Do atheists have meaning in their lives?

Question

Or do they think life has no meaning, and therefore are they more materialistic than ppl should be?

Answer 1

Not all meaning is derived from a religious source. Even those who are religious construct and live with meanings that are either incompatible with their religion or are not addressed directly by their religion. To conflate religiousity with meaning is to presuppose only one source of meaning, but even religious individuals find multiple sources for meaning.

Answer 2

Isn't it just a little presumptuous to assume that because atheists do not go through their lives counting on a divine reward for their good behavior (heaven) then their life is meaningless and materialistic? If anything, the fact that the religious need to be bribed into commiting good deeds is a clear indicator that such a system is FAR more materialistic than atheism.

Consider Buddhism, which is nontheistic. Nirvana is the peace of non-existence, the final journey of a soul into nothingness. And the Buddhist religion is considered one of the most peaceful and virtuous religions in the world. No war has ever been waged in the name of Buddha. How many Buddhists have you met who are base and materialistic?

Or consider Stoicism. Stoicism was pantheistic and lacked a central deity, and did not have any canon regarding an afterlife. And yet, some of the most virtuous men in Antiquity were Stoics. A central component of Stoicism was that it was cosmopolitan; all people are manifestations of the same universal spirit, and should live in harmony and brotherhood with each other. Is that what you consider base and materialistic?

Virtue for some needs to be instilled through the threat of divine punishment. For others, virtue is its own reward.

Answer 3

No, dear. Atheists only find meaning in living itself, not the subservience to a mythical being that has no rhyme or reason and is used as an excuse for all rhyme and reason.

Meaning given by the servants of a money grubbing power structure is like the orders given by prison guards.

Life develops best when it develops as it can. That does not include delusions and strictures placed on the mind by the fear of not finding a replacement mommy-daddy to take over responsibility.

Answer 4

So, are you saying you have to be a "beliver" in order to have meaning??

I, for one have lots of meaning in my life. My friends, my family, my job. I am the least materialistic person I know. I have what I need. Sometimes I get things I want just because I want them.

It's questions like this that reaffirm the fact that I am an atheist.

Answer 5

Why is it that everyone assumes I need some holy book to tell me what the meaning of my life is? The meaning of my life is what I define it to be. I choose to make my own meaning, and try to make everyone else's lives a little less unpleasant. This, by the way, is more than I can say for a lot of Christians.

Answer 6

Sometimes I find that athiest have more meaning in their life than people who are "deeply" religious and believe that their meaning is only in the church. Jesus made it vary apparent that the church is the way to better living but the important thing is how people react to each other. That does not take religion or a God to get people to do that.

Answer 7

notice how people refer to religious "purpose" as a "higher purpose." People religious and non-religious have feelings and seek to satisfy them. Whenever you do something for yourself or to help others, you have found a "purpose" for a smaller thing.

Atheists take responsibility for their actions and would not want to hurt others (so even though an atheist doesn't believe in eternal punishment, they don't go and do whatever they want).

Most religious people would also say the reason they help people or chose a certain career or married a particular person is to be happy and satisfied, and atheists move towards this direction as well.

Atheists simply do not believe there is a "higher" reason for what they do or for the universe's existence.

Answer 8

Of course they do. If religion is the only thing that supplies meaning to your life then you would be wise to do some more exploring because you could be missing out on a lot.

Answer 9

Unfortunately, I believe they have the most "meaning" in their lives - or at least that is how an atheist would interpret meaning. An atheist, or in other cases existentialists, have no HOPE. They redefine their "meaning" in life in order to substantiate their views and lifestyle. As they change their perception of "meaning" they distort what life truly means and fit it to their own interpretations.

Answer 10

I don't know, but I know a lot of 'religious' people who's only meaning in life is putting others down to make themselves feel better about themselves and their sinful lives.