Dear Atheists and Non-believers. What is your purpose in life?

Question

I don't get how life can have a purpose without an everlasting God and a everlasting kingdom of Heaven. You simply work to help humanity, but you know it will corrupt itself again. You simply try to improve the world, but you know that in time, the human race will die out and the earth will wither away. What does your life revolve around? Does it bother you that there is no eternity? Don't mean to be mean. Just curious.

Sincerely,
Friendly Christian.

P.S. State a purpose that is everlasting. Don't say something like science since all human knowlegde will one day disappear when the human race is destroyed ( nothing lasts forever).

Answer 1

So instead we should pretend that none of that stuff will happen? That makes no sense whatsoever. The believers' life seems empty and senseless to me.

My purpose in life is to maximize experience. As a living thing, I am amazingly precious, and as something that is also capable of having experiences, even more precious than that.

The fact that I am not eternal seems relatively trivial, and the illusion that one IS eternal seems a recipe for wasting the precious life and phenomenology that we have.

Your "P.S." - the insistence that the meaning be something eternal - simply reveals that you don't understand this very well. There's no reason to prefer something eternal, particularly as that's simply not possible. If the only meaning you're willing to accept is eternal stuff, you're doomed to lead a meaningless life. Nonbelievers simply value life more than this.

Answer 2

Who said life had to have some grand purpose? What makes you assume we don't have purpose? Also - why do people call theists who aren't Christians non-believers? I believe - just not what you believe. :)

My life, contrary to what you think, does have purpose. I write novels that bring enjoyment to people. To me - it may not be some grand purpose - but it's what I do and it's still a purpose. We all need a little joy amidst the hectic days of our lives. If I can help one person escape reality for just a few hours, and they've enjoyed themselves, then I've done something wonderful.

And what's wrong with trying to improve the world or the human race? Might as well try rather than sit back and do nothing at all. Even if it is futile, it's in the right spirit. We shouldn't just give up on ourselves. That seems self defeating. IMO, sitting back and giving it all up to deity and doing nothing is a lazy person's convenient way of getting out of having to do anything for their fellow man.

And no - it doesn't bother me that there's no eternity. Eternity is for the living. The dead don't care because they're dead. Don't mean to be mean - but that's how I feel. :)

P.S. Everlasting is for the living, too. And the universe. But not for the dead, so looking for purpose everalasting is futile IMO. Of course since matter cannot be created or destroyed then we all have purpose. To go back to universe atom by atom and maybe eventually the matter that was once us will become something else.

Answer 3

Pretty opinionated, aren't you? What proof do you have of everlasting life and why wouldn't an atheist have as much, and in some cases more, purpose in life? Muslims, for instance, have the belief that this life has little purpose other than to get themselves into heaven to screw a bunch of virgins, so they blow us up. Religion has caused more wars, hatred and separation of peoples than any other entity. The earth, in the scheme of things, is like a grain of sand on a beach where the other grains are stars and planets. Who have you spoken to from that place you call Heaven? How do you know ,other than having faith (which is really not different than superstition), that god exists? You really don't know, you believe. And so many religious people hate so many people of different religions. The world has become a very dagerous place thanks to religion. There is also the misconception that atheists are bad people because they are godless--I know too many who are decent, loving and kind--they simply do not believe what they don't see. They don't pray for a home run or an out at a baseball game--like I recently saw on tv--that's trivializing god and so many of so-called religious people do that. I think the world would be a better place if we were all the same--with or without god.

Answer 4

I think the issue you have is not that we are fine with no afterlife, but that you are so concerned with yours.
Yes, as an Atheist I believe that we as humans should work to the betterment of society. So what if humans eventually wipe themselves out? That is how life works. Just because I know I will die eventually that doesn't mean I have to live life without having dreams and hopes. Even you as a Christian, I am sure you will admit there are things beyond your control. So why worry about that which you cannot control?
I want to make the world a better place for myself, my family, and other people. Can one person really make a difference? Not much of one, but that is no reason to not try.
And I agree with the other posters, I do not see the ened to spend my life worshipping a being that I just do not believe has the possibility to exist. If it does, then I think it would not fit in mankinds' parameters of God. And therefore I think it would care more about good people, and less about zealots that make the world miserable for other people.

Answer 5

I don't know anyone who is a non-believer. Everyone believes in something. It's what gets us out of bed each day, some kind of faith in something, someone, or some god.

I don't believe as most 'believers' believe. I walk a very narrow path which I believe is just for me. I believe that religion pulls people into a wide path toward destruction. I see Christian leaders perverting the gospel so much that it's no longer the same gospel Yeshua brought us.

What is my purpose? To let people know that they can be free from the programming, the indoctrination that they get from religious leaders. To empower them to find some true spiritual life and peace. To live a life that is truly eternal, just as Yeshua taught to millenium ago. I am not trying to go to heaven. I am not bound by any written documents. I am spirit and I fellowship with Spirit.

I'm glad you asked the question, it was a good one, and an important one. Now, if most religious people would only answer it honestly, from the heart, we might be going somewhere.

Answer 6

My life revolves around the happiness and well-being of my family.

My purpose is to make them -- and as many other people as I can -- happy.

I do this by being a cheerful, loving person, by always lending a hand, by being a good listener, by giving as generously of myself as I can.

I realize my time on earth is limited to just this lifetime; I have to make the most of it. Humanity *will* always corrupt itself, as you say, but the god I know you trust does not give up -- why would I? : )

Your question was not mean at all, Friendly Christian!

edit -- As you ask for a purpose that is everlasting, I will add that as a pagan, I take great care to be as environmentally responsible as possible. As Kansas said, "Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky." : )

Answer 7

As someone who doesn't have a religion, my purpose is to be the best human I can be. I believe you don't have to have a religion to strive for being the best person you can be. On the exact opposite case, some Christians don't take these things seriously. Some Christians just call themselves Christians because their parents are, or because they were told that they were. Some Christians don't try their hardest to be the best person they can be. Remember, an "atheist" just means "one that doesn't believe in God." I somewhat believe in God but I don't take religious problems as seriously as others.

As for your question, I believe the ultimate goal in life is to be the best person one can be. I believe that people should try to be kind to each other. I believe people should have fun, instead of taking things so seriously. My life revolves around music and electronics. I love the computer, and I practice my favored instrument daily: the piano. It helps me get through the rough times. I learned that I don't necessarily "need" God to get through the rough times, because instead of being so reliant on a supernatural omnipotent being, the true change comes from within you. If one wants to change, whether he be an atheist or a polytheist, that person will change over a period of time.

Sincerely,
A Non-Sectarian Friend

Answer 8

Ask the Japanese, they are 0.07% christian, isn't it amazing that they are still alive?

It doesn't bother me that there's no eternity, bemoaning the non-existence of some fantastic thing is a complete waste of time. As well be bothered that I'm not a sorceror.

As for me, I have no purpose, you are right. Humans may be gone in 300 hundred years, 3,000, or maybe more, but they will be gone. And that will be all.

I have a little challenge for you. Get an entire sports stadium of devout christians to pray to sweet baby jesus fervently every day for one month that one single veteran of this Iraq War grow back a missing leg. What do you think will happen?

Answer 9

Why does my life need a purpose? I'm hoping to leave some lasting impression on the scope of human knowledge through my research, but since I've kinda already done that, should I just stop? I think there is universal eternity in some sense, but I don't believe in an afterllife, so I make the most of this one.

Answer 10

My purpose in life is to live it. My purpose in life is to laugh and love and enjoy. To watch my child grow up and have a family. To see the world that God made and to do my best to respect it. To use my talents to give pleasure to those I love. To be the best that I can be, and to leave a legacy of love to my family when I am gone. To make the most of my time on earth and to live the gift of life that was given to me rather than live for what might happen after I die. If I do anything that helps humanity, I will be proud to be part of that rather than to be part of the problem. Your attitude is disrespecting God and giving up on humanity. You are saying that humans are not worth the trouble. And since you are a Christian, I wonder what your savior will think of that attitude.