Atheists, serious question: If you don't worship God, what do you worship?

Question

This is not an attack in any way, Im just trying to understand. I think that every person needs to serve some sort of higher power, or they just sink into a state of emptiness. I could see how this has the potential to be even worse for Atheists, since at the end of life there is nothing left. So what purpose do you serve?

So you serve yourself? Why?

OK, worship was the wrong word, it should have said "serve". Its funny how quickly you all jumped on me though. Especially those of you that try to make the world a better place through understanding and compassion. Lol, some of you are just as bad as the religious fanatics.

Answer 1

I worship nothing, worship is a waste of time, money, and energy.

I have never worshiped anything.....and the last time I checked I was still a decent human being and hadn't "sank into emptiness".

I do not serve a purpose because I do not know what the purpose of life is.....However, I can say that I have the courage to admit that I do not know the purpose to life instead of making up ridiculous answers in order to feel better about the injustice of life.

UPDATE: I serve nothing either, other than my family and my country

Answer 2

Why do I need to worship something if I do not worship a god? You may think that every person needs to serve some sort of higher power, but thinking so does not make it so. I do not need to serve some sort of higher power (unless you're talking about my boss at work, but they employ me and pay me a salary).

Since this is the only life there is, it is all that more precious to me. I set my own purpose in my life. My purpose in life is to live it fully, to experience all that is beautiful in life and see my children grow up to be responsible citizens in society. My purpose may differ from other atheists' purposes. The beauty of this is that we all choose our purposes.

Cheers.

Answer 3

You're wording of this question is why we don't take it serious or bash the questioner. ;-)

My life serves the same purpose anyone else's lives do - live, have kids or affect the world in some way (hopefully good!)..

9 out of 10 Christians were pretty much the same way except they think they are going somewhere when they die and they believe in a god. They don't spend their lives pining for the afterlife when there is living to be done in the here and now.

Answer 4

I think the problem is this: "I think that every person needs to serve some sort of higher power, or they just sink into a state of emptiness"

Since that is your perception, you can't understand why others who don't believe in a higher power don't have any sort of "emptiness" in them as a result.

Their purpose is generally to live the best life they can in the here-and-now, without being afraid of how they'll be judged for it later.

Answer 5

I wonder if it's necessary to worship anything.

What happens, usually, when we encounter something with which we are not familiar is to try to understand it in light of what we know.

If what we know is theism and the worship that is a part of that, and we encounter atheism, we try to comprehend atheism by the familiar tools of our understanding.

You say, "I think that every person needs to serve some sort of higher power." Why do you think that? Because that's what you do.

It's as if you believed that all of those people in Paris actually spoke English, but they make those other sounds just because they're trying to tick you off.

Answer 6

I worship nothing. Worship is reserved for a deity -- and I do not believe in a deity.

I do not consider myself higher or lower than anyone else or anything else. I am little more than a complex chemical reaction, no better or worse than exposing 2 parts hydrogen to 1 part oxygen in the presence of an ignition source.

There is no purpose to life. However, as a self-aware chemical reaction, I'm able to ascribe meaning to my life despite it. Me personally, I find that knowledge is a worthy goal, so I pursue it. I have a passion for cross-disciplinary sciences (particularly neural science, a combination of mathematics, computer science, bioinformatics, neurology, biology, and others), so I pursue knowledge of cross-disciplinary sciences.

-------------

Serve, slightly different question there. Still, I serve nothing. Servitude requires a greater and a lesser. Considering I am the moral equal of all else, I cannot be placed in servitude.

If I choose to be moral, it is because I make that choice, not because I am in service of morality. If I pursue knowledge, it is because I make that choice, not because I am in service of knowledge. When I was a member of a search and rescue team, it was because I made a choice to assist my equals, not because I was in service.

Answer 7

"I think that every person needs to serve some sort of higher power, or they just sink into a state of emptiness."

Consider that this statement shows an intense lack of imagination on your part. You might also consider working on improving your imagination by speaking to someone outside of your own cultural milieu, reading foreign newspapers, and/or simply starting to believe you don't know everything.

Atheists don't' "serve" anyone. That's your mythology.

And as to purpose, it is for each person to develop their own source of meaning. Whatever makes the day, the year, or your life seem like it has a direction. Whatever gives you a sense of connection to your universe and your loved ones.

In truth, every religious person has gone through this exercise. They just find their meaning in their beliefs. Atheists love their families, find fulfilling work, go on adventures, create art, and/or work for the betterment of the world. No other meaning is so sweet.

^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^

Answer 8

Interesting question, I wish Meat Man were here to answer it. I;m with you, I would rather worship God and be wrong than not and be right (although I know other wise). With out that sense of purpose and a directional foundation I am not sure what I would be today.

I am interested to here the answers of some non believers. I am confident that at least Meat Man has a purpose of supplying us with entertainment here but I hope for all non believers there is something more.

Answer 9

I don't worship anyone or anything. We are here period. I try to make this a better place to live, show kindness to others and enjoy every part of life that I can. Stop looking to a god for answers and look inward. I am happier now than when I tried to understand why horrible things happen to really good people.

Answer 10

I don't serve or worship anybody. My life doesn't feel empty because I don't have a god in my life, because I don't really feel like I'm missing out. I don't know what happens at the end of our lives, but I don't want to waste this one.