622 replies to this topic

[Seeker79]

Atheists are actually considered by some to be in the middle ground of spiritual awareness. Religionists being the most unaware, atheists being more aware, and spiritual people with an attitude of a collective concousness being the most aware. Of course anyone in any of the groups will put their world view at the top.

Atheists will not feel anymore empty than the rest of us. Fulfillment does not come from what comes after, but comes from what is happening now.

[Imaginarynumber1]

Lion6969, on 01 April 2012 - 01:00 AM, said:

Whether you get crocked by natural causes, mass disaster, at the hands of psycho or genocidal maniac etc etc, atheist view is simple, tough cookie, that's how it crumbles. Atheism is dark bleak world view with no hope no empathy and it's very empty.

If you really think that then you are a very sad, angry person and have no idea how liberating and wonderful it feels to be atheistic and no be shackled by bronze age laws.

[JGirl]

HuttonEtAl, on 31 March 2012 - 10:03 PM, said:

So last night at work I was talking with a co-worker that is an athiest. He said he found being an atheist depressing and empty. He says it sucks to know there is nothing after this life. This is not a view I typically hear so I was wondering if there are atheists here that also feel this way?

i don't think he's feeling depressed and empty because he's an athiest, he's feeling depressed and empty because he's depressed.
instead of living his life he is rehearsing for his nonlife.

[Rlyeh]

Lion6969, on 01 April 2012 - 01:00 AM, said:

Whether you get crocked by natural causes, mass disaster, at the hands of psycho or genocidal maniac etc etc, atheist view is simple, tough cookie, that's how it crumbles. Atheism is dark bleak world view with no hope no empathy and it's very empty.

And theists view is what? God punished the wicked?

[Parsip]

I don't want to make assumptions about atheists in general. I can only speak about the ones I've known. Many of them were in denial, but after discussing life and philosophy with them for a few months to three years it became clear to me that, while some of them are very well-intentioned, their lack of belief in an afterlife, objective morality, and every human being's inherent spiritual value made most of them feel empty, depressed, and a bit nihilistic. I think that's how a worker ant would feel if it realized the truth about its life.

[Arbenol68]

Parsip, on 01 April 2012 - 06:59 AM, said:

I don't want to make assumptions about atheists in general. I can only speak about the ones I've known. Many of them were in denial, but after discussing life and philosophy with them for a few months to three years it became clear to me that, while some of them are very well-intentioned, their lack of belief in an afterlife, objective morality, and every human being's inherent spiritual value made most of them feel empty, depressed, and a bit nihilistic. I think that's how a worker ant would feel if it realized the truth about its life.

Hi Parsip
I think you need to meet some different atheists, because the ones you keep mentioning don't sound like people I know.
Either that, or you're just making it up.

[socrates.junior]

Arbenol68, on 01 April 2012 - 07:23 AM, said:

Hi Parsip
I think you need to meet some different atheists, because the ones you keep mentioning don't sound like people I know.
Either that, or you're just making it up.

Pssshh. Give me a break. I've seen multitudes of people on here tell awful stories about the crazy religious cults that demonized them as children. But that doesn't sound like any religious people I know. Well, they must be making it up.

Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, meet pot.

[_Only]

Arbenol68, on 01 April 2012 - 07:23 AM, said:

Hi Parsip
I think you need to meet some different atheists, because the ones you keep mentioning don't sound like people I know.
Either that, or you're just making it up.

I'm going to shamefully bare myself here and say that I am that type of atheist that Parsip describes. I was completely fine with not believing there is some sort of something more. But the more I think and listen, the more empty I realize I feel. I still have trouble wanting to blindly pass my life over to some deity, maybe I never will. But after a certain point, I came to the realization that there is indeed something more, and I want to find out what that is. I am currently an atheist. But am attempting a process of opening my mind. Maybe it's a process we all (the atheist, the religious, the spiritual) will come across sometime in our lives in some way, I don't know.

Either that, or I'm just making it up.

[Arbenol68]

_Only, on 01 April 2012 - 08:13 AM, said:

I'm going to shamefully bare myself here and say that I am that type of atheist that Parsip describes. I was completely fine with not believing there is some sort of something more. But the more I think and listen, the more empty I realize I feel. I still have trouble wanting to blindly pass my life over to some deity, maybe I never will. But after a certain point, I came to the realization that there is indeed something more, and I want to find out what that is. I am currently an atheist. But am attempting a process of opening my mind. Maybe it's a process we all (the atheist, the religious, the spiritual) will come across sometime in our lives in some way, I don't know.

Either that, or I'm just making it up.

Faith (lack of, want of or too much of) can be a genuine cause of angst of many. I said as much in an earlier post in this thread. I never said that depressed and nihilistic atheists don't exist.

And to Socrates jnr: My post to Parsip was a little tongue-in-cheek because he's mentioned a few times that the only atheists he has ever met were the bundles of fun that he described. Don't take me too seriously, hey?

[Amy the Mighty]

I don't think I have ever met an atheist who felt depressed because of their non-belief. Most times when an individual is depressed, there's a whole lot of non-religious factors contributing to it. Things like bad relationships, abusive backgrounds, personality disposition, etc. Your story is as about as believeable as a grown adult confessing existential angst because they don't believe in Santa anymore. It trivialises the genuine suffering of people who are actually depressed, to mask the snide, sanctimonious allegation that people who don't believe in god are emotionally empty and dead inside. I hope the several seconds of smugness you felt when you wrote this question, was worth the effort of typing it up.

[CommunitarianKevin]

JGirl, on 01 April 2012 - 05:00 AM, said:

i don't think he's feeling depressed and empty because he's an athiest, he's feeling depressed and empty because he's depressed.
instead of living his life he is rehearsing for his nonlife.

This could be. He does have a lot of issues going on in his life.

[a vampire wears my boxers]

Seeker79, on 01 April 2012 - 04:18 AM, said:

Atheists are actually considered by some to be in the middle ground of spiritual awareness. Religionists being the most unaware, atheists being more aware, and spiritual people with an attitude of a collective concousness being the most aware. Of course anyone in any of the groups will put their world view at the top.

Atheists will not feel anymore empty than the rest of us. Fulfillment does not come from what comes after, but comes from what is happening now.

found myself nodding my head as i read this. spot on seeker!

[FurthurBB]

Lion6969, on 01 April 2012 - 01:00 AM, said:

Whether you get crocked by natural causes, mass disaster, at the hands of psycho or genocidal maniac etc etc, atheist view is simple, tough cookie, that's how it crumbles. Atheism is dark bleak world view with no hope no empathy and it's very empty.

If you need to believe this to make your life seem better, go right ahead.

[FurthurBB]

Arbenol68, on 01 April 2012 - 07:23 AM, said:

Hi Parsip
I think you need to meet some different atheists, because the ones you keep mentioning don't sound like people I know.
Either that, or you're just making it up.

Lying for jesus seems quite common for some people.

[libstaK]

_Only, on 01 April 2012 - 08:13 AM, said:

I'm going to shamefully bare myself here and say that I am that type of atheist that Parsip describes. I was completely fine with not believing there is some sort of something more. But the more I think and listen, the more empty I realize I feel. I still have trouble wanting to blindly pass my life over to some deity, maybe I never will. But after a certain point, I came to the realization that there is indeed something more, and I want to find out what that is. I am currently an atheist. But am attempting a process of opening my mind. Maybe it's a process we all (the atheist, the religious, the spiritual) will come across sometime in our lives in some way, I don't know.

Either that, or I'm just making it up.

That's pretty much what sealed the deal for me.  You can explain away so much and shake it of as "imagination" to a point - it's just that this whole critical mass of information and experience strikes at some point and therein lies the turning point.  I went from not believing to being utterly unable to not believe (and I have a very persuasive atheist neice who is a psychology major and has tried every which way to sway me) BUT I still question every day the nature of God and discard dogmatic notions out of hand for the most part - I am happy to explore the questions in my mind fully and take very little on blind faith.  Fact is, "ask and you shall receive" when it comes to knowledge hasn't failed me yet .