What Does Atheism Profit Atheists?

[MehGuy]

A sense of meaning is nothing more than a sense of imagination.

How is it a sense of imagination?

Some people do fall in a nihilistic spunk, but most people are not hardwired to maintain that for the long term and a sense of meaning just creeps back up. Lol.

 

[just a believing guy]

You people? I'm an atheist and I don't think I have an authoritative stance. I realize the universe is a cold sandbox. Personally for me, the idea of that is exciting.

Maybe sometimes depressing, but even that is romantic to me in a sense. Lol.



The here and now counts..

We have evolved complex emotions and drives, including a sense of meaning. This stuff exists whether or not we're mortal or not, or even if it's not objective.

How nice and romantic atheism was...

''I don't'', ''universe'', ''cold sandbox (you could add ''for my smelly cat'') '', ''exiting'', ''maybe sometimes'', ''the here and now'', ''complex emotions and drives'', ''sense of meaning'', ''the stuff'', ''whether or not''...

I bet it's so easy to be atheist that you could write a song about it. Like Phoebe from ''Friends''.

 

[Strathos]

Why are you so obsessed with atheists?

 

[quatona]

Says common sense and every atheist I've met.



Maybe we should set up a thread where atheists vacuously and unintelligibly deny everything that theists say about them. Oh wait, we have many of those.

Can you spot the contradiction between those two statements of yours?

Says common sense

Your common sense isn´t the appropriate tool to determine what I do or don´t believe. The apppropriate tool is to ask and listen.

and every atheist I've met.

I tell you I don´t. Don´t forget to add that to your track record.
On another note, I could show you countless posts where atheists tell you that they don´t. But you have already conceded that in your second paragraph....

 

[quatona]

I never go onto atheist websites and tell them anything. And probably a lot of them never go onto Christian sites.

Well, both of are obviously on a forum created for the interaction between Christians and non-Christians.

 

[quatona]

Why are you so obsessed with atheists?

It´s his way of dealing with his own doubts.

 

[section9+1]

Meh-
People arrive at meaning because there truly is meaning. Just not the way you are approaching it. People always make judgements because there truly are judgements to be made. Your stance is a contradiction. All you have is nihilism. Without an outside source of our morality, morality is only a product of ourselves and that can vary tremendously and have equal validity regardless of what it is. There is no authoritative meaning or truth simply within ourselves.

 

[quatona]

Meh-
People arrive at meaning because there truly is meaning.

Because you say so?

Just not the way you are approaching it. People always make judgements because there truly are judgements to be made.

Because you say so?

Your stance is a contradiction.

Not sure whom you are talking to here...but feel free to point out the contradiction.

All you have is nihilism.

Errr, no.

Without an outside source of our morality, morality is only a product of ourselves and that can vary tremendously and have equal validity regardless of what it is. There is no authoritative meaning or truth simply within ourselves.

Indeed. This morality (as a product of ourselves) can be demonstrated to exist.
Now, if you postulate that, on top of this morality, there is some other morality produced by authoritative source, go ahead and demonstrate it. It might come in handy, after all.

 

[section9+1]

Your stance is a contradiction because from your perspective, you are attaching meaning and importance to yourself when there isn't any. You are of no more significance than the ants I run over in my driveway all summer long regardless of how much they may think differently. That's coming from your perspective only,-not mine. You cannot generate self-worth out of nothing. You are nothing but a collection of cells and chemicals that somehow thinks it means something.

 

[quatona]

Your stance is a contradiction because from your perspective, you are attaching meaning and importance to yourself when there isn't any.

That´s not a contradiction.

You are of no more significance than the ants I run over in my driveway all summer long regardless of how much they may think differently.

Of no more significance to you?

That's coming from your perspective only,-not mine.

No, it´s you superimposing your ideas upon my statements.

You cannot generate self-worth out of nothing.

Nothing?

You are nothing but a collection of cells and chemicals that somehow thinks it means something.

That may be your opinion - but abstain from picturing it as being mine. Thank you.

 

[Freodin]

Your stance is a contradiction because from your perspective, you are attaching meaning and importance to yourself when there isn't any. You are of no more significance than the ants I run over in my driveway all summer long regardless of how much they may think differently. That's coming from your perspective only,-not mine. You cannot generate self-worth out of nothing. You are nothing but a collection of cells and chemicals that somehow thinks it means something.

And thinking that it means something means that it does mean something. That is what "meaning" is... it is attributed to something by a thinking being.

Either you deny that... and than you are simply a meaningless "collection of cells and chemicals"... or you have someone (in your case: a deity) attribute meaning to something.

 

[section9+1]

Of course you think differently because you are also very good at lying to yourself. You are arguing with yourself. You are trying to refute yourself. You are insisting on meaning that has no authoritative source. You are nothing.

 

[quatona]

Recently I notice an ever increasing number of Christians here trying to tell me what my opinion is. What´s up with that?

 

[section9+1]

There are other thinking beings out there that believe it is entirely meaningful to chop your head off. Is their meaning any less so than yours?

 

[quatona]

There are other thinking beings out there that believe it is entirely meaningful to chop your head off. Is their meaning any less so than yours?

I think that chopping off heads is extremely meaningful. Even more so when it´s about chopping my head off.

 

[Freodin]

Of course you think differently because you are also very good at lying to yourself. You are arguing with yourself. You are trying to refute yourself. You are insisting on meaning that has no authoritative source. You are nothing.

The first rule of every ridiculous cult ever invented by power-crazy human beings: convince others that they are "nothing", and tell them they will only be something if they bow to your authority.

 

[Freodin]

There are other thinking beings out there that believe it is entirely meaningful to chop your head off. Is their meaning any less so than yours?

You might notice that not a few of exactly these other thinking beings claim that this is not a meaning that originates from them, but from a "highest authority".

 

[section9+1]

Who cares where their authority comes from. It's what they believe and it is equally valid with yours. And I have no interest in you bowing to anything. I usually avoid these kinds of conversations since I personally believe that if someone has found the place that makes them happy they can stay there for all I care. Even if it makes them nothing.

 

[quatona]

Who cares where their authority comes from.

Exactly. Look at what you said there.

It's what they believe and it is equally valid with yours.

So your God and their God are "equally valid" (whatever it is you mean when saying "equally valid")?

 

[Freodin]

Who cares where their authority comes from. It's what they believe and it is equally valid with yours. And I have no interest in you bowing to anything. I usually avoid these kinds of conversations since I personally believe that if someone has found the place that makes them happy they can stay there for all I care. Even if it makes them nothing.

Where does your authority come from? Do you even have one? I am not sure.

Perhaps you are the nihilist here, thinking that you are nothing, have no meaning, are like the ants beneath your boots... I don't know. Are you?

Usually, it is the Christians like you who like to proclaim that "the creator gives meaning".

Well, in this case you, and in light of what you said here, you have to admit that the creator gives the meaning of cutting of head to some, which is as valid as any other meaning.

Perhaps it is you who is trying to "refute yourself" here. Does that make you "nothing"?