Best thing about atheism

Being a Christian I could write volumes about the benefits of my conversion, but instead I thought it would be interesting to hear from the other side. So have at it, how has being an atheist enhanced your life?

Originally posted by whodey
Being a Christian I could write volumes about the benefits of my conversion, but instead I thought it would be interesting to hear from the other side. So have at it, how has being an atheist enhanced your life?

No, PLEEZE write volumes about the benefits of your conversion; we're all on pins and needles!

atheism is much easier, no responsibility to some higher being

Originally posted by whodey
Being a Christian I could write volumes about the benefits of my conversion, but instead I thought it would be interesting to hear from the other side. So have at it, how has being an atheist enhanced your life?

Being an atheist hasn't enhanced my life directly, why would it? It's just a denial of the existence of god, nothing more.

I live my life as I live my life. Fortunately, god has nothing to do with it.

Originally posted by EcstremeVenom
atheism is much easier, no responsibility to some higher being

How would you know?

Originally posted by EcstremeVenom
atheism is much easier, no responsibility to some higher being

that is the point...................

Originally posted by whodey
So have at it, how has being an atheist enhanced your life?

Its not so much that atheism has "enhanced" my life but rather that my life has been unencumbered by religion.

Originally posted by twhitehead
Its not so much that atheism has "enhanced" my life but rather that my life has been unencumbered by religion.

May there be about 6 billion more just like you. Pray for the success of atheism!

Originally posted by whodey
Being a Christian ( snip ). So have at it, how has being an atheist enhanced your life?

The same way that it has benefitted you, in not believing in 99.9% of the other religions in the world (assuming 1000 religions). We just get an extra 0.1% benefit. Here, take a look at all the benefits you already receive from not believing. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religions) Just take that last step! 😀

I'm giving theists the benefit of the doubt - some atheists would claim that the last 0.1% is extremely important. After all, it lets in some "magical thinking". I.e. going from 0 to 1 is a lot more harmful than going from 1 to (say) 11.

Originally posted by EcstremeVenom
atheism is much easier, no responsibility to some higher being

Quite the opposite in my opinion. It means you are on your own. You have to figure out yourself what's right and what's wrong. If you have done something wrong, you have to deal with it yourself. You don't have a god who will forgive your sins. And you only have this life which will end with your death, so what you do with your lifetime is more important than it would be if you believe in eternal life (well, actually you could be an atheist and still believe in eternal life, I guess).

Originally posted by Jesse Custer
The same way that it has benefitted you, in not believing in 99.9% of the other religions in the world (assuming 1000 religions). We just get an extra 0.1% benefit. Here, take a look at all the benefits you already receive from not believing. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religions) Just take that last step! 😀

I'm giving theists the benefit ...[text shortened]... agical thinking". I.e. going from 0 to 1 is a lot more harmful than going from 1 to (say) 11.

I was only trying to assess from you how it has benefited you. Believe it or not I did not begin this thread to get into a contest to see who is better off as to whether it be the atheist or the theist. After all, I have been in far to many of these types of threads and in all honesty it never goes anywhere other than giving all involved a migrane. Also, if the atheist really thought that the grass was greener on the other side I am sure he would choose it. Therefore, I don't see how my rantings would change their position. I was just merely interested what atheists thought in terms of how it has benefited them.

Originally posted by Nordlys
Quite the opposite in my opinion. It means you are on your own. You have to figure out yourself what's right and what's wrong. If you have done something wrong, you have to deal with it yourself. You don't have a god who will forgive your sins. And you only have this life which will end with your death, so what you do with your lifetime is more important tha ...[text shortened]... nal life (well, actually you could be an atheist and still believe in eternal life, I guess).

Do you find that you are better off because you find that men and women of faith are "weaker" for feeling that they need a higher power to lean on than those who do not?

Originally posted by whodey
I was only trying to assess from you how it has benefited you. (SNIP) I was just merely interested what atheists thought in terms of how it has benefited them.

I answered by comparing it to your benefits (which are easier for you to understand and shorter for me to explain).

I never took any offense and I didn't mean any in return.

Originally posted by whodey
Being a Christian I could write volumes about the benefits of my conversion, but instead I thought it would be interesting to hear from the other side. So have at it, how has being an atheist enhanced your life?

I'll give you a more personal answer:

It has freed up some of my mental resources to more practical things. Last time I believed I was only about 14 or so, I couldn't have been that sophisticated. I imagine that if I were still a believer, I would be using up much more resources trying to figure out how I should behave.

It's a lot simpler to go with "minimize or eliminate any suffering you may cause with your actions" than with a convoluted and contradictory religious belief system.

this is why theism is hard. cuz God is watching and i have to worship him otherwise ill go to hell.