why have i been so much happier all these years now that i do not believe in the existence of god?

Question

I live a simple life, i am good to others, and approach life with a wide-eyed, earnest attitude. when i was a christian, because i was trying to follow all of the bible's silly arbitrary commands, i hated myself and my life. since i stopped believing, i have never been at so much peace with myself and others.
I try to be the best person i can be (in accomplishment and in virtue) and can honestly say that if i died tomorow, then i could live without having eternal reward for being a great person. the small sliver of life i have got to live so far has been reward enough.
how can anyone say i am "lost" when i am much more at peace than most christians who pretend to have an amazing, enthusiastic life because of jesus's touch?

Answer 1

The same thing happened to me. It's sad that so many Christians waste their lives (the only lives they have) believing that there's an invisible man in the sky that needs worship or he'll send you to a very very very bad place..................but he loves you!

Answer 2

Its all a dog and pony show UNTIL you reach a point of applying the ideals and stop worrying yourself into a hole with the stern threats and finger-pointing. That sort of Falwellian blithering just gives poor ol' Jesus a black eye. The real failing of big "R" Religion is that people try to swallow it whole, allowing "THE WORD* to push the WORDS aside, along with those vital twins, Logic and Heart.
At the Oklahoma City bombing site, a man told a rabbi he was angry at God for letting it happen. The rabbi simply said "That's okay, He's big enough to take it." Its good advice. Honest doubt is a PART of faith, or else you become a Jesus Zombie and miss the point.
Real enlightenment means you have integrated your beliefs and principles in a manner that allows you to come out the other side MINUS the restrictive absolutism that was paining you. THEN you have the proper footing to function in a Christian manner, regardless of belief. That's when the "points" start adding up.
I'm not a Bible student per se, but my favorite chapter of the whole shebang is Timothy I. Its like a common-sense guidebook for NOT screwing up by using really bad judgement. There's no drama, just sensible pointers about HOW to live that are hard to refute.
Believing in God is a total crapshoot, because you will never be sure this side of the big dirt nap, if then, heh heh.;) Worrying about some "eternal" reward OR punishment is laughable when we live about 70 years at best. Instead, simply try to emit what you'd like to have reflected back to you in real-time, here and now, where that stuff is decided. NOT hitting on your neighbor's wife or being known as someone who keeps their word isn't asking much, but it yields good results.
If you once "believed," don't feel so dramatic about it. Just let that positive nugget percolate in the background and behave like the kind of person God would be willing to have over for pizza. A lot of it really is that simple, if you allow it to be. You don't have to reject the idea of God; simply think in terms of respecting it minus the hysteria and you'll be closer to the point.
If that isn't quite enough, take killer journalist but avowed atheist H. L. Mencken's view. He was asked what he would say if he woke up in Heaven. He said he would go over, shake God's hand and say "Sir, I made an honest mistake." Dontcha think any "God" worth respecting would appreciate that if it was sincere?
Remember, all you need is that that proverbial grain of mustard seed. As long as you're really trying, you get some grace for it. After all, He's big enough to take it.;)

Answer 3

It's obvious during your "christian" years that you never had the opportunity to find the real truth and experience living in the Spirit of God. For that I am sorry because someone along the way has failed you. If you still have your Bible read the second chapter of Acts and consider what life might be like after that experience.
I think you would feel differently and do very well indeed if you had something more substantial to hang on to than just "accept and believe". That is not taught in the scriptures. There's a reason almost every one of the Disciples was executed and it wasn't because they confessed in their heart that Jesus was their savior. It was because they had received an incredible power from God in the Holy Spirit and they were turning the world upside down with their preaching and demonstration of the Spirit. The thing is, it's still just that real. There has been no change in the Holy Ghost. If you receive that you will not hate your life and you won't have to pretend.

Answer 4

your at peace because your under the illusion that your life has gotten better. but if you truely did stop believing, then why do you still feel the need to be good to others, and live in virtue? see where i'm going with this? if you truely didn't care anymore, then you wouldn't care about the other people in life or that you were a descent person. and we do not go around pretending that we are happy all the time and that life is perfect. it's not by a long shot! what makes being a christian worth it is knowing that no matter what happens in our life we have someone who will always love and forgive us even if the entire world hated us!! and we know that we have an eternal life of pure love and joy waiting for us when we die!! see being a christian isn't about living a lie and being continually punished, its about new life and living for more than ourselves.

Answer 5

Its so funny, because I am going exactly the opposite of you! Until recently I have been of no religion, and did whatever i wanted with no consequence, i was a good person, but i had no morals to guide me! Long story short I ended up having 2 kids at 19, no money, and no home, no husband. I'm now 22 and am finally getting on track. Religion, I believe if nothing else gives you guidelines for a good life.. dont drink, dont kill, dont lie..etc. A geniunely good person wouldnt do those things would he? Thats probably why your life is so good now! You live it with a foundation of morals that you took with you, even after your break-up with god. Trust me, when you do everything you want and dont care if its right or wrong you end up in a bad spot. Always. If I had not drank, i wouldnt have liked bad boys, if i didnt like bad boys, i wouldnt have had premarital sex, if i hadnt had premarital sex my kids would have a father who was around, and i would have a husband to help with the bills the kids!! If I had religion in my life then, maybe my life might be so hard now! Good Luck!

Answer 6

Nobody said it is easier to follow Christ. Its much harder.
You can live your life in ease, of course - do whatever you want and feel yourself at total peace. You have accepted no real responsiblility to your own eternal life or that of others. You can just go day to day with a "whatever, dude" attitude.
Its a good thing really; I mean, this life is all you will ever have; certainly its a better idea to just do whatever the heck you want.
If I were you, I'd live it up - party til I drop dead, literally.
I would know theres nothing else, so certainly every single day had better count - big time.
I'm a Christian, and I don't pretend everything is perfect - as long as you are in the flesh, things are gonna go wrong. Jesus doesn't promise that you won't have any difficulties; what he promises is peace no matter what difficulties you do have.
Everybody has to sail their own ship. If this is truly the way you want it, so be it. Everybody makes their own decision - thats what God wants. Sounds like you've made yours, so --
party on...........

Answer 7

If you felt that you HAD to live strictly by the bible and always felt pressured, during your time as a Christian of course you're going to be happier now that you threw that all out the window. I'm a believer and just as content with my life as you seem to be with yours…but I don’t feel like I HAVE to do certain things or be an EXACT certain way because of my beliefs. I don’t let them RUN my life. I guess it just depends on your personal views of ‘’Christian’’ and ‘’believer’’ Its nice to know that your happy though, it’s good that you found ‘’your place’’ :)

Answer 8

I agree with what Beng T has just said, may I add that seen as jesus has not come to earth yet to take his place, so the devil is still here controlling alot of earth, he is not visible so to speak, but his job is distorting the truth and in this day and age, society makes it easier to be a non believer than a believer,
You seem unsure of yourself though, is it because you know you are commiting the unpardonable sin?

Answer 9

Congratulations for freeing yourself of the bonds of religious slavery. You are happy because you are now your own person and not behooven to any sect or creed. Lifted from your shoulders is the burden of intolerance and blame.
Go and live your life without God (for he does not exist) and be at peace with yourself.
And if you fee the need to slip back into the fold well you can do that as well - but only as long as you can tolerate the nauseating hypocrisy of it all.

Answer 10

when you were Christian how did you really follow the Bible's commands, if this were really true you would know that it is not silly at all you would have been happy, as you say you are now it might be that you are happy now because you feel like you have no more responsibility to the Bible and maybe even to God but are your feelings real or are they your false sense of security?is it that you pretended to have amazing, enthusiastic life because of Jesus touch as you said about other Christians
COULD it be that you are missing out on something important in life? If you know little about God, then most certainly you are. Why? Because, as millions of people have discovered, getting to know the God of the Bible brings major benefits in life. These benefits start immediately and last into the future.
Jehovah God, the Author of the Bible, wants us to get to know him. The psalmist wrote: "That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth." He recognizes that it is in our own best interests for us to know him. "I, Jehovah, am your God, the One teaching you to benefit yourself." How do we benefit from knowing Jehovah God, the Most High?-Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 48:17.
One real benefit is that we get guidance in the face of everyday problems, a firm hope for the future, and peace of mind. Furthermore, being well-acquainted with Jehovah moves us to develop a different attitude on the most vital issues that face people all over the world today. What are those issues?
Does Your Life Have Purpose?
Despite mankind's astounding technological progress, individuals today still ask the same fundamental questions: 'Why am I here? Where am I going? What is life all about?' If a person does not get satisfactory answers, his life will lack true purpose. Do many people sense this shortfall? A study carried out in Germany in the late 1990's revealed that half the respondents often or sometimes felt that life seems to have no purpose. Perhaps a similar situation exists where you live.
Individuals still ask the same fundamental questions: 'Why am I here? Where am I going? What is life all about?'


Without a purpose in life, an individual has little bedrock upon which to build personal goals. Many try to compensate for this deficiency by pursuing a successful career or by accumulating wealth. Still, the emptiness can be haunting. Having no purpose in life even disturbs some to the point that they no longer wish to live. Such was the experience of a beautiful young woman who, according to the International Herald Tribune, was raised "amid stunning wealth and unlimited privilege." Although she lived in luxury, she was lonely and felt that her life was aimless. She took sleeping pills and was found dead. You may know of other lonely ones whose lives ended tragically.
Have you, though, heard people claim that science can tell us all about life? German weekly Die Woche points out: "As true as science is, it is spiritually weak. Evolution seems crude, and even quantum physics, with all its unpredictable fluctuations, offers anything but comfort and security." Scientific discoveries have done much to describe life in its various forms and to explain natural cycles and processes that maintain life. Yet, science cannot tell us why we are here and where we are going. If we depend solely on science, our questions about the purpose of life go unanswered. The result is, as the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported, "a widespread need for guidance."
Who is in a better position to give such guidance than the Creator? Since he put humans on the earth in the first place, he must know why they are here. The Bible explains that Jehovah created humans so that they could populate the earth and care for it, being its stewards. In all their activities, humans were to reflect his qualities, such as justice, wisdom, and love. Once we understand the reason why Jehovah created us, we know why we are here.-Genesis 1:26-28.

Answer 11

You and I - and a few others above this - are 'on the same page'. How totally free I feel. How much happier I feel. How civilised I behave ... compared to the nutty muslims, for example! How sensibly I approach life and my fellow human beings, with respect, with consideration, with generosity, with kindness ... I don't need a fictitious god to be able to live a decent life.
Atheism is the only logical choice. Accept reality!!!