CarolD

I do hope you find something that helps you ....

Welcome back...

For me...we would have no science or medicine had God not given those things.
I'm not here to convince you of anything....merely shareing my preception.

When dealing with medical situations....I do pray as I am calling for assistance.....seems simple to me.

Would you like to share about your drinking and or sobriety?

BadCompany

This whole predicting the future thing, how does that work for an atheist?

LosingmyMisery

Make your recovery legit.

Ditto. My recovery is going well. I certainly don't have everything figured out, but I seem to have a handle on this recovery thing. How about you? You have your work cut out for you if you are out to convince others not to pray. If I could suggest anything, don't worry about what others are doing. Focus on you and getting better.

chicory

[ Yes, maybe so. If man has developed medicines , he must know how to use them and how to help in the best possible way. I believe we were given brains to use them.

and like you, I know that without a doubt, if you are ever in a boat in the ocean, and a storm comes, threatening your life, that you will call out, hoping there is a God to help you. because, we just dont know that there isn't one. we live, we came into being, from nothing. so, how can you say anything is impossible? He may not be called by any name but who is to say there is not more than we see?

Can't resist sending this, just for you.

Stephen Crane - In heaven

In heaven,
Some little blades of grass
Stood before God.
"What did you do?"
Then all save one of the little blades
Began eagerly to relate
The merits of their lives.
This one stayed a small way behind,
Ashamed.
Presently, God said,
"And what did you do?"
The little blade answered, "Oh my Lord,
Memory is bitter to me,
For, if I did good deeds,
I know not of them."
Then God, in all His splendor,
Arose from His throne.
"Oh, best little blade of grass!" He said.


Besides, what is the difference between blades of grass, stars in the sky, birds on the wing, babbling brooks, rainbows, mountain tops, sunsets, etc , etc, etc. all are grand in their purpose, dont you think? how well we go together, and how we are pleased by these things. each has its own value, none more than any other, I believe. and you are just as valuable as the grand canyon. for you are unique. only one of you, in all the world.


I am curious- if you are a happy drunk man, what are you doing here? Especially if you think this is all there is, why are you spending precious time on asking about it? I think I know.

Even if this is all there is, I want to feel as good as possible, live as long as possible, and rejoice in the beauty of life. the amazing miracle of it.
wishing you answers, and health, my friend.

Chicory

meaninglesslife

Okay...I'm off the god thing now, I can't make you know everything I know historically and scientifically, it's not even the science, it's the history, sorry I was a history/pre-law major filled with useless knowledge. I tell my mom, who was a sunday school teacher," Hey, was Jesus a white guy?" She says, "Yeah, of course, look at all the paintings and pictures." I'm mean that's just, a bottom of the barrel, basic starting point, not really important at all; Jesus was no more white than Osama Bin Laden, but I bet some of your brains have never thought differently...I never did until I really thought about it. That's just a small metaphor to show how one can be groomed to think... You know all the god stuff IS written and created by other human beings like you and me...you know Jesus wasn't DECIDED TO BE DEVINE until the Council of Nicea in 325 AD right...ok ok ok ok I'm done, don't want to crimp anyones dreams.

Cultivate doubt, don't ignore it. I should probably look for an Atheist group, thanks though, really!! You're all good people....better than me...fo' sho' I wish you all the best!!

An unexamined life is not worth living for a human being.
--Socrates

BadCompany

That is actually from the movies. The davinci code if I recall correctly. The upset that the council of nicea had to address concerning Christs dualistic nature was the teaching of some that Jesus didn't have a human nature.

meaninglesslife

Chicory: I would no sooner pray to God than I would pray to Elvis. Would you pray to Santa Claus in a desperate situation? No, because you know it isn't real, but there was a time when you believed in Santa Claus, before you knew better. Try studying First Century Middle Eastern History, then move on to Astronomy, Geology, Physics, Chemistry.

Allright, I'm out, I can't do this all day. It's fascinating what people BELIEVE though.

You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube.

meaninglesslife

Bad Company: Sorry bro, that's legit, check the stacks man, check the sources on everything you're looking at. Or not...

Drexo

meaninglesslife:

Just a short message from this sober Atheist. I agree with you on a lot of points and I think we share a lot of empirical thoughts about life. Though, since I got sober, I really enjoy this vision on life. It's personal and limited to my own consciousness, it always is for anyone, but it feels so relieving having this vision, being able to find serenity and joy in it! It all falls into place for me. I feel part of nature and all the living organisms who are sharing the same planet and who need food, water and oxygen to survive. Maybe these words will give some serenity:

YouTube - ‪Great Minds: Richard Dawkins - 'We Are Going To Die!'‬‏



- Drexo

chicory

Goodness, what makes you think that most of us don't know that Jesus was a Jew? You don't give others much credit. your thoughts are not unique, they have been spoken often, actually you echo many things I have heard in defense of atheism. you have a lot of pat comments.
I don't care what you believe. you came here wondering why you should even bother being sober. I would like to see you enjoy and live your life, sober, for you. not for me. and if you look at my post, I don't hold to a hard line about whether there is a God or not. I do believe that whether there is or not, life is worth living. so please, don't talk to me as if I was thumping a bible at you.

I think we are all equal, dont you? You should go where ever you feel most comfortable. There are all sorts of people here, some believe in Deity, and some don't. That is not a concern to me. I accept people for who they are. We have freedom of speech, and freedom of religion or lack of it, if we desire.
[/QUOTE]
An unexamined life is not worth living for a human being.
--Socrates[/QUOTE]
i love this quote. i hope you stick around. this is a recovery site, to get well from drugs and alcohol, or both. if you need help this is a wonderful place.
hug
chicory

BadCompany

This part of the nicene creed was to confront Sabellianism, for all the good it did them as the same heresy came up just 25 years later with Apollinarianism.

Socianism which is the theory that Christ was just an extrodinary man was a much lesser issue at the time as it wasn't even fully accepted by the Goths that practiced the Arianism that theory came out of.

BackToSquareOne

I find it easier to believe that there is intelligent design behind all things as opposed to believing that everything just happened at random. Who the actual "Designer" was is the mystery of all mysteries though. Neither side can prove their case 100% and maybe that's how it was meant to be. If you knew !00%, without a doubt that there was a better plane of existence after this life why would you want to stick around here?

KathP

Well, I guess truths are pretty malleable, then, as I live by completely different ones. I'm sorry you feel sobriety makes for a life not worth living, but my own personal experiences with it have been completely the opposite of that. But it wasn't instant, and I had to put forth a *lot* of effort to effect change in my own life. Incidentally, while I do have something I'd refer to as a higher power, it is not anything religious by any means. Just the fact that I'm happily sober (just celebrated 2 years last week!) is proof to me that there is a surrounding spirituality in the world, something far beyond religion.

I hope you find peace & happiness in your life.

Terminally Unique

In my experience, it took several months for my brain/body to "reset" and for the depression/anxiety/insomnia to lift. I don't know your intake level, but alcohol is a depressant, and the depression will not necessarily lift in only 19 days. I would give it at least 90 days before saying "F--- it."

I quit because, well, I literally had to. The destruction and horrific depression became too much, and I was backed into a corner. It also helped that alcohol stopped working - something inside my body just "broke," for lack of a better word.

To be honest, I would probably have kept it up otherwise. Ask yourself what you want to do with your life that alcohol will prevent you from doing. It may keep you focused.

tooling

Meaninglesslife,

I know what you mean. The answer is you have to pretend that their is a reason to live. Some people use greed to fuel them. To make as much money as they can. And a lot of them stay sober because that's what it takes in a business environment.

Some people find God through the bible and stay sober.

Some people find a higher power God from AA.

Some people almost die from alcohol or get really sick and finally decide to stop it.

And some people quit because they just want to with no credit given to anybody but themselves. This is what I did. I just said to hell with it. It was killing me physically.

I'll tell you this: Drinking is just as fake as anything else. it goes away every time and leaves a little less life in your worn out body. It's got nothing real to offer but lies. Alcohol is full of crap. I fell for it and i won't again. It's fake bull.. don't believe the hype.

BadCompany

When you see through everything, you wind up seeing nothing.

checkmate1

I lived a punk rock lifestyle for over 15 years. Drinking, getting smashed felt like the world was against me. I think you have a nihilist view on the world that a life on earth is meaningless. I'm around the 30 mark also and my view of the world has changed over the years. I hated authority, structure, routine and hated everything the world was. My world now is acceptance, peaceful, pain free and worth living for.

Live fast die young **** that! If I felt that way I would have a needle in my arm. I was nearly there but choose life instead.

I hope you find your freedom.

LostLotus

I also lived the rock & roll lifestyle, to call me an atheist anarchist hedonist libertine would be pretty accurate. I don't think there is any meaning to life, it just is. I always found it silly to try to find a purpose, but for me I do enjoy so many aspects of life and want to live the rest of it NOT feeling like crap all the time because I'm hung over!!! It's an enormous struggle though, but for me it's more of a habitual struggle rather than philosophical. I hope you're doing ok!

SixStringZen

Frankly, if the pros of drinking outweigh the pros of sobriety, I suggest you drink...

ulverston

i feel sorry for you.
who are you to say there is no god???
when you only concentrate on negativity ...that is what you will recieve