Atheists: meaning/purpose of life?

Question

This is just a quick question, so if you want to be mad go ahead, it won't make me mad because you can't hurt me. But i would prefer civility as i am trying to be civil to you.

I as a Christian enjoy looking at every worldview i can get my hands on; i study them and eat them up! :) Like Francis Schaeffer i am coming to realization that there are only "a few men left in the room," and most worldviews can be fit into one of two "big worldviews." I have been thinking recently about the ever-famous "meaning/purpose" of life, and i have been trying to puzzle out what atheists think of it. As far as i can tell, there can be no all-consuming purpose for life or existence, as there is in Christianity, but only a miriad of choices that atheists pick and choose from. Among them are these:

-biological continuity
-personal happiness
-impact on humanity

Is there anything i am missing? What do you think is the meaning/purpose of life, personally? I would appreciate your input. :)

42..... X(

Blah. That's so lame....

Wha....TWO of you thought of it?

THAT is funny.

meshugga42, some people being "heavenly minded" has done the world a lot of good, and i know this because i am a history major.

But you didn't answer the question....:(

John B, that's very interesting, but i might like to remind you that humanism is a separate flow of logic than atheism. it is actually possible to be humanist & religious, not necessarily Christian but religious. So i'm guessing you are a humanist-atheist.

i say this because it is a pet peeve of mine, seeing as many people from the Reinassance were humanist but also very religious, ironic as that sounds to modern ears.

slopoke6968, my question is whether or not i am ***missing*** some reasons.

technically if i wanted to debate whether they were "enough" i'd of framed the question differently. I personally would say they are not enough because they are not eternal, the universe will end some day and so biological continuity and influence on the species will come to nil.

ReeRee, you are right. Stupid grammatical error of mine. XD

The meaning and purpose of life in Christianity is tied up entirely with God and His perspective on things, seeing as He's an Infinite-Personal Being. Actually it has very little to do with us but rather on what He wants for us.

To explain more would be too long, but needless to say i can assure you there is more than "just Heaven" in the way you are probably thinking of it. It took me a lot of research to figure it out, personally, and i would encourage you to do the same.

but Lisa, "making the most" speaks to a meaning of making and mosting! ;)

I am aware of the theory that "God" is programmed into people, but it is not the "new" theory many think it is (having existence since Aristotle) and it furthermore doesn't prove religion wrong because Christianity itself declares that people have a "need" inside them for God, a genetic need or no.

My sureness or not doesn't affect the Truth, which is True whether i am sure or not. Personally, after researching a whole lot, i have come to the conclusion that Order in the universe speaks to an Orderer. It sounds cliche, but just because many others have said it doesn't mean it isn't true.

picard, thank you for answering the question.

crosscalibre, sorry but you don't sound like an atheist. :) Blessings, but this really was for atheists.

Bajingo, actually i am under the impression that there are some nice atheists out there, but i know for a fact there are many nasty ones.

I prefer to talk to the nice ones, because at least they are willing to let you get a word in edgewise.

EFFETTOLL, that is an interesting question, and the answer from the human perspectice would be that God exists to be worshiped and to be Master. Of course, from the eternal perspective, God is the ultimate meaning of everything, so there's your answer.

i find you quite ironic because you are using religious terminology, and you write as if you are aware of the perspectives of it. Yet your opening jab ("annoying God by singing and dancing") seems to say you are not. How odd--i'd like to sit down and talk with you but can't. :(

furiousblue:
ah, yes...i'd forgotten to remember the old atheist line of "knowledge as an end" instead of the Christian "knowledge as the means to an end." I can't believe i'd forgotten about that, especially since i am such a fan of C.S. Lewis, who dismissed it so easily in his "Space Trilogy." Thank you so much for reminding me! :)

ChrisIsGirly,
I have had only a few answers that i can definitively disagree with, not just personally (after all you are atheists so of course i'd disagree in many things) but also factually. In my research of worldviews i have found that yes, while there is a "baseline" of human behavior, it is possible for religions/philosophies to add to--or DIMINISH FROM--that baseline.

1st, religious people have an incentive to reproduce more than atheist ones, & this can be shown by population growth in religious states (U.S.) vs secular states (Europe). 2nd, much of what our society considers "moral" actually comes from the Bible, so we need religion for that. 3rd, if i had never known God i would be a completely different person: all influences add up to make us who we are. I doubt you would have authority to tell me different than this.

I suggest you look at your own beliefs and see if they match the facts. My preacher did not teach me this: college professors, some atheists, did.

Pedestal42,

Francis Schaeffer is a very enjoyable writer. And thank you for the link.

It is true that many ppl do not seem to think of meaning, they are too busy having fun. Then there are others who think about it briefly, and who invent excuses to make up for their lack of it--and, in turn, others who don't think of it (having too much fun) will pick up on these excuses and spout them as truths.

The problem i have always had with Darwin, however, is that he bought in, big time, to one of the biggest excuses: biological continuation as a way of supplying meaning & purpose. Yet if the universe itself will end, what does it matter if your descendants are alive at the time of the end?

It is also wrong to assume Darwinism is true, because there are serious challenges to the idea, although many ppl don't like to acknowledge this & will consign anyone who brings it up to the "looney pile." If there is a link between life, there is no hint what the causation of that link is.

Answer 1

You can't have "only a myriad" - myriad means many.

And what exactly is the singular purpose for Christians? To die and go to Heaven? Is that really all there is?

Answer 2

I don't really see that there is a purpose to life. That's why we should make the most of the time we have here.

On the flip side, how are you so sure, that we weren't born out of pure chance, evolved, and had to cope with so many unanswered questions that we invented a purpose- because why else would we be here? It's too hard to folks to cope with no life after death and that there is no purpose.

Read "The God Part of the Brain," it talks about the development of religion as a means of coping.

Edit: Maybe I should have said let's enjoy the time we have here? And sure, humans will always find meaning in things/places/people/events... just about everything. If there is meaning to be found in life, each meaning will be unique to the individual.

I agree, that whether or not we agree to something, there is an ultimate truth. But when you say that everything you've done so far/read has pointed in one direction, how do you know it is the truth? The same could be said for me... I am an atheist, and everything I've read/ done/ experienced has pointed in the direction of no god. Sure order might exist, but it can also be a result of chaos and chance. Aren't they just two sides of the same coin? I'm not sure if we'll ever know.

You are using a watchmaker analogy of the universe right? If you see order, something must have 'ordered' it right? It speaks to your need to see a meaning/purpose right?

Answer 3

All animals, including us lowly humans, have the same 'meaning of life': to procreate.

People don't need to read the words "be fruitful and multiply" to be motivated to reproduce any more than dogs do. People who don't choose to, or can't, breed are still driven, on some core level, to contribute to success of the species. By working to build a better, safer, more prosperous society for later generations they make their mark. This is also why non-religious people are at least as moral as religious folks - nobody needs a book to understand society and fit into it any more than a wolf needs a book to fit into a pack.

Perhaps Christians have a hard time understanding this because they've created their own entire sub-culture around an artificial foundation and they just can't understand how anyone could be successful at building the same thing without the same base. If you'd never been introduced to the concept of religion, you'd still have the same goals and aspirations that you do now, you'd find some other part of society to help you reach them.

It's not nearly as complicated as the preacher would like you to believe it is.

Answer 4

So you find purpose in worshiping God but what is the purpose of God, or are you even allowed to ask that ?
You think when you die you go to spend forever hanging around heaven annoying God by singing and dancing ceaselessly. Again what would be the purpose of that?

Life has no purpose or meaning except what you give it.

Maybe life is just for living.

Yes there is the thing about having children or being part of a community but in truth the big fascination with purpose is pretty much a rulers ideal.
Romans substituted duty to the State as the purpose, the English made it into service to the King, The Church used service to God.

Every time it seems that somebody starts talking about *The Purpose of Life* or *The Meaning of Life,* they want you to do something for them. Usually something that is not nearly as much to your advantage as it is to theirs.

Also when placed in such a generic case it becomes a meaningless question. Far better to ask yourself what is your purpose for your life. Even better what is your purpose for this day.
To ask it in any other way you simply turn yourself into a utility value for some organization that intends to ride you.

Answer 5

Depends. I am an agnostic, because I cannot fathom to know all of the answers, nor do I care to debate within all the religions. I believe GOD is too big to fit into one religion. With religion, comes war and greed- people believing they are larger than they really are. If there is a GOD, it is not for me to say. I appreciate each day for it's wonder and look around in awe at the earth that has been created for me. DO NOT for one minute assume that someone who is "atheist" or agnostic is also a heathen, living in filth. I work to serve others, and believe that is the biggest connection I have to whatever higher power is out there. The Bible is a text book written by scholars. So is the Quran, etc. If being a Christian is your only protection against thinking only of yourself, I believe we have found a great pardox in your question.

Answer 6

Ah, someone familiar with Francis Schaeffer.
Respect.
"Escape from Reason" is definitely something to chew on, agree with it or not.

For most humans, the question of the meaning or purpose of life may never consciously arise, if they are sufficently embedded in their surrounding culture.
And that includes, oddly enough, rebelling against it, since the majority value set still defines the agenda. Karl Jaspers is good on this.
Levi Strauss took this a little further, and noted the importance of common beliefs in the functioning of a society, even to a degree independent of their truth or falsity seen objectively.

For most times, places and people, then, the meaning and purpose of life is determined by the functioning social myths that surround the individual.

But what of the individual who wakes up?
Who starts to cry "I don't believe it!"
(very notably in a John Wyndham short story, Confidence Trick, in the collection "JIzzle")
Myths won't do then, unless they turn out to be true as well as mythic.

You might like to dig into
"The Robot's Rebellion: finding meaning in the age of Darwin" by Keith Stanovich.

Answer 7

All I know is that I am here. No one knows why we are all here. Religion attempts to make life purposeful, usually by making up a god(s)/godess(es) and an afterlife. I believe it was by chance, through the origin of life and the evolution of that life to present day animals (which includes us). We are only animals.

There is no proof nor evidence that any religion is right, so I do not follow them. Religion is the superstitious creation of the human mind.

For me, the purpose of life is just to live. I am here, and I will live while I'm still living. Knowledge and happiness are the most important things to me, and the three choices you stated above all contribute to this.

Hope this helps.

Answer 8

Here's what you are missing. I prefer being referred to as a humanist as opposed to an atheist.

Humanism is a philosophy of life inspired by humanity and guided by reason. It provides the basis for a fulfilling and ethical life without religion.

Humanists make sense of the world using reason, experience and shared human values.
Humanists see no convincing evidence for gods, the supernatural, or life after death.
Humanists believe that moral values are properly founded on human empathy and scientific understanding.
Humanists believe we must live this life on the basis that it is the only life we'll have -- that, therefore, we must make the most of it for ourselves, each other, and our world.
Humanist philosophies have arisen separately in many different cultures over many thousands of years. Whether or not they use the term humanism, tens of millions of Americans and hundreds of millions of people around the world agree with the humanist philosophy of living a happy and productive life based on reason and compassion.

Answer 9

We are born with a clean slate and life is our trial before God in order to judge us effectively from what he presents to us in life. The meaning as such is how much of a role you play with the life and time you are given, your purpose includes how much you affect those and that which is around you. Your choices and your actions make an impact on the eyes of the Almighty and he watches with great detail like a father would do with his child as to how you progress through the life which he gave you. I am sure that after death, you are stood beside him and shown your life and are asked by the Big guy questions related to what has gone before you. We are all tested in life and we are all given moments to shine. God intends these to exercise our purpose. Our meaning, is the impact we make on time and whether we have justified our place in being so.

Answer 10

There is no purpose in my being here; I'm just here.

I choose my purposes.

I'll go with 1 and 3, though I'd put 3 more broadly.

My purposes involve enjoying my life, and helping make the world less horrible than it currently is.

Answer 11

I think that meaning of life varies widely from person to person. Even within the constraints of a religion, I see a significant variance in priorities and values between individuals.
Personally, I think the highest purpose one can aspire to is the accumulation of as much knowledge as possible. Learn all that is learnable and pass that on to your children and your peers.