Question on the meaning of Life

Great Debates
21

I as well have never heard that one.

I wouldn’t, why bother? Nor do I want my memories tampered with. In your scenario, the person who went to that other world is effectively dead. Erased and replaced with an older version.

So? It matters when I’m alive.

However, I don’t think that experience, memories or anything else are “the meaning of life”. The concept of a meaning of life makes little sense. Words and other forms of communication have meaning; not people and worlds.

And if you are confusing meaning and purpose; in my opinion, the purpose of your life is whatever you choose.

Except the opposite is the truth. If you believe in God; or rather, base your “morality” on him, then anything is permissible. It’s not like he’s going to tell you that you are wrong. Lies, cheating, stealing, rape, torture, mass murder; all can be excused with a wave of the hand and “God wanted me to” if you base your “morality” on God. And the scare quotes are because I don’t consider a “morality” based on god to be morality at all.

And most would prefer that experience not be in prison, on the run, as a slave, or dead by a bullet before twenty. “It makes life better for everyone” is a perfectly sensible reason to behave morally; much more sensible than basing your morality on barbarian myths about an evil god. For among other reasons, it actually DOES make life better, instead of making it worse like religion.

22

Why do you think there has to be a reason? Why do you think atheists presume any reason?

There IS no reason. That’s the atheist answer.

23

Well, if no meaning of life is the road most of you would like to take, then please don’t start on about being ‘nice’. Like I said, if there is no meaning of life, then as Paul said to do in this situation, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” The only thing left to do is have fun, or find pleasure with the short time that we have. Being ‘nice’, is not pleasurable. So your contrdicting yourselves (those who have said this, which is most), that the general idea is too be nice and have fun. Serial Killers have fun in not being nice. In fact pretty much all of us will be able to find fun in way or another, in being not nice.

The retort to this would be that you are happy by being nice. Thats true, because in the world that a Chrisitan would present to you, its explained. In the one you all believe to live in, it is an utter contradition.

24

Incidentally, if you believe in God, what’s the reason for God?

25

Utter nonsense. Being nice is extremely pleasurable. If it’s not to you, then there’s something wrong with you.

Serial killers don’t have much fun, by the way. They are tormented by profoundly unpleasant psychological pathologies.

26

No, it does not. Feeding the hungry is a good thing to do when you can. I know this, because I’ve been hungry. It sucked. Harming others, without provocation, is not a good thing to do. I know that because I’ve been harmed. It sucked. God does not factor into the equation.

27

The meaning of life is to find meaning in your life, silly. God doesn’t exist, so someone who finds meaning in religion is just as profound as someone who finds their meaning in Tolkien… cough cough skald cough :smiley:

You think there is meaning in your life through religion, but you’re the one who lets it have that power. Personally I like creating things, so that’s what I do.

But you only have a short window of conciousness before you shut off forever, so live in a way that makes you as fulfilled as possible. And if that’s re-reading the Hobbit three times a year to find little tidbits or sucking the circumcised wang of some bronze age sociopath storm god, it doesn’t matter.

Also, that memories thing, as has been said before, is complete horseshit, no atheist I’ve ever heard of said it.

28

Agreed. I see no contradiction, and for the record I’m Christian (Catholic).
I’m not sure within the context of being Christian that there must be a meaning to life, at least not a grand purpose or ultimate goal.

29

Oh, please. Christianity got to the position it is today by being very, very, very not-nice. “Nice” is the last word I would use to describe Christianity or those that follow it. “Evil”, “grim”, “irrational”, “tyrannical”, “antihuman”, “malignant”; but not nice.

You are making another common error of Christians; you not only see yourself as the good guys(wrong), but you actually think that non-Christians agree that you are the good guys (even wronger). I do not agree that Christian “morality” is good.

30

42! Duh!

31

(bolding is mine)

:rolleyes:

Soooo…these are all “Evil”, “grim”, “irrational”, “tyrannical”, “antihuman”, “malignant”; but not nice people?
JFK
LBJ
Jimmy Carter
Bill Clinton
Hillary Clinton
Barack Obama
Thurgood Marshall
Martin Luther King, Jr
Abraham Lincoln
FDR
Truman

32

What am I, invisible around here? :wink:

Nonsense. You remind me of my mother who, when I told her I was Wiccan, said “if you’re not afraid of going to hell, what keeps you from doing things like murder or stealing?” I looked at her agape, and said “because I a moral person regardless of my religion or lack thereof, and morality doesn’t require one particular path or the fear of punishment.” (She got better, by the way).

Really, being mean to people is not fun for me. I don’t feel good when I do it (except in certain VERY specific cases, and usually even then, only at the time - later I feel ugly when I think about it). The idea of killing another person repulses me, even though I would kill to save my own life (and feel repulsed and traumatized afterwards).

But if you want to go with a purely utilitarian ethical argument - “being nice” gets me what I want with the least amount of effort. Being nice to people gets good (and sometimes faster) service in restaurants, bars, stores, etc. Being nice to people with whom I work gets me their help when I need it, and makes my working day more pleasant when I don’t. Being nice lowers my blood pressure, and contributes to my happiness. Not stealing means I don’t have to worry about cops and courts and jail. Not lying means I don’t have to remember what I told someone to make sure my stories are consistent. Not cheating means I don’t have to worry about how I’ll have to fix the consequences if/when I get caught.

Being mean to people I think is not as much fun for others as we might think. Those others have to deal with ugliness, shouting, fights, police, being fired, etc. We all have the idea that the sadistic bastard is having a great time (and maybe he or she is, at the time), and perhaps it’s true that that particular person can skate through life never having to suffer negative fallout from their sadism and meanness, but I’d wager that at least some of them do spend some nights worrying about prison or other negative consequences that they’re trying to avoid.

And even if they’re not, and being mean and ugly is purely fun for them - so what? It’s not for me, and the meaning of MY life is what I make it.

33

Do you guys hear something? It’s like whispers carried on the wind…

34

No you see, what your doing is basically beign ignorant of the values that Christianity teaches, and focusing on notable christians that were clearly not acting in a christian manner. Undoubtedly your mostly reffereing to the way the pope and catholic church(there are certainly other, but this is the one most people point too) in many cases in history has quite accurately fufilled all the things that you have said. These attributes clearly do not match up with the teachings of Christ, and therefore, as Christ himself said, we are to judge if people are truly christians by the fruit of their life.

Furthermore I feel it is revealing to mention the fact that religion has, no question about it, been the cause of the most good, and evil things, committed by human kind.

35

I really like your OP, probably because I have been saying the same thing here for years. I will just hang and see what develops.

36

Hold Fast I doubt very much your morality is based on your religion. Most cultures have the same basic set of morals: don’t lie, don’t steal, work hard, and be nice. If you were to change religions tomorrow do you think your basic set of morals would change? Religion is about ritual and non-moral behaviors such as whether pork, cow, or meat is OK to eat, what days of the week are set aside, what kind of hats or underwear you should wear, and so on. It has very little to do with morality. I know lots of people who have changed religions and follow a new set of traditions and prohibitions. They do not change their morality.

I am an atheist, I used to be an Episcopalian, but my moral beliefs are still the same. My atheist friends as a whole have lived more moral lives than my religious friends in terms of cheating in marriages and other behaviors.

So what is the meaning of life? To me the question is why do you think life shpould have a meaning?

37

Would you mind restating this in the form of a coherent sentence?

38

I’ve never heard the “memories” thing, either. I’d probably turn down the “one month in heaven” offer, too. What would be the point, if I didn’t remember it afterwards?

You don’t find being nice to people pleasurable? I sure do. I like it when I make people happier. It gives me a good feeling inside. Even if it didn’t, though, it would still make sense to be nice to people, because nice people tend to be treated well in turn, while assholes tend to be treated like assholes. And it’s no fun being treated like an asshole.

As for the meaning of life is, it’s whatever you want it to be. Me, I think, “Be nice,” is a pretty good goal to strive for. Nothing grand, but it gets you through the day.

39

They probably weren’t true Scotsmen, either.

A Christian is someone who says he’s a Christian. And the Catholic church isn’t noticeably any more evil than any other branch of it. As for Christ, he’s irrelevant except as the one who started the ball rolling; he has as much to do with Christianity as Mickey Mouse has to do with running Disney.

Hardly; religion has caused far more evil than good.

40

The meaning of life cannot be accessed or understood by mere mortals, even Christians. It is pure hubris to believe that Christians have an inside line on it.

The meaning of life, your life, will come to you in the last moment of life, as your breath, soul, spirit, lifeforce, consciousness, last firing synapse, whatever you wish to call it, expires or transmigrates. For this reason, I feel, it is wrong to hurry or assist in any speeding of the death of another. I agree with not prolonging life unnecessarily, if so requested, but nothing more.

Left to die ‘naturally’, clarity will come, the meaning of your life will reconcile in those last moments. Persons who linger, near death, are working shit out and should never be rushed. Your greatest moment of clarity is your last. That’s what I believe.