depressing disbelief in any reason for life

cliona8969

i would preferably like some believers in god to try to argue with me.

please bear in mind that i did not come on here to make people doubt their religion. i was born into a christian household and would call myself christian, however as the years go by i find myself more and more doubting the existence of god.
my biggest reason for doubting god is the fact that the world is so big. why would god create life only on one teeny tiny planet. the earth is like a speck of sand in relation to the size of the universe. it is almost irrelevant.
so how could we be the only life that matter? what is the rest of the universe there for? the universe is sooo large- made up of billions of galaxies and stars. i can't understand how we are so arrogant to assume we are the only ones in the universe...

also if there are aliens out there does that contradict that god exists??
there is evidence of UFO'S etc so no doubt there is life more intelligent than us humans on other planets far away. did god create them too? i would like to believe in god but it makes no sense to me. unfortunately i think once our time is up on earth, that's it. we'll all be forgotten

18AD

Why does the vast expanse of the entire universe have to be there for something? Is something only valuable if you can experience it? Or if we conscious entities can manipulate it?

Is it not all there just for itself, carefree and floating?

Sarky

This image tends to cheer me up whenever this subject comes along:





If you're depressed about not having a purpose in life, why not go find one? Go try something new. Have an adventure. Take up (another, perhaps?) musical instrument. Learn another language. Visit somewhere you've never been.

The world gets a lot smaller when you go exploring and you learn more about it. The rest of the universe, well, pretty much all we can do with it right now is look at how incredibly pretty it is, unless maybe you're an astrophysicist.

Nollog

cliona8969 wrote: »

also if there are aliens out there does that contradict that god exists??
there is evidence of UFO'S etc so no doubt there is life more intelligent than us humans on other planets far away. did god create them too? i would like to believe in god but it makes no sense to me. unfortunately i think once our time is up on earth, that's it. we'll all be forgotten

Angels?

Does the bible say when, where, how God created those?

Standman

There is no evidence for god as it is so throwing aliens into the mix doesn't really make his existence any less likely.

According the the Vatican the existence of aliens would not oppose catholic doctorine .

Just remember you don't need to believe in god to have a purpose in life.

cliona8969

how depressing is it to think though that we're only here for a few seconds basically and then gone for eternity. how can anyone take life seriously?
what is the point?? how do people carry on with their days carefree.. i'm seriously scared and sad. i'll never see my loves ones again and that is the hardest part. i feel very sad

Nollog

cliona8969 wrote: »

how depressing is it to think though that we're only here for a few seconds basically and then gone for eternity. how can anyone take life seriously?
what is the point?? how do people carry on with their days carefree.. i'm seriously scared and sad. i'll never see my loves ones again and that is the hardest part. i feel very sad

But you won't know you're not seeing your loved ones when you're dead.
So what's to worry about?

Galvasean

cliona8969 wrote: »

how depressing is it to think though that we're only here for a few seconds basically and then gone for eternity. how can anyone take life seriously?
what is the point?? how do people carry on with their days carefree.. i'm seriously scared and sad. i'll never see my loves ones again and that is the hardest part. i feel very sad

You shouldn't. The very fact that our time is so short means we should strive to make the most of it; enjoy our lives & help make the lives of others better too.

Is ceasing to exist after leading a full and good life really more depressing than life being some kind of weird test to see if you are worthy in the eyes of a strange interdimmensional tyrant of joining him for all eternity? Personally i don't think so.

18AD

cliona8969 wrote: »

how can anyone take life seriously?

That's the whole story. It's not serious at all. It's a bit of a laugh and sometimes it's hard, but you just keep on truckin'. Thousands of minds blipping in and out of existence like static. Absurd.

Sarky

And amazing.

Undergod

cliona8969 wrote: »

my biggest reason for doubting god is the fact that the world is so big. why would god create life only on one teeny tiny planet...

also if there are aliens out there does that contradict that god exists??
there is evidence of UFO'S etc so no doubt there is life more intelligent than us humans on other planets far away. did god create them too?

Well, which is it?

Yeah, life might be brief on certain timescales, but it's the longest thing you'll do, so worrying won't help. Life is pretty deadly! Discover some new music or something! Don't like music? Then learn fencing? All that sound a bit too hippy? Then get a job you enjoy and do well at it! There's loads of ****ing deadly stuff to do. Just because we may not last forever, doesn't mean our time is to be squandered.

al28283

cliona8969 wrote: »

how depressing is it to think though that we're only here for a few seconds basically and then gone for eternity. how can anyone take life seriously?
what is the point?? how do people carry on with their days carefree.. i'm seriously scared and sad. i'll never see my loves ones again and that is the hardest part. i feel very sad

You never worried about these things before you were born and you won't after you die

philologos

OP: How does the idea of there being extraterrestrial life contradict with God's existence? I don't quite understand how this is a huge issue? I believe in God precisely because I found that His existence seemed to be central to reality itself. If you really want to look into the matter more closely I'd recommend that you give these a listen.

MrPudding

cliona8969 wrote: »

how depressing is it to think though that we're only here for a few seconds basically and then gone for eternity. how can anyone take life seriously?
what is the point?? how do people carry on with their days carefree.. i'm seriously scared and sad. i'll never see my loves ones again and that is the hardest part. i feel very sad

Thinking about being without my family and not seeing them grow up makes me sad too. it is a difficult thing to think about, you kind of want to be with them forever. The simple fact is you can't be with them forever. You will die and that will be that.

I think the key is not to focus so much on the sad bit. I am not saying ignore it, just drop the focus a bit.

I try to concentrate on good stuff. Being with my family right here and right now, that is important. Finding a purpose in life is also important to me. As far as I am concerned my purpose in life is to give my children the best possible start in life that I can, to try to improve my self a little bit each day and to try to not do bad.

So far it is working out well for me. I have four beautiful kids who are growing up fast and are genuinely good. I have decent job and I am studying for a career change. I don't believe in gods but I have a purpose in life.

I love that fact we we are but a tiny speck in the enormousness that is the universe. I love that we don't really know how it all began but never stop trying to find the answer.

So yes, if all you think about is the bad stuff then it is going to be a bit depressing, but there is no reason to just think about the bad.

I am not trying to be condescending or offensive, but you need to get a life. I mean that in the nicest possible way. You need to move beyond the thought that there is nothing and find something to live for. There is plenty to live for once you start looking.

MrP

MrPudding

philologos wrote: »

OP: How does the idea of there being extraterrestrial life contradict with God's existence? I don't quite understand how this is a huge issue? I believe in God precisely because I found that His existence seemed to be central to reality itself. If you really want to look into the matter more closely I'd recommend that you give these a listen.

Exactly. I don't see how extra terrestrial life being left out of the bible, for example, would prove anything. After all, there was loads of stuff left out of the bible. It is not as if the fact that aliens are not mentioned in the bible would make it seem like it was written by bronze age desert tribesmen with no comprehension of anything beyond their tiny lives and no idea of how the world or the universe was created.

God is all powerful and all knowing. He is the boss of us and he has no requirement to tell us of any other race of life that he, presumably, also created but neglected to mention. Plus, god moves in mysterious ways / we can't possibly understand mind / we are too puny / we are sinners and don't deserve to learn / we never said we would be exclusive...

MrP

Lucy8080

hi cliona,

there is a thread in a.h. on depression that is by turns humbling, honest, compassionate and yet incredibly uplifting to read .

u are not alone cliona...we are all human...and have a shared experience...


we love ya...

and i would always recommend a bit of comedy everyday...search utube...or the pics and vids section here...some classics in there...

its not ur job to heal ,fix,improve or change the world.

and yet time after time when i have met folks who get this,,,,they say that for some reason when they eased up on themselves they eased up on others by default...and somehow life became more tolerable and even more joyful for themselves and those they love and share life with.

and ...above all....found that the bad times actually made them more compassionate .

so ease up on urself cliona...when ya do...you will find that you are left with a residue of compassion...

and that will be ur gift to this world...and we will all benefit indirectly.

we love ya....and we have all been there...

J C

cliona8969 wrote: »

i would preferably like some believers in god to try to argue with me.

Cliona, you're in the wrong forum if you are looking for people to confirm your faith in God ... this is the Atheism & Agnosticism Forum.

However, I am a Christian ... and I can reassure you that God exists and loves you very much ... and if you believe on Jesus Christ, you will be Saved ... and you will live in Heaven with Him for eternity.

cliona8969 wrote: »

how depressing is it to think though that we're only here for a few seconds basically and then gone for eternity. how can anyone take life seriously?
what is the point?? how do people carry on with their days carefree.. i'm seriously scared and sad. i'll never see my loves ones again and that is the hardest part. i feel very sad

What is making you scared and sad?

Please PM me or visit the Christianity Forum if you want to discuss issues in relation to God, further ... or please phone The Samaratans on 1850 60 90 90, if you would like to discuss personal issues with somebody.

Sonics2k

cliona8969 wrote: »

how depressing is it to think though that we're only here for a few seconds basically and then gone for eternity. how can anyone take life seriously?
what is the point?? how do people carry on with their days carefree.. i'm seriously scared and sad. i'll never see my loves ones again and that is the hardest part. i feel very sad

Because we live such short lives, that is the reason you should truly live a life.

Don't do things because of fear of the afterlife, or God, or Religion.
On average, we live about 60 years. As adults, that works out as 40 years.

That's 40 years to fall in love, have children, see the world, learn something new, challenge and develop your mind. Explore existence, make friends, lose friends.

Sitting around and weeping about the shortness of life, is the only real tragedy you can do.

The Internet Explorer

J C wrote: »

Cliona, you're in the wrong forum if you are looking for people to confirm your faith in God ... this is the Atheism & Agnosticism Forum.

I'd just like to point out that the OP had posted this thread in the Christian forum but was somewhat rudely told to come here. See here

Splendour

cliona8969 wrote: »

what is the point??

This film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-8pu1chaO0
won't give you answers as to why there are other planets but it will certainly make you rethink the reason for your existence whether or not you believe in any kind of an afterlife...

Ellis Dee

What is depressing about having freed one's mind of superstitious belief in the existence of some kind of sky fairy/non-material supernatural and all-controlling being? Surely you should rejoice that you are no longer one of those who swallow those absurd myths hook, line and sinker. How dumb is it to lead your life according to "scripture", i.e. sets of instructions of very dubious provenance that are proffered as the word of some or other deity? And always these words are interpreted by and channelled through mere mortals like yourself, who have all the answers that hard and systematic work by hordes of scientists can't find. And who, naturally, always want money and usually a lot of power over others as well.:rolleyes:

As for a reason for life, surely it's enough to want to make the most of it and get whatever enjoyment and pleasure one can out of it before the lights go out for good? You only get one crack at it, so don't waste any of your time worrying what some imaginary creep with a grey beard thinks of what you're doing?;)

Who can know whether life of some kind exists on other planets orbiting some of the quadrillions or quintillions of stars in the universe? Until we have detected clear evidence that it does, we cannot believe in its existence, but it is reasonable to believe that if there is no life outside our planet, it's one hell of a waste of space.:)

Anyway, our ability to see into the universe is increasing all the time and we may eventually detect life elsewhere. I'll be very surprised, though, if we ever detect the sky fairy. If there was such a thing and it was nearly as omnipotent as the god-botherers would have us believe, surely it would have announced its presence - or do the believers not believe their sky fairy has heard of Facebook or Twitter?:cool:

Galvasean

The Internet Explorer wrote: »

I'd just like to point out that the OP had posted this thread in the Christian forum but was somewhat rudely told to come here. See here

I really don't get why Christians can be so dismissive of people who believe in UFOs. It just seems so hypocritical.

MUSEIST

J C wrote: »

Cliona, you're in the wrong forum if you are looking for people to confirm your faith in God ... this is the Atheism & Agnosticism Forum.

However, I am a Christian ... and I can reassure you that God exists and loves you very much ... and if you believe on Jesus Christ, you will be Saved ... and you will live in Heaven with Him for eternity.

What is making you scared and sad?

Please PM me or visit the Christianity Forum if you want to discuss issues in relation to God, further ... or please phone The Samaratans on 1850 60 90 90, if you would like to discuss personal issues with somebody.

Woo, interesting stuff. Are you going to keep me waiting for the evidence for this or are you just throwing that definitive statement out there. I am expecting a comprehensive scientific document.

However, I am a Santa claus fanatic....and I can reassure you that Santa exists and loves you very much...and if you believe in santa claus, you will be saved... and you will be in lapland with him for eternity, yey. This is fact and can state this with autority. I don't need evidence for it so don't ask.

I would imagine that you think the above statement is ridiculous and filled with hyperbole and you feel it can be dismissed as nonsense, well thats pretty much how I feel about your statement.

This angers me about religion, trying to spread a delusion and give people false hope. Everything thats destructive to humanity is contained in this implication, the ignorance of reason and blind faith in a supernatural.
OP, finding meaning in life is not about pleasing a supernatural tyrant and gaining eternal life or virgins or what ever your persuasion is, its about being a good person, helping other people, getting joy out of life. The meaning in life is whatever meaning you give it. Nothing depressing about not believing in a greater meaning in life, IMO it gives me perspective of how valuable life is and how we should use our time to enjoy the world around us and maybe give a little to humanity and especially convinces me to search for truth and not accept half assed and downright dangerous views on a tyrant that has control over you. Thats one step away from psychosis, some would argue it already is a form.

recedite

J C wrote: »

Cliona, you're in the wrong forum....
Please PM me or visit the Christianity Forum

Heh hew nice one. Somebody suffering from depression, low self esteem, thinking about dead relatives, aliens, ie the ideal candidate for recruitment to a cult. Better get in quick though, before some other crowd latches on.

MrPudding

recedite wrote: »

Heh hew nice one. Somebody suffering from depression, low self esteem, thinking about dead relatives, aliens, ie the ideal candidate for recruitment to a cult. Better get in quick though, before some other crowd latches on.

Quite disgusting. Did you ever see the documentary a out the alpha course? They followed a few people that and to it. One of them was pretty messed up. This was spotted and the alpha course people really went to work on him. They saw he was emotionally vunerable and targetted him.

I suppose people in a fragile emotional state full of self doubt are easy targets. Vile.

MrP

recedite

Just had a look at the alpha course. You can go from no-hoper to Bear Grylls in only 10 weeks! Plus a genuine testimony from someone who completed it; "I was able to ask whatever I wanted and not feel stupid"
I'm signing up today.

Sarky

Most stupid people don't feel stupid.

robindch

MrPudding wrote: »

Did you ever see the documentary a out the alpha course?

Which doc was that?

MrPudding

robindch wrote: »

Which doc was that?

I think it was channel 4 or e4. I seem to recall we had a thread on it... Once I get off my phone and onto a proper browser I will have a look.

MrP

MrPudding

Has it really been two years...?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055605537

Just had a quick look on 4oD and it does not seem to be available, though the other episodes form the series are.

MrP

Saila

thats the problem with throwing out the idea of god/religion, the bathwater goes with it. you better get/have something real strong in place to live with it.