What do you like about being an atheist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like being free from the obligation to attend church on Sunday. That's how the Catholic Church I grew up in put it: "Sunday obligation." The only obligation I honor on Sunday is to have fun. Guilt free fun.

Written like a true product of western liberalism.

I am not a liberal or a conservative. I am a cradle catholic who became disgusted with the church due to the child molesting and cover ups, the hipocrasy of the parishoners and the guilt tripping around the faith. The church was no solace to me after suffering years of abuse and neglect. There was no god to protect or comfort me.

I am sorry to hear that. That is very sad. As someone who was raised in Catholic Church, I can understand your skepticism and pain. I personally converted to a Protestant church that provides amazing pastoral care and has many safe guards against clergy abuse. However, if I had been a victim of church sanctioned child abuse I would have probably given up on religion also.

It is not acceptable when churches mistreat or neglect the needs of their members, especially children.

You are assuming that pp gave up on religion because of "church sanctioned child abuse". Could be that pp realized, as they say above, that there was no god to protect or comfort them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like being free from the obligation to attend church on Sunday. That's how the Catholic Church I grew up in put it: "Sunday obligation." The only obligation I honor on Sunday is to have fun. Guilt free fun.

Written like a true product of western liberalism.

I am not a liberal or a conservative. I am a cradle catholic who became disgusted with the church due to the child molesting and cover ups, the hipocrasy of the parishoners and the guilt tripping around the faith. The church was no solace to me after suffering years of abuse and neglect. There was no god to protect or comfort me.

I am sorry to hear that. That is very sad. As someone who was raised in Catholic Church, I can understand your skepticism and pain. I personally converted to a Protestant church that provides amazing pastoral care and has many safe guards against clergy abuse. However, if I had been a victim of church sanctioned child abuse I would have probably given up on religion also.

It is not acceptable when churches mistreat or neglect the needs of their members, especially children.

You are assuming that pp gave up on religion because of "church sanctioned child abuse". Could be that pp realized, as they say above, that there was no god to protect or comfort them.

He or she said “The church was no solace to me after suffering years of abuse and neglect.”

You are correct though that the abuse and neglect may have been at home rather than at church.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like being free from the obligation to attend church on Sunday. That's how the Catholic Church I grew up in put it: "Sunday obligation." The only obligation I honor on Sunday is to have fun. Guilt free fun.

Written like a true product of western liberalism.

I am not a liberal or a conservative. I am a cradle catholic who became disgusted with the church due to the child molesting and cover ups, the hipocrasy of the parishoners and the guilt tripping around the faith. The church was no solace to me after suffering years of abuse and neglect. There was no god to protect or comfort me.

I am sorry to hear that. That is very sad. As someone who was raised in Catholic Church, I can understand your skepticism and pain. I personally converted to a Protestant church that provides amazing pastoral care and has many safe guards against clergy abuse. However, if I had been a victim of church sanctioned child abuse I would have probably given up on religion also.

It is not acceptable when churches mistreat or neglect the needs of their members, especially children.

You are assuming that pp gave up on religion because of "church sanctioned child abuse". Could be that pp realized, as they say above, that there was no god to protect or comfort them.[b]

That's correct. People who have suffered as I have often turn to things outside themselves to avoid/heal their pain. This includes alcoholism, drug addiction, workaholism, dysfunctional intimate relationships and/or becoming a religious person, exercise enthusist, traveler, etc etc. I understand that any of those things are bandaids or crutches. I prefer to face and experience my feelings. I won't pretend there is an entity who can ease my pain and that paradise awaits me. Nothingness awaits me and I am bouyed by that.

[Anonymous]

Oh, and no one here will "save" me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like being free from the obligation to attend church on Sunday. That's how the Catholic Church I grew up in put it: "Sunday obligation." The only obligation I honor on Sunday is to have fun. Guilt free fun.

Written like a true product of western liberalism.

I am not a liberal or a conservative. I am a cradle catholic who became disgusted with the church due to the child molesting and cover ups, the hipocrasy of the parishoners and the guilt tripping around the faith. The church was no solace to me after suffering years of abuse and neglect. There was no god to protect or comfort me.

I am sorry to hear that. That is very sad. As someone who was raised in Catholic Church, I can understand your skepticism and pain. I personally converted to a Protestant church that provides amazing pastoral care and has many safe guards against clergy abuse. However, if I had been a victim of church sanctioned child abuse I would have probably given up on religion also.

It is not acceptable when churches mistreat or neglect the needs of their members, especially children.

And what is it that you like about being an atheist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like being free from the obligation to attend church on Sunday. That's how the Catholic Church I grew up in put it: "Sunday obligation." The only obligation I honor on Sunday is to have fun. Guilt free fun.

Written like a true product of western liberalism.

I am not a liberal or a conservative. I am a cradle catholic who became disgusted with the church due to the child molesting and cover ups, the hipocrasy of the parishoners and the guilt tripping around the faith. The church was no solace to me after suffering years of abuse and neglect. There was no god to protect or comfort me.

I am sorry to hear that. That is very sad. As someone who was raised in Catholic Church, I can understand your skepticism and pain. I personally converted to a Protestant church that provides amazing pastoral care and has many safe guards against clergy abuse. However, if I had been a victim of church sanctioned child abuse I would have probably given up on religion also.

It is not acceptable when churches mistreat or neglect the needs of their members, especially children.

And what is it that you like about being an atheist?

If I were not religious, I would choose agnosticism.

However, if I were atheist I might enjoy a sense of wonder in all the unlikely events that led to human evolution. I hope I would retain a sense of awe and joy about the natural world and universe iwhether I was atheistic or religious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like being free from the obligation to attend church on Sunday. That's how the Catholic Church I grew up in put it: "Sunday obligation." The only obligation I honor on Sunday is to have fun. Guilt free fun.

Written like a true product of western liberalism.

I am not a liberal or a conservative. I am a cradle catholic who became disgusted with the church due to the child molesting and cover ups, the hipocrasy of the parishoners and the guilt tripping around the faith. The church was no solace to me after suffering years of abuse and neglect. There was no god to protect or comfort me.

I am sorry to hear that. That is very sad. As someone who was raised in Catholic Church, I can understand your skepticism and pain. I personally converted to a Protestant church that provides amazing pastoral care and has many safe guards against clergy abuse. However, if I had been a victim of church sanctioned child abuse I would have probably given up on religion also.

It is not acceptable when churches mistreat or neglect the needs of their members, especially children.

And what is it that you like about being an atheist?

If I were not religious, I would choose agnosticism.

However, if I were atheist I might enjoy a sense of wonder in all the unlikely events that led to human evolution. I hope I would retain a sense of awe and joy about the natural world and universe iwhether I was atheistic or religious.

Sounds like you have nothing to actually contribute to this thread. Cool.

[Anonymous]

I feel like the power of positivity and discipline and science of genetics is kind of merging with religion. At some point, these will be the same thing and there won't be as much of a divide between being religious and atheist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not a question of like or dislike. It's not good or bad. It's not one or the other. It's just what is. There is no god. Accepting truth doesn't have a "like" to it.

sure, but still, you can like something about being an atheist. Do you like feeling right? Do you like not feeling guilty about not observing a religion? Do you like feeling better now that you've figured it out?

I'm the PP. It's sort of like asking what do you like about gravity. It is something that exists irrespective of what one thinks about it.

What I like about gravity:

* No risk of being lost to freeze and starve in the vastness of space if I ever most slightly in the wrong direction

* Roller coasters and water slides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honest answer? What I like about being an atheist is knowing I am not subject to a false belief system.

I like that knowing right from wrong for me is not mixed up in a fear of what my religion tells me but is derived from moral clarity from within.

I like not being tied to superstition and ritual.

Ritual is very healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honest answer? What I like about being an atheist is knowing I am not subject to a false belief system.

I like that knowing right from wrong for me is not mixed up in a fear of what my religion tells me but is derived from moral clarity from within.

I like not being tied to superstition and ritual.

Ritual is very healthy.

Not if you're tied to it. Think washing your hands over and over again.

And of course, superstition is never good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honest answer? What I like about being an atheist is knowing I am not subject to a false belief system.

I like that knowing right from wrong for me is not mixed up in a fear of what my religion tells me but is derived from moral clarity from within.

I like not being tied to superstition and ritual.

Ritual is very healthy.

To you. Others find it stifling and restricting. Why are you trying to sh*t on every post from atheists here?

Atheists have rituals too.

No atheists have said that. There is a plethora of religious threads to derail, knock yourself out with those.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not a question of like or dislike. It's not good or bad. It's not one or the other. It's just what is. There is no god. Accepting truth doesn't have a "like" to it.

sure, but still, you can like something about being an atheist. Do you like feeling right? Do you like not feeling guilty about not observing a religion? Do you like feeling better now that you've figured it out?

I'm the PP. It's sort of like asking what do you like about gravity. It is something that exists irrespective of what one thinks about it.

Still, you can like something about things that already exist. What I like about gravity is that it keeps things from floating away. I. like that. I'm used to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not a question of like or dislike. It's not good or bad. It's not one or the other. It's just what is. There is no god. Accepting truth doesn't have a "like" to it.

sure, but still, you can like something about being an atheist. Do you like feeling right? Do you like not feeling guilty about not observing a religion? Do you like feeling better now that you've figured it out?

I'm the PP. It's sort of like asking what do you like about gravity. It is something that exists irrespective of what one thinks about it.

Still, you can like something about things that already exist. What I like about gravity is that it keeps things from floating away. I. like that. I'm used to it.

I view "like" as having an attachment or desire for something to be. I am not attached to gravity (figurative sense), only literally.

[Anonymous]

Like a PP said, I like not having to twist my logical thoughts all up to have something make sense. Similar to how I feel about the Amish. They want to be off-grid but they accept deliveries of propane to work their washing machines. They take the pedals off bikes because it has to be wholly powered by the person but... not with any mechanical enhancement. Roller blades are fine. It all hurts my head. That's what religion feels like to me. I can suspend logic for a movie or a good book, but not for life.