I hope I am posting this in the right place. Please forgive me if I am not.
I have been a Christian all my life (50 years), but I now know there is no god and it's unbearable. I think suicide is the only way to end my own suffering. I just want the misery to end. I tried to find an atheist counselor with no luck so I thought I would see if there is one on here.
What is the point of living if you are just going to die and never even know you existed?
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"What is the point of living if you are just going to die and never even know you existed? "
When you eat a chocolate(or something you like) do you ask yourself:
What is the point of eating it, if you know already that you will never see it again and it will be most likely forgotten?
(If you do actually ask yourself that, then seek medical help as soon as possible.)
Is it possible that you were so blinded by a lie that you failed to see the pleasure of life?
I see very few reasons why one should commit suicide and you have not presented one yet.
Oct, it's very normal for someone transitioning from religion to reason to feel like life suddenly has no meaning. No hell also means no heaven, and that's something that a lot of people have worked for decades to attain, being moral, ethical, and all the rest. But part of accepting reason means accepting that there is a new paradigm for life that you ought to be working towards. Now that you're not worried about being judged, strive to be remembered by the people who love you and that you love. Instead of treating life like a rat race to the pearly gates, understand that there's nothing sad or terrifying about this being the only life you have. If anything, it's all the more reason to live as fully and happily as you can.
I'll put it to you in another manner. Think of all the people we figure probably went to heaven or hell. Why do we feel that? It's because of the deeds they performed in this life. Now remove the spiritual baggage. These people will still be remembered, but not because of what mythical parking spot they get after their hearts stopped pumping. You should feel the same. Live to be remembered fondly. I'll use my own grandmother as an example. She wasn't anyone famous. Never made the news, or did anything truly newsworthy. But I loved her, and her memories that she formed with me will be passed down to my own children with a smile. It doesn't matter where I think she ended up (the answer is a nicely maintained cemetery, by the way), what matters is what she did while she was alive.
While I can't start any kind of therapeutic relationship with you like this, I am a counselor, and just keep living. It's what matters most.
The fact that you reached out to us on this (or any) site, shows that you don't want to die.
Now that you are no longer burdend with religion, you are free to live life.
There are profesional mental health people who are secular, and available. You can Google for them.
There are athiest groups all around the world who would gladly accept you into their group and give you support.
We on this site will give you support and advice if we can.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE !
You are obviously at a difficult place in your life RIGHT NOW, but don't look for a perminant solution to a temporary problem.
Bob-you always say the obvious-You should be a wacko psychologist
October 1---You are a baby--wha wha wha. I am going to kill myself- I lost my Cell Phone... I am going to kill myself-I failed my math test!... I am going to kill myself-My girlfriend doesn't like me anymore.... I am going to kill myself- The Dallas Cowboys won and I hate Dallas...I am going to kill myself...I am not going to heaven and there is no God!!!!! October 1... You are a baby--get over it... You should feel alive and free as you gave up the dogma of bullshit... You no longer believe in Adam and Eve and the talking snake or Noah's arc or the birth of Jesus from a virgin...But if you really feel depressed it is not because you think you are not going to heaven.. NO something else is going on. Maybe your bi-polar or just depressed...Asking for help from dumb ass strangers in this forum is not the way to go. Except for me the rest of the idiots "here" are retards and morons. Either stop whining and being a baby or get professional help. God Bless
Please note.....
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Public information announcement:
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"blasphemy" is actually the infamous troll of the Atheist Republic forum.
Generally referred to as "Kenny", has been banned many times under different names.
Previously known aliases include: "Kenny Schweiger", "Kenny", "myself", "alleycat", "richardd", "Christopher", "marken", "punkin", "amber", "Simon", "fred,k".
Claims to be an atheist. But he has a fondness for using "sarcasm", even though no one ever gets his sarcasm and he has been told this many times, he keeps posting such deceiving comments.
He seems obsessed with religions, creationists and the stupidity of Fox News, Bill O'Reilly, Joel Osteen, Ted Cruz, Sean Hannity, Donald Trump, Vanna White, Sarah Palin, etc.
This announcement will be posted whenever he spams, agitates, confuses or flies of the handle.
Also, he finds these announcements 'boring'..
this announcement courtesy of Pragmatic....
I have been depressed myself, though not on account of atheism or religion, so I think I know a little how you feel. It's pretty silly for me to tell you how to be, but I can tell you how I dealt with my feelings of hopelessness.
Every day I woke up and said to myself that I had a choice today, to live or die. Is it so miserable - today - that I can't bear life? Is the world especially ugly today? Is there no one who needs me today? Is there no important job to work on today? Even if it's only a small one? If there was one thing of value, I decided that today I would not take my life. I'd always have another opportunity to die tomorrow.
After a while things sorted themselves out. And every so often, I ask myself the question again. It feels good to make a positive decision.
Please try. Things may -- and probably will -- improve. You won't know if you're dead.
Try here (assuming you live in the US): https://www.seculartherapy.org/
You should probably not search for an Atheist counselor, but instead a Secular counselor.
Anyone can feel depressed and out of hope, religious or not. Your seeking help here, continue seeking help.
"What is the point of living if you are just going to die and never even know you existed?"
The way I see it, "living" is the one true point in living. Once life is over, there is no getting it back, so living while we have life is the point.
Watchman, Mary Anne, Bob, Jeff, Tzeentch, and Pragmatic-All of you are retards!!!. All of your advise is so obvious and lame and full of clichés. PRAGMATIC-" the way I see it, "living" is the one true point in living. Once life is over, there is no getting it back so living while we have life is the point". Very good Pragmatic you should be a nut ball psychiatrist. The rest of you give similar stupid "advise". Assholes--Read my non advise...Before giving my non advise I tried to bring a little humor and levity to October 1... By calling her a baby--wha wha wha I wasn't really belittling her. "The Dallas Cowboys won and I hate Dallas--"I am going to kill myself" is so absurd and funny maybe October 1 might laugh a little. My non advise was not filled with stupid clichés. "Asking for help from dumbass strangers in this forum is not the way to go. Except for me the rest of the idiots "here" are retards and morons. Either stop whining and being a baby or get professional help".... My non advise was good advise and you all pandered to dumbass clichés. Go ahead read you idiotic posts and you will see I am right(like always) and you are silly little children. God Bless
Hey, October (my favorite month). Blasphemy is probably right about seeking a professional as opposed to getting help on a forum. You can get some great words of wisdom, here, but the forum medium lacks a certain personalism. By professional I just mean someone with experience and with whom you can engage one on one. It's a tough shock to one's psyche, having the transcendental rug pulled out from underneath one. My advice is, do not despair that the expectations you had for the future are no longer viable, it happens to people every day in conflict zones, believe me. And also, try not to hold onto bitter feelings about the lies you have been indoctrinated into, you will see that the world is still a beautiful place even if there is no wizard behind the curtain making it work. Maybe even more beautiful. Welcome , good luck and don't be a stranger.
C.M Allen- I gave you 2 points from 3 to 5 on your perceptive post about American Exceptionalism. I have to drop you back to a 4 for your comments "counseling" October 1. You got off to a good start "Blasphemy is probably right about seeking a professional as opposed to getting help on a forum". Then you start to pander and give advise--not smart, not nice-not a good idea!!!!!! "My advise is not to despair(your so perceptive) that the expectations you had for the future are no longer viable"(brilliant-so obvious). I think my non advice to October 1 is stop being a baby--wha wha wha. So your not going to heaven--get over it..
I think that almost all atheists have gone through this at some point in their lives. There is a question that theists can ask: "If I am going to exist forever, what is the point of existing?" Immortality does not make everything worthwhile, nor does mortality make everything worthless. I would argue that the existence of nonexistence makes life much more meaningful.
In reality, all of the matter that we are made up of goes back into the universe and becomes something else. In this sense, existence is not over. That is science. When you die, all the atoms that are YOU will become flowers, or air, or soil eventually, and this is such a beautiful thought.
That said, you will probably be miserable and feel abandoned for a while. It is okay, you will be fine. We have your back, we love you. Keep connecting with other people who share your lack of belief, they will be a giant support.
You have us, yes, but try to search in your area for people with similar lack-of-beliefs. Don't kill yourself, life is far to precious and short to end it prematurely.
Walk barefoot if you can. Dance (literally). Exercise. Drink lots of water. Do everything that someone who is depressed would be recommended to do. Meditation, yoga. If you prayed in the past, either continue to speak to yourself in this way, or write down your thoughts and feelings, bad and good.
It is hard to come into atheism, but once you have made your home here and unpacked your bags of past beliefs, everything is going to be just fine.