A Q for atheists?

Question

I sincerely mean no offense, I just don't understand what motivates anyone who doesn't believe in God. By that, I mean, one of the oldest Qs in the world is "why are we here?"

So, what is the meaning of life? If there is no meaning, why don't we just end it all now?

I wish I had an answer, but every piece of an answer I can come up with involves us helping each other. I don't want to do good for God (yes, I'm one of "those"), but because God/Jesus is a great role model. What does it for you?

No need to get testy, Father. I ask an honest Q, and look...

I am fortunately a believer that one bad apple doesn't spoil the bunch.

I appreciate those of you who have been able to not read anything into my Q as it certainly is not intended to have some conversion message held within. I am just a curious person.

Answer 1

Life has a different meaning to everyone. I hope that you find yours.

Answer 2

Why are we here? You don't get that the word "why" implies a creator already?Sure,I have wondered "why"are we here?But I have come to realise that we are not here for a purpose,there is no external being that put me here to do something,if I wish purpose to my life,I must give it purpose.I give my life the purpose of trying to make it a little better,being a good,solid role model for my kids(well,they are grown now,but not too grown)Being the best husband I can be to my wife,best son,best brother,best friend,etc.
What I have a hard time understanding,is how you find purpose in belief.That seems to me the most pointless outlook of all. We are here,everything of this earth is bad,this body is meaningless,and so on,for the hope of a different life promised that will be better...so,what is the point,exactly,if you believe?
Then you asked,"if there is no meaning,why don't we just end it now?"Again,I see things directly opposite. "why don't we just end it now?"Are you crazy?I will die soon enough,let me enjoy the one life I have? Why would I want to end it now?I pose to you,if Heaven is waiting,and satan roams the earth,and you are to deny the flesh,and all sickness will be wiped away,well,you know the story.Why would you wish to stay?It is great you feel that every piece of an answer you get involves us helping eachother,If everyone felt that way,it would be "heaven on earth"and it is great that Christ taught these things. Christ,however,isn't the only teacher of help your fellow man.I help those less fortunate,it makes me feel good to do so. Do not mistake morality and compassion as the exclusive realm of the gods,these are emotions quite capable of being held by a mere man.

Answer 3

I feel inclined to answer by another question: What is the meaning of `the meaning of life'? I suppose what is intended is some general purpose. I do not think that life in general has any purpose. It just happened. But individual human beings have purposes, and there is nothing in agnosticism to cause them to abandon these purposes. They cannot, of course, be certain of achieving the results at which they aim; but you would think ill of a soldier who refused to fight unless victory was certain. The person who needs religion to bolster up his own purposes is a timorous person, and I cannot think as well of him as of the man who takes his chances, while admitting that defeat is not impossible.

Answer 4

what motivates me?
the betterment of humanity. the human experiment. Experiencing others, nature, love, service... the universe is a big amazing place with an incredible amount of cool things to do to keep one busy and fulfilled.
It would be so boring to end it all now. As for the meaning of life, does there even need to be meaning to have it be good?

Answer 5

It isn't about motives or good feelings. It is about what is true.

We are here because life evolved on Earth. It is as simple as that. Life is wonderful and I am grateful for it. But I don't think that there is some magical underlying meaning because there is no evidence that there is.

"Is it not enough simply to be able to appreciate the beauty of the garden without it being necessary to believe that there are faeries at the bottom of it?”
--Douglas Adams

Answer 6

I don't think that there's any grand "meaning" to us being here. I'm not saying that we need to live our lives without purpose, but I don't feel that there needs to be a "reason" behind our existence. And I have no desire to "end it now", because I LOVE my life! I love my family, my husband, my children, my friends...I love music, and art, and long walks in the woods, and swimming, and chocolate...
If I believe that this life is ALL that we have, then WHY on Earth would I want to end it sooner than later? We only get 80-100 years on this Earth--if we're lucky. We're going to be DEAD for billions upon billions of years up until infinity. I've no need to hasten the process.

Answer 7

Most atheists I know simply believe that we are here just because. I mean, why are there trees that keep growing or insects or animals? We are all biological creatures. We are all made of essentially the same stuff. We are here because of biological happenstance...no more no less. When we die, we die like a plant, or a bug, or any other biological creature. We just die...cease to exist. No heaven, no hell, no anything. This is it. We are lucky to have this opportunity. It is more inspiring to me because it really brings more of a sense of urgency to appreciate life....we lucked out...enjoy it while you can!

Answer 8

The meaning of life is in the living of it-in the here and now.

Whenever life gets you down,
And things seem hard or tough
And people are stupid, obnoxious or daft
And you feel that you've had quite enough...

Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving
And revolving at 900 miles an hour
That's orbiting at 19 miles a second, so it's reckoned
A sun that is the source of all our power
The sun and you and me, and all the stars that we can see
Are moving at a million miles a day
In an outer spiral arm, at 40,000 miles an hour
Of the galaxy we call the Milky Way

Our galaxy itself contains 100 billion stars
It's 100,000 light-years side-to-side
It bulges in the middle, 16,000 light-years thick
But out by us it's just 3000 light-years wide
We're 30,000 light-years from galactic central point
We go round every 200 million years
And our galaxy is only one of millions of billions
In this amazing and expanding universe

The universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding
In all of the directions it can whiz
As fast as it can go, at the speed of light you know
Twelve million miles a minute and that's the fastest speed there is
So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure
How amazingly unlikely is your birth
And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space
Because there's bugger all down here on Earth"

Answer 9

I'm more of an agnostic (atheist just hedging my bets) but i'll take a crack at it.

for me, the meaning of life is to find a meaning of life. it's an eternal question, but if you can find something you're happy with (since it's ultimately unknowable) then that's it for you.

as for why we don't end it here, i'm gonna guess we're scared. since no one's ever come back to tell the tale (i mean seriously). what if i'm not good enough or the right religion? what if there's nothing? most of the pictures of an afterlife are based on earthly pleasures and living human imaginations. what is it really? who knows?

and in response to your last paragraph, it kinda ties in with why i became agnostic. i was raised catholic, and for that i'm thankful. it gave me a good framework to start with as far as establishing ethics and morals, but to ultimately depend on someone else's view of the life, the universe and everything rang somehow hollow to me.

as far as jesus went, i agree he's a great role model. as far as i'm concerned though, his main message was to be good to each other. the rest of catholicism came as a result of his friends and their friends, and their followers and their followers and so on in a great big game of 'telephone'.

what started out as 'be good to each other' eventually became 'purple monkey dishwasher' and things got crazy.

but i don't know, that's just me.

Answer 10

A very interesting question, and one that inevitably stumps all atheists.

To me, it seems beyond ironic that atheists are so busy denying the existence of God that they forget the very meaning of atheism: a LACK OF belief.

A true atheist, which I have yet to meet despite having met hundreds who CLAIM to be atheists, believes in NOTHING. I'm starting to wonder if an atheist even exists. Perhaps some of you should stop denying the existence of God long enough to ponder the existence of this so-called belief, which really isn't a belief at all, and therefore does not exist, so why would one ascribe to a belief that has been PROVEN not to exist?!

Answer 11

Apparently, Eskimos must be the most evil people in the world, since they existed so long without Jesus.

How could they have possibly figured out what to do with themselves before some child molesting Missionary came along to exploit them and set them straight.

You live in a bizarre fantasy world.

And you seem to be very uneducated about the actual world you reside in.