DO you think Atheism has more of a negative or positive view on the exsistence of life?

Question

I ask this questions cause many of you Atheists say that after you die you are pretty much forgotten about. many of you say you are pretty satisfied living this life, and dying is inevitable and you are comfortable with that as well.

No hope and faith is needed as you say, because this life is it end of story

As a believer and many like myself who have lost a loved one through physical death we never forget. My brother died 31 yrs ago and I think of him daily as well as othe family members and friends I once knew and are no longer here.

With no hope in GOD, seeing your loved ones again is pretty dismal and I would always be sad in life that I would never be reunited with people that menat so much to me when I die.

So do you think yourself as an Atheist to be stronger individuals with your emotions on loosing loved ones, death and destruction that happens daily in the world, and seeing the world ,society and the enviroment heading in a downward spiral?

Answer 1

I think I enjoy life immensely.


Think about it in a statistics sense: The odds were immensely AGAINST your being the particular sperm and egg cell that met in your mom's uterus.

Stop looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Answer 2

As you say, we've all lost loved ones and think of them a great deal. I think about my grandmothers from both sides of the family a great deal.

I don't think I'll be reunited with them when I die and I won't deny that does make me sad to think about. But I refuse to dwell on it and I know my Grandma Rose especially (on my dad's side) would be proud of me. She did not believe in an afterlife either and always said that one's afterlife is one's legacy left on earth. That was the only one she believed in and she lived a rich and full life.

As for the world, aside from perhaps the environment, I don't think that it's much worse than it's ever been. The death toll in Iraq (tragic as it is... and I'm certainly against the war) is a fraction of what it was in the second world war. The world just seems to be in a downward spiral because we have 24 hour news networks telling us whenever something happens. Not that they shouldn't, but it does make it look like the world is coming to an end.

As for society, look at all the awful things we've shed; slavery, segregation, much of sex discrimination. New problems develop, certainly. But I'm betting we've overcome worse.

Answer 3

The dead are not totally forgotten. They live on in our memories. But will we see them again? It's a nice thought, but I doubt it.

Its not really about being stronger in regards to emotions as accepting the inevitable. People die, that's just the way it is. Death is not something to be feared or afraid of. Our loved ones live on in our minds and memories.

As for the view on the existence of life, life is neither good nor bad, it just is.

To borrow a phrase from Stephen King's Dark Tower series, "it's ka".

DK: The purpose of an atheist's life is to live it as they see fit. To try to be happy and enjoy the years that we have. The is the meaning and purpose of life.

Answer 4

You know, it really doesnt matter how harsh you may think it is. The truth isnt always cute, but a human being is strong enough to deal with the truth, if he/she chooses to. Living in a fantasy wont change the truth one bit, and in fact, its potentially very harmful. Consider how crippling schizophrenia can be, for example. So you see, you dont pick what you belive because its more pleasant. You pick what makes sense. For sure, its the lesser of two evils.

Besides, no, athiesm is not so dismal. An athiest will respect their time more, knowing it is finite, and they can be genuinely free- they make their own decisions, it is not dictated to them by some god or fear of hell...you follow? You cannot really be free in your mind and your spirit when you cling to some God. When I lose a loved one, I only mourn if they wasted their life by living all of it in denial.

Answer 5

I am a Christian myself and on the one hand although I believe that at death the saved go to Heaven and the damned to Hell, and while I don't believe in reincarnation, I will say I can understand a person believing in reincarnation a whole lot easier than understanding a belief that you no longer exist at death.

I actually cannot understand the belief that when you are dead, you exist no more and never exist again.

I really do think a lot of atheists who believe you exist no more at death are living hopeless lives.

Answer 6

Whether you think atheism is positive or negative is irrelevant. And here is why:

I would LOVE to believe that Santa Claus exists. My life would be far happier if I believed that there was a jolly old elf who was going to give me presents at Christmastime if I was a good person. I would be motivated and happy just thinking about this... all year long.

But no matter how much I would love to believe in Santa Claus, that doesn't make him real. And the same thing goes for your god and your heaven, etc.

It really boils down to one thing. Are you interested in the truth, or would you rather believe a lie, because it makes you feel good?

I am interested in the truth.

Answer 7

When I was younger and I was religious beacuse of my upbringing my uncle died and I was sad because I knew I may never see him again even though I was religious - I still had my doubts as you are having.

But now, I am atheist and it makes it all really simple and actually easier. I know that my uncle is dead and I know that he doesnt know hes dead because his brain isnt functioning anymore. I know that when I die I won't know that I'm dead because I won't be able to think. Just enjoy your own life and forget about death as theres nothing you can do. Why be upset, It's doing no good.

Answer 8

I think not believing in anything past this life validates this one more; if I believed I would live on forever, I wouldn't bother cramming as much into this brief existence. What if that's wrong, though? I would have wasted everything.

I wouldn't bother celebrating the lives of my loved ones and missing them properly, because I'd be clinging on to the idea of seeing them again. Again, if afterlife is wrong, I'm disappointed

Answer 9

Life is more amazing if it has developed from 4 billion years of evolution and all creatures are connected through common ancestry, vs. just having a magic man will us into existence.

The fact that the idea of an afterlife is comforting is not evidence that it exists...

(See "!!!"'s answer above for an example of how what is comforting is taken to be true)

I really like Monica's answer.

Answer 10

Death has been happening for billions of years. Who am I to stop it with wishful thinking?


Furthermore, I think I can view life as more precious than a theist can, since I don't think killing random people in a foreign country is a trivial thing. Since this life is the only one we get, we can't really say we have the right to go around ending others' lives.