What is the concept you apply to life, I mean, what is it to you? The purpose, if you will. I'm speaking to those who have not claimed religion intentionally. Please don't throw religion in my face if you have a religion and read this question. I am wondering what those who don't believe in religion have to say about how existance came about and what existance is. Too many questions? If this isn't for you, then sorry- at least I applaud you for reading this question.
2007-01-17 07:52:38 · 12 answers · asked by throughthebackyards 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Live life to the fullest and reproduce.
2007-01-17 07:55:44 · answer #1 · answered by acgsk 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I no longer have religion and I've never valued life more (since I'm sure there's nothing after this). Since I no longer am awaiting some magnificent afterlife, the purpose I have in this life is to do everything I want, learn as much as I want, and to extend this for as long as possible.
The scientific answer is that "purpose" is just a human concept. Life is here as an inevitable result of self-replicating molecules changing over billions of years due to less than 100% copying efficacy. Existence is the only logical outcome. Nothing can't exist, nothing can't do anything. So *nothing* couldn't be. Which means there has to be something--existence.
2007-01-17 16:00:18 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe that there is no God. I'm beyond atheism. Atheism is not believing in God. Not believing in God is easy -- you can't prove a negative, so there's no work to do. You can't prove that there isn't an elephant inside the trunk of my car. You sure? How about now? Maybe he was just hiding before. Check again. Did I mention that my personal heartfelt definition of the word "elephant" includes mystery, order, goodness, love and a spare tire?
So, anyone with a love for truth outside of herself has to start with no belief in God and then look for evidence of God. She needs to search for some objective evidence of a supernatural power. All the people I write e-mails to often are still stuck at this searching stage. The atheism part is easy.
Having taken that step, it informs every moment of my life. I'm not greedy. I have love, blue skies, rainbows and Hallmark cards, and that has to be enough. It has to be enough, but it's everything in the world and everything in the world is plenty for me. It seems just rude to beg the invisible for more. Just the love of my family that raised me and the family I'm raising now is enough that I don't need heaven. I won the huge genetic lottery and I get joy every day.
Believing there's no God means I can't really be forgiven except by kindness and faulty memories. That's good; it makes me want to be more thoughtful. I have to try to treat people right the first time around.
Believing there's no God stops me from being solipsistic. I can read ideas from all different people from all different cultures. Without God, we can agree on reality, and I can keep learning where I'm wrong. We can all keep adjusting, so we can really communicate. I don't travel in circles where people say, "I have faith, I believe this in my heart and nothing you can say or do can shake my faith." That's just a long-winded religious way to say, "shut up," or another two words that the FCC likes less. But all obscenity is less insulting than, "How I was brought up and my imaginary friend means more to me than anything you can ever say or do." So, believing there is no God lets me be proven wrong and that's always fun. It means I'm learning something.
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.
Believing there is no God gives me more room for belief in family, people, love, truth, beauty, sex, Jell-O and all the other things I can prove and that make this life the best life I will ever have.
2007-01-17 16:01:29 · answer #3 · answered by Crozzlow 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe existence is like head lice...noone really knows where it came from but yet we do all we can to get rid of it, and yet, it will always be here. As for why we're here...I think it's to make sure we never really get rid of ourselves while inadvertently trying to do so in the meantime. We just have to do our personal very best and not disturb anything else, 'coz whatever that "else" happens to be, it's their business & theirs only. What happens after we die really shouldn't matter because if it really was just a body functioning then it's over & done with, but if there's a spirit that goes somewhere then obviously something's still alive and still has the same objective of existence. Does this make any sense? I hope it helps. :)
2007-01-17 17:13:47 · answer #4 · answered by What Dreams May Come 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do good. That is what I would see as a concept to apply to life. Do good locally, to those you know and do good globally to the extent you can.
Existence came about by accident. When I was born I was me rather than my brother due to the accidental mating of a particular set of gametes. The same can be said about us all. Pulling back, the same can be said about humanity (homo sapien sapiens). We arose via evolution through accidental circumstances. The same can be said of life on Earth and, ultimately, of the universe.
2007-01-17 15:55:17 · answer #5 · answered by Dave P 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well i'm agnostic and i'm always looking into different religions anyway my concept in life is to keep an open mind towards all different possibilities and not pass judgment on other people as well as living life morally and trying to enjoy life as we only have one life to live by that i mean live in the moment life is so short and tomorrow isn't a given for anybody
2007-01-17 15:57:43 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think everybody has a different purpose in life.
Mine is to be the best mother, wife, daughter, & friend.
Beyond that I volunteer my time and money to those less fortunate then we are.
I volunteer my time twice a week and I donate money to a few charities that we believe in.
I do this it gives me purpose and it has nothing to do with religion....I'm an atheist.
2007-01-17 15:58:52 · answer #7 · answered by daljack -a girl 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends on how you define "religion" I suppose. Some say Buddhism is a religion, some say it's simply a philosophy or way of life. In any case, it's about cultivating altruism and knowledge/wisdom and working towards your fullest potential as a human... i.e. buddhahood.
_()_
2007-01-17 15:57:27 · answer #8 · answered by vinslave 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gods purpose was for everyone to live in a paradise earth until SOMEONE ( SATAN) messed EVERYTHING up by deceiving Adam and eve but anyway one day god will step in and fix the mess (wars,sickness,death etc.) and he is going to do it through Armageddon (NO NOT AS IN "ARMAGEDDON WERE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) NO NOT THAT. ARMAGEDDON IS WHEN GOD WILL WIPE OUT ALL THE WICKED PEOPLE OF THE EARTH.
2007-01-17 16:09:20 · answer #9 · answered by gorillazfan213 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
existence came about by a weird series of coincidences. as far as my outlook on life I try to treat others as I would want to be treated. Life is just something you live.
2007-01-17 16:03:46 · answer #10 · answered by JimE 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your question is too vague. Are you referring to the universe? The origin of life? a moral code? Goals?
2007-01-17 16:03:31 · answer #11 · answered by eldad9 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋