Are Atheists Pessimistic? A question for atheists, theists can get involved too!
By samantha15
@samantha15 (24)
Canada
August 31, 2007 8:07pm CST
I believe in god, if by god you mean the rules and absolutes of the universe.. the big band and evolution just fortify that belief.. however, it does not necessarily give me any hope for the future as this being is not really bigger than us but it IS us..but it does say that something or other will happen to me when i die.. so its a very small glimps of hope for death..
but i wonder what atheists do to deal with death.. they dont know, they dont say they know, but i think their ideas are vary limited to what happens because, if your an atheist, i dont think you should believe in soul, because that would indeed be contradictory..
now, if your an atheist, dont get me wrong, Im not a religious person who thinks that you go to heaven and hell etc etc... (frankly, i think its funny to think that happens) but i just wonder if you have any beliefs for the after life yourself?
or do you simply believe that it will be peaceful nothingness..
1 person likes this
3 responses
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
1 Sep 07
I don't think athiests are pessimistic personally, I just think they believe differently about things than I do. I think it's more pessimistic to think that there will be people who are punished for believing something that is wrong than to believe that this life is all we have. I also think that most atheists didn't just magically become atheists one day, but rather weighed their religious options and didn't find anything they could accept. So it's not a matter of optimism or pessimism, simply making an informed, logical decision.
Now back to my illogical faith-filled life where I believe my Gods talk to me and there are fairies. =P
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
1 Sep 07
"I believe what I believe, and I made those decisions through my own experiences."
I love the way you said this. I also made my decisions on what I believe off my own experiences, which is why my beliefs are different from those of other people, and also why they aren't influenced by other people's talking to me about their own belief (or non-belief).
@marmalaide (470)
•
2 Sep 07
Some atheists are pessimistic it is true, but then so are many people who believe in God. Personally I think the people who run around saying the world is coming to an end and we are all gonna get fried very very soon (except for them of course lol) are being pretty pessimistic! Also, if you believe in an omniscient God then that rules out the idea of having free will, which is about the most pessimistic and hopeless world view that you can have really.
Also many people do not necessarily want to live forever and cannot think of anything worse than living on and on and on for the whole of eternity. Some old people feel this way towards the end of their lives, like they have just had enough and they want to rest.
I think the comment above is very true, that whether or not you are optimistic or pessimistic has more to do with your personality than your religious beliefs. Yes, people's beliefs are influenced by their general outlook on life but I don't think it works so much the other way around.
