Is anyone else an atheist with BC besides me?

I know an awful lot of people who say they believe they have a spot in heaven waiting for them and yet who are terrified of dying. Shouldn't they welcome it? I am not afraid of death, but I am hopeful I have more time to see my kids settled in their adult lives. And I agree with santabarbarian - not have the out of a god makes living NOW more keenly important.

I love that Alice!

🤩🤩🤩

All the iron in our blood cells was generated in the moments after the big bang.  We are part of the universe and the universe is part of us.  I may have posted this before.  If I did excuse the repeat.  This is what I want read at my funeral.

That is beautiful Ananda. Our energy will go on forever. A scientific perspective on eternal life.

I really appreciate that you’ve allowed me to express some of my thoughts here regarding religion and spirituality. I don’t wish to dilute the true theme of this topic which is for atheists to find support amongst each other, so I started a separate thread for those of us who have spiritual beliefs outside of traditional religions. If the subject interest you, here is the link:

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https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/7/topics/869412?page=1#post_5342378

Once again, thank you for allowing me to temporarily disrupt the topic with my ramblings. I’ll move over to the other thread.

Divine: I found your shares to be enlightening and productive to this group convo. Please don’t stop sharing! I think (and may be wrong here) that there are many folks on this thread (including myself) who consider themselves spiritual but not religious.

I think that being an atheist can be separate from being spiritual.

My family is Jewish culturally yet none of my brothers or sisters and I ever had a bar/bat mitzvah. We do gather for a great meal on the big name holidays but it is more to discuss how we desire world peace and for there to be freedom from suffering and violence. However, none of us consider ourselves religious and in fact, are really turned off by religion.

I enjoy being able to post and share and read in a forum where Jesus or any other “god” or guru is held in the minds eye with lack of curiousity or respect for others viewpoints.

My past experience (manipulation) with religion (fundamentalist Christianity) has left me with wounds that make me shy away from anything religious. I want to be open and accepting to Christians but what i hear is manipulation. My husband reminded me this morning of a saying he grew up with and i learned in church " better to be hated than to love someone into hell" something like that. Anyway I have wounds to heal and just glad for a community of others not pushing an agenda and also know what it is like to experience the devastating dx of BC.

I love nature and feel alive and healing just from being outside, when it is not minus 30 degrees lol. I am learning a lot here and enjoy reading the posts. I am also reading some of the books suggested here and will keeping doing that as i love to read.

This weekend i am having a baby shower for my daughter in law, i am going to be a grandmother in 2 months . A real mix of people coming, should be interesting. I am waiting to here from my doctor, i have to go for uterine biopsy, thickened endometrium and i am not on any anti-estrogen therapy.

I think you don't have to be spiritual to be non religious, so I don't feel this thread is just for the spiritual. You can be but not necessarily. I think that's what you saying anyway ananda8.

I classify myself as an atheist and have absolutely no spiritual feelings at all. I feel I am more a scientist and am in awe of this wonderful world and the animals and people in it. I have no desire to be saved or converted. On praying, my opinion is when people pray its for themselves and they believe it will help their honest wishes of well being to work. So if they want to do so then fine do it by yourself or like minded people, not with me. I don't want any part of my celebration of life to be religious and definitely no praying at my last party!

Sarah

Scwilly, I think this 2,000 year old poem might be something you agree with.

Mere suffering is, not any sufferer is
found --- The deed exist, but no performer of the deeds --- Nibbana is, but not the one who enters it, --- The path is, but no wanderer is to be seen. --- No doer of the deed is found. --- No one who ever reaps their fruits --- Empty phenomena roll on, --- This view alone is right and true.

And so, while kamma and result --- Thus causally maintain their round, --- As seed and tree succeed in turn, --- No first beginning can be shown. --- No god, no Brahma, may be called --- The maker of this wheel of life ---Empty phenomena roll on --- Dependent on conditions all.

-Visuddhimagga XIX

Thanks Moth. I am so sorry that you lost your friend. I looked at her blog and will read more. She is a good writer and it is sad but enlightening to read a first person account in such detail.

I wanted to use “is" a good writer because her words live on.

It is comforting to know that there is a way to exit with support and kindness. The problems I have heard about are with getting approvals and your friend met with resistance from her doctors. But she was brave and determined to live and end life on her own terms.

❤️

I love to see opposing sports players praying. If they lose does God love the other team more.😁

Also, it makes me laugh at the shallowness... like God would work on a football game ahead of pestilence, war, famine...

Moth, I am sorry for the loss of your friend. I bookmarked the link to read later today. Thank you.

My friend had invited her friends to her room on the Palliative Care ward for her MAID (medical assistance in dying) to take place at 2pm on a Tuesday. That morning her mother emailed everyone to say to come ahead but that she had changed her mind or postponed the MAID. She died on her own about a week later. It was comforting to her to have the option.

Another friend was in hospice and was struggling with swallowing and a few of her friends were called by her daughters to come do a bit of a music and meditative thing around her the day before her scheduled "terminal sedation". It is used when someone is close to death and really struggling but is not considered euthanasia. They predicted she would die within 24 hours of receiving it and she did. It was really hard for her daughters who stayed at hospice with her to listen to her struggle to breathe and choke.

This is a great thread for exploring these topics. My belief is that prayer helps the person praying and maybe soothes the person prayed for but I don't really believe in non local healing. I am open to physics showing us how some of this stuff works or doesn't some day. I got 10% in Physics in high school so not sure I will understand it when/if it happens.

Thanks for the blog link, Moth. I've pulled it up so I can read through it later.

I went to a Rationalists of East Tennessee meeting today and we watched a documentary called "Losing Our Religion," about clergy who have discovered they can no longer believe in a god. It's really well done and also highlights a secular "church" around the country called "Sunday Assembly" that serves the social function of church without a deity. The next one here is on Joy and I plan to attend. I'd love a group that focuses on living now rather than banking on a mythical afterlife.

People tell me all the time lately that they are praying for me, and I thank them. I code that as them letting me know they are wishing me healing and I sure don't have a quarrel with that. The only time I DON'T want someone praying for me is when they are praying that I will find god and turn from my heathen ways. :-)