Atheism Has a Very, Very Narrow Scope, by Definition

[The Genealogist]

32. Mine are both gone, and I identify as an atheist

Mom died when I was a child. I was a Christian at the time, although too young to understand what Christianity was all about. It was painful, but I got through it eventually. Part of my ability to cope was that I thought she was in heaven.

Dad died when I was 33. By that time I was a long-time atheist. It was far more painful, as I knew he was gone, and that was it. I had memories, pictures, audio and video recordings. I knew that is all I would have from then on. Didn't move me from atheism to agnosticism.

Religion did help me cope with Mom. I'll admit that. I thought of her as being with her father and grandparents and happy. Of course, to a lesser extent, I was more resilient as a child, and family was better able to help me cope, too, back then.

As an atheist, I see the idea of heaven as a place for which no evidence exists, but serves to give comfort. Wanting that comfort, for me, doesn't make Heaven a real place. Rather, I see it as just a feel-good distraction. I'd rather focus on what I think is real, not on what makes me feel better for a while, even if that is a more painful choice sometimes.