I use to be happy young lad not caring about death because I knew I would go to god and spend a wonderful life in heaven.
Now being a full on atheist I just can't get over the fact that one day I will die which can be any day now to 50 years or so from now.
I'm still young but I can't accept the fact that when I die my mind will disappear into complete nothingness and I will have no mental thoughts emotions personality.
I guess I'm just thinking too much about it but still freaks me out .

I wish I stilled believed in god has that gave me a lot of comfort in knowing where I will be after death.
If I ever had to believe in god again it will be out of force and lie and it's just something I have convinced myself that the other side is complete nothing :(

Maybe think of it as a chance to sleep peacefully with no interruption. And all the more reason to do your best in this life and to create happiness for others whenever you can (if this life is all you have).

You do have to admit, though, that there is a Grand Intelligence at work behind our universe.

I'm not reading a question here unless it's how to get your belief in your God back or get over your fear of dying and nothingness which follows - ?

Well not really a question just some sort of comment will do.

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Originally Posted by Dustyd

Well not really a question just some sort of comment will do.

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Do you want your faith back?

Do you want comfort in knowing this life is good enough?

No to those questions.
I guess I really don't know what the question is I'm trying to ask

Can you admit that there is a Grand Intelligence at work behind our universe?

I just think that someone out there creating everything really belittles the universe and I don't mean that with any disrespect. That is my train of thought as with your train of thought. I'm an atheist as I don't like labeling myself the best way to describe me is an atheist. No agnostic so nope no thought of a higher power or anything like that. To me things in the universe are unplanned and happens by coincidence. Perfect environments occur and boom we have life over millions of years of natural trial and selection. I don't believe there is an intelligent designer some one out there creating occurrences. I don't know as I do have conscience and like everybody that little voice that tells me what's good to do and not but that all chemical reactions happening in my brain. The feeling of love and heart break all chemical reactions. Now death is giving me an unbalanced chemical reaction that freaks me out that all these chemicals in my body are going to stop and my mind lost. I guess the answer is pretty simple where will I go when I die! And I know the answer to me will be complete nothingness but if I don't believe that and if I ask that question I'm pulled to the agnostic side of line so yea it's hard for me to come up with a question about this

Dustyd, I'm an atheist too. I have believed in God before too. I didn't stop believing because of some trials of faith; I just stopped believing in an entity that has power over the universe and has some sort of thought process. The universe and all that is in it just IS. We are born and we die. 'Birth astraddle a grave.' What goes on between birth and death, if you survive childhood, is largely up to you. I fear being old and incapable of taking care of myself a thousand times more than I fear death. I find a contradiction in your thoughts. If you don't believe in God, how can you believe that you have some consciousness after death, unless you have a theory about consciousness as a soul or spirit that survives death?
Or maybe that's not what you are saying... maybe you just don't want to die.
Well tough. You can do all in your power to stay healthy and safe and never do anything risky or you can just live as long as you happen to live. Babies die every minute who never took more than a breath. Infants, toddlers, pre-teens, teens, 20 something's... they die. People get Alzheimers before they die at 100 and their entire memory is gone and they don't know who they are or who anyone is. Where would you like to fit into that range? I'd like to fit in the middle.

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Originally Posted by joypulv

Dustyd, I'm an atheist too. I have believed in God before too. I didn't stop believing because of some trials of faith; I just stopped believing in an entity that has power over the universe and has some sort of thought process. The universe and all that is in it just IS. We are born and we die. 'Birth astraddle a grave.' What goes on between birth and death, if you survive childhood, is largely up to you. I fear being old and incapable of taking care of myself a thousand times more than I fear death. I find a contradiction in your thoughts. If you don't believe in God, how can you believe that you have some consciousness after death, unless you have a theory about consciousness as a soul or spirit that survives death?

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Yes a point you have but I don't believe in a consciousness after death at all. Yes I would love there to be but I'm adamant that there is no consciousness no after life no reincarnation nothing. But yea I actually don't know why or what I was hoping too get out of this post or what question to ask but discussing it and hearing other people's views about it is comforting. I live life everyday happly. Not thinking about what can go wrong. I'm daring in a sense that I can silly life threading things like sit on the edge of a 30 floor building and climbing random buildings and just doing thing cause I think coming close to death is living but some nights like tonight I think about dying. And intensely think what happens when you die. My only theory is nothingness. And yea I guess I am being a little ridiculous now that I have freaked myself out with death it's just I like to here what other people say about it as its something I have never really discussed

My late husband believed in nothing after this life, nothing. No "living on," no reincarnation, nothing.

It was his belief and I accepted it, but it was very difficult for me to understand and live with after he died. Maybe there's comfort in "some day we'll be together again." Maybe there isn't.

I'll never know.

So I reiterate --

All the more reason to do your best in this life and to create happiness for others whenever you can (if this life is all you have).

Consider this poem by Elisabeth-Anne "Bessie" Anderson Stanley --

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much;
Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it;
Who has left the world better than he found it,
Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;
Whose life was an inspiration;
Whose memory a benediction.

That's a really beautiful poem
I must say and does make me think. I guess death is going to come but obviously something that's there and will happen one day. Maybe I'm stressed of dying young and haven't had the chance to live life. Which I'm trying to do now. I think looking at death is an opportunity to better life enjoy and make your environment enjoyful for me and others. Thanks I just really needed to speak to people I don't know about it
Thanks again

I'm an atheist as well and I know exactly what you mean. I gave myself a panic attack one night just lying in bed and trying to wrap my head around complete nothingness. But recently I've just kind of been thinking of it as sleep. I don't know when I'm asleep. I don't think of sleep as a bad thing. And that's really the only way I can handle thinking about it. I too wish I could believe in god because that would make things so much easier but I'm incredibly logical and scientific and there's no way I can justify spitting in the face of science and reason just to make myself feel better. I hope this helped you.