All atheists are depressed

[Solus]

I'm not, actually I'm very hopeful of my future. I'm sure the answer I'd get from the fool who wrote that would be: "you really are depressed but you don't know it'.



With my mental health issues in the past I know that torment very well.

 

[Achán hiNidráne]

You also don't want to be anyone's family pet who happens to wander within shotgun range of him.

 

[Solus]

You also don't want to be anyone's family pet who happens to wander within shotgun range of him.

I would NEVER shoot an animal!

I capture them and lock them up in tiny cages. I then perform painful experiments on them that serve no real purpose (think Mengele).

 

[Dark Jaguar]

Well at any rate I'm not depressed. Sure there's a lot of bad things going on, but I have a special ability to not let that affect me emotionally when I'm not actually thinking about the situation, and my "default" state, I guess, is pretty much happy with life. Sure it could be better, but it's done well by me so far. I'm generally an easy going sort of person anyway.

Optimist? Pessimist? I'd say I'm a realist so sometimes one, sometimes the other, but again I seem to be easy going and enjoy the moments. Sure total oblivion at the end is not desirable, but hey, I'm not there yet and right now I'm doing good. No particular logical reason I can think of to dwell on it.

So no, not all atheists are depressed. Personally, I don't see the point of it.

 

[Dorian Gray]

I don't understand. How could atheists be depressed when they have no moral compass and act as selfishly and hedonistically as they desire (or should I say as we desire).

 

[grayman]

I don't understand. How could atheists be depressed when they have no moral compass and act as selfishly and hedonistically as they desire (or should I say as we desire).

Because it's a wee desire.

 

[Foster Zygote]

Well bloody Hell! I was feeling pretty damn good today after coming home and having my two year old son come running up to me for a hug all laughing and giggling and literally jumping for joy to see me (I'd been gone all of an hour). But then I read this thread. I thought "Wait a minute. I'm an atheist". It was just like the coyote running off the cliff and then standing in mid air unaware of his situation until he looked down. We're doomed. Doooooooooooooomed!

 

[RandFan]

Is there any scientific evidence to support the idea that all atheists are depressed?

 

[Lonewulf]

I don't understand. How could atheists be depressed when they have no moral compass and act as selfishly and hedonistically as they desire (or should I say as we desire).

Because while we're having a great time on the outside, on the inside we're a hollowed-out shell of self-loathing and hate.

Just look at Augustine's books as proof.

 

[SirPhilip]

The truth is no mature, life-affirming and progressive secular outlook, the heights of gadgetry, the heights of gadgetry invention, the heights of astronautics, the relief of being surrounded by hundreds of people - all sane, or watching a televangelist go bankrupt, or even the rare company of a shapely, very intelligent Skepchick with normal estrogen levels; none come close to a one night stand with a hot sexually repressed Baptist.

 

[clarsct]

The truth is no mature, life-affirming and progressive secular outlook, the heights of gadgetry, the heights of gadgetry invention, the heights of astronautics, the relief of being surrounded by hundreds of people - all sane, or watching a televangelist go bankrupt, or even the rare company of a shapely, very intelligent Skepchick with normal estrogen levels; none come close to a one night stand with a hot sexually repressed Baptist.

What you say may be true, as my own empirical experiments indicate, but what about being an atheist prevents this?

 

[Achán hiNidráne]

...a one night stand with a hot sexually repressed Baptist.

Well, while she wasn't a Baptist (she was a bit of a new ager), my ex-girlfriend was VERY "sexually repressed." It's extremely hard to have fun in bed with a woman who thinks her privates were "filthy" and that sex is something that "higher beings" would not do.

 

[RandFan]

Well, while she wasn't a Baptist (she was a bit of a new ager), my ex-girlfriend was VERY "sexually repressed." It's extremely hard to have fun in bed with a woman who thinks her privates were "filthy" and that sex is something that "higher beings" would not do.

I'm with you there. One of the worst things religion has done in this world is to put sex, a basic human function, in such a bad light.

 

[Lonewulf]

I'm with you there. One of the worst things religion has done in this world is to put sex, a basic human function, in such a bad light.

Actually, this is what interests me... these are some of the basic tenets of many Judeo-Christian beliefs:

1) Sex is awful and sinful and dirty. (Which, at the time period, was certainly true on the dirty part, thanks to disease and lack of cleanliness).

2) Be fruitful, and multiply. Have lots of babies.

3) You cannot "waste seed" through masturbation or homosexual activities.

4) Having sex outside of marriage is a sin. A marriage can only be made by the relevant officials (under our control).

Does anyone else see something somewhat... Orwellian about this? Get this: You have to have children, you cannot be allowed any means to "relieve yourself" outside of sexual activities (forcing you more and more into having children), and you have to declare a specific allegiance to the church that marries you in order to have children. So, naturally, the children would (I assume) be brought up with that church's views, especially if the church handles any part of their education.

 

[RandFan]

1) Sex is awful and sinful and dirty. (Which, at the time period, was certainly true on the dirty part, thanks to disease and lack of cleanliness).

So we can perhaps understand prohibitions and backward views from a survival perspective. Good point. But that is a significant problem with religion. It is very slow to adapt to changes.

 

[Lonewulf]

So we can perhaps understand prohibitions and backward views from a survival perspective. Good point. But that is a significant problem with religion. It is very slow to adapt to changes.

Exactly. Most of the laws and rules printed out into the handbook that has become the Bible, we do not follow ourselves, precisely for that reason; it's outdated.

The irony is that many people of faith do not realize this, even as they themselves discard those old, ancient rules and favor only those which can be said to be applicable today.

 

[SirPhilip]

I'm with you there. One of the worst things religion has done in this world is to put sex, a basic human function, in such a bad light.

I totally disag...oh who am I kidding.

 

[Achán hiNidráne]

Actually, this is what interests me... these are some of the basic tenets of many Judeo-Christian beliefs:

1) Sex is awful and sinful and dirty. (Which, at the time period, was certainly true on the dirty part, thanks to disease and lack of cleanliness).

Yeah, but this is the 21st century. We have soap, clean water, the social expectation to shower daily, and--best of all--condoms. The Fundies have to know this, so why continue the stupidity?

 

[Lonewulf]

Yeah, but this is the 21st century. We have soap, clean water, the social expectation to shower daily, and--best of all--condoms. The Fundies have to know this, so why continue the stupidity?

Tradition. Scripture. Getting rid of outdated ideas is more difficult than it sounds. In fact, much of modern day society (outside of nifty technology), including basic cultural values, norms, gestures and the spoken language, all have their own outdated principles.

(Though to be fair, AIDS is something to worry about...)

 

[Achán hiNidráne]

Tradition. Scripture. Getting rid of outdated ideas is more difficult than it sounds. In fact, much of modern day society (outside of nifty technology), including basic cultural values, norms, gestures and the spoken language, all have their own outdated principles.

That's never been a very good excuse. All the more reason we secularists need to take the offensive in this "culture war" and start taking on the traditonalists rather than letting them dominate the debate.

(Though to be fair, AIDS is something to worry about...)

Yeah, but it's also something that can be easily avoided with communication and protection. As we are all well aware, the abstinence that the right advocates 1) only works when it's used, 2) isn't much fun, which is the reason why it fails so often.