behavior. I was greatly relieved when I worked my way through the BS and quit religion. I'll be 65 shortly, and have only been an atheist for 12 years. I still get twinges of the old brainwashing and have a bit of concern about hell. Then, I member that it is an invention of another religion that was absorbed into Catholicism (which I was once a member of), and the concern goes away. That concern gets weaker all the time, and comes up less often. If you feel happy oftern, good for you! Don't let some religious hypocrite force you not to be happy.

[Der/die AtheistIn]

A thought has just comed to my mind. My family practises religion, because imaginig that a god exists makes them feel happy. Dad is very into this thing, he makes the sign of cross every time he sees a church, he likes to talk about religion and so on. Inspite all of that, he is almost constantly nervous, paranoid and has anger issues. I'm atheist and I'm the other extreme, I have difficulties because I'm too happy sometimes. I have happy thoughts most of the time, I like to think about jokes I've heard and fiction. There are many times when I smile alone in public, though I'm trying to controll it. I laugh alot when I'm alone in my room and I also like to jump. I tell alot of jokes to my family. Sometimes I have problems to concentrate when I'm learning, but they don't occur very often , and they're very mild, almost nonexisting. I might have a mild case of ADHD if I think about it. It seems that your level of happines depends more on your personality and upbringing rather than faith.

A lot of what happens in your life depends on what you have been conditioned to believe. If you believe that there is an all-powerful being who is watching you for every alleged transgression, you would be pretty fearful and careful to not end up burning in some sort of perdition because of one slip in behavior. I was greatly relieved when I worked my way through the BS and quit religion. I'll be 65 shortly, and have only been an atheist for 12 years. I still get twinges of the old brainwashing and have a bit of concern about hell. Then, I member that it is an invention of another religion that was absorbed into Catholicism (which I was once a member of), and the concern goes away. That concern gets weaker all the time, and comes up less often. If you feel happy oftern, good for you! Don't let some religious hypocrite force you not to be happy.

My family doesn't believe in Hell, so my dad's problems aren't related to fear of Hell. I do agree however that faith isn't a solution.

[Brian37]

A lot of what happens in your life depends on what you have been conditioned to believe. If you believe that there is an all-powerful being who is watching you for every alleged transgression, you would be pretty fearful and careful to not end up burning in some sort of perdition because of one slip in behavior. I was greatly relieved when I worked my way through the BS and quit religion. I'll be 65 shortly, and have only been an atheist for 12 years. I still get twinges of the old brainwashing and have a bit of concern about hell. Then, I member that it is an invention of another religion that was absorbed into Catholicism (which I was once a member of), and the concern goes away. That concern gets weaker all the time, and comes up less often. If you feel happy oftern, good for you! Don't let some religious hypocrite force you not to be happy.

My family doesn't believe in Hell, so my dad's problems aren't related to fear of Hell. I do agree however that faith isn't a solution.

Most sects of Jews don't claim a hell either so?

Doesn't make a fictional after party in the sky anymore true either. 

There are otherwise to create a threat bribe motif without a guy with a pitchfork.

Shit, even with kids, you can threaten to take their toys away without threatening them with a belt. You can threaten to take a teen's driving privileges away without using a belt.

"I don't believe in hell" is just a way of ignoring that those religions back then were still based on tribal loyalty. 

The God even without threats of hell, still wants loyalty. Still sees you as his property and still does not need your consent to rule over you.

[Astonished]

A thought has just comed to my mind. My family practises religion, because imaginig that a god exists makes them feel happy. Dad is very into this thing, he makes the sign of cross every time he sees a church, he likes to talk about religion and so on. Inspite all of that, he is almost constantly nervous, paranoid and has anger issues. I'm atheist and I'm the other extreme, I have difficulties because I'm too happy sometimes. I have happy thoughts most of the time, I like to think about jokes I've heard and fiction. There are many times when I smile alone in public, though I'm trying to controll it. I laugh alot when I'm alone in my room and I also like to jump. I tell alot of jokes to my family. Sometimes I have problems to concentrate when I'm learning, but they don't occur very often , and they're very mild, almost nonexisting. I might have a mild case of ADHD if I think about it. It seems that your level of happines depends more on your personality and upbringing rather than faith.

A lot of what happens in your life depends on what you have been conditioned to believe. If you believe that there is an all-powerful being who is watching you for every alleged transgression, you would be pretty fearful and careful to not end up burning in some sort of perdition because of one slip in behavior. I was greatly relieved when I worked my way through the BS and quit religion. I'll be 65 shortly, and have only been an atheist for 12 years. I still get twinges of the old brainwashing and have a bit of concern about hell. Then, I member that it is an invention of another religion that was absorbed into Catholicism (which I was once a member of), and the concern goes away. That concern gets weaker all the time, and comes up less often. If you feel happy oftern, good for you! Don't let some religious hypocrite force you not to be happy.

Like Hitchens said, it's a celestial North Korea. Very few are lucky enough to escape.

[WinterHold]

Belief =/= happy, it = peace of mind.

For instance; praying alone gives me a peace I never find anywhere else. It's not a matter of "drawing symbols" and "staying in mosques all day". It's more of a communication with God; that's something I find that many religious people just don't get: God is up there; and if he is all powerful as the believer believes; then God will be listening and seeing, even before the person acts.

It's just that being "happy" in this life is quite a wrong turn for me, because while I smile, others are born handicapped, while I enjoy nature others are born blind; while I enjoy a full stomach every night others wish for even an expired meal.

Life is quite grim, and I think happiness is a form of a blurred vision; or selfishness depending on the case.
Not in defense of religious people; this applies to them too. Lots of missionaries sell lies of happiness, lies which are never met of course.

[The Grand Nudger]

Belief =/= happy, it = peace of mind.

For instance; praying alone gives me a peace I never find anywhere else. It's not a matter of "drawing symbols" and "staying in mosques all day". It's more of a communication with God; that's something I find that many religious people just don't get: God is up there; and if he is all powerful as the believer believes; then God will be listening and seeing, even before the person acts.

Whispering at the floor is communication..is it?

It's just that being "happy" in this life is quite a wrong turn for me, because while I smile, others are born handicapped, while I enjoy nature others are born blind; while I enjoy a full stomach every night others wish for even an expired meal.

Sounds like you ought to take that up with god, next time you whisper at the floor.

Life is quite grim, and I think happiness is a form of a blurred vision; or selfishness depending on the case.
Not in defense of religious people; this applies to them too. Lots of missionaries sell lies of happiness, lies which are never met of course.

Tell us more about the lies that religious people sell......... 

[WinterHold]

Whispering at the floor is communication..is it?

It's just like using a mobile. Are you accusing modern humans of talking to blocks of plastic?

Sounds like you ought to take that up with god, next time you whisper at the floor.

I can say the exact same thing about the new iphone..

Tell us more about the lies that religious people sell......... 

I'll give you a list:
1-Salvation is guaranteed if you "listen to the institution they represent; because their institution=God's servants on earth".
2-That they have ID cards that logs them into "paradise".
3-They always kill you if you convert to other faiths; or in other cases harass you.
4-They always sell people "imaginary keys" to forgiveness; from the Christian "confession" rooms to the "Islamic Sunni/Shiite martyrdom".
5-All the above is "written as a fact" in many of the books that "these religious people believe". That's the big nasty lie.