a question for athiests only, please?

Question

please note that at no time in my life have I (as I have been told of athiests) ever believed in nothing. I have always believed in some kind of supreme being. That is why I have a question regarding your beliefs. THis is in no way meant to offend you, just me satisfying my curiosity.

I know that in my life, when things get to be too hard, I turn to God in prayer. A lot of times, the answer to my problems come to me in that quiet time, though by God's intervention or my own mind working things out is up to you.

My question is, in dark times in your life, what do you turn to? Has there ever been a time where a part of you wished you believed in something because things were so hard?

Again, this is not meant to offend anyone. Thank you.

Answer 1

I turn to myself. I remember in all things that, "this too shall pass." When I am not enough, I turn to friends and family.

When all else fails I hold to one thought and one thought alone -- I cannot ethically take my own life, because it would end my potential for joy and bring terrible sadness to those I love.

So no matter what, I find the strength and keep going.

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and don't pay attention to 'youdontneedtoknowme'. He really needs to get a dictionary and look it up.

Atheism is the belief that there is no god.

Agnosticism is the expression of the concept that the existence of a deity cannot be logically proven nor disproven, and therefore the question of a deity's existence is meaningless, akin to, "What color is the smell of the other side of this mobius loop?"

Deism is the belief that there is a creator god but that any knowledge of him is beyond the ability of man to fathom.

Theism is the belief in a specific deity or deities, with knowledge of the qualities of that deity (ie: Wiccan Goddess is loving but can be a b****, Christian God is all loving, all merciful, all just, etc...)

Answer 2

Meditation and introspection. There is nothing in life that is so terrible that you can't deal with it on your own. All that really matters in life is that you keep breathing. And that is what meditation is all about. You concentrate on breathing, and emptying your mind of all thoughts, worries, pain, etc.

This is just a practice. But the benefit is that you will realize how insignificant your thoughts, worries, and pain really are, whether you're meditating or not.

This type of humility is somewhat foreign to people who believe in god. They are more used to the idea that they are extremely important, and that's why god cares about them personally, etc.

It's a completely different way of looking at life. But as I said, it's also very humble. Many Christians don't seem to understand this, though.

Answer 3

No offense at all. I found that when I was of faith, that turning to God only lead to disappointment. Even when I believed in God, I hardly ever asked for his help. I had to concentrate on solving it myself. I just had to keep telling myself that it's not always going to be shitty, at least if I don't let it be. I turned to my own strength and self confidence and when things got really hard, I turned to my mother. She is religious, but she loves me enough to not condemn my beliefs. She doesn't tell me to pray or anything like that, just gives her rational thoughts while looking outside the situation. I've been raped and been through a very abusive relationship, but I pulled through on my own. I'm actually happier now than before when I believed in God.

Answer 4

I place my faith in myself. I am a strong person and I believe that whatever life throws at me, I will persevere.

To answer your other question, there have been times of despair when I have wished that I believed in a God so that I had someone else to rely on. But then I would reach down and grab onto that last little bit of strength in me, and that was always enough to see me through.

Answer 5

There have been many times in my lfe when I've contemplated God,and even thought of going to church.But every time I'm stopped because i just don't believe.My common sense kicks in,and worshiping something that's never been seen,heard or felt around me brings me back down to earth if you pardon the pun.My wife lost her daughter at 14.Why would 'God' do this.She'd never hurt anyone.WHY should a child of God be taken by the very same God.It just has no logic for me at all

Answer 6

I turn to myself. I am the master of my destiny and the ruler over my life. My successes and failures are mine and mine alone.

I once talked to xian who could not understand how I as a father could not ask god to protect my son. I told him that instead of praying to god for his protection I lock my doors at night and keep an eye on my son throughout the day. If a car comes flying down the road it is I who will pull him from danger, not god. My sons safety is in my hands alone.

Human beings should turn more to themselves first and once that is achieved we can next start working on being good neighbors to one another instead of bickering about which version of god is the right one.

Answer 7

well, funny, because I was thinking of that last night. I don't believe in "god". I used to be a christian. For me personally I find peace in hard times through meditation. In meditation you can bring yourself to a place where there thoughts cease....answers and peace always come afterwards...so it's my belief that it's not a 'god' that is answering 'prayers' so much as it is a universal principle that quieting the soul and focusing your energies brings results. My hats off to you for asking this question in such a respectful manner!

Answer 8

All our answers can be found within. I believe looking to myself and being able to make it on my own are very powerful tools.

I used to turn to God and nothing happened. Now I am empowered and know that I can handle anything, without waiting or depending on the will of a deity.

This works much better for me. Just my experience.

Answer 9

I turn to friends and family. They have real shoulders I can cry on instead of imaginary ones.

But no, since I've been an atheist, not once have I wished I believed in something to comfort me, and I have gone through some difficult times and major losses as an atheist.

Answer 10

I don't consider myself quite an atheist, but I'd guess their answers will be much the same as mine: When you are fully conscious of what your potential as a human is, there's no need for something else to lean on.