Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by idcollapse Ra on February 17, 2011 at 11:07am

Thanks  Donee , and I like the picture . It says a lot !!! and who knwos, maybe there are people like that in some other planet .Evolution is crazy .

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Permalink Reply by 3equ3cp1fsw0n on February 19, 2011 at 7:30pm

Wow. Nobody mess with Doone today lol.

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Permalink Reply by idcollapse Ra on February 20, 2011 at 5:57am

Lol ; you should see the other image he posted and thn omitted .

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Permalink Reply by Shanna on February 17, 2011 at 10:43pm

I have more self confidence. My self esteem is higher because I'm responsible for me and it feels good. When I do get low self esteem it is related to stress (as usual) not because I don't have a religion or believe in the existence of a god. I read more nonfiction. I pay attention to what is really going on around me. I'm more insightful. I wish I can say I'm more pleasant around people but living in the bible belt i can not say that. These religious nuts get on my last friggin nerves. I went to Gold's gym this morning and on the TV was christian show. Almost screwed up my workout mojo. Went to Starbucks and there was a group talking about their Jesus. Almost screwed up my Americano. So personality wise. I have to fake it (tolerate). But its all good because hey, I have high self esteem.

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Permalink Reply by idcollapse Ra on February 18, 2011 at 7:14am

Thanks for sharing Shanna ,

 I am really happy for you ; it's really good to realize that self esteem  got nothig to do with religion . I remeber being told that those who don't abide by the teachings of religion are unhappy and misrable !!  Now I know that religious people are the most miserables . Sometimes I laugh at their backs '' I know it'ss mean but I can't stop it' .

 humans will exprience periods of stress wethere theyr religious or not . I think that what made man to invent religion is stress , among  other ''unexplicable'' things .

Don't bother about religious people , if they are not willig to understand then leave them and enjoy your life . That's what I do ;I don't care about them and haven't even told anyone that I am atheist .

  who cares !

 

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Permalink Reply by Kirk Holden on February 18, 2011 at 7:45am

You cannot be sure of my subjective experience - you cannot be sure of your own. What is your muddled point if we take away your premise?

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Permalink Reply by idcollapse Ra on February 18, 2011 at 8:23am

And what is your muddled question ..? elaborate

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Permalink Reply by Natarajan Shanker on February 19, 2011 at 3:37pm

First, it made me a more responsible person. The idea of not having anyone to "forgive" me except myself, made me more aware of the fact that my actions and possibly their effects are irreversible. The moral standards shifted focus from "what god would approve" to "what I would be proud to do".

 

Second, I now keep my perspective, kind-of analogous to keeping my eye on the road when driving. I don't waste time or energy thinking about how/whether god is going to help me, or asking for that help. In any situation I take inventory of all the resources I have, take stock of the situation for what it is, and logically decide on the best course of action. 

 

Third, I can deal with failure much better. When I did believe in karma, failure indirectly indicated that I somehow deserved that failure, so there's something wrong in me. Now, I know karma is just wishful thinking, and it is all about survival of the fittest. So when I fail, I just get back up and think about what to do next, instead of pondering over the failure itself and feeling bad about it.

 

Yes, a god-less mind is much stronger than one filled with vain beliefs. 

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Permalink Reply by idcollapse Ra on February 19, 2011 at 6:38pm

Thanks Shanker for your elaborate reply ; actually you expressed the idea I wanted to deliver in a very elegant way. I like what you said about failure/punishment . Personally I suffred a lot not because of failure but of considering it as a punishment for something ''wrong'' I had done . Thank you again for sharing.

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Permalink Reply by jharbs on February 19, 2011 at 9:47pm

I agree with you partially, but I do not think that a religious person is necessarily a weak person; rather, they have a weakness.  I say this not to refute your point but to mention that people can be strong, good, intelligent human beings even if they are religious.  Religion, I think, is not a source of weakness, but like you said a sign of it.  If someone is using a crutch, even if the crutch is in both senses of the term "mental", it indicates that the person is hurting, and they need a "spiritual" healing.  Unfortunately, its hard to heal people who refuse to face their own pain

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Permalink Reply by jharbs on February 19, 2011 at 9:39pm

When I was a Christian I remember using God to help guide me and give me strength to do things that I originally did not have the confidence to do. In a way, God really helped me accomplish things I thought were difficult, but in retrospect, my lack of self confidence may have been inextricably linked to God in the first place. I became an atheist not because i didnt want to believe in God, but because I could not rationalize his existence, especially one so arbitrary. It was extremely depressing at first, and Ive had panic attacks linked to a fear of going to hell and living in an eternal nightmare. But I got over it simply by thinking through the fear. It was real hard at first, but once I transfered the faith I had in God to myself entirely, I felt flooded with clarity. Now there is a sense of freedom in that I have more control over my life, and that Im not being constantly watched by a demiurge with megalomania. It feels right.
thanks for creating this discussion, it is so true

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Permalink Reply by idcollapse Ra on February 20, 2011 at 5:31pm

Thanks Jiharbs for sharing ,

when you said '' flooded with clarity'' , you remainded of myself when I first knew I became atheist ... that clarity  came  with some kind of relief  I had never experienced when I was religious ... it was like getting rid of a heavy burden ...

     The problem with religion is that it makes you believe that without religion you can never enjoy a peaceful anf stressless life  while the truth is that religion is the source of all troubles .

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