I just recently realized I am an atheist… I come from a religious background. Not super-religious but religious. I had doubts all along and could never settle into my Catholicism. In time I tried New Age religion and at another time tried “Christian” religions a.k.a Protestant religions. I tried for years and never could be satisfied.
So fine. I finally admit, I don’t believe in deities. That part is certain. I don’t believe the whole christian “thing”.
The problem is this. I am having a hard time with believing that once we die, we just cease to exist. I am struggling with that concept and wonder if this is normal. Do I have to believe that we just cease to exist? Can you be atheist and “hope” there is an afterlife? It just freaks me out to imagine that we just s t o p.
Maybe this is just the normal adjustment period for withdrawal from christianity. I liked the belief that there was an afterlife…
Thought? Help? Something to help me accept this?
Thank you.
I think it is part of the normal adjustment period, and not wanting to believe we just die. That’s is a large part of the appeal of Christianity.
Welcome to the CFI Forums.
Edited for clarity.
I just recently realized I am an atheist... I come from a religious background. Not super-religious but religious. I had doubts all along and could never settle into my Catholicism. In time I tried New Age religion and at another time tried "Christian" religions a.k.a Protestant religions. I tried for years and never could be satisfied. So fine. I finally admit, I don't believe in deities. That part is certain. I don't believe the whole christian "thing". The problem is this. I am having a hard time with believing that once we die, we just cease to exist. I am struggling with that concept and wonder if this is normal. Do I have to believe that we just cease to exist? Can you be atheist and "hope" there is an afterlife? It just freaks me out to imagine that we just s t o p. Maybe this is just the normal adjustment period for withdrawal from christianity. I liked the belief that there was an afterlife.... Thought? Help? Something to help me accept this? Thank you.You were indoctrinated to believe there is something after death. There isn't. Its a cruel and empty promise. There is no reason to think that death won't be exactly as it was before you were born. There will be no consciousness of anything. Once you mature in your atheism, you will adjust to life without myths, which an afterlife is. You will discover that your life is more precious because you know it will come to and end. You'll have an extra incentive to make the most of it. If you keep your mind occupied with life and living it to the fullest you won't have time for silly fairytales about another life. There is no eternal life just as there is no eternal damnation. That was a dirty trick your religion played on you. There is life and there is oblivion and you will not be conscious of oblivion. You WILL adjust to it if you don't get caught up in another cruel myth-making religion, just as millions of atheists around the world have done. Hold on. The thoughts and fears you are having are leftovers from a life of religious myth. You can get over it and you'll be glad you did. I hope you have found a Humanist, atheist or free thought group to join so you can neet other atheists. If you don't know of any, write to me, here, and give me your city and state. I can direct you.
First welcome. Your concerns are normal as you adjust to reality but in the long run, this too will pass. Though it very difficult don’t let your ego, and yes we humans have big egos, allow you to think we should live in eternity. And for what its worth, check what scientist say would really exist if eternity were real. Neither you or I would wish to be there.
Thank you. I needed the feedback.
First welcome. Your concerns are normal as you adjust to reality but in the long run, this too will pass. Though it very difficult don't let your ego, and yes we humans have big egos, allow you to think we should live in eternity. And for what its worth, check what scientist say would really exist if eternity were real. Neither you or I would wish to be there.It would get boring after a while. Then you'd be like Marvin the robot in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, always complaining but being bored.
Thank you all for your replies!
Help! How do I get to my INBOX????Look in the banner at the top. There is a box with PM in it. Click on the words Private Messages to the right of the box.
New Humanist wrote: “I liked the belief that there was an afterlife….”
I’ll bet you liked believing that Santa Claus would bring you presents at Christmas and that Superman was real. Do you still?
Even the bible, in 1 Corinthians says:
“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” But i wouldn’t recommend any other advice in Corinthians I or II, nor in the bible itself. Let sleeing dogs lie.
Lois
New Humanist,
please don’t get turned off by the blunt, devoid of flowery language responses you might be getting.
They all (just like Christians) come with good intentions.
Know that if you talk to 10 different Atheists/Agnostics, you’ll be talking to 10 different people with different personalities.
I was (originally) searching for a religion/spirituality that had the something separate from your body/brain lives on after death aspect to it. But the longer I have been an atheist/non-supernaturalist, the more I am okay with my death being the end of me (and eveyone that has ever lived or ever will live).
I LOVE any documentary/book about the immensity of the universe and it’s constant expansion.
I don’t know why, but the cool concept of time and space continuing on forever somehow made me totally accept my death being the total end of me.
Don’t forget, though, that all of your atoms stay right here in the universe and remain a part of the whole! That’s an awesome thought, I think.
I actually find the idea of being part of some grand cosmic plan to be greatly disturbing. It essentially devalues my life and choices, reducing me to little better than a pawn or lab rat. And what many religions (or at least religious people) have to say about people like me just makes it worse. The idea that I was made just to suffer and agonize only to suffer and agonize even more if I try to make myself and my life more bearable is the most depraved form of cruelty you can visit upon a person.
An afterlife doesn’t strike me as much better. Depending on the version, it renders our lives meaningless, wantonly cruel or an existential nightmare. And the idea of living forever is kind of awful. Seems like it would get boring after a while.
I actually find the idea of being part of some grand cosmic plan to be greatly disturbing. It essentially devalues my life and choices, reducing me to little better than a pawn or lab rat. And what many religions (or at least religious people) have to say about people like me just makes it worse. The idea that I was made just to suffer and agonize only to suffer and agonize even more if I try to make myself and my life more bearable is the most depraved form of cruelty you can visit upon a person. An afterlife doesn't strike me as much better. Depending on the version, it renders our lives meaningless, wantonly cruel or an existential nightmare. And the idea of living forever is kind of awful. Seems like it would get boring after a while.I agree. A cosmic plan is like a personal affront to freedom.
I agree. A cosmic plan is like a personal affront to freedom.It's worse than that. With all the suffering, cruelty and pain in the world the notion of a plan guided by some outside intelligence implies an intelligence that is, at best, callous and uncaring and, at worst, actively cruel and malicious.
I agree. A cosmic plan is like a personal affront to freedom.It's worse than that. With all the suffering, cruelty and pain in the world the notion of a plan guided by some outside intelligence implies an intelligence that is, at best, callous and uncaring and, at worst, actively cruel and malicious. That would explain how Donald Trump won the presidency.
I agree. A cosmic plan is like a personal affront to freedom.It's worse than that. With all the suffering, cruelty and pain in the world the notion of a plan guided by some outside intelligence implies an intelligence that is, at best, callous and uncaring and, at worst, actively cruel and malicious. True. It's the hight of selfishness/cluelessness/apathy that when good things happen to people they attribute it to a higher force (gawd!) totally ignoring or dismissing all the horrors that happen to others.
Help! How do I get to my INBOX????Look in the banner at the top. There is a box with PM in it. Click on the words Private Messages to the right of the box. That's just for Private Messages. I think the poster wanted to know if there is a general inbox. I click on "Forum Home" then "View Today's Active Topics". . That's as close to an inbox that CFI forum has.
I just recently realized I am an atheist... I come from a religious background. Not super-religious but religious. I had doubts all along and could never settle into my Catholicism. In time I tried New Age religion and at another time tried "Christian" religions a.k.a Protestant religions. I tried for years and never could be satisfied. So fine. I finally admit, I don't believe in deities. That part is certain. I don't believe the whole christian "thing". The problem is this. I am having a hard time with believing that once we die, we just cease to exist. I am struggling with that concept and wonder if this is normal. Do I have to believe that we just cease to exist? Can you be atheist and "hope" there is an afterlife? It just freaks me out to imagine that we just s t o p. Maybe this is just the normal adjustment period for withdrawal from christianity. I liked the belief that there was an afterlife.... Thought? Help? Something to help me accept this? Thank you.It has probably been imprinted into you to not be able to visualize a cessation of life, er, death being the end of life from your religious upbringing. I know it was difficult when I first became nonreligious to cope with not knowing what came next, or just realizing that nothing came next. It's for the same reason that "atheist", if I were to hear it randomly, briefly has a negative subconscious response from most people, including myself (an atheist). You most likely have been primed to certain things in a certain environment. Sure, it sucks that life stops when you die. But that is reality. It happens in all creatures, all the way up to mammals that seem to have humanesque (probably not a word) levels of apparent emotional response. You will get over the whole afterlife thing. We are just apes with very high cognitive skill. I know that is hard for some people to hear, but it is true. It doesn't make life any less wonderful in realizing that it really is over when we die. For me, it makes me want to savor every day I have.