The meaning of my life before atheism

[JohnSm123]

In continuation to post #40 of THIS thread, I'll tell you what difference religion or theism made in my life.

For all my fetishes and sexual fantasies, in my real life, I never knew what I really wanted to do with the opposite gender. Which is why I'm still a virgin in my 36 years of age.

I don't think I'm so ugly that I wouldn't be able to get laid if I ever decided to try. The problem is I'm afraid I might regret it. I will feel that this way I will have betrayed my hypothetical dream girl, even though I haven't met her yet.

Other times, I think monogamy is bullshit and unrealistic and I consider trying to have sex with any attractive woman I lay eyes on (or just save some money to visit a brothel).

It's as if I'm two people in one body. A romantic boy who waits for his dream girl and an uncontrollable womanizer full of urges. Which of those two people is the real me? Sometimes I think it might take me all my life to figure this out, and still I might never figure it out.

When I believed in God, I thought that was the reason he sent me to this world: to figure out what I want from women. And when I discovered that, God would take me to Heaven, where I'd have an eternity at my disposal to enjoy my existence with the girl (or the girls) of my dreams.

But ever since I found out there is no God, everything seems pointless. Even if I do make up my mind regarding women someday, I'll still be doomed to the same eternal nonexistence after my death.

What's the point of meeting women when I know death will tear us apart forever? What's the point in any human relationship when you know that death will tear you apart forever?

Other atheists tell me that eternal oblivion is what makes your finite existence all the more worthwhile and gives you more reasons to make every moment count. I see their point, I understand that's a way to see it. But for me, it's not enough. Nothing matters to me without a God to care for me up there, without something to wait for me on the other side.

Why I haven't consulted a psychiatrist about that? I see no reason. Can a psychiatrist give me a God and an afterlife? No. He/she will just tell me the same thing atheists tell me. Why should I pay to hear the same stuff that I know won't convince me?

That's how I feel. I cannot change the way I feel.

 

[gunhilltrain]

John, you finally gave a few specifics about God and the afterlife. This caught my eye. And I'm not trying to make fun of you, per se, although some of what you say requires some humor.

"When I believed in God, I thought that was the reason he sent me to this world: to figure out what I want from women. And when I discovered that, God would take me to Heaven, where I'd have an eternity at my disposal to enjoy my existence with the girl (or the girls) of my dreams. But ever since I found out there is no God, everything seems pointless. Even if I do make up my mind regarding women someday, I'll still be doomed to the same eternal nonexistence after my death."

That's a a new one for me. (Although I've heard one guy say that he hoped for motorcycles in the afterlife. I wonder where the fuel would come from?) By the way, there is no such thing as a "dream girl." As Charles Bukoski said, "I wasn't looking for a dream girl, merely one who wasn't a nightmare." It also brings up the question: what are you bringing to the table of any such relationship? I can guarantee you that a woman is, yes, going to interested in your financial situation. Do you even have a job? Let me break this in two so yo can ponder the first part.

 

[gunhilltrain]

All right, you've up there in the fluffy clouds (is that what you see it looking like?) with this woman - or women. So, what are you going to be talking about in, say, four hundred years? Seems a bit boring, after all.

"I'll still be doomed to the same eternal nonexistence after my death." Yeah, but since you will have non-existence, you won't even know it. "The Big Sleep." You won't even be dreaming. If you are not a vegetarian, you'll be like the cow who died to make your hamburger. The cow doesn't care by that point. Did you once believe that only humans had souls?

Caution: image is of dead animals in a slaughter house. But the cows by this point are not worried about eternal non-existence. They're just gone.

https://yaleglobalhealthreview.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/lebwohl_watershed-post.jpg

 

[gunhilltrain]

"What's the point of meeting women when I know death will tear us apart forever? What's the point in any human relationship when you know that death will tear you apart forever?"

Everything is temporary, contingent. Even the Earth itself will eventually be destroyed by an expanding but dying star (the Sun). Some people think we had better get off of this planet before that happens. We certainly have plenty of time to work on it. I know, you wanted to be in the afterlife by then. Also, not to get too crude about it, but did you expect that there is sexual activity in the afterlife?

 

[JohnSm123]

All right, you've up there in the fluffy clouds (is that what you see it looking like?) with this woman - or women. So, what are you going to be talking about in, say, four hundred years? Seems a bit boring, after all.

Eternity wouldn't be boring if I could manually erase my memories. I'll open another thread someday to elaborate on that.

"I'll still be doomed to the same eternal nonexistence after my death." Yeah, but since you will have non-existence, you won't even know it. "The Big Sleep." You won't even be dreaming. If you are not a vegetarian, you'll be like the cow who died to make your hamburger. The cow doesn't care by that point.

I know that when I'm dead I won't be bothered by it. But until that time comes, the certainty of my inevitable death is a horrifying feeling. And it will keep being a horrifying feeling for the rest of my life. There is nothing I can do about it. That's the price of knowledge.

Did you once believe that only humans had souls?

As a religionless theist, I did not feel obliged to follow the rules of any "holy" book. I believed whatever made me feel good, having convinced myself that God had led me to believe it. So, I believed there was an afterlife for animals too.

Also, not to get too crude about it, but did you expect that there is sexual activity in the afterlife?

Yes. I explained above why.

 

[spacekowboy]

You're just copy/pasting from the Christian Incel Handbook, aren't you?

 

[Bob_Bytchin]

You're just copy/pasting from the Christian Incel Handbook, aren't you?

I was thinking it came from the Heaven's Gate cult.

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

In continuation to post #40 of THIS thread, I'll tell you what difference religion or theism made in my life.

For all my fetishes and sexual fantasies, in my real life, I never knew what I really wanted to do with the opposite gender. Which is why I'm still a virgin in my 36 years of age.

I don't think I'm so ugly that I wouldn't be able to get laid if I ever decided to try. The problem is I'm afraid I might regret it. I will feel that this way I will have betrayed my hypothetical dream girl, even though I haven't met her yet.

Other times, I think monogamy is bullshit and unrealistic and I consider trying to have sex with any attractive woman I lay eyes on (or just save some money to visit a brothel).

It's as if I'm two people in one body. A romantic boy who waits for his dream girl and an uncontrollable womanizer full of urges. Which of those two people is the real me? Sometimes I think it might take me all my life to figure this out, and still I might never figure it out.

When I believed in God, I thought that was the reason he sent me to this world: to figure out what I want from women. And when I discovered that, God would take me to Heaven, where I'd have an eternity at my disposal to enjoy my existence with the girl (or the girls) of my dreams.

But ever since I found out there is no God, everything seems pointless. Even if I do make up my mind regarding women someday, I'll still be doomed to the same eternal nonexistence after my death.

What's the point of meeting women when I know death will tear us apart forever? What's the point in any human relationship when you know that death will tear you apart forever?

Other atheists tell me that eternal oblivion is what makes your finite existence all the more worthwhile and gives you more reasons to make every moment count. I see their point, I understand that's a way to see it. But for me, it's not enough. Nothing matters to me without a God to care for me up there, without something to wait for me on the other side.

Why I haven't consulted a psychiatrist about that? I see no reason. Can a psychiatrist give me a God and an afterlife? No. He/she will just tell me the same thing atheists tell me. Why should I pay to hear the same stuff that I know won't convince me?

That's how I feel. I cannot change the way I feel.

Women aren't WOMEN -- some exotic alien category. We're people. Stop theorizing about WOMEN in the abstract.

As for the nonexistence of God making life pointless:

Consider the gold standard. Even if a dollar isn't backed by an gold ingot, you can still use it to buy a taco, because the people at the taco stand (and everyone else) treat dollars AS IF they were valuable, even though they're just pieces of colored paper.

Life is meaningful without God because all of us (even theists) live our lives AS IF they have meaning.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Consider the gold standard. Even if a dollar isn't backed by an gold ingot, you can still use it to buy a taco, because the people at the taco stand (and everyone else) treat dollars AS IF they were valuable, even though they're just pieces of colored paper.

Blame John for sending me off on this brief digression, but the United States hasn't been on the gold standard for about fifty years. And if you've noticed, you can buy a lot fewer tacos for those paper notes than once before. Currencies have become worthless at different times in history. Just saying, that analogy doesn't really help John - although I don't know what would! I don't even know why we're trying to respond to him. Perhaps because it's amusing?

A virtually worthless bill from Zimbabwe.

https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images...h_926,w_1646,c_lpad,b_rgb:061015/h_720,w_1280

By the way, John should see if he could get through three months with a woman before he attempts eternity with one.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Eternity wouldn't be boring if I could manually erase my memories. I'll open another thread someday to elaborate on that.


I know that when I'm dead I won't be bothered by it. But until that time comes, the certainty of my inevitable death is a horrifying feeling. And it will keep being a horrifying feeling for the rest of my life. There is nothing I can do about it. That's the price of knowledge.


As a religionless theist, I did not feel obliged to follow the rules of any "holy" book. I believed whatever made me feel good, having convinced myself that God had led me to believe it. So, I believed there was an afterlife for animals too.


Yes. I explained above why.

I just mentioned above that I'm mainly responding to you to amuse myself. And please don't open another fucking thread!

That erasing your memories bit is (or was) pure speculation/fantasy on your part.

Let me skip the next one. So, what animals did you believe had an afterlife? Lobsters, clams, bacteria? Whatever "makes you feel good" is worthless for anybody, even yourself. I guess that is where you got the sexual activity in the afterlife idea from.

Maybe this is enough, because I'm just enabling your attention-seeking activities by responding.

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

Blame John for sending me off on this brief digression, but the United States hasn't been on the gold standard for about fifty years. And if you've noticed, you can buy a lot fewer tacos for those paper notes than once before. Currencies have become worthless at different times in history. Just saying, that analogy doesn't really help John - although I don't know what would! I don't even know why we're trying to respond to him. Perhaps because it's amusing?

A virtually worthless bill from Zimbabwe.

https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images...h_926,w_1646,c_lpad,b_rgb:061015/h_720,w_1280

By the way, John should see if he could get through three months with a woman before he attempts eternity with one.

Gold bugs alway point to hyper-inflation as a reason to go back on the gold standard, but gold is inherently deflationary which has its own problems. A modicum of inflation is good for the economy. Just like a like a modicum of skepticism about scripture is good for religion.

I agree with you about John and women.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Gold bugs alway point to hyper-inflation as a reason to go back on the gold standard, but gold is inherently deflationary which has its own problems. A modicum of inflation is good for the economy. Just like a like a modicum of skepticism about scripture is good for religion.

I agree with you about John and women.

Yeah, I don't want to get into economics and predictions for the future, which I'm usually wrong about anyway. Anyway, I think I'm just about done with him since he seems to be mostly repeating himself by this point. He's been pretty persistent, I'll give him that.

 

[Stewart_Pidd]

Everyone knows the meaning of life is 42 bro.

Stew

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

The real answer to "Why should I care about life when I'm just going to die?" is this: How much did non-existence bother you in the 13.5 billion years before you were born?

Seize the Lifetime, brother.

 

[AchtungNight]

Clarification- I’m agnostic, not atheist. But I will tell you this, John. God, if they exist, put me on Earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I believe I am so far behind my departure from this world must be delayed. God will correct that impression at the appropriate moment. I hope you follow a similar path of concern.

 

[DoctorSmith8]

In continuation to post #40 of THIS thread, I'll tell you what difference religion or theism made in my life.

For all my fetishes and sexual fantasies, in my real life, I never knew what I really wanted to do with the opposite gender. Which is why I'm still a virgin in my 36 years of age.

I don't think I'm so ugly that I wouldn't be able to get laid if I ever decided to try. The problem is I'm afraid I might regret it. I will feel that this way I will have betrayed my hypothetical dream girl, even though I haven't met her yet.

Other times, I think monogamy is bullshit and unrealistic and I consider trying to have sex with any attractive woman I lay eyes on (or just save some money to visit a brothel).

It's as if I'm two people in one body. A romantic boy who waits for his dream girl and an uncontrollable womanizer full of urges. Which of those two people is the real me? Sometimes I think it might take me all my life to figure this out, and still I might never figure it out.

When I believed in God, I thought that was the reason he sent me to this world: to figure out what I want from women. And when I discovered that, God would take me to Heaven, where I'd have an eternity at my disposal to enjoy my existence with the girl (or the girls) of my dreams.

But ever since I found out there is no God, everything seems pointless. Even if I do make up my mind regarding women someday, I'll still be doomed to the same eternal nonexistence after my death.

What's the point of meeting women when I know death will tear us apart forever? What's the point in any human relationship when you know that death will tear you apart forever?

Other atheists tell me that eternal oblivion is what makes your finite existence all the more worthwhile and gives you more reasons to make every moment count. I see their point, I understand that's a way to see it. But for me, it's not enough. Nothing matters to me without a God to care for me up there, without something to wait for me on the other side.

Why I haven't consulted a psychiatrist about that? I see no reason. Can a psychiatrist give me a God and an afterlife? No. He/she will just tell me the same thing atheists tell me. Why should I pay to hear the same stuff that I know won't convince me?

That's how I feel. I cannot change the way I feel.

According to what I have seen in the Bible, there are no sexes in heaven. No he, no she, just spirit. So you better act now or forever hold your peace.