What is the Meaning of Life to an Atheist
I say it is meaningless or "it would be better for a man not to be born than to be brought into the world", but Im just curious and somewhat sick of debates at the moment so you can criticize my view I just may not answer and Id like to hear yours
Also another question I have for Atheists is why should I (or anyone else) be moral if there is no God? I wont accept it if it is subjective because subjective morals makes Nazism moral.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Helm Sabrin on -
Believers are the same everywhere regardless what their religion and culture is!
I've read and heard David's questions and the way he responds to the comments like a hundred times before,, but in Arabic from Muslims!!
Isn't this hilarious?!
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Permalink Reply by Skycomet the Fallen Angel on -
Because he's hoping to win us over to God's side/ and or/ make us look like idiots.
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Permalink Reply by Jordan Leigh on -
I don't think that there is a universal meaning to life, just that we choose our own meaning, be it serving a deity to cleaning up the environment. I can't claim to speak for anyone else, but my "purpose" in life is to help others, and to leave the world a little better off than when I entered it. I understand that my influence will be miniscule in the grand scheme of things, but I merely wish to make a positive difference in the lives of those I have touched. Currently, I plan to become a doctor, to heal the sick, and I'd call that a positive influence.
My philosophy when it comes to morals is "First, do no harm, then focus on doing good". I have easily-pulled heartstrings, so I cannot bear thinking about harming anyone else, especially needlessly. What kind of person would choose to do harm over preventing it? I think that my philosophy is a pretty good catch-all, with doing no harm including not allowing harm to yourself as well. I think that there are so many gray areas in life that an "absolute morality" would prove to be archaic in modern day life, and simply ineffective at best.
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Permalink Reply by A. Okafor on -
The goal of life should be to leave the world better than it was given to you, care for your fellow human beings, and be a contributor to a healthy society. I'm sick and tired of Christians asking us atheists this is the "You don't believe in a higher power, so kill yourself. Your life is meaningless" tone. Part of our problems are too many people destroying earth with the belief that something "better" is waiting for them after death. This is a very dangerous viewpoint. Also, people should be moral because it is not conducive to society to be immoral. This also comes from a viewpoint that seems to say that the religious have a monopoly on morality. Every historian knows this is a lie. For example, Hitler was a devout Roman Catholic, but he preached and tried to enact racial "purity"
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Permalink Reply by Mario Rodgers on -
Seems David has painted himself into a corner because I've caught him in a contradiction!
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Permalink Reply by David on -
I am sorry for the way I have acted and posted negatively towards you guys. I dont care if you think im stupid or ignorant and think you "beat that idiot fundamentalist" but I dont see the point in continuing this conversation my views havent changed but if we arent having a heart level conversation then its pointless. I am also genuinely happy for most of you that you havent seen the pain this world has to offer count your blessings they are from God. Again I'm sorry again. You may have won the argument but you havent convinced me and in the end what does that accomplish?
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Permalink Reply by luvtheheaven on -
Don't tell us our blessings are from God, that's condescending and very annoying. No one used the word "idiot" to describe you. Besides I just told you to be more optimistic about life (aka count your blessings!). What about the bad things in our lives, should we attribute them to a God we honestly don't believe in too?
Hopefully we've made you think. Maybe you respect atheists a bit more now and understand what the meaning of life is for us. Maybe in the future when a religious follower posts a question like this on the forum, we will change his or her mind. And arguing like this is good for my brain and yours and everyone else's. And for me it's been a fun way to procrastinate from this paper about feminism and Harry Potter I've been writing that was due at midnight. Lol/ So it's a very worthwhile endeavor on many fronts (in my opinion).
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Permalink Reply by David on
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Well I dont care if you think your blessings are not from God get in touch with yourself and stop letting all the crap of life influence you. Ive learned alot tonight and one thing (smalller thing) is that I am wasting my time debating with people because debates rarely change peoples minds If only I could share my heart but thats hard to do over the internet
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Permalink Reply by Kris Feenstra on -
Why is it that people think that discussion is about winning and losing? I really don't expect to change your mind or the mind of anyone else on any matters that aren't purely and indisputably a matter of fact. Likewise, I don't expect anyone to cause me to 180 my views in a single conversation when it comes to my convictions and deeply held beliefs.
If someone argues their case well, I may still not agree completely in the end, but hopefully I've been given something new to consider. Hopefully I will understand where they are coming from a little better. Just because I don't agree doesn't mean I can't empathize with the sentiments expressed. If they've pushed me in my arguments, hopefully it has caused me to examine my own beliefs and think harder on them. Do more research, more contemplation, make better arguments. So even if no one's mind gets changed outright, I would still say that gaining new perspective and insight is an accomplishment.
As for having seen the pain this world has offered, aren't you just jumping to conclusions here? I might have missed something in the conversation that gives this context, but it's never a good idea to assume what people have or have not been through in life.
To be clear, if you don't feel this conversation is fruitful, by all means don't feel obligated to respond. I'm simply speaking my opinion.
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Permalink Reply by luvtheheaven on
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Exactly! Well put. I never thought this argument was about winning and losing anyway.
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Permalink Reply by Kris Feenstra on
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One of the things I like about this site is that most people don't view arguments as win/lose. Things can get heated and passionate without being taken personally all the time. Science and rational thought thrive on being challenged and scrutinized. It's a sort of natural selection process, I guess.
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