As an ex-Mormon what is the meaning of life for you now

[_aussieguy55]

Here everyone takes some aspect of Mormonism a religion some of us have spent time (wasted) with. We get angry at ourselves for getting sucked in and angry at a church for deluding us.

What do we replace it with? I tried to return to the Lutheran church I was raised in then the Pentecostals which my wife went to. the first was boring and the other exhausting to the intellectual mind. Too much reading about archaeology and the Bible loosened my belief system there. No Exodus or Conquest according to Finkelstein? How much of the Bible is reliable?

Turning agnostic. Belief in God? Tsunamis ? earthquakes? Drought? Seems God does not have much to do with us?

Once read an article "Can we be good without God" There are plenty of people who do good without religion in Amnesty International, Greenpeace Save the Children etc. Look at the Nordic countries where religion is a low priority where while they have a high tax rate everyone benefits. In the US where God reigns it is supposed to be trickle down economics. The Pentecostals and the Mormons and others tell us how happy they are since they found Jesus or the Mormon gospel. YouTube has a bunch of videos of these so called happy people

Just like to ask folk here. 1 Are you sure there is no God? 2.Can you be good without God? 3.Do you fear death?

Early in my life I lost my Dad when I was 9 in a fire and my mother was mentally hospitalised for a long time. Do I put it down to just "sh** Happens or did "God' have a plan for my life? Since then I have 4 daughters and 6 grandkids. I fear for them in what kind of world they will live in. I am 73 and these thoughts often occupy my mind. I got this far without any major disease or war in my life. What now? I watch a British comedy called Waiting to Die.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

What do we replace it with?

These kinds of questions are always good for ex-Mormons to answer. Not only does it help us be reflective of ourselves, but the odds are there are a lurker or two that might have similar issues to work through

Life in of itself has no ultimate fulfillment, meaning that there is no determined or required achievement of something promised or predicted, and thus existence is consequently meaningless. Ultimately none of us who comprise the Vast Majority will influence nor leave a lasting significant mark on human history. None of us will survive and anything we do, on a macro scale, is pointless because the universe is what it is.

And yet, here we are.

Since most of us don't choose suicide we attempt to create meaning for ourselves and to seek out a measure of happiness, but ultimately we have to distract ourselves from the fear and anxiety related to our impermanence through work, pleasure, diversion, whatever. Assuming we're thinking men, within this existential paradigm we experience the back and forth between the realization of our pointlessness and the respite from that realization through purpose that we ultimately craft for ourselves. I'd say most people aren't thinking men, but nevertheless unknowingly find themselves vacillating between a state of distress and then relief from that distress never understanding the fundamental reasons for their predicament.

So. The Meaning of Life? It's to find relief from your own existence through nihilism; your own well-being, satisfaction, and survival acting in a manner that feels natural and makes sense to you. This is achievable if you're balanced out. If you're inherently a sociopath or psychopath and you're a nihilist you're probably a danger to others and yourself. Obviously I'm not a fan of psychopaths being nihilists.

1 Are you sure there is no God?

I think we need to agree on a definition of god before I can honestly answer that.

2.Can you be good without God?

One Mormon's good is another Muslim's bad. Good is relative and subjective.

3.Do you fear death?

I do, but I consider that a normal feeling for most life forms. I think there's something genetic in us that compels us to cling to life. Really, I'm more afraid of the manner in which I die than death itself. I'm just hoping it's quick and relatively painless.

I am 73 and these thoughts often occupy my mind. I got this far without any major disease or war in my life.

If you think about it that's legitimately 'lottery ticket lucky', and I hope you appreciate that. I'm happy for you that the worst this life has to offer might've passed you by... Until... You know.

- Doc

[_aussieguy55]

Thanks for your thoughtful comments. We spend so much time here on the problems of Mormon membership we need to think about "what now" I like watching the videos of Mr Deity. He makes some interesting points.

[_sock puppet]

What do we replace it with?

These kinds of questions are always good for ex-Mormons to answer. Not only does it help us be reflective of ourselves, but the odds are there are a lurker or two that might have similar issues to work through

Life in of itself has no ultimate fulfillment, meaning that there is no determined or required achievement of something promised or predicted, and thus existence is consequently meaningless. Ultimately none of us who comprise the Vast Majority will influence nor leave a lasting significant mark on human history. None of us will survive and anything we do, on a macro scale, is pointless because the universe is what it is.

And yet, here we are.

Since most of us don't choose suicide we attempt to create meaning for ourselves and to seek out a measure of happiness, but ultimately we have to distract ourselves from the fear and anxiety related to our impermanence through work, pleasure, diversion, whatever. Assuming we're thinking men, within this existential paradigm we experience the back and forth between the realization of our pointlessness and the respite from that realization through purpose that we ultimately craft for ourselves. I'd say most people aren't thinking men, but nevertheless unknowingly find themselves vacillating between a state of distress and then relief from that distress never understanding the fundamental reasons for their predicament.

So. The Meaning of Life? It's to find relief from your own existence through nihilism; your own well-being, satisfaction, and survival acting in a manner that feels natural and makes sense to you. This is achievable if you're balanced out. If you're inherently a sociopath or psychopath and you're a nihilist you're probably a danger to others and yourself. Obviously I'm not a fan of psychopaths being nihilists.

I found the 'god' void closed over, and today I'd say I 'replaced' it with more, other life activities and thoughs.

1 Are you sure there is no God?

I think we need to agree on a definition of god before I can honestly answer that.

Not sure that there isn't, but have no evidence that there is. Science provides much better explanations; society much better assurances when I am in need of any type.

2.Can you be good without God?

One Mormon's good is another Muslim's bad. Good is relative and subjective.

Yes. I don't need to fear punishment to know when I am not being good to others.

3.Do you fear death?

I do, but I consider that a normal feeling for most life forms. I think there's something genetic in us that compels us to cling to life. Really, I'm more afraid of the manner in which I die than death itself. I'm just hoping it's quick and relatively painless.

I am 73 and these thoughts often occupy my mind. I got this far without any major disease or war in my life.

If you think about it that's legitimately 'lottery ticket lucky', and I hope you appreciate that. I'm happy for you that the worst this life has to offer might've passed you by... Until... You know.

- Doc

I do not fear death, at least not intellectually. Sure, if I found myself in a whirlpool and drowning, I'd be fighting to keep above water and from drowning. But if there's no afterlife, I won't be conscious to know it. If there is, I'll deal with it, by my wits. Like we're doing now.

[_Dr Exiled]

I just try to do the best I can and try to learn from my mistakes. Whatever there is after will come soon enough.

[_moksha]

I got this far without any major disease or war in my life. What now? I watch a British comedy called Waiting to Die.

If faith would bring you comfort, then find some faith. There are so many things in life to believe in that you need not be at a loss. Choose a random higher power. Want to make it more attractive then attach the face of Scarlett Johansson to that power. No need to be like Ivan Ilyich, who on his deathbed regretted that he did not embrace the concept of faith before the end. Just because vegemite threw you off your game, that is no reason to eschew the wonders of boysenberry jam.

[_aussieguy55]

When one thinks about no afterlife it means Hitler and other evil men will not suffer in any other existence.

Slaves who died on the way to America missed out on a long life of either slavery or slavery and then freedom. People who blow themselves up and kill innocents do not get any virgins. Soldier's remains of those who died landing in Normandy are all that remains of them there is no spirit.

What are you opinions of those who have experience near-death experiences? There was some neuroscientist who claimed he had a near-death experience.

[_Gadianton]

Going back to your original question, you didn't say anything about an afterlife, and now on the table you've got God, afterlife, and morality.

None of these necessarily go together.

You can believe in an afterlife without God or God without an afterlife. God is only required to be good on his own terms, and so why would God necessarily punish Hitler? Maybe Westboro Baptist is right. Even for mainstream Christians, if Hitler got scared and accepted Jesus right before he died, he'll be in heaven while the millions he killed go to hell.

It's funny watching you go back and forth on it, because I agree that out of the three, the only thing that modern people really care about is the afterlife. Just read Sic et Non long enough and you'll see what I mean.

For most Christian people, God is only as good as a paycheck to live longer and there is no point in being good unless that paycheck comes. Alternatively, you could be Buddhist and reject an individual afterlife and disappear like a wave into the ocean after you die. You could join some New Age thing where you have some spirit-world type existence without God.

Everyone fears death to varying degrees, but the deep need to live longer and longer is culturally reinforced. It bugged me back in my 20s when it became obvious there is no God, and that caused some anxiety for a while but I got used to it early on so now it's not a big deal. Think about it as a matter of setting expectations. If you're born into a rich family and just assumed a life of opulence for yourself and then suddenly, it turns out Dad gets busted for a pyramid scheme and you're left with nothing, that could be brutal to face. But it's all about having that expectation set.

It a person can really believe in God and heaven and it gives them hope in their final years I'm not really against it. But I have to say, as I've watched people close to me grow old and die, I don't see the great value of their TBM beliefs. Depending on the conversation, it's like speaking with two different people, and the TBM reinforcements from loved ones don't have much of an effect (I even have no problem assuming the role myself for the sake of easing a person's suffering) -- "be sure to say 'hi' to Jan and Steve when you get to the spirit world!" Occasionally there was a sentiment about whether it's this or that way in the celestial kingdom, but for the most part, the things that were said near the end were most consistent with a belief that this was the end of the road. So much for decades of self-delusion.

[_Maksutov]

LIfe is change. Death is a different kind of change. We are patterns of the interaction of our elements. This is not a trivial or a mechanical thing; it is a beautiful and mysterious thing. But these patterns come and go as their elements do as well. The patterns exist at every scale from the smallest to the largest; some include life, some do not. And the forms of life exist at many levels, perhaps fractally, from the virus to the sperm whale. We are one of those. They...we...begin and end. That allows for more of us and for a fabric of humanity to roll forth, greater than any of us and lasting, we hope, far longer. I find meaning in this view of the universe and our part in it. Others require membership in spiritual hierarchies and cosmic clockworks they derive from their sacred texts and institutions. Whatever culture nurtures you and is the foundation of your identity will influence your expectations and your search for enlightenment and peace.

[_aussieguy55]

I recently attended the funeral of a good friend. He was Greek, a psychologist dealing with disturb children. He was an atheist and we had while I was a Mormon many robust discussions about religion teasing me about my Mormon beliefs and happy for me when I left. The funeral service was simple no mention of afterlife until his grandchildren came up and made several speeches about their "pops". I noted they said that they were happy now Dad was in heaven with great nanny. I wondered where those thoughts came from with a grandfather and dad both athiests.