The bright side of Atheism

[Estro Felino]

This thread is almost inspired by another one, recently started.
I didn't even want to post in that thread. Because, experience tells me that Atheism has no dark sides, nor negative aspects.

An atheistic person learns to be autonomous from God. An Atheist is necessarily autonomous, given that they believe in no deity.
But this autonomy is what enables people to trust the human nature and to fight for the development of our mankind.
By rejecting superstition, fatalism, determinism, fear of God and so on.

 

[Buttercup]

As a former long time theist, the GREATEST gift agnosticism/atheism has given me is the freedom from guilt.

The lovely, soft and serene life of peace one can lead when not burdened with Christian guilt. It's worth everything. I'll never go back.

 

[Revoltingest]

The bright side of atheism:
- No requirement to read or memorize scripture
- No required rituals
- Greater flexibility in developing one's perspective
- The cuisine

 

[Shuttlecraft]

As a former long time theist, the GREATEST gift agnosticism/atheism has given me is the freedom from guilt.
The lovely, soft and serene life of peace one can lead when not burdened with Christian guilt. It's worth everything. I'll never go back.

Huh? I don't know any Christians who feel guilty about anything!
Why on earth should they?..

 

[Estro Felino]

As a former long time theist, the GREATEST gift agnosticism/atheism has given me is the freedom from guilt.

The lovely, soft and serene life of peace one can lead when not burdened with Christian guilt. It's worth everything. I'll never go back.

I'd give you a hundred frubals If I could. You have brought it up before I did.

Exactly: that's what most Theists don't understand. That we humans are not guilty of anything. We are not born with guilt. We are capable of doing magnificent things. Things that no God ever could.
and no God can give you peace. Because peace is the awareness of having a clean conscience. And that doesn't depend on God

 

[Kilgore Trout]

The best thing about atheism is that it is compatible with my general rationalist/skeptic perspective. I don't like experiencing cognitive dissonance, so atheism works out well for me.

 

[Buttercup]

Huh? I don't know any Christians who feel guilty about anything!
Why on earth should they?..

I could give you a thousand scriptures that show why I felt guilt, but I have no desire to dig them up.

I saw MUCH more clearly after I left Christendom the guilt motive that is instilled via "The Good Book" from the fall of Adam and Eve to the death of Christ. Enough said.

 

[Majikthise]

Huh? I don't know any Christians who feel guilty about anything!
Why on earth should they?..

Im married to an ex catholic. She claims it still lingers.

Anywho,
Its nice to sleep in on sunday.

 

[Revoltingest]

One thing I hear from ex-theists is that they no longer have to try to believe
in anything, having given up concepts which made no sense to them.

 

[Majikthise]

One thing I hear from ex-theists is that they no longer have to try to believe
in anything, having given up concepts which made no sense to them.

Yes. No more go along to get along.

 

[Alceste]

Privacy.

 

[Shuttlecraft]

I could give you a thousand scriptures that show why I felt guilt, but I have no desire to dig them up.
I saw MUCH more clearly after I left Christendom the guilt motive that is instilled via "The Good Book" from the fall of Adam and Eve to the death of Christ. Enough said.

You must have been influenced by bad so-called "christians" and let them put you off Jesus, that's all!
For example we had a catholic chaplain at school, he used to stride around in his long black cassock glaring at us boys with a face as sour as sh**, he must have put hundreds of kids off Jesus over the years, but not me though, because I knew he in no way represented JC..

Hey you're female so be PROUD!
Jesus spent a terrible long night before his death,unable to sleep and racked with loneliness as his disciples fell asleep,
But next day on the cross, as he slipped into death his tired pain-filled eyes saw a host of loyal women who'd stuck with him to the end..
"Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed his last. There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Salome, who followed him and ministered to him when he was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem" (Mark 15:37)

They gave him the last womanly comfort they could by making sure he never died alone..

Some of his disciples ran off in fear of the Romans, but women stuck with him to the end-

It's almost as if he knew they'd be there for him, so he made sure he was always there for them during his lifetime-

 

[Majikthise]

I must admit that as an Episcopalian guilt wasnt really an issue.

 

[Majikthise]

Whats with the slide show?

 

[Alceste]

Whats with the slide show?

Don't you get it? Jesus had some female followers, and Buttercup is a female, therefore Buttercup should follow Jesus. Flawless reasoning.

 

[Nakosis]

So no guilt for mistakes you make which others have to deal with?
No guilt for not being knowledgeable enough to save the people you care about from others or perhaps from themselves?
No guilt for not being good enough in the eyes of whoever you happen to care about.

Granted cynicism can cure all that but cynicism takes time to develop.

 

[Buttercup]

You must have been influenced by bad so-called "christians" and let them put you off Jesus, that's all!
For example we had a catholic chaplain at school, he used to stride around in his long black cassock glaring at us boys with a face as sour as sh**, he must have put hundreds of kids off Jesus over the years, but not me though, because I knew he in no way represented JC..

Nope, the jerk Christians weren't the reason I felt compelled to leave, although they didn't help matters. I left because the Bible just didn't make sense anymore. Pastors rambling on every Sunday for years on end how awful and sinful we all are and how much we need Jesus was another reason. Sure, sometimes you felt good knowing that your sins were covered and forgiven by the blood of Christ but I knew I'd probably commit some of those same "sins" again and again so I felt doomed.

Humans were badly designed by this Abrahamic god. A creator who purposefully designs a flawed product and then condemns said product for being flawed, is insane.

This is the last post I'll write regarding me leaving Christianity. I'd rather this thread was about the good things of being god-free.

 

[Majikthise]

Don't you get it? Jesus had some female followers, and Buttercup is a female, therefore Buttercup should follow Jesus. Flawless reasoning.

Get thee to a nunnery!!!!

 

[Kathryn]

As a former long time theist, the GREATEST gift agnosticism/atheism has given me is the freedom from guilt.

The lovely, soft and serene life of peace one can lead when not burdened with Christian guilt. It's worth everything. I'll never go back.

Question - and it's a sincere one.

What do you, as an atheist, believe regarding "right and wrong" and the choices that humans make?

Are poor choices (whether you choose to call them "right or wrong" or choices made knowing that other people will be negatively affected) ever made by atheists? If so - should atheists feel remorse, or regret? Should atheists whose choices harm others feel any guilt? Why or why not?

 

[Revoltingest]

So no guilt for mistakes you make which others have to deal with?
No guilt for not being knowledgeable enough to save the people you care about from others or perhaps from themselves?
No guilt for not being good enough in the eyes of whoever you happen to care about.

Granted cynicism can cure all that but cynicism takes time to develop.

An atheist may feel guilt, but has the advantage that he/she has fewer sources.
All people may feel it when their actions conflict with their own values, but
theists have additional guilt for failing to meet a book's values.