Regarding the power of religion over emotions

[Macoleco]

As someone who used to believe in God and was a christian, I have a question, specially to ex-believers, now atheists.

I used to do the common religious activies such as praying, and believing I had a personal relationship with God. In many points through my life, I thought God had helped me, and thta he was always watching over me. These kind of believes and activities can cause some very strong emotions over a person.  Very positive emotions. It makes you feel safe, strong, energetic, and that you can accomplish anything in your life. It helps you overcome hardships, control negative emotions, etc.

After becoming an a atheist, all of these emotions are gone. Maybe not completely, but not to the same extent. Now I feel more insecure, since I know God is not protecting me. I dont feel like an accomplish anything, since I am not all powerful and God isnt helping me. It is now harder to have a positive outlook of life and the future since there is no God. This idea of God is extremly powerful, and I see almost no way of compete against it only with reason and force of will. 

I have been wondering if some ex-believers have reached the same level of "positive emotions" if you may call it, only by force of will and reason. 

Just as an anecdote, a few times I have pretended to talk to God as an atheist, and I feel some positive force on me. Perhaps I was so accustomed to this in the past, that it still lingers on me. And please, I dont want any believer telling me it is the power of God telling me to believe again.

[vorlon13]

When still nominally 'believing' I was more struck by God's sense of humor (of which I was a perpetual victim) and I never felt 'protected'.

Wonky shit still happens to me, but it doesn't take a God with a warped sense of humor to explain it.

[Godscreated]

As someone who used to believe in God and was a christian, I have a question, specially to ex-believers, now atheists.

I used to do the common religious activies such as praying, and believing I had a personal relationship with God. In many points through my life, I thought God had helped me, and thta he was always watching over me. These kind of believes and activities can cause some very strong emotions over a person.  Very positive emotions. It makes you feel safe, strong, energetic, and that you can accomplish anything in your life. It helps you overcome hardships, control negative emotions, etc.

After becoming an a atheist, all of these emotions are gone. Maybe not completely, but not to the same extent. Now I feel more insecure, since I know God is not protecting me. I dont feel like an accomplish anything, since I am not all powerful and God isnt helping me. It is now harder to have a positive outlook of life and the future since there is no God. This idea of God is extremly powerful, and I see almost no way of compete against it only with reason and force of will. 

I have been wondering if some ex-believers have reached the same level of "positive emotions" if you may call it, only by force of will and reason. 

Just as an anecdote, a few times I have pretended to talk to God as an atheist, and I feel some positive force on me. Perhaps I was so accustomed to this in the past, that it still lingers on me. And please, I dont want any believer telling me it is the power of God telling me to believe again.

Okay I want, what I will say is you weren't ever a Christian, how could you have been if you believe there is no God. Christianity is no pretend thing nor delusion, it is real with a real God and how do I know this, a personal relationship where God and I communicate in wonderful ways and only in His timing.

GC

[Macoleco]

As someone who used to believe in God and was a christian, I have a question, specially to ex-believers, now atheists.

I used to do the common religious activies such as praying, and believing I had a personal relationship with God. In many points through my life, I thought God had helped me, and thta he was always watching over me. These kind of believes and activities can cause some very strong emotions over a person.  Very positive emotions. It makes you feel safe, strong, energetic, and that you can accomplish anything in your life. It helps you overcome hardships, control negative emotions, etc.

After becoming an a atheist, all of these emotions are gone. Maybe not completely, but not to the same extent. Now I feel more insecure, since I know God is not protecting me. I dont feel like an accomplish anything, since I am not all powerful and God isnt helping me. It is now harder to have a positive outlook of life and the future since there is no God. This idea of God is extremly powerful, and I see almost no way of compete against it only with reason and force of will. 

I have been wondering if some ex-believers have reached the same level of "positive emotions" if you may call it, only by force of will and reason. 

Just as an anecdote, a few times I have pretended to talk to God as an atheist, and I feel some positive force on me. Perhaps I was so accustomed to this in the past, that it still lingers on me. And please, I dont want any believer telling me it is the power of God telling me to believe again.

Okay I want, what I will say is you weren't ever a Christian, how could you have been if you believe there is no God. Christianity is no pretend thing nor delusion, it is real with a real God and how do I know this, a personal relationship where God and I communicate in wonderful ways and only in His timing.

GC

I think you misunderstood something I said. I used to believe in a REAL GOD. I have pretended a few times as an atheist. Not as a believer.

[vorlon13]

It wasn't that many years ago I heard a Methodist refer to Methodism as The One True Faith. I'd never heard the expression before, (use it all the time now, if you haven't noticed) and immediately realized just how fucking ludicrous it was in regards to Methodism.

I was the right age to get in on their ecumenical bent in the late 60s and absorbed a tolerance for other religions sharing some truths with Methodism, apparently. I realize now that was Erroneous. God is NOT an Ecumenist.

[Antares]

As someone who used to believe in God and was a christian, I have a question, specially to ex-believers, now atheists.

I used to do the common religious activies such as praying, and believing I had a personal relationship with God. In many points through my life, I thought God had helped me, and thta he was always watching over me. These kind of believes and activities can cause some very strong emotions over a person.  Very positive emotions. It makes you feel safe, strong, energetic, and that you can accomplish anything in your life. It helps you overcome hardships, control negative emotions, etc.

After becoming an a atheist, all of these emotions are gone. Maybe not completely, but not to the same extent. Now I feel more insecure, since I know God is not protecting me. I dont feel like an accomplish anything, since I am not all powerful and God isnt helping me. It is now harder to have a positive outlook of life and the future since there is no God. This idea of God is extremly powerful, and I see almost no way of compete against it only with reason and force of will. 

I have been wondering if some ex-believers have reached the same level of "positive emotions" if you may call it, only by force of will and reason. 

Just as an anecdote, a few times I have pretended to talk to God as an atheist, and I feel some positive force on me. Perhaps I was so accustomed to this in the past, that it still lingers on me. And please, I dont want any believer telling me it is the power of God telling me to believe again.

You can accomplish things and you should give yourself the credit for any accomplishment, not some deity. Reason and truth is far better than living in a fantasy world. I can relate somewhat to your feeling of emptiness. I'm sure that most apostates go through this. I compare it to a drug addiction of sorts. The drug gave you a false sense of security. You are free of the addiction but you still miss that feeling. I found an atheist group in my home town to fellowship with. My work keeps me away for the most part but knowing that they are there helps. I hope you are able to work through this and divert that adoration for a non-existent deity towards yourself, where it belongs.

[chimp3]

As someone who used to believe in God and was a christian, I have a question, specially to ex-believers, now atheists.

I used to do the common religious activies such as praying, and believing I had a personal relationship with God. In many points through my life, I thought God had helped me, and thta he was always watching over me. These kind of believes and activities can cause some very strong emotions over a person.  Very positive emotions. It makes you feel safe, strong, energetic, and that you can accomplish anything in your life. It helps you overcome hardships, control negative emotions, etc.

After becoming an a atheist, all of these emotions are gone. Maybe not completely, but not to the same extent. Now I feel more insecure, since I know God is not protecting me. I dont feel like an accomplish anything, since I am not all powerful and God isnt helping me. It is now harder to have a positive outlook of life and the future since there is no God. This idea of God is extremly powerful, and I see almost no way of compete against it only with reason and force of will. 

I have been wondering if some ex-believers have reached the same level of "positive emotions" if you may call it, only by force of will and reason. 

Just as an anecdote, a few times I have pretended to talk to God as an atheist, and I feel some positive force on me. Perhaps I was so accustomed to this in the past, that it still lingers on me. And please, I dont want any believer telling me it is the power of God telling me to believe again.

It is rational to feel you can not accomplish "anything" you desire and are not all powerful. We all have limitations. To feel otherwise is insane.

[Mystic]

^I am insane on both accounts then, medical and your definition haha.

---

As someone who used to believe in God and was a christian, I have a question, specially to ex-believers, now atheists.

I used to do the common religious activies such as praying, and believing I had a personal relationship with God. In many points through my life, I thought God had helped me, and thta he was always watching over me. These kind of believes and activities can cause some very strong emotions over a person.  Very positive emotions. It makes you feel safe, strong, energetic, and that you can accomplish anything in your life. It helps you overcome hardships, control negative emotions, etc.

After becoming an a atheist, all of these emotions are gone. Maybe not completely, but not to the same extent. Now I feel more insecure, since I know God is not protecting me. I dont feel like an accomplish anything, since I am not all powerful and God isnt helping me. It is now harder to have a positive outlook of life and the future since there is no God. This idea of God is extremly powerful, and I see almost no way of compete against it only with reason and force of will. 

I have been wondering if some ex-believers have reached the same level of "positive emotions" if you may call it, only by force of will and reason. 

Just as an anecdote, a few times I have pretended to talk to God as an atheist, and I feel some positive force on me. Perhaps I was so accustomed to this in the past, that it still lingers on me. And please, I dont want any believer telling me it is the power of God telling me to believe again.

Placebo ends when a person begins to doubt and rationalize. Placebo works to degrees.   Doubt seeks certainty. 

To give up on the truth because you doubted is not the purpose of doubt nor to doubt the truth after being shown clearly with proofs is not the purpose of doubt.

Doubt is just an indicator that you need further clarification and insight or a need to rekindle and remind yourself of what you know.

My question to you, is what advice are you seeking from people here? What do you want to hear? 

You don't like to believe in a supernatural force and creator, sure, but than you will believe people if they tell you can gain that will power and energy without reliable support and source and guidance?

I want you to do the same. Demand evidence on both sides.   When I was Atheist that horrible week I was, I sought to search evidence for all the foundations of what makes us human.

What makes an action praiseworthy? What makes a person praiseworthy? How do you inherit your actions? What accountability is there when we do good or bad, how does our personhood inherit the deed scores we score in a given day?   What makes you the same person as you were once before?

What makes you who you are? What is your foundational essence?

[The Grand Nudger]

As an interesting counterpoint to the loss of those perceptions correlating to the loss of religion - I never had a religion, so never lost a religion..and I -do- have those perceptions.

All of the things that believers communicate as the nature of their "relationship with god"...I feel all of that, just without any gods or need for gods, lol.    It's my familiarity and recognition of what they're talking about, the certain understanding that they feel what I feel, that forms the basis of my calling bullshit when they get too churchspeaky about some x. 

They're taking liberties with our shared experience, and we both know better. Like Mystic..above.. as he rattles off that script..and it is a script..as though he draws a complete blank in the absence of god.

He and I both know that he doesn't.

Back round to former believers who feel that loss. Well, do you, really..and if so...could it be that the baby went out with the bathwater?

[Godscreated]

Okay I want, what I will say is you weren't ever a Christian, how could you have been if you believe there is no God. Christianity is no pretend thing nor delusion, it is real with a real God and how do I know this, a personal relationship where God and I communicate in wonderful ways and only in His timing.

GC

I think you misunderstood something I said. I used to believe in a REAL GOD. I have pretended a few times as an atheist. Not as a believer.

You played at being a Christian, You couldn't have believed in the real God and now deny Him. You could reject what He wants for you but never deny Him, you could never be an atheist. You see I completely understand.

GC