Goliath

kingjames1,

Atheism does not imply this belief. In fact, atheism is absolutely nothing more than the lack of belief that any gods exist.

You are confusing atheism with big-bang cosmology. Neither have anything to do with each other.

Your existence may be absurd. Mine certainly doesn't appear to be.

I have absolutely no idea what you mean by this.

Incorrect. I do a fine job of giving life meaning.

One I see as wrong, and the other I don't. There are many more differences as well.

Who cares? I'm interested in the here and now.

Again, because most of us care about the here and now . Actually, why would xians care about saving the planet? Why would they care about life at all? Aren't you supposedly going to heaven? Why not just kill yourself now?

Uhhh...there is a difference of 10,000 years between ceasing to exist now and ceasing to exist 10,000 years from now. Do you really need me to point out the obvious to you?

Because I enjoy living.

I'll be dead by then, so why should I care about what happens by that time? Again, I care about the here and now.

Because living a life with meaning seems to be more productive and more enjoyable than living a life with no meaning.

Now, let me ask you an honest question: Do you believe the dribble that you put in this post that I've replied to, or are you a troll?

Sincerely,

Goliath

Hobbs

Don't forget to point out that the writers forged God's signature.

Hobbs

As has been pointed out, atheism is already too short to paraphrase. All it says is that one lacks a belief in a god, or that one does not see sufficient reason to conclude that there is a god.

You could add that it does follow from this that if one finds meaning and purpose in life (as I do), then evidently meaning and purpose are possible without a god. If you, kingjames1, are unable to find meaning and purpose in your life without believing in a god, it doesn't follow that therefore no one else can. After all, you are not the measure of all things.

Janaya

This gave me a new summary:

God comes to a realization: "I really scewed up, didn't I."

BTW, all of my responses are serious.

Janaya

Hobbs

Perhaps I should point out that my responses here are serious, too.

agapeo

The Bible is . . .

Mageth

kingjames1:

Someone else mentioned that "atheism" is merely lack of belief in god(s). I concur.

However, there is a thread of truth in your post. Interestingly, in Ecclesiastes runs a similar thread - "all is vanity." Our existence, in one sense, is absurd. Absolutely, one day I will no longer exist. In all likelihood, humanity will one day disappear. Eventually, the universe we know will "die" in some fashion. (However, this does not necessarily imply the end of all existence. Other universes hosting other intelligences are possible.)

But HelenM hit the nail on the head. It's up to each of us to "make the most out of life." If one can only dwell on the absurdity of it all, and doesn't seek to enjoy the little time one has the best one can, then Life won't have much meaning.

You choose to find "meaning" in hope of eternal existence. I, like many others here, realize that is just a pipe dream, and seek meaning through other avenues rather than choosing to delude ourselves and waste our lives on false hopes.

Godless Dave

KingJames1, you were summarizing existentialism, not atheism. You might want to check out the Philosophy forum.

joedad

If Irritation Develops, Discontinue Use.

kingjames1

babelfish

indeed, I would be bitter, or rather, more accurately, quite the socio-path. However, I honestly believe, and I challenge anyone to prove me wrong, that this is the logical end of an atheistic worldview (from the Christian perspective, I thank God most atheists are inconsistent with their own presuppositions - they still cling to some notion of right and wrong, justice and injustice, though, in my humble opinion, they cannot provide any ground for such transcendental claims).

If there is no God, whatever meaning I invent for my life is just that: my own feeble, fallible invention. If there is to be actual meaing, actual ethical content to my rhetoric about right and wrong, actual weight (as understood by the poets since the dawn of history) to the three famous words, "I love you," I need something bigger than me to define what is good, what is right, what is pure, what is lovely, what is worthy of my energies. Otherwise, i am trapped in sort of practical solipsism - my own ideas about what is good is "what is good"! Doesn't that fall flat, though? Is that not unsatisfactory? Meaning is what I decide it to be: Sartre chose Marxism, you choose whatever brand of philosophy you like, and I'll choose Christianity 'cause I want to...
that doesn't strike you as lame - everybody's equally wrong, and is deluding themselves into thinking that there is meaning to life, when in fact its just what they themselves have projected onto it - marxism, racism, anti-semitism, they are all equally human inventions, and they are all therefore equally arbitrary.

...and anyway, I understand this portion of the forum to be "sarcasm" - so allow me some melodrama

J.

[ October 16, 2002: Message edited by: kingjames1 ]</p>