When I converted to atheism, my view of the world changed drastically. It occurred to me the other day that this might be a pattern among theists converting to atheists. So, tell me if this sounds familiar to any of you atheists.
1. Initial Depression
Having believed in God and having a sense of purpose in life is very comforting, but once it disappeared I felt very lonely and sad. Everything I had ever thought was wrong. This stage lasted a day for me, but it could last longer; I think it depends on how long you have been a theist.
2. Initial Euphoria
After the depression comes this newfound happiness; no longer are you bound to act a certain way in certain situations, lest ye be damned. No longer do you feel tricked by a delusion. No longer do you have to go to church every sunday, or if something bad happens to you, you no longer have to worry about whether God is angry at you or not. This stage lasted as long as depression did for me.
Possible return to Normalcy. Normalcy phases are optional and may not happen at all, or may stay until the end of one's life. Because of this, one may never go through all the stages. A Normalcy phase is a phase where the person ignores their atheism and goes through life as though the person was agnostic.
3. Hedonism
After euphoria, I began to wonder; what is the meaning of life? If there's nothing after death, why don't I simply kill myself right now? The answer is because life is generally fun (for most people), and you don't want to give up that happiness that life can bring, and in this thinking you become a Hedonist, one who believes that the sole purpose in life is to pursue pleasure and happiness.
Possible return to Normalcy.
4. Libertarianism
Following Hedonism comes Libertarianism, the belief that one should be able to do whatever one wants. Abortions, drug use, stem cell research, unprotected sex, purchasing weapons; anything anyone could possibly do should be legal, as long as they hurt no one (with the exception of themselves) in doing it. I am currently in this stage myself.
Possible return to Normalcy.
5. Conservatism
Here I am speculating, since I have not reached this "step" yet. I predict that as one grows older, one begins to realize the Libertarianism can not work in society, since there will always be those who abuse it. The Atheist Conservatist is not worried about pursuing happiness at this point. To him, the purpose of his life is to ensure the survival of future generations as a species (since there is no God to save people from themselves), and that the most effective way of doing so are to impose strict laws that prevent people from harming other people as well as themselves.
Thoughts?