Where does your hope come from?
2007-02-19 12:18:54 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
My spouse, my children, my responsibility to leave the world a better place than I found it.
.
2007-02-19 12:24:27 · answer #1 · answered by Chickyn in a Handbasket 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I must begin by pointing out that I am not really an atheist, but more of an agnostic. An atheist is someone who is convinced that God does not exist; I am simply not fully convinced that God exists.
This said, I do realize that the faith in an omnipotent, all-knowing deity, and in an afterlife which rewards those who were good and punishes those who were evil can be comforting to some people. One of the main arguments of believers who try to convince me that God does exist is that humans need God, and that life would be horrible and pointless if he didn't, and there would be no hope. I fail to see how this proves that God exists - if you are looking at an empty bottle of water, the fact that you are very thirsty and that it's a really horrible feeling to be without water does not magically fill the bottle up.
Anyway - to answer your question: where do atheists get their motivation from? If you believe that there is no God, and no Afterlife, then all that matters in life is life itself. The greatest motivation of man is, ultimately, the search for happiness. And an Atheist wants to be happy just like a Christian or a Muslim or a Jew - so that's what keeps Atheists going.
2007-02-19 12:37:05 · answer #2 · answered by caffeineisyourfriend 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My motivation as an atheist is to live a good helpfull life. I enjoy living in this world, it is a great place despite all the religious intollerance that abounds. I think that I have a greater will to live and do the right thing than a christian can. I love the earth and the animals and having fun with my friends. I dont see this world as a stop over before I go to a heaven or a hell so that gives me motivation to make it a better place instead of just shrugging it off as somthing that we should not care about. I cant immagine living a life governed by the fear of made up gods. I have chosen to follow the truth in life and not the superstitions of men. My motivation is to love people and help them when ever i can. This is the message that christians have missed out on.
2007-02-19 13:13:31 · answer #3 · answered by Randy T 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That we can as a species become more than we once were. Learn from our pasts and expand knowledge beyond superstition. This is a question that needs four thousand word answer to just scratch the surface, which is stronger than that of a million diamonds, and more diverse than the wildest imagination, the list is endless.
Or, I could just pray every day that I'll die dumb and go to heaven and worship jebus.
I'm agnostic too, but I can't help slapping the J man around, he's such an easy target.
The following directions are for christians: Move mouse pointer to the "Thumbs Down" icon, and press the left mouse button. Sure you will be judgmental, but it will make you feel superior, so don't let us down, push the button now.
2007-02-19 12:33:38 · answer #4 · answered by Devil in Details 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
What keeps me very motivated is the recognition that this is the only life we have, so I live every day as if it is my last. God-believers often believe in life after death. It is my opinion that they would have a harder time being motivated in this lifetime than atheists.
My hope comes in the form of my children. They are my hope for the future, and my form of immortality. When I die, they will continue, and a part of me will live on.
2007-02-19 12:35:08 · answer #5 · answered by CC 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
lots of things. my 10-year-old son, my love for my girlfriend (i'm recently divorced), my love of family, my love of knowledge and life.
I also have my hobbies. I enjoy sailing, which brings me close to the vast desert of the open ocean, the 2/3 of the planet many people never truly experience. There's nothing like being out of sight of land for days on end, drawn along by nothing but the wind. My other hobby is astronomy. The first time I saw the Andromeda galaxy (our nearest galactic neighbor in space) through a telescope, I had to think that the light I was seeing left that island of stars 2.5 million years ago - about the same time my distant ancestor picked up a stone and first shaped it into a crude tool.
amazing!
2007-02-19 12:35:27 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
What keeps me going is the same thing that should keep everyone going. I love my life. I love my family. I hope for a wonderful future for my family, and the people of the world. That would sort of be like asking a Christian what keeps them going in this world if all they have to look forward to is dying?
2007-02-19 13:26:21 · answer #7 · answered by Jess H 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Life can be a wonderful thing. I am motivated by enjoying life and helping other's to enjoy it, too. I am motivated by loving and being loved. I keep going because life is so much fun.
2007-02-19 12:30:09 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
What keeps you going? The hope that you might get into heaven where you'll have a good eternal life? Personally, I'm happy to live this one. As for my motivation, it's the same as for everybody else - food, water, companionship, love, comfort, thirst for knowledge, etc, etc, etc.
2007-02-19 12:29:20 · answer #9 · answered by The Truth 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
your very question shows your fear. Obviously you wouldn't be able to keep going without your belief in god. You would have no hope? Do you honestly have to wonder why atheists say, you need to believe in religion because your lives would be hollow and pointless without what your parents told you. While it might seem completely insane to you, atheist can live quite a happy and fullfilling life.
2007-02-19 12:39:29 · answer #10 · answered by Ordin 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Humanity.
2007-02-19 12:24:54 · answer #11 · answered by genaddt 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋