Wow, I was shocked at all the atheists on here! How does being an Atheist affect your life for the better?

Question

I was really surprised at how many people on here claim to be atheists ( sorry if I misspelled it). Im personally not an atheist but I just wanted to know how being one improves upon your lives if at all because I know personally that having a faith greatly makes my life so much happier and fuller...Im not judging your beliefs, I was just curious. Thanks!

Dreamstuff...I didnt mean to offend by using the word "claimed" sorry.

Answer 1

Good Question Sally,

I used to think in the same way, and couldn't fathom, not having hope that there is an afterlife.

Now that I claim to be an Atheist, here is my reasoning.

1. I understand that Death is the end, there is more life after that, so living this life to the fullest is of upmost importance.

2. That understanding, allows me to not rely on other people for my understanding of what is important in life. A majority of Christians rely on other human interpretations of the bible, as a guideline to life. This can lead them to do many questionable things, including disowning people, disregarding family, and even in extreme cases, causing harm to others. I don't have to worry about any of that.

3. Because life is so precious, I understand that I only have a short time to make a difference to society and my family. I don't need a belief in God to find value in Life or reason for existence. That is sole up to me, which is very empowering and causes me to happily do good things for others, rather than grudgingly following the rules.

4. Atheism creates a thirst for real knowledge. When I was a Christian, I wanted to learn about the earth and the universe, but felt as if I was being attacked on all sides by naughty scientists trying to decieve me with facts. Now that I am an Atheist, I can look at findings without the shroud of motive or assuming a dark intent. I am able to see things more clearly and have learned a great deal about the world around me.

5. My family is more important to me now. As a Christian, I used to discount, non religious members of my family, because they were headed for hell and could lead my kids there. It was frightening, and I couldn't imagine being in heaven, knowing that one of my kids was imprisoned in hell by the God I was worshiping. Now that that nonsense is gone, I enjoy my kids and help them to be moral, upstanding citizens without the looming prospect of a God willing to torture them for eternity for misunderstanding. I can be an understanding parent, without being overbearing and cruel out of fear.

That is the best part of being an Atheist.

Answer 2

I Wish I Had Faith. I Have Tried To Believe That There Is A God...I Just Cant Force Myself Into Believing Something I Dont. So Being An Atheist Has All My Beliefs...I Guess.

Answer 3

1. No irrational fears of judgment after death.

2. A total admiration for the universe without having to attribute its grandeur to some imaginary creator.

3. Connections with other people that are genuine, without having some issue of the divine intervening between people.

4. An recognition that weather, traffic, moods, etc., are neither reward or punishment from a capricious god, but instead simply events occurring in nature and in society.

5. An acceptance of life on life's terms.

6. An recognition of the equality of all people and all species, along with the desire to continue living as being universal.

7. Release from the need to figure out what the imaginary deity wants.

8. A recognition that charity can be unencumbered by thoughts of reward, and that harmful actions are not being directed by some satanic entity.

^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^

Answer 4

It's not so much fulfillment - that you can only get with religion, and it's the main thing I miss. There is a feeling of lonliness in knowing that, despite everyone's claims to the contrary, that you are alone and will be when you're dead, especially for a depressed person such as myself. Do I wish I could believe in God again? Yes, I do - desperately, sometimes. But it's like - well, this is kind of a cheesey example - but do you know how in the movie Pleasantville, everyone is living in black and white, but then they're introduced to color? That's like what finally realizing that God is imaginary is like. I mean, sometimes you miss your old life, the black and white one, but there's just no way to go back. It's like learning multiplication and then trying to convince yourself that six times eight equals twenty-one. No matter how much you might want it to, it just isn't the truth.
On a more positive note, I don't have to feel guilty about masturbating or smoking or having sex with my boyfriend or lieing (sp?) or stealing little things. I don't have a problem with those, but most people do. I just want to live my life without people telling me I'm a Hell-bound sinner, since I don't tell them how much time and energy they're wasting unless they ask.
Anyway, I hope that gives you one perspective.

Answer 5

I'm a very content person being an atheist, and it is no idle "claim". I feel that believing in something that sounds like a fairytale would make me more stressed than I am now. I could not imagine having to feel bad for my "sins" day in and out. Everyone makes mistakes, and the only person that you have to make up for it is yourself, not any deity or concept of man.

I am very moral myself, and I certainly do not believe that morality originated from any religion. Although some religions teach morality, it depends on whether it is practiced.

I do not feel like there is anything missing from my life by not having any faith in any religion. I was once a Catholic, so I am not ignorant in that respect.

Atheists all believe that there is no god (s), and depending on the person, each have their own belief system. What I mean by this, is in accordance with me, I believe highly in truth and honesty. Being this way, and with what goes on in most religions (Preachers using magic tricks, priests molesting young children), it is even harder for me to even consider going into any one religion at all.

Also the fact that I do not have to answer to anyone but myself, I have dreams and goals, and no deity is going to help me with it. The only person that can help me is myself. So far, i've been very successful. I do not need my life served on a gold platter after begging for my redemption.

Answer 6

I still have a spiritual belief system, as do most atheists. It revolves around being a strong person, working toward the things I care about and wish to achieve, making the most out of this short life we get, living in the now, etc. Faith is just a set of things you are passionate about, and anyone (and probably everyone) has things they are passionate about. Those things enrich our lives in many ways. It's just that not everyone needs the same things to enrich their lives.

So, basically, my "belief system" probably improves upon my life in basically the same way yours does, just through different means and words.

Answer 7

I'm effectively Buddhist, which some consider atheist, others not.

Having an agnostic outlook affects my life positively in helping me remain open-minded and open-hearted.

And I am forever interested in the way deeply meaningful practices enhance person's experience of being alive ... with the emphasis on practices and experiences, as distinct from just dogmatic ideas and concepts.

... and then that focus on actual experience has helped me have a greater appreciation for ways religious language can be a profound poetic expression of such experience.

So, in a way, my "atheistic" stance is this:

If you take religious language literally, you are not taking it seriously enough.
.

Answer 8

"Claim" to be atheists?

You must be an american christian; they're taught that nobody really believes no gods exist, and we only pretend because we're afraid of responsibility or we're evil.

That would be like me saying you only pretend your god exists because you're afraid of death.

For one thing, I'm free to try understanding any scientific issue without having to deny those issues that are not compatible with my religion.

Also: Reality's great. In what way does not believing there's a diamond buried in your back yard and if you spend every sunday looking for it you'll find it one day?

I'm logical and sensible; I couldn't believe in any gods even if I wanted to.

I also think of myself as a moral person; I could never worship a baby-murdering, kitten-drowning, slavery-condoning, genocide-commanding, torture-loving god.

Read Letter to a Christian Nation and understand how harmful religion is to the world.
For example: More americans are killed each year by christian opposition to medical progress than by terrorists.

Read The God Delusion, understand religion, and be saved from it forever.

Email or IM me if you don't have a copy handy.

Edit: You didn't mean it, but you really don't (or didn't) believe us. Well, that's bound to happen when your holy text tells us we are all evil and stupid.

Answer 9

I never was anything else than an atheist so I cannot really say how it would feel to be a godbeliever. It seems you believe in a god because you feel good with it. That's okay for you, but for me I need more than just wishes and fuzzy feelings to believe something. I don't feel particularly bad anyway, my life is pretty happy and balanced.

Thanks for spelling atheist correctly, three times in a row. You are not lost yet :)

Answer 10

I don't waste my life worrying about angering or otherwise falling out of favor with some fanciful notion of a creator. When I do good, I really do feel good about it, because I know I did it out of the goodness of my heart, and not because I want to appease this creator fellow. I get to decide my own morals based on logic and reason, instead of based on a book written to guide people in a totally different society thousands of years ago.