A serious question for athiests?

Question

If you do not believe in the existence of a higher power, what is there in your life that gives you cause for hope?

Answer 1

As an optimist, I am always filled with hope. For instance, I feel that humankind will grow up past the current primitive state of hate and fear and become a wiser, kinder, more advanced species.

Love gives me cause for hope. Also intelligent children, growing awareness of the frailty of the planet, growing awareness of our cruelty and intolerance for each other, all those things give me cause for hope. The fact that many of us do not require the notion of a 'higher power' in order to feel hope...THAT gives me cause for hope.

Answer 2

I don't have false hopes, but religious people do. I don't think such hope is anything I need. How do you define it? I have some expectations based upon reality, not false hopes based upon naive myths. I have certain abilities, and I have some nice lovers. I am free of the too strict rules religion has. I can spend my money on what I want and on my lovers (part of what I want), rather than sitting in church in a hard seat and being driven up the wall by awful hymns and boring, pointless sermons given with quivering voice and jumping about and then being expected to give cash to regular offering, special offering and building fund. I don't buy new suits and cars for any preachers. I was sent to church every Sunday when I was a boy. I am glad that ordeal is over. I see many religious people who are made miserable by their silly beliefs, and they want to make other people as miserable as they are.

Answer 3

I have hope for a better world for ourselves, our kids, and our grandkids. Hope for a world with no hate, greed, war, or suffering.

There's even hope in believing that a god doesn't exist:

"Believing there is no God means the suffering I've seen in my family, and indeed all the suffering in the world, isn't caused by an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent force that isn't bothered to help or is just testing us, but rather something we all may be able to help others with in the future. No God means the possibility of less suffering in the future."

- Penn Jillette

Answer 4

I do not think that a higher power would be a cause for hope, it causes people to act out of fear of punishment rather than to act out of morality. I believe that morality is more essential to becoming a better human being than relying on a higher power for guidance. If one relies on a higher power, one is not solving one's own problems and rather finding easier ways.

Answer 5

Hope? What does that mean exactly?

I think the realization that nature is completely in control while being completely out of control is the most fascinating part of life.

My hope is that people who believe they can do anything they want without any repercussions (Christians) because they will be forgiven or ruptured or some other fantasy event, realize that they are ruining the very thing that they don't believe in... Nature. Evolution. Global warming.

I hope you all go to Hell... no disrespect intended!

Answer 6

A higher power does exist, but you'll be astonished to finding out who or what is it!
In order to be completely sure about it, you must uncover it BY YOURSELF and not
by text books or other sources. In that case, you may call others Atheists or whatever
you feel like. This is the proper way to make debates in your life. I respect your thesis
and I ask you to do so for Atheists.
In my life, knowledge of existence and knowingness as well as data about the infinity
are all enough to procure me with certainty and understanding!
I believe in man's power, stemming from his spiritual existence, that is Himself!
We are the cause of (for) everything and we are the powerhouse. We are responsible
for everything, but we like assign responsibility to others....!
Why is then your God better than an others ?
Why Christian God's more qualified than a Muslim God ?
Unless there are more than one Gods. Wow!
OK ! Ciao........John-John.

Answer 7

The fact that my decisions in life determine what my life will be like. The comfort in knowing that I control my own destiny through the choices I make and the way I treat others.
Believe it or not, we don't all need to feel as if "someone is looking out for me"; some us feel that it is the decisions we make in life that determine what life will be like, not some magic guy floating around in the clouds.

I have cause for hope because I know that ultimatley, if you make good decisions and treat people right, life will be good; regardless of whether I go to church on Sunday or not. You can live righteously without believing in God, ya know...

You are expected to treat people right because god says to; I treat people right because I expect them to do the same for me--so what's the difference if we are all treating people right?

Answer 8

Hope? Hope for what? That I'll live forever? I don't mind that I'm not going to live forever. That's the only difference between you and I, btw.

I live my life the same way that you do, for the same reasons that you do. But I don't live with the thought that I'm immortal. For that reason, atheists tend to "live for the moment" and value their lives more abundantly than a theist who is living for an afterlife.

I mean, really... what do you live for? If you're going to heaven when you die, why do you want to bother living here on earth? That seems rather backwards, doesn't it? If I had paradise to go to, rather than working at a job I hate, paying a mortgage, etc... I think I'd rather just die and go to heaven...

Answer 9

Meeting a good woman, getting a job i actually like, the support of friends when you need it. I don't get why believing in god improves your life. What if heaven doesn't exist, you wasted a lot of time

Answer 10

Tons of things!
Just because I choose not to believe in the supernatural doesn't mean that I don't find joy in the wonderful world we live in.
I assure you I have just as much love for my children as anyone. I find pleasure in helping others.
I find appreciation in all the wonders in our physical world, perhaps more than most, because I can try and understand how the thing we see came about instead of just relying on a deity for the answer.