My Point Of View (and Hello!)

[mitch54]

I grew up with my single mother who was raised a christian however doesn't necessarily have strong religious beliefs.  I never put any serious thought into religion until sometime during my mid-teens.  During this period I didn't give up my belief in a higher being but more-or-less questioned why people believed in Gods that seem so fairytale-ish.  The bible, in my mind, was simply a book of magic and tall tales. Looking back I would say that I was agnostic, being told that there was an "unexplainable force" that holds its presence within the universe.  I put the issue onto the shelf of my mind until later in my highschool life I took interest in Philosophy and Science, my best grades in school coming from Biology and Physics.  On my free time I started reading about quantum mechanics and the universe as we can know it. This was all fine until I thought about the 'bigger picture': Life itself.  I began to realize that life isn't a gift from god, but rather a stage in an ever evolving universe.  I'm 20 years old, web designer by day bartender by night, living life in the fast lane, but find that lately I'm lost within my own existence.  I'm not looking for meaning to it all, but rather comfort.  Death is my biggest fear, which I find is the major reason I have taken interest in this forum (googled "Happy Being Atheist")  because I feel empty now that everything we see and feel is, well, everything.  There is no extra meaning hiding behind any of it.  Being atheist seems to take the fun out of "what is this all about?" because the question is answered with "what you see is what you get." I now understand why religion exists and I dont shoot down anyones beliefs, but Atheism is the only logical choice for me.

I guess after this long description of my situation I ask a short question: how do you find comfort in being Atheist?

[SteveS]

Hi mitch54 - thanks for the intro and welcome to the board!

I guess I feel happy just knowing what I do get.  If what we see is what we get, it makes me happier to know this than to not know it.  If this is true, then I can behave accordingly.  Think of it this way: if what we see is what we get, then how many people are abjectly wasting their time praying, going to church, giving their money to religious leaders, feeling needless guilt for imagined sins, and doing all other manner of costly and wasteful things?

The happy part about being an atheist to me is realizing that my life means whatever I want it to mean.  Nothing more, true, but nothing less either.  I'm good with that!

[myleviathan]

There is no extra meaning hiding behind any of it. Being atheist seems to take the fun out of "what is this all about?"

Hi, Mitch - I'm Andy. Welcome to the forum. I admire your openness about feeling lost. I have been an atheist for a little over three years now. I find comfort in atheism in that I can choose my own meanings in life to hold onto. We each weave what we value into our lives. I find this a lot more fun than having someone else weave it in for me. As a former evangelical Christian I can tell you life is so much richer without the magic of religion. The freedom I feel now, knowing there's no demons or angels or spiritual realm of any type is overwhelmingly great. I'm sure you'll find what makes you feel fulfilled if you stay true to your beliefs.

[Tom62]

Hi Mitch54.
Welcome to the forum. There are lot of things in life that I enjoy as an atheist, like a good family life, having friends, good food, a wonderful sunset etc. etc. I never even thought that atheism is about having too explain all this "What is this about?" stuff. That we don't see a diety behind it doesn't make life less exciting. I don't need to explain something that is wonderful, I just enjoy it. Since we are not on this planet to please a diety, we can live our lives to the fullest. Image that with everything you do, you'd have to ask your diety for approval. What kind of life would that be? Obeying all those silly religious rules and being damned from the very beginning can make one's life pretty miserable. As a matter of fact I don't understand why religion still exists, because it doesn't make any sense to me. Vague promises of an afterlife from people you'd not even want to buy a second hand car from? Thanks, but no thanks.

[mitch54]

Vague promises of an afterlife from people you'd not even want to buy a second hand car from? Thanks, but no thanks.

What about the car from "the little old lady that only drove it to church on sundays?"