PHarrigan

I suspect theists DO find comfort in thier beliefs, especially during peak stress events.

I'd like to know more about the circumstances of that terminal patient whose pain meds were discontinued. That shouldn't happen under Medicaid rules in the US.

Lógos Sokratikós

Thank you Phrog, Nygreenguy, Vicar Philip, Hasselhoff, Loungehead, Mirage, BolshyFaker, JamesBannon, PHarrigan. I appreciate it a lot. But there is no consolation, just the passage of time will help me think less about it.

Yes, theists reading this, know that we athiests have no cognitive pain relievers for life's shits. [Most of] you are better off than we.


This is for my grandfather, WWII British spy, loving son, father, brother, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather (whew!) among many other things. I am so very proud of him and I will always love him so very much.

I wish I could tell you his name, but I would much prefer to protect my family. Oh, atheism sucks for that too (well, it's not atheism's fault, it's the prejudice of non-atheist busybodies).

Lógos Sokratikós

[emphasis mine]


After all, he was a British WWII spy -one of the few that actually survived the war, that's the measure of their bravery and sacrifice- risking his skin for liberty and for us.

I might not have to put my life at stake (and all thanks to him and all the "so few" "so many" of us owe "so much" to -paraphrasing good ole Winnie) but I have my own war and I fight for liberty my own way.

Much appreciated.

fatpie42

It sounds like your granddad had a really cool life. A WWII spy eh? Awesome.

Sometimes knowing that this life is all there is can be quite a promising thought when someone has made the most of it. I like to think of funerals as celebrating the contents of the life which has ended, rather than as mourning someone's death. Naturally there inevitably will be mourning, and that's okay. However, part of the reason why we are so upset to see someone go is also the reason why we should be so happy for the time they were alive.

I like to think of Nietzsche's 'eternal recurrence' as an optimistic thought on this point. Whether one takes it literally or not, the idea of someone's every moment being immortalised in eternity is a very uplifting thought - and much more positive than the idea of some kind of paradise tagged onto the end.

I don't know if that was any help. Take care dude!

Lógos Sokratikós

JamesBannon, welcome to the American dream nightmare: savage capitalism.

G.W. Bush and friends, just for you, I hope your Jesus is real, so you can go straight down to the lowest circle of hell.

... that was written for the likes of you in mind, you @$$h0l*s!

Draconis

Erm. I tend to take comfort from the life they led (well, if they were a generally good person that is) and perhaps treasure any positive influences they might have had upon myself. Of course the person involved is gone, but not forgotten.

Lógos Sokratikós

Interesting. Please tell me more about that concept of Nietzsche's.

Thanks a lot. A big warm hug to you all!

JamesBannon

Logos, hence the reason I'm a Socialist (of the revolutionary French variety) or rather, one of the many reasons and why I do not support private health care or education (among other things).

Curiously, opposed to your own grandfather being a WW2 spy was my own grandfather who was a conscientious objector. Not for any religious reason (although he was a particular brand of Protestant) but because he hated Churchill! (His father was executed for "desertion" during the Battle of the Somme and he never forgave Churchill or the other leaders at the time for that fiasco). He died when I was about 10 or so. I loved him dearly in spite of the fact that he was at times a contankerous old git.

Lógos Sokratikós

It might sound like bragging, but it isn't. It striked me many times that that old man with his cane and all, walking slowly, etc, wa actually a WWII spy risking life and limb.

I think it's a lesson for all of us who have the luck of knowing our grandparents and great grandparents. They're not old fossils! No matter what their occupations were, they were real giants, taking on their shoulders great tasks, fighting for their families against hunger and many other dangers, working long and hard for our survival. Three cheers for our old folks! If homo sapiens deserves the "sapiens" part, it's for their wisdom, won through toils and so many years.

---

Thank you all.

This thread was meant as a GRD one. I wanted my story to be just a start of what atheism really means on the human side. Theistic points of view welcome.

Wisdumb

To say that all thiests feel better than athiests after the loss of a loved one due to their belief in some kind of afterlife is a spurious generalization. Believe it or not, it is much harder to have genuine faith in something you cant prove than it is to just dismiss it and think only darkness will follow. Sure people always say "that person is in a better place", but most of the people who utter these words really struggle with that belief, even if they sound sure or confident. Athiests are just as sure and probably even more sure of what comes after death than thiests. So to all our loved ones who have passed away, we dont know where their souls went after death, if infact a soul exists, so to be 100% sure of anything isn't the healthiest way of looking at things, no matter what you believe. Be open minded to every possiblity.