Do you find atheism to be depressing but true?

Azure_sky

This is, of course, a question for atheists. I'm an atheist due to rationality. I personally find it a very depressing and nihilistic truth...but it is still a truth.
I wonder do many people feel the same way. The poll is anonymous.

What's depressing about it? What alternative (if one could force oneself to "believe" in it) would be less depressing?

Galvasean

I don't find it depressing in the slightest. Who wants to live forever anyway?

ThinkAboutIt

It is depressing.

Sonics2k

Absolutely not.

Instead of doing things because a 'God' says so, I do them because I wish to.
I don't go around doing good things in an attempt to suck up to a fairytale, but because good things should be done to help those who need it.

When I die, my family will remember me, as will my friends. And assuming I have some impact on the world, then society and history will remember me.

I don't need a fantasy system to live a life.

Pushtrak

There is no afterlife, so all there is when discussing the concept is what we have imagined in our minds of what an afterlife might be like. For me, when I try and grapple the question "what would the afterlife be like?" I am more inclined to laugh at myself for a ridiculous question as the first thing.

So, any considerations as to what an afterlife would be like when actually considering possibilities is treated as a bizarre, ridiculous thing to be thinking about anyway. Not that such is enough to shy me away from thinking about or engaging on the matter. After all, I do discuss religion a lot, so..

Sorry, I notice I'm not really answering the question. No, not depressing.

Sarky

You look through a modern telescope and you'll find a universe far more beautiful and complex than any described in an old so-called holy book.

It's so much more amazing than the small-minded "god did this all for me" attitude common to religion. Yes, it might seem impersonal at first, but I'm as much a part of this universe as anything else, my life is precisely what I choose to make it, and that's just staggering beautiful.

CL7

Galvasean wrote: »

I don't find it depressing in the slightest. Who wants to live forever anyway?

I do. On Earth I mean, not heaven, that sounds incredibly boring.

Azure_sky

Deleted User wrote: »

What's depressing about it? What alternative (if one could force oneself to "believe" in it) would be less depressing?

Living with ones loved ones in bliss for eternity, with divine justice ( There's no justice in this world) , appeals to me a hell of a lot more than us all being worm food to be honest. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to take a pop at atheism, nor am I attempting to be an apologist for religion, I'm wondering if there's anyone else who feels the same way I do.

Sarky

No offence, but what kind of freakish family do you have that you could stand them for eternity?

Risteard

The idea of an eternal afterlife used to scare the ****e out of me when I thought about it. Can you imagine living forever and ever and ever and ever?

Genuinely, it used to freak me out big time.

Azure_sky

Sarky wrote: »

No offence, but what kind of freakish family do you have that you could stand them for eternity?

A family I love. What kind of family do you have that you want to die so soon in the relative scheme of things? No offence....

Pushtrak

Very good video on the subject, actually...

Links234

Honestly? the only kind of afterlife that I think could be in any way tolerable is reincarnation.

Galvasean

Links234 wrote: »

Honestly? the only kind of afterlife that I think could be in any way tolerable is reincarnation.

Depends on what you get...

christmas2012

depressing to find out there is no vengeful god in the sky scowling at us and laying down punishments?hmm..nope

Kivaro

Atheism depressing?

Not in the slightest. Actually it is the opposite.
Christianity (and religion in general) is totally demoralizing and life draining.
When I realized that I was an Atheist, it was an epiphanic revelation.
Life became available to be lived in the here and now, and not for the promise of afterlife full of "happiness" (happiness = the description of happiness from 2000 years ago).

If you are an Atheist and find it depressing, it says more about the other issues in your life, rather than your Atheism.

Ickle Magoo

I'd love that after I'm dead I'd get to see my family, meet my kids again, meet grandkids or whatever but I'd just be blatantly pretending that I thought it a possibility. Given I don't have a choice in being an atheist, I don't find it depressing. It just...is.

Maire2009

I find it extremely comforting that there is no afterlife.

I have no want or need to live forever - which an afterlife pretty much equates too. What are you meant to do forever and ever and ever?

In my view, people fear nothingness, so they create an afterlife to make themselves feel better. There is nothingness when we die - I can't feel it, touch it, so how can I fear? I'll just cease to be and I'm very content with that.

HemlockOption

ThinkAboutIt wrote: »

It is depressing.

If there is no afterlife - why does it matter? why should it have an impact on this one?

When I finally came to the conclusion that I couldn't see a shred of evidence to support the existence of an afterlife - I found it the most incredibly liberating experience.

I think this is the most amazing world - so much to see and do (and I'm far from wealthy!).

Most important IMO, is to develop relationships with people.

So - no, I don't find it in the least depressing.

Standman

I don't find it to be depressing at all. The fact that we exist and can comprehend things is just mind-blowing in and of itself when you really think about it.

Looking up at the stars on a clear night and seeing the sheer scale of the universe, literally looking tens of thousands of years back in time, trying to get my head around the time-scale, really fills me with awe and wonder.

To me, theism is a lazy and unimaginative cop out. Why do we need fairy tales when the reality is so much more amazing?

Sonics2k

The idea of eternal heaven and bliss is terrifying to me.

Constantly thinking? I don't even like thinking too much now.


Even the whole idea of Heaven as Christian describe is an impossibility.
As a hypothetical that occurred to me sometime ago.


Supposing I did get into Heaven, that means I'd happily spend eternity with my family. This would be my idea of Heaven.

However, my mother is a lesbian. Therefore she'd go to Hell. Maybe my son goes to Hell too for whatever reason.
So, logically, how can I spend my time in Heaven with my family, when they're in Hell?

Would God simply 'trick' me into thinking they were really them?

Or maybe, just maybe. It's all a load of shite

Azure_sky

christmas2012 wrote: »

depressing to find out there is no vengeful god in the sky scowling at us and laying down punishments?hmm..nope

Yeah, but I'm thinking of the pinko, hippy, Liberal God of the New Testament.:p

Delirium

No. Humanity is all that more precious when you remove a divine creator as your catch-all answer for the origin of the universe or morality.

An eternal afterlife would devalue this existence by an incalculable level, even if we put to one side the whole "do as you're told or there's no heaven for you" aspect.

I'd find it depressing to the point of not being able to sleep at night if the ultimate being of goodness was allowing millions of people in every generation to suffer ever since man abandoned the trees.

A divine creator(s) would diminish every human act of goodness. It is truly exceptional, to me at least, that humans are what they are now after all potential divergent paths this reality could have taken.

PS I didn't vote as I don't like the addendum to the no vote.

Azure_sky

koth wrote: »

PS I didn't vote as I don't like the addendum to the no vote.

A lack of an after life does not necessarily follow from an atheistic stance? Fair enough, but what's the term of the disbelief in a Deity but a belief in an after life?

vard

It would be nice if there was an afterlife. I'd quite like to be stupid enough to believe, beyond all doubt, that I'll go to heaven and live for eternity with all my friends and loved ones.

You would have to be an extraordinarily dim person for that to be the case though. That's not a jibe at religious people; even the most dedicated (whether they admit it or not) don't truly believe they'll die and feck off to heaven. They simply agree, like me, that it'd be nice. They hope, beyond reason, that it will be true; that hope, they refer to as faith.

The very definition of faith conveys doubt. Faith itself can not exist without doubt. "I believe" and "I have faith" are two entirely different things. Anyone who says that they really do believe there is an afterlife is not mentally sound -- thankfully though, you will find that the vast majority of people who would proclaim such nonsense carry just as much doubt as the rest of us. It is a falsely portrayed and inflicted belief in the face of inherrent reason and logical doubt - or, putting it simply, it is a fear of death. I have the same fear, I just can't lie to myself.




You either acknowledge logic, reason and rational thought or you dellude yourself with faith.

But seriously... anyone who really does believe, beyond all doubt, that they'll die and go to heaven is insane.

HemlockOption

Kivaro wrote: »

Atheism depressing?

Not in the slightest. Actually it is the opposite.
Christianity (and religion in general) is totally demoralizing and life draining.
When I realized that I was an Atheist, it was an epiphanic revelation.
Life became available to be lived in the here and now, and not for the promise of afterlife full of "happiness" (happiness = the description of happiness from 2000 years ago).

If you are an Atheist and find it depressing, it says more about the other issues in your life, rather than your Atheism.

Couldn't agree more.
Religion has made people afraid of death. Terrified that they're going to be punished for actions (sins) that in most cases are caused by social inequalities (for example - most people in prisons are from poor backgrounds).

Oblivion is a much nicer story!

Sarky

Azure_sky wrote: »

A family I love. What kind of family do you have that you want to die so soon in the relative scheme of things? No offence....

A pretty regular family. I love them to bits, but that doesn't mean I can stand us all being together for more than the week where we'd come home for Christmas. Bloody hell. Just no.

Azure_sky

That's kind of how I feel. I'm as sceptical and as atheistic as anyone on this forum but it would be nice if a benevolent God, and a satisfying after life, existed (especially because there is no justice in this world) but it's about as realistic as a Narnia movie. I guess because we were taught it's true from such an early age there is, for me at least, a sense of betrayal and disillusionment from the establishment- when you realise the church, school and state have been lying to you since you were born it's rather deflating.

@ Sarky: Guess I'm a bit different then from the norm' then.

Daftendirekt

No, I don't find it depressing. I'm more concerned with what's happening and what's going to happen in this life.

I don't hate the idea of an afterlife though. Rejoining loved ones after death sounds okay with me.

In reality though, that isn't the whole story. The afterlife I learned about would have had the majority of my friends and loved ones burning in Hell for eternity, along with most of humanity.

No thanks.

Cruel Sun

I think being atheist is somewhat depressing. The thought of no reward for life's difficulties is a sad one.

Some people are born into a world where they will never experience any form of happiness and every moment of there life will be a complete misery with the sole aim of surviving until the day that they die, and that's it. Life is a game of luck really. How is that not depressing?

The thought of an afterlife is really comforting but it's something I'm not gullible enough to believe in, sadly.

Delirium

Azure_sky wrote: »

koth wrote: »

PS I didn't vote as I don't like the addendum to the no vote.

A lack of an after life does not necessarily follow from an atheistic stance? Fair enough, but what's the term of the disbelief in a Deity but a belief in an after life?

Honestly don't know. It's possible most atheists don't believe in an afterlife, but I wouldn't presume that all of them share the same opinion.

Tope

I don't find it depressing that there's no god watching over us, and I don't worry about 'nothingness' after death for myself – in fact I think knowing that this is your one and only life is great motivation to get as much out of life as possible, and not waste it on thoughts of non-existent fairylands.

But since the death of my father a few years ago I do find myself envying people who believe in an afterlife. You know how people will say stuff like “I know my mum/dad/granny is here in spirit and that she's proud of me” or whatever - while part of me is thinking “Duh, no she isn't”, another part of me is envious of that belief. It must be nice to feel that a loved one is still around somehow.

The knowledge that someone you love is completely and utterly gone, that their personality has been snuffed out of existence, can be very tough to deal with. Especially if there are unresolved issues, things you wish you'd said, and can now never say.

I actually think that's the main reason humans invented an afterlife in the first place– not for themselves to live forever as some great reward for a righteous life, but to alleviate the pain of losing someone you love.
If it hasn't happened to you yet, it will some day, and yes, it's depressing.

Doesn't make it any less true, of course.

smokingman

Every now and then when the kids are in bed, I'll go outside on a clear night and stare at the sky. I'll look at the myriad of stars and galaxies up there and feel incredibly insignificant but in a wondrous way. That's not depressing in the slightest as it reminds me that my own little universe, the friends, family and acquaintances that shape my life and how I treat them in return, is a part of that "one real" universe everyone else lives in.

I can see nothing but chaotic beauty in that and will never understand the Stockholm Syndrome need to attribute this all to a "maker".

Atheism to me, is a reason for happiness, clarity and an appreciation of true beauty. I can't figure out how that would be, in any way, depressing...

frozenfrozen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRmbwczTC6E

Pretty much sums up my stance on this

swampgas

I find the world around me to be a far more interesting and amazing place viewed as an atheist. I am a little patch of the universe - a bunch of atoms in a particular pattern - that has achieved sentience. In some ways I am part of the universe that is self-aware - that's far more mind-blowing to me than any religious concept. The fact that I can think, freely, rationally, is a joy to me.

Somewhat paradoxically, I also feel more responsibility to look after the people around me knowing that there is no Supreme Being out there to reward people for having had a crappy life on earth. If someone is having a bad time in this life, and knowing there is no compensation in the next, I feel very motivated to do something about it. That can be very rewarding in itself.

So, atheism depressing? Absolutely the opposite.

Burt Lancaster

smokingman wrote: »

I can see nothing but chaotic beauty in that and will never understand the Stockholm Syndrome need to attribute this all to a "maker".

And theists look at it exactly the same night sky from their point of view.

"how could the tiny microscopic big bang that caused, all this infinite beauty, the universe and life, matter and energy, and continues to cause the expansion of the universe at a fantastic rate, be uncaused and uncreated, and given the infinite number of forms that exist, how, when surrounded by all this possible infinity, can the sprit of life not live on in a non physical form, how can the tiny limited physical human mind ever perceive all the possible answers to this" ?

kegzmc

I find religion to be both depressing and pointless

Icepick

Not living in a celestial dictatorship is not depressive.
But ignorance is bliss sometimes.

the_syco

Atheists that are good are just good people. You'd wonder if christians are only doing good to get into heaven, or if they're actually good people.

The way I see it that the afterlife is a money making scheme.

Burt Lancaster

the_syco wrote: »

You'd wonder if christians are only doing good to get into heaven, or if they're actually good people.

There's a few kinds all right.

The so called Christians of the first kind are some of the worst Hypocrites you will ever come across.

There's another kind too though, the purely evil who use it as a cover.

Give me an honest atheist anyday.

Dades

Atheism itself isn't depressing. It's just a label.

At the same time I don't have the same "the truth is beautiful" attitude as many. The universe is amazing, but it's not our friend. As a parent, hell is always just a phonecall away. I do wish there was a heaven somewhere as well.

There just ain't.

NinjaK

I wasnt around for billions of years, I was grand for that length of time, im sure ill be grand for the new few billion:)

smokingman

Burt Lancaster wrote: »

And theists look at it exactly the same night sky from their point of view.

"how could the tiny microscopic big bang that caused, all this infinite beauty, the universe and life, matter and energy, and continues to cause the expansion of the universe at a fantastic rate, be uncaused and uncreated, and given the infinite number of forms that exist, how, when surrounded by all this possible infinity, can the sprit of life not live on in a non physical form, how can the tiny limited physical human mind ever perceive all the possible answers to this" ?

This attitude drives me mad. Seriously; it it not any truer to say that we humans don't know if the actual cause of this universe was sentient. I will always posit though, that it wasn't, because it demeans the human race to think otherwise. We would be but pawns in a sick experiment as opposed to being masters of our own futures and generally "the most kick-ass species in this quadrant!"

Burt Lancaster

smokingman wrote: »

This attitude drives me mad.

Chill. No two people will have the exactly same attitude to life, and the universe is big enough for everyone.

housetypeb

Azure_sky wrote: »

Living with ones loved ones in bliss for eternity.....

I have always thought that this seems like a nice idea until you stop and think about it.
You expect to spend time with your immediate family,parents,grandparents,maybe great grandparents,children,grandchildren,close friends etc.
But your great grandparents also expect the the same thing with their parents,grandparents etc.
So you would actually spend eternity with your entire family line, and their close friends (who would also want to spend time time with their parents and so on and so forth...) before you add in your spouse and that entire line.....
mind blown,time to open another beer.

Burt Lancaster

housetypeb wrote: »

So you would actually spend eternity with your entire family line, and their close friends (who would also want to spend time time with their parents and so on and so forth...) before you add in your spouse and that entire line.....
mind blown,time to open another beer.

Nah man think big. If it exists eternity and heaven would be limitless, i'd say if you wanted to, you could head off and do a blade runner :

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain."

Mardy Bum

The afterlife may not be all its cracked up to be. Beckett is brilliant.

housetypeb

"..Time to die."
Thinking bigger would involve my five sisters and two brothers and their spouses,along with all their in laws and friends , and my aunts and uncles with their spouses and their siblings and my grandfathers eleven siblings and their spouses.........My head already hurts as it is.
Eternity seems to involve living(blissfully,at that) with everybody who has ever lived.
All this and praising God at the same time?
No wonder it would take an eternity.

Burt Lancaster

Ah man thats even smaller. Tiny in fact.

robindch

Sarky wrote: »

No offence, but what kind of freakish family do you have that you could stand them for eternity?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzfCtGFgRSk