People that are athiests: How do you keep a positive outlook toward the future?

[jaybois]

Taken back off of ignore. Sometimes I get bent out of shape too.

I stepped out of line,I'm sorry.

 

[blueta2]

Someone can be spiritual and not believe in "god" and have a great life.
Following your own moral code is as healing and as wonderful and believing in God.

 

[Bikini Mod]

Someone can be spiritual and not believe in "god" and have a great life.
Following your own moral code is as healing and as wonderful and believing in God.

WERD

You see, I DO believe in some sort of God but I am not sure what to call her/him...

I TRY MY BEST not to harm anyone/thing...

I TRY MY BEST to rise above negativity...

"And do ye no harm"

"Whatever energy ye send out will be returned to you threefold"

...works for me.

I am just struggling with the fact that I've lost rituals. I enjoy rituals and traditions...

I don't question the existance of the soul or divinity as I simply don't feel the need. My beliefs work for me.

 

[blueta2]

WERD

You see, I DO believe in some sort of God but I am not sure what to call her/him...

I TRY MY BEST not to harm anyone/thing...

I TRY MY BEST to rise above negativity...

"And do ye no harm"

"Whatever energy ye send out will be returned to you threefold"

...works for me.

I am just struggling with the fact that I've lost rituals. I enjoy rituals and traditions...

I don't question the existance of the soul or divinity as I simply don't feel the need. My beliefs work for me.

So you follow a good moral code. I do believe good energy and having morals does come back around.
I call my belief "God" but it's not a he or she, it's really just an energy. Something more powerful than me to guide me and make me a good person.

 

[Bikini Mod]

So you follow a good moral code. I do believe good energy and having morals does come back around.
I call my belief "God" but it's not a he or she, it's really just an energy. Something more powerful than me to guide me and make me a good person.

It's simple really. If I smile at you, even though you are scowling at me, chances are that you may even change your feelings and smile when you realize there is NO HARM in my intentions.

Not always the case, of course, but I think you know what I am saying.

YUP... and I don't NEED to give a percentage of my income to satisfy my God... nor do I feel the NEED to be shamed/scared into showing up weekly.

 

[Forge]

Death and destruction, probably severe suffering is going to affect many if not most of us eventually. I'm not knocking the belief, just wondering how you will deal with the deep tragedies of life when you have no hope of rescue or the hope of an afterlife.

For the exact same reason I keep trying to deadlift heavier and heavier weight: "you do the best you can with what you got, but you work to improve at the same time". When hard times hit, you have two choices: curl up and die, or fight to make it better. The reasons may change, but the choices are the same.

The difference between religious people and athiests is this: religious people live morally and fight to survive to please God in the hopes of a good afterlife, while non-religious people live morally and fight to survive for the people around them and themselves right now. There are shades of gray between the two extremes of course, but the measurement is definately there.

 

[Bikini Mod]

The difference between religious people and athiests is this: religious people live morally and fight to survive to please God in the hopes of a good afterlife, while non-religious people live morally and fight to survive for the people around them and themselves right now.

^^^but isn't that EXACTLY "what pleases God"?

"Do unto others..."

"Love thy enemy as you would your brother..."

"Turn the other cheek..."


Opinions?

 

[manny78]

Death and destruction, probably severe suffering is going to affect many if not most of us eventually. I'm not knocking the belief, just wondering how you will deal with the deep tragedies of life when you have no hope of rescue or the hope of an afterlife.

Tragedies are part of life. So I deal with them just like I deal with business/family issues using logic and being rational instead of chasing ghosts.

Hope for after life ? Well, since no one came from afterlife to tell us how it is, if they have plasma TV, HBO or striper joints then I'll just stick with the real world instead.

 

[Bikini Mod]

So then I take it that it is a NON-SPIRITUAL notion to be more concerned with how your life is here, while you are actually living it then to have your thoughts/actions guided by thoughts of how you live your life NOW will affect any life thereafter?

Because I am VERY SPIRITUAL and I am more concerned with my life and how it affects others while I am still on the planet and how it will affect those that survive me long after I am gone than I am about any *punishment* or *reward* in the afterlife.

So where exactly does this place me in the grand scheme of the seemingly diametrically opposed sides of the religion fence?

 

[Tatyana]

Means he's no god.

Buddha never claimed to be a god.

Buddha means 'the enlightened one' and in Buddhism, anyone can become 'the Buddha".

You can awaken into enlightenment now, not after your dead as in Western Belief (heaven).