Are believers happier than atheists?

[Trailblazer]

You said that you think more like an atheist than a believer. As far as I know that is the only way of thinking that is not shared between some member of either group.

That is what distinguishes a believer from an atheist but that is not the only way that believers and atheists differ.

 

[Trailblazer]

Yes, true love cares and sacrifices if needs be.

I truly never felt love from a God.

I do not see what God has sacrificed. Christians say He sacrificed His only son but I do not believe that God has a son since God is not a man. I believe Jesus was the Son of God but only in a relational sense, not in a biological sense. Jesus was as a son would be to a father.

I never felt love from God either but that does not mean God does not love me; it only means that if God loves me His love is not reaching me. Baha'u'llah had something to say about why that is the case; it is because I don't love God.

5: O SON OF BEING! Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O servant.
The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 4

I don't think God is very loving if He cannot get through to me despite my not feeling love for Him.

 

[The Hammer]

Are believers happier than atheists?

It is my contention that believers are no happier than atheists and that there is no correlation between belief in God and happiness.

I think atheists can and do have happy lives, and many of them are happier than believers. I don't think that personal happiness is derived from belief in God, although one could argue that unlike personal happiness, spiritual happiness is derived from belief in God and a religion, and practicing that religion.

Do believers really rely upon God and their religion for their happiness? I highly doubt it. To test my hypothesis, if all the material things and physical pleasures that make most people happy were suddenly taken away how happy would they be? Would they still be happy worshiping God with only the bare essentials? That is certainly not how I see most people living although that is what most religions teach, particularly Christianity (Matthew 16:24-26, John 12:24-26) and also the Baha’i Faith.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I think that personal happiness is determined by a combination of factors such as childhood upbringing, heredity, education, adult experiences, and present life circumstances. All of these can be considered ‘causes’ or ‘reasons’ why people use their free will to make life choices that lead to happiness or unhappiness. However, free will is circumscribed by many factors such as ability and opportunity so true free will is very limited.

Although we have free will there are many things that happen to us that are not freely chosen. Life events such as death, sickness, injuries, accidents and other misfortunes are beyond our control and we are compelled to endure them. These are not subject to the free will of man so man is not responsible for them. These events are our fate, predestined by God, thus God is responsible for them.

I believe that God determines much of our well-being or lack thereof, since our childhood upbringing and heredity are predestined and these largely determine our lot in life, including our level of education, our adult experiences, and present life circumstances. If God is responsible for our fate, whether we have a happy life or a life of suffering is largely determined by God. Most believers want to credit God with all the good things that happen in life but they fail to look at anything else. I consider this highly illogical.

Happier? Maybe not.

But....

"Most studies have shown that religious involvement and spirituality are associated with better health outcomes, including greater longevity, coping skills, and health-related quality of life (even during terminal illness) and less anxiety, depression, and suicide." Science Says: Religion Is Good For Your Health


Also

How Does Religiosity Enhance Well-Being? The Role of Perceived Control

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

I do not see what God has sacrificed. Christians say He sacrificed His only son but I do not believe that God has a son since God is not a man. I believe Jesus was the Son of God but only in a relational sense, not in a biological sense. Jesus was as a son would be to a father.

I never felt love from God either but that does not mean God does not love me; it only means that if God loves me His love is not reaching me. Baha'u'llah had something to say about why that is the case; it is because I don't love God.

5: O SON OF BEING! Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O servant.
The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 4

I don't think God is very loving if He cannot get through to me despite my not feeling love for Him.

I never felt the love of God in my life either, despite the years I frantically prayed to him as a child and all the desperate prayers I prayed to him later on in my life. When I was a child, I would plead with him to save me from the abuse I was suffering at home and the bullying I endured in school. He never saved me from either the abuse or the bullying, and I endured both while I was growing up.

I was a Christian for 30 years, and during these years, I would pray to God and ask him to help me cope with the PTSD and anxiety I was suffering because of the abuse and trauma I suffered as a child. But no relief came until I took matters into my own hands and took care of myself, as I did shortly after I turned 18, when I confronted my abusers. Based on the apathy God has shown towards the pain and suffering in my life, I can only conclude that I wasn't worth saving to him. As far as I'm concerned, God isn't deserving of my love and respect. I don't think he's worthy of my reverence and worship either. He doesn't deserve to be in my life, so I cut him out.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Are believers happier than atheists?

It is my contention that believers are no happier than atheists and that there is no correlation between belief in God and happiness.

I think atheists can and do have happy lives, and many of them are happier than believers. I don't think that personal happiness is derived from belief in God, although one could argue that unlike personal happiness, spiritual happiness is derived from belief in God and a religion, and practicing that religion.

Do believers really rely upon God and their religion for their happiness? I highly doubt it. To test my hypothesis, if all the material things and physical pleasures that make most people happy were suddenly taken away how happy would they be? Would they still be happy worshiping God with only the bare essentials? That is certainly not how I see most people living although that is what most religions teach, particularly Christianity (Matthew 16:24-26, John 12:24-26) and also the Baha’i Faith.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I think that personal happiness is determined by a combination of factors such as childhood upbringing, heredity, education, adult experiences, and present life circumstances. All of these can be considered ‘causes’ or ‘reasons’ why people use their free will to make life choices that lead to happiness or unhappiness. However, free will is circumscribed by many factors such as ability and opportunity so true free will is very limited.

Although we have free will there are many things that happen to us that are not freely chosen. Life events such as death, sickness, injuries, accidents and other misfortunes are beyond our control and we are compelled to endure them. These are not subject to the free will of man so man is not responsible for them. These events are our fate, predestined by God, thus God is responsible for them.

I believe that God determines much of our well-being or lack thereof, since our childhood upbringing and heredity are predestined and these largely determine our lot in life, including our level of education, our adult experiences, and present life circumstances. If God is responsible for our fate, whether we have a happy life or a life of suffering is largely determined by God. Most believers want to credit God with all the good things that happen in life but they fail to look at anything else. I consider this highly illogical.

Happiness isn't dependent on belief so no, I don't think it's any better or worse which causes a person to be happy.

 

[Trailblazer]

I think this one is a "it depends" for certain. Sure you can have unhappy religious people, as we often hear stories of either former believers or current ones that have had very bad experiences within their religions, which an atheist obviously wouldn't experience.

That's true, many atheists who were once religious had very bad experiences with religion. I cannot count all the atheists I know who were raised as Christians and had bad experiences. Probably most American atheists were raised as Christians, although in Europe that is less likely since many atheists like you have been atheists all of their lives.

But on the other side I also think a lot of people find comfort, unity and community within religion. Whether that is simply through meeting with other likeminded people or maybe doing charity work or what other things one can do. Much in the same way as you would join a sport team like football or soccer and you share your passion or meet others that enjoy it, or whatever thing one might enjoy doing where others with similar interests are there.

Yes, most religious people find comfort and unity with other believers and enjoyment in their community activities. Sadly, I have never felt that way since I never felt part of the Baha'i community, not because of the other Baha'is, but because of me. I just do not share their passion for God and I do not enjoy reciting prayers and reading and studying scriptures. The biggest problem is how I feel about God not being loving which definitely does not fit with Baha'i beliefs.

I really do not feel like I have similar interests and except for belief in Baha'u'llah and His teachings and mission I do not share much in common with other Baha'is.

In the end, atheists can have equally bad life experiences as those with a religion have, simply not motivated by religion. And they can be just as happy as religious people can. I do however think that atheists benefit is that we don't struggle as much with the fear of some of the stuff that some religious preach or the guilt or rules that these can apply. Which I think gives us a greater feeling of freedom and one could argue that freedom is important in regards to happiness.

Anyone can have bad life experiences. The difference is that atheists do not have a God to blame, but most believers do not blame God even when God is responsible so they don't suffer from that as I do. Atheists also don't have to feel guilty and unworthy of God, never good enough, although most believers don't feel that way as I do.

No, one is never free when they are answerable to a God who is all-powerful and all-knowing and they have to fear God's displeasure, or even worse.

I am a terrible advertisement for belief in God, but I cannot be less than honest.
The only real upside I can see to belief in God is a better life in Heaven, because belief certainly has not helped me on Earth.

But again it depends, what religion, country etc. we are talking about

Yes, it always depends.

 

[Trailblazer]

I never felt the love of God in my life either, despite the years I frantically prayed to him as a child and all the desperate prayers I prayed to him later on in my life. When I was a child, I would plead with him to save me from the abuse I was suffering at home and the bullying I endured in school. He never saved me from either the abuse or the bullying, and I endured both while I was growing up.

I was a Christian for 30 years, and during these years, I would pray to God and ask him to help me cope with the PTSD and anxiety I was suffering because of the abuse and trauma I suffered as a child. But no relief came until I took matters into my own hands and took care of myself, as I did shortly after I turned 18, when I confronted my abusers. Based on the apathy God has shown towards the pain and suffering in my life, I can only conclude that I wasn't worth saving to him. As far as I'm concerned, God isn't deserving of my love and respect. I don't think he's worthy of my reverence and worship either. He doesn't deserve to be in my life, so I cut him out.

I can relate. I did not suffer the same kind of abuse you did but I suffered from emotional abandonment by both parents and that resulted in a severe eating disorder when I was in my late teens, 20s and early 30s.

Unlike you, I did not pray for help, as I had all but dropped out of my religion and I never prayed at all. It was not until my older sister finally got e to seek help from a psychiatrist that things started to turn around, and after that it took over 15 years of counseling and 12 step programs and homeopathic medicine to recover.

God was waiting for us to do something, to take matters into our own hands. No relief came until I took matters into my own hands and took care of myself, as I did shortly after I turned 32.

Christians love to say that God is 'always there for them', and to this day I have no idea what they are talking about as I don't see God anywhere. But in spite of that I do believe that there is a God and maybe He is assisting me in ways I cannot see or cannot yet see. It would be easier to be an atheist and give up hope but I have ever been one to give up hope.

 

[nPeace]

Actually, I think more like an atheist than a believer.

Amen.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

So science agrees with you 100%
The biggest indicator of how happy you are is not religion but money.

IMHO and in my experience, No money purchases true and abiding happiness.

Feeling secure in one's wealth situation, is a chimera of happiness.

Regards Tony

 

[Gargovic Malkav]

For a person seeking to be happy, it has been scientifically proven that the ultimate goal to achieving the most happiness possible in this life is a $400,000 a year salary.
Believer/non-believer, doesn't matter.

So science agrees with you 100%
The biggest indicator of how happy you are is not religion but money.

Not to say IMO, you can't be poor and also happy, but the level of happiness it is possible to experience dramatically increases with the size of your paycheck.

So making everyone as happy as possible is a bad idea if we want to preserve the world.
I wonder how they measure this though...

I also once read that Bhutan was one of the happiest countries in the world.
But if that's true, I doubt money has much to do with it as most people there are dirt poor (at least compared to our standards) and live under very primitive circumstances.

 

[ppp]

That is what distinguishes a believer from an atheist but that is not the only way that believers and atheists differ.

What other ways?

 

[nPeace]

Amen.

For a person seeking to be happy, it has been scientifically proven that the ultimate goal to achieving the most happiness possible in this life is a $400,000 a year salary.
Believer/non-believer, doesn't matter.

So science agrees with you 100%
The biggest indicator of how happy you are is not religion but money.

Not to say IMO, you can't be poor and also happy, but the level of happiness it is possible to experience dramatically increases with the size of your paycheck.

Yes, sadly, many imagine that pursuing riches brings happiness.
So it is true that most people are misled by their imaginings.

It has proven to be factual, what's written here.
(1 Timothy 6:9-10) 9 But those who are determined to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge men into destruction and ruin. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things, and by reaching out for this love some have been led astray from the faith and have stabbed themselves all over with many pains.

w87 10/1 p. 6
Such desire for “that extra dollar” can, in the long run, be harmful, fatally harmful. “To some, money means security. To some it means power. To others it means they’re going to be able to buy love, and to a fourth group it means competition and winning the game,” says psychiatrist Jay Rohrlich, whose clients are mostly financial executives from New York’s Wall Street district.
Commenting on this statement, a report in the magazine Science Digest says: “The belief that money can produce these things . . . often leads to impotence, insomnia, heart attacks and problems with a spouse or children.” The Bible’s advice is: “Let your manner of life be free of the love of money.”

Science though, does not know when a person is happy, or what happiness really is.
A person can say they are happy, and be one of the most miserable individuals alive.

One of the richest men is going ... well, got divorced.
Here's what he said...
“It was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility,” “I made a mistake.”

Here's a quote from the another article.
It has become clear that Bill Gates had at least one affair during his marriage. He also pursued several other women at Microsoft during his marriage to Melinda. While she was evidently willing to forgive those indiscretions, Bill’s poor decisions regarding Epstein were a step too far.

The Impact of Outside Relationships on a Marriage
Your spouse is supposed to be one of the most important people in your life. If you treat your marriage as your most important relationship and they don’t return the favor, it can hurt. That’s why affairs and family strains are such common roots of divorces.

Now here is a quote from the Bible - the word of God.
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) 9 Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their hard work. 10 For if one of them falls, the other can help his partner up. But what will happen to the one who falls with no one to help him up? 11 Moreover, if two lie down together, they will stay warm, but how can just one keep warm? 12 And someone may overpower one alone, but two together can take a stand against him. And a threefold cord cannot quickly be torn apart.

Two together, are strong, but three - in this case, God included - are stronger.
With God in a marriage, it's not easily broken.
Obviously both persons must include this third "strand".

Now really, who's happier? The couple who are faithful because they live by godly standards - which includes putting God first in everything they do, or the godless, who have no cord to keep them faithful to their marriage partner, honest in business practices, etc.?
The answer is obvious.

I'll like to say that righteousness makes the godly person happy. The Atheistic mind has no idea at all... and to explain that happiness - that inner joy, it would be like speaking a completely new language.

The Atheist may be happy for a moment, when they are enjoying something... like dancing, etc.
The godly person is always joyful, and is happy because of the blessings poured out on them from above - from God.
There is so much that true happiness involves.

 

[firedragon]

It is my contention that believers are no happier than atheists and that there is no correlation between belief in God and happiness.

I think atheists can and do have happy lives, and many of them are happier than believers. I don't think that personal happiness is derived from belief in God, although one could argue that unlike personal happiness, spiritual happiness is derived from belief in God and a religion, and practicing that religion.

Do you have any study whatsoever that provides any evidence than your emotional assertion?

 

[RestlessSoul]

For a person seeking to be happy, it has been scientifically proven that the ultimate goal to achieving the most happiness possible in this life is a $400,000 a year salary.
Believer/non-believer, doesn't matter.

So science agrees with you 100%
The biggest indicator of how happy you are is not religion but money.

Not to say IMO, you can't be poor and also happy, but the level of happiness it is possible to experience dramatically increases with the size of your paycheck.

Where is the evidence for this supposedly proven theory? Because it does not conform in any way either to my experience, or to my observation of others, and it is refuted by perhaps the most comprehensive academic study into human happiness, undertaken at Harvard over an 80 years period.

While it is axiomatic that poverty and financial insecurity can make life very uncomfortable, peace of mind, serenity and happiness cannot imo be bought; we have to find these things within ourselves, and crucially, in the manner of our relations with those around us.

In fact I would go so far as to say that the heartbreaking struggle for more than our fair share material wealth and comfort, is the direct cause of much of the misery that blights the human experience.

Here is a link to an article about the Harvard study;

Over nearly 80 years, Harvard study has been showing how to live a healthy and happy life

 

[Heyo]

Are believers happier than atheists?

Possibly.
While depression is a very crude gauge to measure happiness, there is a correlation between religiosity and depression. Atheists are 5% more likely to suffer from it.
Atheists also have, on average, a 5 points higher IQ than believers.

With this demonstration of "correlation is not causation", my guess is that the answer to your question depends on what variables you want to control for, i.e. what is essential for a believer. If ignorance is bliss and ignorance is a typical trait of a believer, you'll find that believers are happier.

 

[firedragon]

Possibly.
While depression is a very crude gauge to measure happiness, there is a correlation between religiosity and depression. Atheists are 5% more likely to suffer from it.
Atheists also have, on average, a 5 points higher IQ than believers.

With this demonstration of "correlation is not causation", my guess is that the answer to your question depends on what variables you want to control for, i.e. what is essential for a believer. If ignorance is bliss and ignorance is a typical trait of a believer, you'll find that believers are happier.

So your assertion is "believers are ignorant".

 

[Clara Tea]

Are believers happier than atheists?

It is my contention that believers are no happier than atheists and that there is no correlation between belief in God and happiness.

I think atheists can and do have happy lives, and many of them are happier than believers. I don't think that personal happiness is derived from belief in God, although one could argue that unlike personal happiness, spiritual happiness is derived from belief in God and a religion, and practicing that religion.

Do believers really rely upon God and their religion for their happiness? I highly doubt it. To test my hypothesis, if all the material things and physical pleasures that make most people happy were suddenly taken away how happy would they be? Would they still be happy worshiping God with only the bare essentials? That is certainly not how I see most people living although that is what most religions teach, particularly Christianity (Matthew 16:24-26, John 12:24-26) and also the Baha’i Faith.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I think that personal happiness is determined by a combination of factors such as childhood upbringing, heredity, education, adult experiences, and present life circumstances. All of these can be considered ‘causes’ or ‘reasons’ why people use their free will to make life choices that lead to happiness or unhappiness. However, free will is circumscribed by many factors such as ability and opportunity so true free will is very limited.

Although we have free will there are many things that happen to us that are not freely chosen. Life events such as death, sickness, injuries, accidents and other misfortunes are beyond our control and we are compelled to endure them. These are not subject to the free will of man so man is not responsible for them. These events are our fate, predestined by God, thus God is responsible for them.

I believe that God determines much of our well-being or lack thereof, since our childhood upbringing and heredity are predestined and these largely determine our lot in life, including our level of education, our adult experiences, and present life circumstances. If God is responsible for our fate, whether we have a happy life or a life of suffering is largely determined by God. Most believers want to credit God with all the good things that happen in life but they fail to look at anything else. I consider this highly illogical.

Theists elected their presidents. Their presidents made life appointments of Supreme Court Justices.

Theists had their way (war, debt (passed to kids, grandkids), homeless, torture camps, pollution, Global Warming (dubbed hoax), outsourced factories, lies).

The world is a mess...theists made it.

Theists live in a world with atheists.

Atheists live in a world with theists.

So atheists are miserable.

Denying the truth, theists are convinced that they follow God's laws. They believe that they must pray to Jesus to win wars (God said "thou shalt not kill"). They claim that Global Warming is a hoax because rich oilmen hired lawyers to tell them that (and they don't understand science, nor do they care to learn it, and yet they deny scientific facts that are backed by solid research performed by experts in their fields, with decades of research.

Theists accept redefined words (torture, poverty, hunger), so they accept the lies that they are told, just as they accept God without proof.

Theists claim that they will float to heaven, leaving behind a toxic waste dump where once God's green fields and babbling brooks once graced the land. They are convinced that it was all put there for them, and now they are done with it.

Blissful, in lack of understanding, theists are happy.

 

[Trailblazer]

What other ways?

Policy said: ↑
You said that you think more like an atheist than a believer. As far as I know that is the only way of thinking that is not shared between some member of either group.

Other ways of thinking are shared by some members of each group.
For example, I share the way that some atheists think about God and religion.

 

[Trailblazer]

Do you have any study whatsoever that provides any evidence than your emotional assertion?

No, I have no study to cite and that is why I said 'it is my contention' rather than 'studies show'...
However, if I looked for studies to support my contention I think I could find some.
Do you think you could find studies that show that believers are happier than atheists?

 

[Brian2]

Are believers happier than atheists?

It is my contention that believers are no happier than atheists and that there is no correlation between belief in God and happiness.

I think atheists can and do have happy lives, and many of them are happier than believers. I don't think that personal happiness is derived from belief in God, although one could argue that unlike personal happiness, spiritual happiness is derived from belief in God and a religion, and practicing that religion.

Do believers really rely upon God and their religion for their happiness? I highly doubt it. To test my hypothesis, if all the material things and physical pleasures that make most people happy were suddenly taken away how happy would they be? Would they still be happy worshiping God with only the bare essentials? That is certainly not how I see most people living although that is what most religions teach, particularly Christianity (Matthew 16:24-26, John 12:24-26) and also the Baha’i Faith.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I think that personal happiness is determined by a combination of factors such as childhood upbringing, heredity, education, adult experiences, and present life circumstances. All of these can be considered ‘causes’ or ‘reasons’ why people use their free will to make life choices that lead to happiness or unhappiness. However, free will is circumscribed by many factors such as ability and opportunity so true free will is very limited.

Although we have free will there are many things that happen to us that are not freely chosen. Life events such as death, sickness, injuries, accidents and other misfortunes are beyond our control and we are compelled to endure them. These are not subject to the free will of man so man is not responsible for them. These events are our fate, predestined by God, thus God is responsible for them.

I believe that God determines much of our well-being or lack thereof, since our childhood upbringing and heredity are predestined and these largely determine our lot in life, including our level of education, our adult experiences, and present life circumstances. If God is responsible for our fate, whether we have a happy life or a life of suffering is largely determined by God. Most believers want to credit God with all the good things that happen in life but they fail to look at anything else. I consider this highly illogical.

There can be satisfaction and peace and joy in doing the right thing, even if it means we are disadvantaged in some way by doing it. Contentment with what God gives can exist even if we are in poor circumstances.