Question for atheists.?

Question

I don't have the ability to look at the people I love (family and friends) and, with a clear conscience, see them as nothing but star dust or the result of some accident. I also can't look at the intricasies of human feeling and think there is no purpose to life. How do you do it? I would be very sad indeed if I believed these things. I want to understand you more and hopefully this provokes some thought that can give me some answers. This is not meant to be a malicious question. I really want to know how and why. One of my best friends from highschool is an atheist and I have great respect for his intelligence but he changed the subject when I asked him this same question. Thankyou.

Answer 1

First of all, I don't consider myself an atheist, though I may or may not fit the definition.

Like you, I do not see my loved ones as star dust or the result of an accident. I see them as complex beings with personalities and emotions, like me. I think that they are the result of the most beautiful thing that can happen in nature - the creation and development of an individual by the union of a sperm and an egg. I believe that the purpose of life is to make more life. I also believe that a higher purpose is not possible.

Your understanding of atheists seems to be that of a person who believes in nothing, thinks nothing of himself, and goes through life devoid of emotion or purpose. Let me assure you that this is not the case.

I grew as a Roman Catholic, receiving the sacraments of baptism, reconciliation, communion, and nearly confirmation. I enjoyed that time, but at some point I became unable to accept on faith the teachings of the church. I still think that most of what is done by the church is right and moral, however my brain does not allow me to accept the existence of a supreme being. To my brain, it makes no sense without proof.

I still see beauty in the world and purpose for me and my loved ones in the absence of any God.

I hope this helps. If you want to ask more specific questions feel free to contact me separately.

Answer 2

Life without a god does not decrease its value. You've simply been lead to believe that by a lifetime of religious indoctrination. You've been told that God is the only reason for existence. And... quite simply... that is false.

But that's something you've got to think a lot about and discover for yourself. It's not easy to do. I know, because I did it myself nearly 20 years ago. And it was probably the most frightening and humbling experience I've ever had. I fought like a cornered animal to keep my faith. But rationality would not allow it.

But that was 20 years ago, and I've recovered from that. (In much the same way that anyone recovers from brainwashing... it does take time to learn how to think straight again)

In essence... I would suggest this...

Spend some time thinking about one of your loved ones for example. And try to imagine that someone proved to you that there was no God, and no heaven. Would your feelings for that loved one change? Would it make you sad to know that you won't live forever, and they won't either?

I imagine it would...

So now what? Knowing that you won't live forever, how would your philosophy about life change? What will you do today, knowing that your existence, or that of your loved one, could be extinguished tomorrow?

This is the sort of thing that is really the center of atheist thinking. And it requires a lot of introspection to understand and cultivate. And it's not as easy as "following the herd" and just throwing up your hands to "God".

The thing is, even though it's easier to not be an atheist... we're not capable of it. Once you learn the truth, you can't unlearn it. And no matter how painful that truth may be to hear... it is the truth. I know that. Any true atheist knows that. And you can learn it too, if you do the research.

That's why you see so many atheists here saying that Christians tend to be ignorant of their religion... Quite simply, they are. You can't truly understand Christianity and not be an atheist. It's not possible, unless you are quite insane.

(And by that, I'm not saying you're insane. I'm just saying you don't know what we know. But the knowledge is out there. Just do some reading, if you are interested.)

But just like Morpheus said to Neo... :) All we're offering is the truth... nothing more.

Answer 3

They changed the subject because it's not an important subject to them and they don't want you to stop being freinds with them based upon their answer. They respect and love you... not your religion.

Personally, I used to be a very faithfull person. I never went to church often, but my family still are very devout believers.

I guess that it was observations that opened my eyes. I've seen wicked people prosper while good people suffered. At that point, I decided to cast a critical eye on religion. I took everything that everyone ever told me about religion and God and threw it away. If Goid's influence is indeed felt on this world, then it should be evident,... if not, then obvioudsly, it was a lie like Santa Claus and Unicorns.

After reading the Bible.. particularly the gospel of Matthew, you come across something really odd when being told about Jesus' resurrection. Only his 12 disciples ever saw him resurrected... and even one of them did not believe it until he touched his wounds with his own hands. And most of all, none of them recognized him.

Taking this into account... and the fact that the Bible was written something like 500 years after this event so no one who wrote this had any first hand experience of these events... and the conclusion I've made is that religion is a tool used by men to exploit others into a desired behavior.

Did you know that every war inthe history of man has resulted in lots of wealth being transferred/not transferred to a select few... while the people who fight the wars, the believers are exploited into believing that there is some sort of religious significance to the war?

Answer 4

Some people consider me an agnostic, or an atheist. I call myself an atheist, just to stop conversations with people I don't want to talk to. I guess I am an agnostic, because I can't prove much. Atheist sounds more fun.
I do not look at my grand-daughter and see star-dust or a freak of nature. She was a surprise and was welcomed with open arms. I see her as a miracle of nature. I am amazed at her brilliance and loving kindness every day. She is very talented and beautiful. I can love her for the wonderful person she is and know, at the same time, that she doesn't need a personal relationship with a god to be happy, successful and loving. She is more likely to be wonderful without the guilt, shame, pain and bitterness that christianity can bring to a person.
Her purpose in life is hers to decide, not mine or her dad's or any church. I believe you make your own purpose in life, sometimes you just give others the credit. That way, you don't have the responsibility.
I am a relatively happy person. I understand that good things happen and bad things happen, and sometimes I have some control and sometimes not. I don't look to anyone or thing for my answers. I depend on myself and my family and friends. I make things happen that I want to see in the world. I love deeply, and have a lot of wonderful ideas. I am grateful every day for each new chance to "get it right," and I am not grateful TO something
but grateful FOR.
Think of finding $100 on the road with no one around. I would be grateful and happy. I would spend some without guilt, and give some to charity to help unfortunates, and not have to spend one second trying to figure out how I deserved it, or who to thank. Others would thank god, and DO the same thing with it.

Answer 5

Scott,
As your friend did, a good majority (not all) on here did the same thing. They changed the subject and didn't answer. If I actually heard a good argument for the Big Bang Theory, Evolution, or Atheism on here for once, I would be glad. None yet however, what you got was mockery, rudeness, and not an explanation. I'm sorry to see that, because it looks like you are trying to be "open-minded" and all you are getting is criticism.

Olderand wiser and U R A: thank you for being respectful and actually answering. If you two are atheists, (which it seems like you are) you may be the nicest atheists I've met. :)

Answer 6

I believe that the ultimate issue here is that we, as humans, THINK. This is what leads to belief systems.

You look at life, at human emotion, and cannot THINK that life has no purpose. Because, as thinking people, we wish to attach some stigma to life, when in reality there is no "purpose" in life - at least, there is no GRAND purpose to life, no special cosmic plan that some omniscient being has created.

The "purpose" of life - the entire reason you are on earth right here right now - is to pass your genes onto your off spring. Look at any other lifeforms on earth - pretty much all die after reaching childbearing/reproductive stages. We are the only animals that hang on - artificially I might add due to medical science. Emotions? While I might not be able to provide a "purpose" for them, I would guess that they are survival techniques.

Hope that helps you out man. Thanks for asking a respectful, intelligent question and attempting to understand our way of thinking, rather than simply telling us we are wrong and God is the only way.

Answer 7

You don't want to have come from star dust? Creationism said man came from dirt. People are made of atoms, and compounds found in nature, and when we die, we basically turn back into earth. That is what we are made out of, and stars are made of atoms, so we are basically the same stuff. We came from simple one celled organisms, and they become more intricate as they evolve, we have seen this in labs. Humans, are the same thing, only after more time. Feeling is just brain signals, which we have proved in labs. Purpose? Why do you need one? Religion is for people who are not intelligent enough to understand complexities of the world, and religion shelters them from thought. It makes them feel like they have a reason for existing, and makes them feel important/not alone. I do not try to insult you, but do not want my feelings watered down. Your friend, either does not understand how things work but sees how ridiculous religion is, or he does not want to say what I said because he does not want to insult you. This is only the tip of the ice burg, and keep doing the research so you can see these things for yourself.

Answer 8

Scott, welcome to the other side - in a sense. Just as you find it diffficult to imagine people being made of star dust, or that life has no purpose, it is just as difficult to accept that life was created in 6 days. It's also even more distressing to imagine a life riddled with guilt, of walking on eggshells while thinking that whatever actions you do or do not take, may be the actions that send you into some magical pit of fire for "eternity". It's simply (no offense) ludicrous to think that a supreme being exists and chooses not to make itself known, if only to "set the record straight". What's more disturbing are the number of religions laying claim to the one, "true" god. If there is/was a single entity, then why so many variations in belief. Why wouldn't there be some semblence of uniformity?

Just as it may make you queezy to think of mankind having evolved from primordial soup, or even a chimpanze like creature, is it really any different in the outrageous notion that a deity zapped two beings into existence, told them not to touch a tree, then allowed them to inter-breed to populate the world? Incest is best, I suppose (as the saying goes).

Why is it so difficult to believe in evolution when we are witnessing it every day? Why the leaps in knowledge, understanding, discoveries, and technology? The human brain is evolving, becoming more capable of utilizing previously-discovered information to derive new ideas, hypotheses, theories, and truths. I suppose one could simply write that off as 'divine intervention", but where is the proof?

What's more disturbing to me is that, in the case of Christianity, belief is based strictly on the content of a book written ages ago. It is riddled with fables, stories, a handful of historical facts (with regard to history itself, that is), teachings of morality, and premonitions of monsters and boogeymen. Again, no offense.
Certainly if you have the capacity to step outside your religion, if only for a moment, you can appreciate how that all sounds to an "outsider".

While I don't take your question to be a malicious one, I do see it as a naive one (and I'm using the TRUE definition of "naive"). It's understandable that you would have these thoughts as I have been in your shoes myself. I have asked these very questions. Ergo, I am not insulted in the least. I would hope the same for my response: that you do not perceive it as malicious in nature, nor insulting.

When we all step out of our thesistic or atheistic roles, we can understand one another. It does not mean that you must believe as they do, but at least try to understand in the way that any intelligent being would.

When it comes down to it, I suppose it becomes a matter of Ockham's Razor for me.

Thanks for the great question. Just remember, what one person perceives as "normal" and "tangible" may be outlandish and ridiculous for another. Shift perspectives now and again, it helps you to grow as a person.

Answer 9

Who said atheists have "no purpose to life"? If I put 10 atheists and 10 Christians in a room, and nobody spoke of their religious beliefs (or the lack thereof), I doubt you could tell them apart. The atheists I know are good people, and most of them are actually more genuine and honest than some of the Christians I know. You said you have great respect for your friend's intelligence. Then respect him enough to let him have his own beliefs without questioning.

Answer 10

Atheists do not look at their love ones as star dust! Life didn't evolve from star dust. Evolution took eons, from nothing here to everything here. Natural evolution does not necessarily have to collide with your view. If God is your choice wonderful. So then God had a hand in the selective evolution that finally became man and separated us from the animals