atheism leads to no purpose in living

I recently realized that if I was an atheist I would have no purpose in living because what would be the point? At least if you believe in heaven you can believe that you will be able to see the changes you have made in your lifetime. If you do not believe in heaven then what is the point in doing anything in your lifetime (or living for that matter) if you believe that you will not even be able to view the results of your work over time?

Edit: I realize I made a typo in the title of this thread.

 

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Is your criteria for belief that it be pleasurable or that it be true? What's so great about deluding ourselves?

It could be that in heaven, all your works will seem worthless and small. What would be so great about knowing you wasted all your time?

 

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What makes one free of any strings is that there is no purpose found in the universe, or for it. This is the ultimate freedom to make whatever meaning one wants out of life. A puppet may feel taken care of, but that is inventing a restriction. Of course, some of the not so humble feel that they are special and deserve an eternal afterlife, too. The brain does not really want to see or even much contemplate an end to itself, for its job is to survive, which is the opposite.

 

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Jesus, what is it with all these theists not finding any meaning in life?

Eventually the universe will either peter out into cold emptiness - or crunch back down into the singularity it came from.... Either way it's all pointless.

Maybe we should just enjoy the little time we have and not worry about it.

 

the purpose of life according to God is simple..

to make decisions.

 

What would I do if I ever quit heroin? I would have no purpose!

 

The point would be to learn all that you could or wanted to learn, and better yourself, using means that are morally and ethically acceptable, and hopefully in doing so, you better the lives of those around you, or at the very least you'd make their lives more pleasant, and you'd want to have fun and enjoy yourself as well.

I have lots of purposes in life. I still would like to write a symphony, a screen-play, a novel and I'm currently reviewing Shakespeare's works to select one and re-write as a modern story (or screen-play). Over a year ago I was producing musical groups and mixing soundtracks.

I don't despicable trash like Vishna or Allah, or the grotesque moron Yahweh to do any of that. And while I don't think I consider Jesus to be despicable, he was a bumbling idiot that talked in circles, and having gotten rid of him has greatly improved my life.

I don't need heaven for that, and the rambling moron Jesus never once mentions heaven. He did say that you could achieve eternal life, if you follow the Commandments, and sell everything you have and give it to the poor. He also said you'd have to be more righteous than a Pharisee, which means you'd have to comply with all 613 ridiculous laws of the Mitzvot.

Have fun with that.

Well, you don't get review anything. What you get to do is put on a white tupa and sing, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lamb!" for all eternity so you wouldn't have time to do anything else, and I must say, that doesn't strike me as the least bit fun singing for all eternity to an idiot.

 

Well, if that's the case, then what would be the point?

 

not if you worked on trying to do something in your lifetime that was extraordinary.
You guys: Extraordinary? What do you mean? Like what Einstein did?
Me: Exactly

 

Yup. And the chances of any given individual being someone who "did something extraordinary" would be...?
What exactly?

 

True, but what would be an alternative purpose to life that would be worth it because what would come out of it would last for every future generation of humanity? If it does not, then why is it worth it?

 

So your claim is, effectively, that your life is only worth living because you're narcissistic enough to think that watching from "heaven" to see the "changes you made in your lifetime" is worth going through ~70 years on Earth?

You claim atheists have no purpose and it turns your "purpose" is post-mortem self-aggrandisement.

Way to go.

 

well, then can you answer the question of mine that you quoted?

 

Certainly.
At least for myself: because I say so.

 

If you can't find purpose in your own life, then no one else can find it for you.

Life may be a gift. It may be a happy accident. Either way, you only have one - use it wisely.

 

Why? The joy, the wonder of the universe, so much to know and learn, the pain of change, the beauty and chaos of nature, procreation, creativity and on and on and.....Why does this not give life purpose?

 

So you are telling me it's not enough to do something great, you also have to sit around forever watching all the effects of your greatness? How sick is that?

 

Or alternatively, sit around forever wishing you HAD done something great. And making up stories of how that guy there, yes that one, would have had a different life if only you'd realised at the time what a good idea it really would have been to market barnacle and telephone-flavour* ice cream.


* My idea. Too late for the rest of you.

 

The day was yet glorious, the leaves of the trees undulating from the wind, and then they themselves making another smaller wind from their movements. I breathed in the oxygen that was once a mere waste product that bacteria had given off, and I walked in my chemical nature where the dinosaurs had once tread.

I felt the life, the awe, the triumph and gladness, even the glorious defeats and tragedies; yet, life ever amazes, filled with the love and adventure of living through this expression of the universe.

 

You guys say that my idea on life sucks but yet you have other great alternative. Ok I admit that the heaven part would probably not be possible since your memory does not you there with your soul but everything else I said still stands to me unless given an alternative that has worth.