we only have a temporary purpose for being on the planet, then we're going to die and that's the end?
2007-09-23 05:25:01 · 38 answers · asked by Adviso 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Atheist enjoy being free from the moral absolutism that having no higher being offers. Since there is no God there is no higher authority. Therefore there are no moral absolutes and only moral relativism. Moral relativism places man in the role of God thereby permitting them to determine what is right and what is wrong relative to what is convenient at the time.
This is why Atheism is so important to socialist countries. The all powerful central government is then free to do pretty much whatever it wants to do.
Claims that there is no proof there is a Creator is of course a silly argument. Just because we lack the ability to answer the question does not make the answer "no". Not that many generations ago people did not believe in germs. Once the microscope was invented they could see them. That did not mean that the germs did not exist before the microscope.
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. If someone commits a crime and we cannot find any evidence to determine who did it does that not mean a crime was not perpetrated by someone? You need to accept this sort of twisted reasoning to be a true Atheist.
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2007-09-23 05:41:05 · answer #1 · answered by Jacob W 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I am an atheist. I don't think atheists have any message beyond this one: We do not have any beliefs in any god/s.
Why do you presume that we have any other message?
As to your alleged messages that you attribute to atheists:
1) We are just more intelligent animals....what does that mean? Yes we are intelligent animals. That is a fact....some more than others.
2) We only have a temporary purpose for being on the planet...Yes, we all die. All our lives are finite. That is a fact.
As to purpose, we all determine what is our purpose individually.
3) We're going to die and that's the end...Yes, we are all going to die. That is a fact. As to whether that's the end or not, there is no evidence to support there is anything more. That's a fact. If you have evidence that there is something more, please present it.
2007-09-23 05:32:52 · answer #2 · answered by CC 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am not atheist but i can see why they could 'rejoice'. being a part of a very large picture is very satisfying and knowing that really you never die in this universe till it has spent it fuel or possibly when it is replaced by the next thing whatever that is. Living and dieing is a perk for sure but there probably is plenty of life in the universe as a whole so being 'here' is only a natural part of it all.
2007-09-23 05:32:04 · answer #3 · answered by Robert E 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not atheist... closer to agnostic... but:
Because that's not my message. My message is that I am part of a larger whole - called humanity or more broadly, life. I do NOT have a temporary purpose - my actions will have repurcussions throughout the future - through the students that I teach, through the children I may bear, through the people I affect, through the ideas I bring forth. To think that all one has to offer the world is what one can accomplish in one lifetime is depressing; I will grant you that. But one doesn't have to believe in a divine being to not believe this.
And as far as being "just an intelligent animal" I will say three things:
1. The taxonomy of human beings as "animals" is arbitrary. That we share physical and genetic characteristics with others is not doubtful; however, there are characteristics we share with bacteria and yet we (mostly) do not consider ourselves as bacteria. It is for this reason I consider such a "breakpoint" of ourselves as animals to be arbitrary. Can we learn more about ourselves by studying and understanding creatures that are closer to us in genetic makeup than creatures that are farther? Yes, of course.
2. While it is clear to me that we contemplate our existence, have a Theory of Mind, build societies and civilizations, innovate technology, etc. it is not all that clear to me that we are "intelligent" except as one applies definitions to the latter using attributions to the former set.
3. Some of my best friends are non-human "animals" so please don't use refer to "them" in a derogatory manner. Thanks.
2007-09-23 05:36:41 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rejoice, eh? It's interesting the way the religious folk view the atheist folk. Atheism isn't a religion, you can stop viewing it that way. I know it is difficult because you don't know how to view anyone else outside of a religious collective. Atheism is the disbelief in God. That's it. There is no message that we are rejoicing in. Welcome to life, you live, you die, and then you no longer exist. If you need the warm and fuzzy, run back to your God.
2007-09-23 05:34:55 · answer #5 · answered by Jack B 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A. Us being intelligent animals isn't necessarily only an atheistic message. Biblically speaking, we're intelligent animals, animals who ate from the "tree of knowledge."
2007-09-23 05:37:56 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe we don't feel the need to "rejoice" in any message.
Perhaps we'd rather spend our time living our lives, helping others, and enjoying all that we have.
Some people actually don't need to have some "higher" purpose to make it through the day.
2007-09-23 05:39:30 · answer #7 · answered by t_rex_is_mad 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's what they believe and they find solace in it.
I often wonder how Christians can rejoice in the message of "Hey! 99% of the world is going to Hell! BWEE! Not me, but all of you are!"*
My point is that all of it is relative....what one person sees as happy news, another may not.
*please note, this is an exxageration, though it does gel with the attitude of some Christians I've known.
2007-09-23 05:30:15 · answer #8 · answered by witchiebunny 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
What's wrong with appreciated life as we have it?
That's what most Christians feel about the lives of every other living being on the planet other than humans, so, what's the big deal. We are born, live, die and decompose like every other living thing on the planet. You can't argue with that.
The truth isn't always shiny and wonderful, thats why they say "ignorance is bliss".
2007-09-23 05:31:48 · answer #9 · answered by angel_falling 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
the message of atheists is that there are no gods
but yes, we are just intelligent animals, life is only temporary. Every dies and yes thats the end.
if you have evidence to suggest otherwise then please share otherwise it just sounds like you can't cope with reality. Which I think is possibly a problem with self awareness.
2007-09-23 05:45:57 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋