atheists-- what is your source of hope?

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luckyme,
If I thought I was wrong, my mind would have changed.

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I notice your tagline changed... [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

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There seems no spot where an intervening god whose "ways we can't understand " would be any comfort at all, sounds more like confusion than comfort.

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I agree and I even think there is an upside to being an atheist in despairing situations. You learn to become stronger and less reliant on some unseen force. It teaches you to look into yourself to find the strength that was already there. Looking outward to god is only comforting in the sense that a child is comforted when told that grandpa isn't dead but sleeping (and he is really dead). If the child goes through life believing that he will feel better but he won't truly overcome his fear.

The hardest thing for me is hearing about all of the troubles in the world that would not neccessarily exist if there were no religion. I do acknowledge that many problems would still exist and new problems would arise, but I still think the world would be a better place.

I suppose that if I were ever seriousely unhappy for a very long time I would consider suicide because there's not much reason not to, but although many people's thoughts of atheists are that they have nothing to live for... i find it very hard not to be happy being an atheist. It's true that nothing will really matter when we die, but we still enjoy doing whatever it is we do and most still find joy in helping others. And most serious atheists (those that aren't just people mad at god that their lives suck) are very interested in Science, Math, and Philosophy (which is why we're all in this forum) and I can't imagine anything else that could intrigue a person more and keep their spirits up.

[hmkpoker]

Great post.

I second that; Christians should know that the majority of atheists are generally happy people.

[David Sklansky]

I am not happy with these replies. They imply that atheists need to find some other source of hope to become atheists. Atheists should believe what they do soley because of science and logic. If that means no 'hope" so be it. Lemurs do perfectly well without it.

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I am not happy with these replies. They imply that atheists need to find some other source of hope to become atheists. Atheists should believe what they do soley because of science and logic. If that means no 'hope" so be it. Lemurs do perfectly well without it.

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I think you are right in part and wrong in part.

I think while people don't need another source of hope to be an atheist, it's very difficult to sustain a position that is wrot with gloom and pessimism. While many of us would like to believe that our decisions are entirely based upon science and logic, especially those of us who play poker on a regular basis know that they are almost always intertwined.

A significant reason that I've always found religion difficult to stomach is exactly this; people long for hope, comfort, and a sense of belonging. They will very frequently ignore all science and logic in search for these things.

Thus, it takes a particularly stubborn, strong-willed person to rely solely upon their logical convictions to remain an atheist. Without some alternative source of hope, it is a difficult lifestyle to maintain.

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I am not happy with these replies. They imply that atheists need to find some other source of hope to become atheists. Atheists should believe what they do soley because of science and logic. If that means no 'hope" so be it. Lemurs do perfectly well without it.

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What a downer! We already know that we would be atheists even in the absence of hope because it's the truth according to us. But are you going to tell me that you have nothing that keeps you going??? Perhaps these forums are even a small part of the reason that you don't just throw in the towel. Atheists have plenty of enjoyment and less things that make them unhappy; sounds like a sweet deal to me.

So tell everyone in here how much you love throwing in your little bits of discussion and enjoy being a part of this forum and get it over with [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[imported_luckyme]

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They imply that atheists need to find some other source of hope to become atheists.

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Perhaps that's what was meant. I wasn't sure since the ' source of hope ' is the same for everyone ( it's an internal emotion) so I read it in the sense of "which outside agencies give you reason to have some hope" in a difficult situation. Other people that will aid the situation ( friends, family, humanity in general) and personal strengths. I gave some examples of reasons for hope from my personal experience.

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Atheists should believe what they do soley because of science and logic.

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Nah, This is a milder version of 'prove there is no god'. It doesn't take a logical, scientific person to not buy some farfetched story, just a bit of healthy skepticism, no more than for swampland deals. You don't need a reason to NOT believe in one specific supernatural claim, otherwise you'll have mythsellers lined up at your door. You need a reason TO believe. Believing a specific myth isn't anyones default.

luckyme,
If I don't believe I'm right, my mind will change.

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I second that; Christians should know that the majority of atheists are generally happy people.

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word to happy atheists [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Piers]

I do not see the relationship between religious belief or lack of, and hope that you seem to believe exist. You are asking a question that does not exist.

Hope is an emotion; and like all emotions it’s a devise the mind use to indirectly control our conscience behaviour. It motivates us to keep trying to achieve some goal, where we might otherwise give up. Hope needs to be attached to a goal to function correctly, the exact details varying depending on circumstance.

Hope is a tool the mind uses, it will continue to use hope to motivate us irrespective of the situation we are in. The goals might be different but the mechanism is the same.

Lack of hope is an indication of brain damage, not lack of religious belief.