Atheists, what do you have to win from not believing in any god?

[askook]

Intellectual honesty.

I can't persuade myself to believe in something I really don't think exists. I'd be lying to myself if I were to become a Christian, and lying to everyone else. That's something I won't do.

[garlen]

Sorry, I like being an individual.

And by the way, I don't watch TV so I don't give a damn about the 'amazing' shows you can watch; I have more than enough friends and don't need to go find new ones; scientific software can be acquired without being religious; I am going on a month long trip to Japan this summer; and I would say that so far I have had a pretty kickass life. I don't NEED religion to enjoy myself.

[radeliffe]

See most atheists started out as Christians, but then realised it was a bunch of bull ****. I am WAY more happier as an atheist then I was as a Christian. Also stop being a douche and pushing your religion on others. god is a bunch of bs.

[palmere]

You are a Christian because before you were a Christian, you were inadequate (by your own admission).

I began as a Christian, but I moved on to something better.

[arlyn]

There's a lot of "I" and "got" in there. Maybe you missed the humility lesson, or pride, or something more basic, like greed?

[darrold]

I am Atheist, and I personally feel obligated to believe in what I believe is correct, rather than what I believe is a untrue. For example, I could easily go on living my life claiming there was no Holocaust, and living a happy life denying all suffering, but we know that isn't true. And because of my beliefs in the Universe, I feel that it's unlikely that a God created the universe. Besides, if believed a religion were correct, I would find myself hard pressed to worship a God or prophet if he damned people to hell or preached discrimination like the Christian and Muslim religions preach. Other eastern religions depend more on spirituality then Middle eastern religions, which isn't collinear with me as an individual.

[arapoosh]

Pascals wager failure imminent.

[gaarwine32]

This isn't a question I consider based on what I might gain from one belief or the other. I am atheist because I do not believe in any kind of god. I can not change that belief. While I might be able to pretend I am Christian, I would only be lying to myself and everyone else.

[clud]

You used to believe in extraterrestrials and venerated them? Now you believe in a deity and venerate them. Sounds like you will believe in just about anything. I think I'm a bit of a different atheist then you were as I tend to analyze claims based on the evidence more consistently and thus don't see a valid basis to hold positive beliefs in ETs that require veneration or gods.

What it has gotten me is a life that is intellectually consistent in how I evaluate and accept claims. An ethical basis grounded in the real world outcomes and consequences of choices and actions and human empathy rather then handed down to me by an external authority which may really represent ancient tribal humans version of morality. I have a loving family and beautiful home and a good career based on the fruits of my own hard work and life choices as well as having supportive people in my life as we also exercise some choice the company we keep and our relationships are the product of both how we treat others and the treatment we accept. I have traveled extensively as an atheist as well so I fail to see what being religious or not has to do with excursions and traveling.

Aside from the fact that I don't think religious beliefs generally have any good basis in logic or evidence these are some of the things I see as the disadvantages of religion:

1. Giving control to an organization of people to set your life standards, choices, and beliefs. I realize some people crave this as they are overwhelmed by choices and some have a hard time making good choices for themselves but you lose a lot too. Given there is no evidence for the supernatural claims and you happen to be say a female who would like to go to the beach in swimwear but belong to a religion that tells you that you have to wear a Burka its not a good life enhancing choice for you and it was made for you without any really good basis other then a patriarchal society decided the way to deal with sexuality and male jealousy is to make women live their public lives under a sheet. Or say Scientology and you happen to suffer from a mental illness that is treatable with medication but the religion in order to preferentially promote its auditing technique for dealing with mental issues forbids you to take it. Or you happen to be gay and part of a religion that just based on unprovable claims a deity dictated so you have to spend you life a celibate never knowing love. Or a woman who feels her potential and abilities would be maximized by having two children and then pursuing a career as they got older. Her religion though says no birth control so they end up with several they can't really afford and she never gets to realize those other dreams. Or you are a JW or Christian Scientist follower whose child needs some sort of medical treatment forbidden by the religion and dies. Religion is turning your life over to an organization. People in them do it to different degrees though.

2. The way it may but not always foster greater kindness and connection with members of the religion but often fosters hostility and nonacceptance of those who don't share such beliefs and is used to justify vilifying them and if the group is large enough discriminating against them in society.

3. When the people of the religion in order to hold onto a claim made without good evidence on faith feel they must reject and try to censor new information that has evidence which contradicts their beliefs. Ex. Galileo, Darwin/evolutionary theory

4. When people feel that their society should dictate their lifestyle choices they hold because of religion on faith onto all members of the society including those who don't share them. Even when making different choices doesn't interfer with their own rights to live as they choose.

5. When people use their religion to be very judgmental of others and to allege that those without such beliefs can't be moral while breaking their own code themselves and reasoning "not perfect, just saved." At the same time if a member of their religion demonstrates that the religion actually mostly fails at making people moral or kind they argue, "well, they aren't a real <insert belief>".
It seems to me this is the opposite of promoting greater self accountability. Its a carte blanche to point the finger at everyone else but providing the member a get out of jail free card where all you need to do is ask your religious figure to forgive you without really do anything to fix the problem or make real world amends.

6. When people use the religion as a source of ultimate authority (which can't be confirmed and is claimed by a variety of incompatible sources) to justify wars, persecution of different groups (heretics, Jews, homosexuals, witches, etc) or violence.

7. When people are turned into money making cogs for the organization to perpetuate its power.

8. When people automatically attach the idea that a religious belief or status makes the person more trustworthy and decent or defer to them automatically as an authority. For example, parents who automatically trusted priests to raise their kids in Catholic schools because they were priests.

[edwardo]

You used to believe in extraterrestrials and venerated them? Now you believe in a deity and venerate them. Sounds like you will believe in just about anything. I think I'm a bit of a different atheist then you were as I tend to analyze claims based on the evidence more consistently and thus don't see a valid basis to hold positive beliefs in ETs that require veneration or gods.

What it has gotten me is a life that is intellectually consistent in how I evaluate and accept claims. An ethical basis grounded in the real world outcomes and consequences of choices and actions and human empathy rather then handed down to me by an external authority which may really represent ancient tribal humans version of morality. I have a loving family and beautiful home and a good career based on the fruits of my own hard work and life choices as well as having supportive people in my life as we also exercise some choice the company we keep and our relationships are the product of both how we treat others and the treatment we accept. I have traveled extensively as an atheist as well so I fail to see what being religious or not has to do with excursions and traveling.

Aside from the fact that I don't think religious beliefs generally have any good basis in logic or evidence these are some of the things I see as the disadvantages of religion:

1. Giving control to an organization of people to set your life standards, choices, and beliefs. I realize some people crave this as they are overwhelmed by choices and some have a hard time making good choices for themselves but you lose a lot too. Given there is no evidence for the supernatural claims and you happen to be say a female who would like to go to the beach in swimwear but belong to a religion that tells you that you have to wear a Burka its not a good life enhancing choice for you and it was made for you without any really good basis other then a patriarchal society decided the way to deal with sexuality and male jealousy is to make women live their public lives under a sheet. Or say Scientology and you happen to suffer from a mental illness that is treatable with medication but the religion in order to preferentially promote its auditing technique for dealing with mental issues forbids you to take it. Or you happen to be gay and part of a religion that just based on unprovable claims a deity dictated so you have to spend you life a celibate never knowing love. Or a woman who feels her potential and abilities would be maximized by having two children and then pursuing a career as they got older. Her religion though says no birth control so they end up with several they can't really afford and she never gets to realize those other dreams. Or you are a JW or Christian Scientist follower whose child needs some sort of medical treatment forbidden by the religion and dies. Religion is turning your life over to an organization. People in them do it to different degrees though.

2. The way it may but not always foster greater kindness and connection with members of the religion but often fosters hostility and nonacceptance of those who don't share such beliefs and is used to justify vilifying them and if the group is large enough discriminating against them in society.

3. When the people of the religion in order to hold onto a claim made without good evidence on faith feel they must reject and try to censor new information that has evidence which contradicts their beliefs. Ex. Galileo, Darwin/evolutionary theory

4. When people feel that their society should dictate their lifestyle choices they hold because of religion on faith onto all members of the society including those who don't share them. Even when making different choices doesn't interfer with their own rights to live as they choose.

5. When people use their religion to be very judgmental of others and to allege that those without such beliefs can't be moral while breaking their own code themselves and reasoning "not perfect, just saved." At the same time if a member of their religion demonstrates that the religion actually mostly fails at making people moral or kind they argue, "well, they aren't a real <insert belief>".
It seems to me this is the opposite of promoting greater self accountability. Its a carte blanche to point the finger at everyone else but providing the member a get out of jail free card where all you need to do is ask your religious figure to forgive you without really do anything to fix the problem or make real world amends.

6. When people use the religion as a source of ultimate authority (which can't be confirmed and is claimed by a variety of incompatible sources) to justify wars, persecution of different groups (heretics, Jews, homosexuals, witches, etc) or violence.

7. When people are turned into money making cogs for the organization to perpetuate its power.

8. When people automatically attach the idea that a religious belief or status makes the person more trustworthy and decent or defer to them automatically as an authority. For example, parents who automatically trusted priests to raise their kids in Catholic schools because they were priests.

You can keep the collection basket God is the only deity in history who has ever asked for money. Not very almighty is it?