To All Atheists Out There?

Now before i say this i am honestly not being judgmental in anyway, i have always just been curious and i don't want this to sound rude.

Is atheism depressing? To think that when you die, you just end? That there is nothing better out there, all there is, is the cruel and horrible world. I have always wondered how horrible it would be to not think or know that there is something greater out there that can help and heal, giving us a reason for being. I just think its comforting to believe in an all powerful God... peaceful. So then is it, depressing, i mean? Or is there some part to atheism that I'm missing? Please Help.... and thanks

Yeah sure why not. By the way, I wish to encourage you to consider getting back in school. It wouldn't hurt.

Anyway if you need a delusion in order to be happy, sounds like you're the one with the problem.
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Stop being a no ob.

I normally don't think about death, just life. I would be lying if I said it wasn't a little bit depressing, but death is always depressing.

It's actually a bit comforting too, knowing that you won't feel anything after you've died.

The Buddhist view is that each living being has a continuity or stream of consciousness that moves from one life to the next. Each being has had countless previous lives and will continue to be reborn again and again without control unless he/she develops his/her mind to the point where, like the yogis mentioned above, he/she gains control over this process. When the stream of consciousness or mind moves from one life to the next it brings with it the karmic imprints or potentialities from previous lives. Karma literally means "action", and all of the actions of body, speech and mind leave an imprint on the mind-stream. These karma's can be negative, positive or neutral, depending on the action. They can ripen at any time in the future, whenever conditions are suitable. These karmic seeds or imprints are never lost.

At the time of death (clear light stage) the consciousness (very subtle mind) leaves the body and the person takes the body of an intermediate state being. They are in the form that they will take in their next life (some texts say the previous life), but in a subtle rather than a gross form. As mentioned previously, it can take up to forty-nine days to find a suitable place of rebirth. This rebirth is propelled by karma and is uncontrolled. In effect the karma of the intermediate state being matches that of its future parents. The intermediate state being has the illusory appearance of its future parents copulating. It is drawn to this place by the force of attraction to its parent of the opposite sex, and it is this desire that causes the consciousness of the intermediate state being to enter the fertilized ovum. This happens at or near the time of conception and the new life has begun.

One will not necessarily be reborn as a human being. Buddhists describe six realms of existence that one can be reborn into, these being the hell realms, the pr eta (hungry ghost) realm, the animal realm, the human realm, the jealous god (Aura) realm and the god (Sudra) realms. One's experience in these situations can range from intense suffering in the hell realms to unimaginable pleasures in the god realms. But all of these levels of existence are regarded as unsatisfactory by the spiritual practitioner because no matter how high one goes within this cyclic existence, one may one day fall down again to the lower realms of existence. So the aim of the spiritual practitioner is to develop his/her mind to the extent where a stop is put to this uncontrolled rebirth, as mentioned previously. The practitioner realizes that all six levels of existence are ultimately in the nature of suffering, so wishes to be free of them forever.

The state of mind at the time of death is regarded as extremely important, because this plays a vital part in the situation one is reborn into. This is one reason why suicide is regarded in Buddhism as very unfortunate, because the state of mind of the person who commits suicide is usually depressed and negative and is likely to throw them into a lower rebirth. Also, it doesn't end the suffering, it just postpones it to another life.

I find truth and knowledge more comforting than false hopes.... so to me it's not depressing, but I could imagine why people may think it is....

You're not missing any thing... atheism is just the lack of belief in god, it offers no comfort no hope. However, the thought that my atoms were created long ago and that at this moment I have the capacity to contemplate this (even if its for a little while) makes life quite a brilliant thing....

An atheist is not required to think death is the end of anything. All it requires is a lack of belief in any deity.

Yes I do believe that when we die we just end and no that doesn't depress me one bit.

i believe in evolution, i have no idea what happens after death...i like to think that it is possible for there to be an after life, but if there was not i suppose it wouldn't matter anyway because by than i would not know

I suppose being comforted by wishful thinking satisfies a lot of people.
I prefer reality.

Nothing is forever. The sun, the moon, and the stars will one day cease to exist. A trillion years from now, the whole universe will be dead.

No and you asked this just a few hours ago. Didn't like our answers?

No, it's actually not depressing. It actually
makes you feel free and not trapped. You
are missing a HUGE chunk about Atheism.

And precisely why would a creator god make his creations spiritually immortal, when they are more than capable of reproducing and living on as his creation, with no need for spiritual realms or souls? ^_^'

I just fail to see the relation, since belief in an afterlife or spiritual world does not depend on religion or even theism or polytheism...
...But, of course, that said, it is also entirely possible that souls and a spiritual realm exist without a creator god or gods! ^_^

There's no absolute metaphysical certainty. ^_^'

Not all atheists believe after death we just end. I am a Atheist, but at the same time I am a Buddhist, and I believe consciousness moves on from this life onto the next.

You are indeed 'missing something' about being an atheist. We wake up each day wanting to make the best of it. There's no after-life reward for being miserable now. There's no celestial compensation for living a life of penury. This is it. Grab each day by the throat and bite a chunk out of it. This is not a drill - this is the real thing and it's the only chance you'll get. Etc etc.....

"I just think its comforting to believe in an all powerful God... peaceful. "

Which is why Christianity - in all of its absurdity - has survived for 2000 years. People WANT to believe it.

That doesn't make it real. You're going to die just like me, and it will end for both of us at that moment.

Not to me... I have a life and I live it in full knowledge that I will eventually die. I'm OK with that. I rarely, if ever, even think of death. It's a waste of time, it will come when it does.

I'm hardly depressed and find a lot of things in life to be happy with and give me great joy.... the universe is a wondrous place and I have no need to 'believe' that it had to have some god to create it. That actually would lessen it's wonder to me... I tend to focus on the positives of this world and not the negatives...

I don't need to 'believe' in some make believe after death scenario to give myself some false 'courage' to face it. I'm not sure why so many do?

The only 'part to atheism' that exists is the non acceptance of any gods... everything else depends on the individual, we are all, including you, unique...

IMHO 60+ year old atheist...

A baby with Down's Syndrome could prove that the Judeo-Christian god doesn't exist. The Bible is self contradictory in over 400 places, full of absurdity and insanity, and contradictory to modern science.

http://www.tinyurl.com/contradictionsinbible

First of all, I don't think, that this is cruel and horrible world.
And I believe, that it would become even better, if all of us would focus our energies on improving this world instead of waiting for a hypothetical better next world.

So, no. For me atheism isn't depressing.

You pretty much have stated one of the only true reasons people believe in God- "hope for an afterlife" doesn't it seem a bit more depressing to watch your every move and try to be a searingly happy person just to find out there is no such thing in heaven? Sure lying 6 feet under for all eternity doesn't seem as fun but it makes quite a bit more sense.

Atheism is not depressing. It just means I don't believe in any God(s). I don't obsess about it. The all powerful God you speak of should make this world a better place - if he exists. I could not take comfort in an 'all powerful' being not using that power to ease the suffering endured by many in this world. To me that would make him mean, not comforting.

Appeal to consequences fallacy.

Well, no, at least not for me. It does take courage to consider the idea that once you die, you 'end', but it's not exactly 'the end', really. It's just the end of human consciousness. Energy never dies, only transfers; and to imagine that once my time is done what has made me me will transfer and recycle, is actually a pretty beautiful thought. Human beings are a pretty selfish race, they cling to the idea of infinity only in the way they're comfortable, with their own personality and traits and memories; even the idea of hell is probably preferred by most over letting go of that. But once you switch the perspective and take the entirety of life into the picture, it shifts from being narcissistic and negative, to being very positive.

I believe that when we die we just end, sort of like before you were born. I don't find it depressing really because I won't even know I'm dead... I'll be dead.

That said, I believe this is my only chance at life, so I want to live a good life now because I do not know if I will get an afterlife.

I do not think it is right to believe something because it feels good. Just because it feels good does not mean your beliefs are real. Are they? Who knows, but I have my doubts about an Abrahamic God.

Since becoming an atheist my life is full of light and joy! I am so happy. I know my life is short like everybody Else's too and I will die one day, this knowledge makes each day of my life very special and joyful. I make the most of each day, even if I am not well it is still special.

I fill my life with love for all mankind and especially for the ones who I love and are close to me. I do not waste my time trying to please an invisible god or individual who send me to a place of everlasting suffering if I do not go to church or read scriptures. I have no fear of death. I can have everlasting life in my children who will pass on my genes to their children and so forth. I don't want to live forever and when my time comes to leave I will go as gracefully as I can.

My life has new meaning and my greatest pleasure is giving pleasure to others whenever possible. I will achieve as much as I can in my life while not hurting others and I will always give love.

Thankyou for asking this question. I cannot speak for other atheists but since taking off the chains of religion I have embraced life and appreciated all that is good about it and com batted all that is evil in the best way I can.

I don't worry about where I will be when I die, just like I don't worry about where I was before I was alive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLxNc_Mtw-4

watch that video about atheism and hope
it is not an attempt to convert anyone, just info

If there IS a heaven, and atheists are wrong, then YOU will be happy, but if ATHEISTS are right, you will feel and think NOTHING, and THAT might make YOU depressed right NOW! Atheists are NOT depressed, for WE do not live in a fantasy world, and we never WILL.

No, it's not "depressing." Reality is, in fact, quite enlightening and liberating.

I don't think the world is "cruel and horrible," and it saddens me that you do. I enjoy every single day of life, even though some days can present challenges, difficulties, and sometimes pain.
I don't need a "reason for being," and I can't see how making up a "reason" out of thin air does anybody any good whatsoever, other than to live in a fantasy world.

Realizing the fact that this one life is all you're ever going to have can help to impress upon you how valuable it is, and how important it is to make the most of each day. To me, pretending that this life is nothing but a tiny "test" of suffering, a prelude to some glorious magical "heaven" that will last forever, takes all the value out of life and puts it all on this imaginary "heaven."

It's very simple: there's no evidence any "god" exists, so no reason to pretend one does. There's no evidence of any afterlife, heaven, or hell -- so no reason to pretend they're real. You DO have a real life, here and now, and there's plenty in reality to marvel at, enjoy, experience, and feel...so make the most of the one life you've got, and don't pretend there's something "better" after wards.

Peace.