Belated introduction

[pjkeeley]

Okay, so I never got around to doing an introduction even though I've been posting here for a while now. Naughty me.

So here it is. Hi everyone!

A bit of background: I found this forum after putting the words "happy atheist forum" in Google (exact words or something very similar if I recall correctly). I had no prior knowledge of this site. I was going through a minor but still pretty terrible existential crisis that lasted about three months, the root cause of which was not so much my transition from agnosticism to atheism, but the idea that by finally accepting what I'd deep down believed all along (there is no God, no afterlife etc.), I was somehow 'giving up hope' in the world, and that without the hope that I might be wrong, life would become meaningless and full of despair. I was pretty depressed and I wanted to prove myself wrong: I wanted to find 'happy atheists' on a forum. I found this place and it was just what I was looking for. I lurked for a while before eventually joining.

So even though you didn't know it, you guys really helped me out while I was going through a fairly depressed period. So thanks. :wink:

[joeactor]

Hi pjkeeley - nice to meet you!

There's a few die-hard agnostics here (I'm one).
Sounds like you went through a fair amount of turmoil.
Glad the forum was in some small way a comfort.

Welcome,
JoeActor

[SteveS]

Hi pjkeeley - I had a little trouble with these issues myself.  I don't think I ever really got depressed about it - worried is more like it.  But, it's weird, once I just embraced life for what it was ... it really did make me happy.  Maybe it was ditching the worry, hoping for things that aren't real?   I don't know, but it's weird, once I let myself let go of any hope of an afterlife I seemed to have less fear and worry about death.  Strange, huh?

Anyway, it's good to have you here - I've already enjoyed your comments and posts on the board!

[Squid]

Hey pj, good to have you here.  We're glad we could help out even if it was indirectly.

[McQ]

Geez....about time, PJ!  

Welcome and thanks for the intro. Feels like we know you already.

[tacoma_kyle]

Hey whats up?

Yeah when I went to the dark side a few years back I was kinda having a really weird year as well. Depressed? Maybe a little, like 15% or somethin. I dunno...


Welcome here!

[cheddamash]

Hey PJ! I joined up just recently for a somewhat similar reason. I was having an issue with how to raise my kids (nonexistent so far) with me being and atheist and my wife being Lutheran. I'm glad I've come.

[pjkeeley]

Thanks all!

once I let myself let go of any hope of an afterlife I seemed to have less fear and worry about death. Strange, huh?

Hmm. Not me. :cry: I think if I had good reason to believe in an afterlife I'd be a lot less afraid of death. But one thing I have noticed is that fear of death might actually be a good thing. The knowledge that this is the only life we have certainly gives us good incentive to live it well!

I was having an issue with how to raise my kids (nonexistent so far) with me being and atheist and my wife being Lutheran.

I can hardly imagine what that must be like. I was raised by atheist parents, who both had atheist parents... I've never had to deal with having a theist family member. Everytime I hear about people who have close family members that actually believe in Hell I cringe.  Any religious belief that doesn't let good atheists into heaven is a horrible one; a truly moral person would rebel against their own God if he was really that petty. I know if I believed my family and friends were going to Hell I'd renounce God and join them in their eternal damnation! I find it both fascinating and disturbing that people can profess to have a closer relationship with an invisible man than with their own flesh and blood.