Did you get depressed whenever you realized there wasn't a god?

Question

(This question isn't meant to be offensive towards anyone, so please don't flip out on me if you're an avid Christian. I'm not meaning to bash anyone)

I'm just at that point in my life where I don't believe in God anymore. And, it's really starting to depress me. I feel like I outgrew God, and it really scares me without that security of an afterlife, that feeling that someone is watching over you, etc. Life feels pretty pointless. It's life-shattering to go against everything you've been told since you were a baby. It's frightening venturing into the unknown without that warm, fuzzy feeling of having a supreme being watching over me.

I'm not as afraid for myself as I am for my parents and loved ones. I'm so afraid of death.

Did you, fellow agnostics or athiests go through a depression stage whenever you started to question (or stopped believing entirely in) god?

I'm 19 btw, if anyone was curious.

Answer 1

Actually I felt light and free when I finally accepted there was no God. I looked at the mountains and saw how beautiful they were for the first time and I decided that the most important thing we can do is take care of this planet for those who will come after us.
You don't need a God to know love and live with a sense of purpose; all you need is love for others and the willingness to reach out.
All we have is each other and human beings are amazing, and wonderful creatures capable of so much more than any God-fearing Christian would have you believe.

Answer 2

wow... tough crowd.. I didn't really get depressed or anything. I think I am at that point where I'm questioning the mass conformism, but the only thing that has happened so far is that I am now very confused. At the moment, I'm going with the idea that heaven, hell, God, and satan are just ideas, and that they exist simply if you believe in them. I guess many people need to believe in something, almost as if religion is a necessity for the survival of humans. Even if that's true, I'm not so afraid of death. Babies are born and people die every day, it's the miracle of life. All we can do is pay homage to those whom have passed on and live day by day... think of it this way: if you turn atheist, then nothing anybody does here on earth matters much anyway because there is no such thing as "sin," so you get to party it up.

Answer 3

Not really. I look upon people who believe in God as ignorant, yet happy and full of hope. Sometimes i will read religious texts such as the bible just for the poetry and the miracles that occurred...even if I do read it as more of a science-fiction.

As an agnostic, I'm very open to new ideas so it isn't as if i've been cut off completely from the hope that is "God".

My advice is to focus on the life you have ahead of you. No one can be positive what happens after death, it is simply a mystery that not even today's technology can solve. Live a happy life and whatever happens when you die happens. If you feel you're having a very hard time for a long period of time, I suggest some type of activity that will focus your mind elsewhere (sport, yoga, writing. etc..).

Good luck and I hope you feel better about the situation you're in.

Answer 4

Hello. You did not post your age. I feel that one's age definitely affects how 'not having a god' could make one feel. I mean if you were older, established, perhaps wealthy maybe not having a god would be less threatening. On the other hand one might find at any age, suddenly missing the fellowship of someone you were close to in your youth would be frightening and unsettling. Whether God does or does not exist, you believing that you are no longer His friend might affect you much the same way as your parents no longer befriending you. I mean, after all, anyone who once believed in God but one day woke up and began to doubt His existence would face the tough job of discovering a world that has no meaning, no guidelines, no basis for love… at least in their minds. After all, how can one change suppositions made over the entire course of their life simply by changing their minds. It takes time. I hope in the end it was a worthwhile effort and you don’t come to realize that it was all in vain.

Answer 5

I never stopped believing in God, I just stopped believing in religion. If you look at religions, they are made to perpetuate themselves, and because they are run by humans, they are fallible and easily distrusted, proven wrong, etc. I believe in God simply because I feel there is a higher power. I don't believe that God is "watching over me" because I feel that God gave free will and hence bad things will happen, otherwise if he was truly watching over everything, everything would be perfect. But I'd rather have free will and not be a robot. I believe in God simply because I believe there is life/spirit after death. Not sure if that helps you being agnostic/atheist/whatever and not trying to convert you, simply saying that believing in God doesn't prevent you from fearing death and it certaintly doesn't give you an automatic feeling that your going to be ok because God will prevent death. It does mean that there is more than just this life though, so it is a believe that there is more than just physical life. Ok, guess I didn't help ?

Answer 6

Not believing in God doesn't mean that life is pointless... The thing with me is that, I don't know what happens after death. Do I really need to?

I will still try to live life by doing what I think is right and just. the reward of heaven or hell should be meaningless if you truly believe in your actions

Just because you do not believe in a christian god doesnt mean u have to believe u just go into the ground...

Answer 7

If you dont believe in him it is ok i guess. I stopped believing in him and what was told to me was i will not get blessed, but so far ive been "over-blessed". Look at it my way if you die and there is a hell it wont be eternal suffering because after a long time you will get used-to living there. I never believed in Humans over animals. People believe animals got no souls but dont forget What makes us have souls. For all we know jesus could have been sadam busian or something. Just making up things. Religion is a set of rules to help people become well behaved and loving. It is to help people to feel depenndant on someone nothing else remember that. Religion is like believing in magic.REMEMBER THIS, IT IS YOUR LIFE, LIVE IT THE WAY YOU WANT NOT THE WAY OF SOMEONE SUPOSIDLY HIGHER THAN YOU.

Answer 8

Be not be afraid of anything, but first and foremost learn to use your body to not allowing your mind to be afraid anymore.
A good way to start is to breath properly.
Breathing properly brings you peace of mind and strength.
Do walks or sports, freshen up your mind and body.
Then, once your body is stronger, go into the questions that disturb you.
Loneliness and isolation are just illusions that your brain produces. The image of God as well is an extension of the mind and brain.
The God you believed in was an image humans created.
Find out yourself what is true for you. Don't believe anybody else. Distrust anything you hear, there are no systems of salvation.
But first of all, get that peace of mind.
It will change everything.
Joe
http://joemessiah.com

Answer 9

I'm somewhat in the same boat, but I never realized there wasn't a god. you can't, that's the problem. you can believe there isn't, but you can never realize. I'm a logical person, so I won't believe something as significant as that unless I see proof, and on the same coin I won't deny it's existence entirely because, again there is no proof for that either. I also will never admit to being atheist because I see it as "giving up". Sorry atheists, that's just how I see it

So, even though I am basically religionless, because I still can't disprove there's a god, and I'm not sure there is, I'll assume there may be one, just in case, being closest to a Christian as possible without the key element, praying for my friends; even if I don't know for sure who I'm praying to, at least I'm still hoping for good to fall upon them, and I haven't given up all faith entirely

by the way, you atheists that are thumbs downing every positive reply that happens to be Christian positive, yeah, take a look in the mirror and realize who are the real fools you silly negative nancies. hope you end up dying with the glass half full, not half empty.

Answer 10

I was already so far down in depression I hardly had much energy to do anything. This was in my late teens. Due to a very rare liver condition, my liver can not detox itself, this combined with the normal hormones of adolescence and I had crusted stage V acne over most of my face. I was a freak. No one can really realize how far down depression can get, I'm very fortunate to still be alive.

I began studying religious history not so much because I was fearing death, though I was dangerously suicidal. Really most of my friends just left me as they didn't want to be seen with me, and I isolated myself from everyone else, because I didn't want to be seen. I had a lot of time to study many things about life that really broadened me as a person. Luckily I found an inner strength I never though I had(and look reasonably normal now, some even say good looking, but when I see stories of those who have commited suicide, however normal their lives may have seemed to me, it still brings a tear to my eye.