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Post by Elizabeth on Dec 28, 2018 21:00:49 GMT
What would it mean for you if there is no God? In terms of every aspect of life.
I think we would simply be floating alone in the universe and can easily be destroyed by colliding with something. That's a scary thought.
This life will end up to simply be pointless and meaningless in every way.
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FireFoxAssassin
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Post by FireFoxAssassin on Dec 28, 2018 22:18:23 GMT
Who's to say that there is one? I mean the "This life will end up to simply be pointless and meaningless in every way." line is how I felt for an entire year, but I now believe that we make our own purposes, and if that is God's will then that makes it even better.
Also the likely-hood of earth getting hit by an extraterrestrial body in your life time is very unlikely.
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Post by Elizabeth on Dec 28, 2018 22:21:46 GMT
Who's to say that there is one? I mean the "This life will end up to simply be pointless and meaningless in every way." line is how I felt for an entire year, but I now believe that we make our own purposes, and if that is God's will then that makes it even better. Also the likely-hood of earth getting hit by an extraterrestrial body in your life time is very unlikely. This thread is saying there isn't one and the result of their not being one on lives, Earth, etc. Of course I do believe in God but that's not the purpose of the thread in atheism section. It was just a part 2 thread to "There is No God" thread or whatever the name was  |
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Post by AmericanCharm on Dec 28, 2018 23:17:28 GMT
From my perspective I have replaced religion with philosophy for things like my moral compass and how I assign meaning or a lack of meaning to things. I believe that the existence of god is unlikely and it’s even less likely that if there was a higher power this force or power is anything remotely like any organised religion defines it. Especially Semitic religions that were completely foreign to Europeans originally. For a European to be Christian, Muslim, or Jewish is to completely turn their backs on our ancestors original beliefs. But back to the original question I don’t think there is much meaning to life, we can assign arbitrary meaning ourselves. For me personally I think that when I die I would want to leave something behind, like an influence or impact in some way. You know Elvis Presley, Freddie Mercury, Bruce Lee, Bentio Mussolini, Che Guevara, and such have all physically died. But their influence has lived on. That’s really the key to immortality in my opinion, or at least the closest one can get to immortality.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2018 0:23:59 GMT
What would it mean for you if there is no God? In terms of every aspect of life. I think we would simply be floating alone in the universe and can easily be destroyed by colliding with something. That's a scary thought. This life will end up to simply be pointless and meaningless in every way. It is an illogical question as a continual negation of the definition of God requires an infinite definition of God, hence the process of the argument itself is not just a proof of God but a definition of God as continual recursion. |
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Post by Elizabeth on Dec 29, 2018 2:52:10 GMT
What would it mean for you if there is no God? In terms of every aspect of life. I think we would simply be floating alone in the universe and can easily be destroyed by colliding with something. That's a scary thought. This life will end up to simply be pointless and meaningless in every way. It is an illogical question as a continual negation of the definition of God requires an infinite definition of God, hence the process of the argument itself is not just a proof of God but a definition of God as continual recursion. It is an illogical question, but just humor me please. Shrug There's a point to my thread despite starting a no God thread being a God believing person! |
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Post by Elizabeth on Dec 29, 2018 3:00:01 GMT
From my perspective I have replaced religion with philosophy for things like my moral compass and how I assign meaning or a lack of meaning to things. I believe that the existence of god is unlikely and it’s even less likely that if there was a higher power this force or power is anything remotely like any organised religion defines it. Especially Semitic religions that were completely foreign to Europeans originally. For a European to be Christian, Muslim, or Jewish is to completely turn their backs on our ancestors original beliefs. But back to the original question I don’t think there is much meaning to life, we can assign arbitrary meaning ourselves. For me personally I think that when I die I would want to leave something behind, like an influence or impact in some way. You know Elvis Presley, Freddie Mercury, Bruce Lee, Bentio Mussolini, Che Guevara, and such have all physically died. But their influence has lived on. That’s really the key to immortality in my opinion, or at least the closest one can get to immortality. First person to truly answer by going along with the "no God" topic. Thanks So basically as long as you leave something important behind whether a lesson or philosophy then it will satisfy you if no God and after life exists correct? What if somehow that gets distorted or some might say did he really mean this or this? Basically, what if it backfires somehow and you might actually leave a negative impact unintentionally while trying to leave a good one or what if you die to soon without establishing your goal? And good point on pointing out that people have turned their backs on religion of their ancestors. But, wouldn't the "right" religion be ancient so turning your back on anything new wouldn't be "the right religion?". Like it's not a sequel but the origional movie which is the real deal if you get where I'm going with this. Sequels would just be ones based off the origional. |
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Post by AmericanCharm on Dec 29, 2018 4:38:48 GMT
From my perspective I have replaced religion with philosophy for things like my moral compass and how I assign meaning or a lack of meaning to things. I believe that the existence of god is unlikely and it’s even less likely that if there was a higher power this force or power is anything remotely like any organised religion defines it. Especially Semitic religions that were completely foreign to Europeans originally. For a European to be Christian, Muslim, or Jewish is to completely turn their backs on our ancestors original beliefs. But back to the original question I don’t think there is much meaning to life, we can assign arbitrary meaning ourselves. For me personally I think that when I die I would want to leave something behind, like an influence or impact in some way. You know Elvis Presley, Freddie Mercury, Bruce Lee, Bentio Mussolini, Che Guevara, and such have all physically died. But their influence has lived on. That’s really the key to immortality in my opinion, or at least the closest one can get to immortality. First person to truly answer by going along with the "no God" topic. Thanks So basically as long as you leave something important behind whether a lesson or philosophy then it will satisfy you if no God and after life exists correct? What if somehow that gets distorted or some might say did he really mean this or this? Basically, what if it backfires somehow and you might actually leave a negative impact unintentionally while trying to leave a good one or what if you die to soon without establishing your goal? And good point on pointing out that people have turned their backs on religion of their ancestors. But, wouldn't the "right" religion be ancient so turning your back on anything new wouldn't be "the right religion?". Like it's not a sequel but the origional movie which is the real deal if you get where I'm going with this. Sequels would just be ones based off the origional. Haha no problem, I know some people like to be too philosophic. Basically for someone like me who doesn’t necessarily believe in something like an afterlife and doubts the existence of a specific higher power, the only meaning I can assign to life is to find pleasure, enjoyment, comfort, and stability in this life what currently am living in. Because that’s the only thing I know for sure exists. At least consciously. The second meaning I assign is to leave an imprint on society that lasts after death. Preferably in a way to influence people. There is a danger of your legacy being misinterpreted by some, and that is why we have cases like Benito Mussolini, Christopher Columbus, Napoleon Bonaparte, Hernan Cortes, Che Guevara, and so many others. They are cult of personalities, hero’s to some and villains to others. But at the end of the day the pass on an influence that lives on in millions of people to this very day. That is as close to immortality that I know of, that exists consciously. I’d rather be a cult of personality being hailed as a hero by some and villain by others, than be a nobody who becomes a wage slave and dies. Leaving only a minor imprint on a couple friends and family members. As for the religion question, as Europeans we hear stories of arid deserts, foreign cultures and names. Many of us find it hard to relate in any way to the stories of the Bible, because Bible doesn’t contain stories meant for white Europeans. It is stories meant for Semites who lived in the desert. It is their legend and lore, not ours, and it should be seen as utterly irrelevant and foreign to us. We have our own mythology and stories. Things such as Odinism and Asatru. Anglo-Saxons, Nords, Celts, Slavs, Meds, and so on all had Pagan sets of religions. I don’t think the age of a religion is of such significance because if that were the case you’d be Jewish not Christian. Or if talking about the Abrahamic Semitic religions vs Europeans Pagan religions and saying the Abrahamic ones would be closer to the truth because they are older, It could easily said then that you should be following a Semitic Egyptian Pagan religion like Kemetism or perhaps Atenism. You also have ancient religions like Zoroastrianism. So no I don’t think it makes sense to go with something simply because of its age. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2018 4:47:20 GMT
It is an illogical question as a continual negation of the definition of God requires an infinite definition of God, hence the process of the argument itself is not just a proof of God but a definition of God as continual recursion. It is an illogical question, but just humor me please.  There's a point to my thread despite starting a no God thread being a God believing person! Reread what I wrote, the question is the answer. |
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Post by Elizabeth on Dec 29, 2018 4:57:33 GMT
It is an illogical question, but just humor me please. There's a point to my thread despite starting a no God thread being a God believing person! Reread what I wrote, the question is the answer. You usually write long and detailed answers...but ok fine :/ |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2018 4:59:41 GMT
Reread what I wrote, the question is the answer. You usually write long and detailed answers...but ok fine :/ Just reread it...it is no crime to think and question. |
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louco
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Post by louco on Apr 3, 2019 14:47:53 GMT
One thing which is overlooked is that we live in a world soaked with religion. We atheists are unconvinced by the arguments to believe in a god, and yet we have to live in a world where ten thousand years of culture screams "god".
In my country, we are the most hated and vilified minority. In most places, you cannot declare yourself atheist out of fear that you are going to be killed or ostracized. Preachers openly talk about killing and destroying atheists, and people find this "normal".
So I would say the most challenging aspect of atheism is the social one.
Also, we atheists live in a mostly hostile psychological world, where almost the whole of music, painting and drama is either directly or derivatively religious.
Let me tell you, it is a constant struggle to be "the only sane person" around.
Of course, I want things to improve, and I fight for that. Where I see blatant anti-atheism, I speak out. Where there is oppression, I try to be a voice of reason. And when I find religious people willing to philosophize, I try to show the reasoning behind my atheism.
In a sense, I find my calling in proselytizing atheism. I consciously fight for a more secular world, tomorrow. And this fight for a better world gives my life lots of meaning and I would never say my life is pointless - although I have lived in a exclusively secular reality for many years now.
So to answer your point about the meaning of life in atheism, I would say that either the meaning is given by something other than your lack of faith - for instance family life, or artistic fulfillment or your job - or you have your life meaning tied to your non-religion and that ideological fight can be pretty fulfilling as well.
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Neuron420
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Post by Neuron420 on May 9, 2020 5:40:40 GMT
What would it mean for you if there is no God? In terms of every aspect of life. I think we would simply be floating alone in the universe and can easily be destroyed by colliding with something. That's a scary thought. This life will end up to simply be pointless and meaningless in every way. As an atheist I live everyday with "no God", the funny thing is I work for an Catholic Archdiocese. I run large food programs for the homeless, children shelters, international refugees and unwed teenage mothers. Of course not all in the same place, but in the same city. Everyday I watch people give thanks to God when good things happen, yet never when bad things happen. As an example; A homeless man came into one of our street programs, he had nothing and wanted to improve his life. He went to every program we had to offer and then some, he stopped drinking, he found employment, and finally got himself off the streets. Several years later he came back to visit with the people that had helped him turn his life around. One of the new program leaders tells him that it is great that he has done so well, and then tells him, "Let's pray and thank God, because without him you would still be a walking train wreck." Now the man didn't say anything, he just excepted it. Meanwhile, I was thinking, "This guy had worked very hard and invested his time and energy to do the things that needed to be done in order to regain his life. Yet, God gets the credit." How do you think this made the man feel? His efforts came in second to an invisible being. He got the blame and God got the glory. Seems wrong to me. As a Humanist, I find it hard to fathom how the religious public insist on judging others by some impossible standard that they were born into. If religion did not exist, people would be more inclined to take responsibility for their actions and to own their lives. People would have a more sound moral and ethical code be cause, they could not sluff it off as being Gods destiny for them, or the famous, "It was God's will, or We can never fathom God's mind". If religion didn't exist, societies would hopefully be less divisive. People would not have to be "tolerant" of others religions, which is code for, "They are wrong but either they don't know it, or are not enlightened enough to realize their religion is wrong, and ours is right." If religion did not exist, we would not have so many arcane laws and social expectations. No one culture would feel superior to another due to their religion. We would have to live the best life we can, here on Earth, during our lifetime. We would realize that we are the masters of ourselves, and that we are solely responsible for the good and bad things that we do. We would have to recognize that there is no "purpose per se" for our existence, except what we give it, and that that is alright. If religion did not exist there would have been much more peace and happiness, and much less strife and unhappiness. People would be more inclined to do the right thing, because it is the right thing to do, not because of some promised rewarding afterlife. Sorry, kind of got longwinded there. Anyways, I am much happier since I became a freethinker, I live my life in a way that hopefully will leave the world slightly better than it was when I came into it, and I treat people right because it is the right thing to do, no pre-judgement. Cheers! |
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Post by Elizabeth on May 9, 2020 6:52:04 GMT
What would it mean for you if there is no God? In terms of every aspect of life. I think we would simply be floating alone in the universe and can easily be destroyed by colliding with something. That's a scary thought. This life will end up to simply be pointless and meaningless in every way. As an atheist I live everyday with "no God", the funny thing is I work for an Catholic Archdiocese. I run large food programs for the homeless, children shelters, international refugees and unwed teenage mothers. Of course not all in the same place, but in the same city. Everyday I watch people give thanks to God when good things happen, yet never when bad things happen. As an example; A homeless man came into one of our street programs, he had nothing and wanted to improve his life. He went to every program we had to offer and then some, he stopped drinking, he found employment, and finally got himself off the streets. Several years later he came back to visit with the people that had helped him turn his life around. One of the new program leaders tells him that it is great that he has done so well, and then tells him, "Let's pray and thank God, because without him you would still be a walking train wreck." Now the man didn't say anything, he just excepted it. Meanwhile, I was thinking, "This guy had worked very hard and invested his time and energy to do the things that needed to be done in order to regain his life. Yet, God gets the credit." How do you think this made the man feel? His efforts came in second to an invisible being. He got the blame and God got the glory. Seems wrong to me. As a Humanist, I find it hard to fathom how the religious public insist on judging others by some impossible standard that they were born into. If religion did not exist, people would be more inclined to take responsibility for their actions and to own their lives. People would have a more sound moral and ethical code be cause, they could not sluff it off as being Gods destiny for them, or the famous, "It was God's will, or We can never fathom God's mind". If religion didn't exist, societies would hopefully be less divisive. People would not have to be "tolerant" of others religions, which is code for, "They are wrong but either they don't know it, or are not enlightened enough to realize their religion is wrong, and ours is right." If religion did not exist, we would not have so many arcane laws and social expectations. No one culture would feel superior to another due to their religion. We would have to live the best life we can, here on Earth, during our lifetime. We would realize that we are the masters of ourselves, and that we are solely responsible for the good and bad things that we do. We would have to recognize that there is no "purpose per se" for our existence, except what we give it, and that that is alright. If religion did not exist there would have been much more peace and happiness, and much less strife and unhappiness. People would be more inclined to do the right thing, because it is the right thing to do, not because of some promised rewarding afterlife. Sorry, kind of got longwinded there. Anyways, I am much happier since I became a freethinker, I live my life in a way that hopefully will leave the world slightly better than it was when I came into it, and I treat people right because it is the right thing to do, no pre-judgement. Cheers! No need to apologize! That was very well written to say the least. I'd like to reply to each paragraph you wrote and see what your thoughts are on that. Ok so let's do a hypothetical situation here since you do not believe in God and let's say He exists. So let's say God read what you wrote about this guy and was upset that you don't think He deserves the credit. God might say things like, "Who do you think formed his legs to even get to this job interview? Who do you think gave him a brain to realize that he needed a job to change his life for the better? And who do you think allowed him to even live that long to have a chance to change his life around? Would he even be where he is now if I didn't allow it?" To some people religion doesn't exist and is just part of some people's imagination. However, not all these people take responsibility for their actions. Let's take my cousin for example. This is what she said to me before, "It really doesn't matter. I can do whatever I want whether good or bad and still die and it'll all end there and nothing will matter. It's really all pointless." To me she doesn't seem the kind to take responsibility for her actions by having God not exist. She seems in the "I don't care about life since life is short" stage. If anything she seems scarier this way like she can choose to kill you just because she felt like it. Why less divisive? If religion didn't exist it's just one less thing to be divisive on. They can be divisive on aliens, drugs, government, politics, etc. There will always be as many beliefs/points of view as there are people whether or not religion is in the picture. Well, each country has it's own laws and social expectations. So without religion will they all agree on having the identical law in every country? I am not sure that's possible and some laws will still seem arcane to others. The US is divided on the death penalty. Some states don't allow it in their law and some states do allow it. Canada has free health care and the USA doesn't...there will still be a ton of different laws despite religion. There will always be arcane laws because people are diverse. Also, many people don't like living their best life now...why would religion (something that they didn't bother with before) going extinct change them suddenly? If religion didn't exist we would still lose loved ones in car accidents, to cancer, to viruses, to plane crashes, etc. The world will still face pain and strife. And if a parent loses a child in a car accident they might become depressed and all kinds of bad things can happen then. Or the people with mental illness...how can a schizophrenic turn off the button that urges him to cause physical harm if religion is gone? Really interested in the answers you come up! |
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Post by fschmidt on May 9, 2020 8:15:27 GMT
If religion didn't exist, No need to speculate, we have all of history to see what happens when a society loses its religion. And what happens is that the society collapses. Read Aristophanes. Read Livy. Read history, but don't speculate. |
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