Is it possible to be an atheist and still believe that life has a purpose?

Answer 1

Certainly. The biological purpose of life is to make more life. (Done that.) Beyond that, consider Carl Sagan, who said: "If you want your life to have significance, do something significant." My significant purpose is to teach others how to think, and why religion comprises a refusal to do so.

Answer 2

Well it all depends, but when all boils down to it, where does life come from?, how do a baby grow in a mothers womb and then into to an adult? who stretched that person, where does the wind go when it blows,how many strains of hair on yr head?. all i can say it would be a shame to leave this and find out the truth of God and do anything about it then , Jesus was either a crazy man for saying he was the christ or ht;s true and a lot of people are gonna be in trouble when they face God it's doesn't matter if they believe or not he is god by hinself and he don't need any help we need him, so we can debate but to open our eye before we better be right... mmm thats scary. i believe we all have a purpose but you will never know your true purpose uuntil you get a relationship with God and then you will forfill the purpose he created you for as a person and the only way you are gonna find out life purpose is to know the giver of life because it belongs to him and he can give it or take it. I hope i helped you.

Answer 3

Life has no inate purpose, but it can have whatever purpose you feel it has. Biologically speaking, the purpose of all life is to replicate itself. Replication is the function that drives life, and small, random errors in that replication, and that (guided by natural selection) is the driving force behind evolution.

Life has whatever purpose you feel it should have. For me, that purpose is doing my best to create a better world, one where over-bearing and controlling religions lose their power over world events, and stay in the realm of individual's personal lives. A world where people are honest, and work for the good of each other, and towards the prosperity of mankind.

And to answer a few of the above posters: the reason that Atheists don't have nearly as much of a hard time defending our beliefs is because it is all based on fact. We believe in what we can see and what we can measure. We believe in what IS. It's hard to contradict what we believe, because what we believe is reality.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Our extraordinary claims (the age of the Earth and Universe, evolution, etc.) have vast amounts of evidence to back it up, from all fields of science. If the evidence changes, our beliefs change.

Religion, on the other hand, has not even the slightest shred of evidence to back it up. There is absolutely nothing to prove that an invisible man in the sky created us, and that he controls everything that goes on. Some say "Oh, but that's the point of religion. Faith is what makes religion". But why would an "all-loving" God create us, then erase all evidence of his existence (and even plant evidence to the contrary) and then condemn us to hell for an eternity of torture if we don't believe in him.

If you spend any time at all thinking about it logically, no religion makes any sense, including whatever one you've grown up with. Scientology, Mormonism, Islam, Buddhism, all are no more delusional than Christianity. The only reason Christianity seems rational to you is because you've been fed it's propoganda your entire life, and never had the drive to question it.

Answer 4

Sure, I don't see why not. Just because someone is atheist does not mean that they don't believe in "anything". They have their own set of beliefs and thoughts....so yeah, it's possible. Like some people said on this forum...they could pick their own purpose and live life based on that choice.

Ugh....why does someone always have to write a book that includes 10 million bible verses? Sorry, that bothers me. It's like they can't think for themselves.

Answer 5

now with some of these answers u wonder why the ****** christians are hated my wiccans pagans and atheists because they insult their way of life as to th is question i do believe u can be atheist and still have a purpose in life hope this helps
and bible quotes piss off these ppl even more

Answer 6

Amazing how many of you who answered think "purpose" means whatever each living person designates it to mean. That would be fine if we 'created' ourselves.

If "Life" is part of what defines us (i.e. we are 'alive') then the question means, effectively, WHY are we alive. And the important word is WE, otherwise why not only have 1 person. Of course, maybe that's the point of individuality.

So is life just a big survey exercise, to get feedback from the living??

Answer 7

Yes. I've heard that faith in God is a gift, which means we do nothing to receive faith. However, good exists in this world as well as evil, even without a faith in a Supreme Being. Something can be seen as good or evil, and that can give a purpose in life.

Answer 8

Of course. There's just no pre-ordained purpose in life. Each person has to create purpose and meaning in his or her own life.

Answer 9

YES! the purpose of my life is to enjoy the time I have here and leave this world a better place than when I came into it!

Answer 10

Ya, but you would have to pick the purpose. Say pleasure is your purpose, so that's what you live for. But if you mean, like meaning I would say no, because once you're dead, it doesn't matter what you did while you're alive, you don't exist anymore.