Where to go from here?

[Ahriman]

I would say, go ahead and live as if God exists anyway, that way you might retain some dignity and honor.

Doesn't seem to have worked for you.

Yeah no **** it isn't working for me because that's not what I'm doing and didn't say it was.

[Angrboda]

Doesn't seem to have worked for you.

Yeah no **** it isn't working for me because that's not what I'm doing and didn't say it was.

Do they have cockle burrs where you live?

[Ahriman]

Yeah no **** it isn't working for me because that's not what I'm doing and didn't say it was.

Do they have cockle burrs where you live?

Yeah I think so.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Looking for advice on some things as I consider myself very new as an atheist and I had some questions.

Where do you really go from here? I've come to the conclusion that there are no gods, no heaven, no hell, no afterlife, and that when I die I'll either rot in the ground or be cremated and just cease to exist. That the universe just came into being with no specific purpose, so now what? Or does there even need to be a 'now what?'

I don't know how many atheists here were either born and raised atheist versus falling out of religion and becoming atheist, but it really messes with your head somewhat (at least I think so) after something you thought to be the truth for so long turns out to be a web of lies and that people you thought were real turns out to be fictional creations to support a religion that was bent on controlling the population with absurd laws and rules. I've been told to question everything and I have been. Do I start studying up on science now? Research some well known atheists? Or just live content that something came from nothing and my destiny is whatever I make it?

Thought it'd make for an interesting discussion. Especially for any new atheists out there like myself still trying to make sense of it all.

 The question assumes life has a destination, apart from dying. It doesn't.

It's not a journey nor a rehearsal. All we ever have is 'now'. This is it.

An aphorism I once heard : "Yesterday's history, tomorrow's a mystery"

[Alan V]

The question assumes life has a destination, apart from dying. It doesn't.

It's not a journey nor a rehearsal. All we ever have is 'now'. This is it.

An aphorism I once heard : "Yesterday's history, tomorrow's a mystery"

"Sorry, but the trip to fantasyland has been canceled. You all will have to entertain yourselves."

[Fake Messiah]

Doesn't seem to have worked for you.

Yeah no **** it isn't working for me because that's not what I'm doing and didn't say it was.

So why recommend to us something that doesn't work for you?

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

The question assumes life has a destination, apart from dying. It doesn't.

It's not a journey nor a rehearsal. All we ever have is 'now'. This is it.

An aphorism I once heard : "Yesterday's history, tomorrow's a mystery"

"Sorry, but the trip to fantasyland has been canceled.  You all will have to entertain yourselves."  

 Indeed.

I once had a female friend who feared boredom above all else. All I'll say about that is it's interesting how one's deepest fears can come true.

Luckily for me, I'm perfectly happy with my own company so rarely get bored. An Olympic level procrastinator, I always have heaps to do. 

[R00tKiT]

Where do you really go from here? 

You can't go anywhere because your position is irrational.

 I've come to the conclusion that there are no gods,

This is hard atheism, prove it. Prove that there are no gods. Good luck.

, no heaven, no hell, no afterlife

It doesn't follow from there being no god that there is no afterlife, it's extremely unlikely, though. 

but it really messes with your head somewhat (at least I think so) after something you thought to be the truth for so long turns out to be a web of lies and that people you thought were real turns out to be fictional creations to support a religion that was bent on controlling the population with absurd laws and rules. 

What people turned out to be fictional creations.... according to you? Do you think that the historical Jesus or the historical Muhammad didn't exist.. for example? or simply that their disciples corrupted their teachings...? 

A religion being involved in social life and/or exercising some form of social control has absolutely no bearing on its truth, this is the genetic fallacy.

Do I start studying up on science now? Research some well known atheists? Or just live content that something came from nothing and my destiny is whatever I make it?

Some well known atheists converted back to theism, heavy hitters in the philosophy of religion like Antony Flew were convinced by theistic arguments. You, on the other hand, seem to be too certain about your position.

[Fake Messiah]

Some well known atheists converted back to theism, heavy hitters in the philosophy of religion like Antony Flew were convinced by theistic arguments.

Flew did say that "Islam is best described in a Marxian way as the uniting and justifying ideology of Arab imperialism," and that Allah and Christian gods are "despots, cosmic Saddam Husseins", so maybe he was up to something.

[Simon Moon]

Looking for advice on some things as I consider myself very new as an atheist and I had some questions.

Where do you really go from here? I've come to the conclusion that there are no gods, no heaven, no hell, no afterlife, and that when I die I'll either rot in the ground or be cremated and just cease to exist. That the universe just came into being with no specific purpose, so now what? Or does there even need to be a 'now what?'

I don't know how many atheists here were either born and raised atheist versus falling out of religion and becoming atheist, but it really messes with your head somewhat (at least I think so) after something you thought to be the truth for so long turns out to be a web of lies and that people you thought were real turns out to be fictional creations to support a religion that was bent on controlling the population with absurd laws and rules. I've been told to question everything and I have been. Do I start studying up on science now? Research some well known atheists? Or just live content that something came from nothing and my destiny is whatever I make it?

Thought it'd make for an interesting discussion. Especially for any new atheists out there like myself still trying to make sense of it all.

You can choose to do with it what you want.

It is my contention, that atheism, is the result of rational and critical thinking, when applied to the god claim. So, that rational and critical thinking process does not just apply to the god claim, it applies to all existential claims. So, even if your atheism itself does not become a major part of your thinking, you can always have the ability for critical thinking as part of your mindset.

I always enjoyed finding the flaws in theist arguments, so I can respond to any theist when they try to use one. I am referring to: Kalam cosmological argument, teleological argument, ontological argument, presupositionalism, etc.

Or just live content that something came from nothing...

You can start with NOT repeating this!

This is not what any of the theories of the origin of the universe (or life), claim. This is actually a strawman argument that theists try to use in debates against atheists. Even with Lawrence Kraus's book, "A Universe From Nothing", he does not mean "absolutely nothing". Physicists have a different definition for nothing than philosophers do.

Maybe you should read some books aimed at laypeople books on astrophysics.