Why live at all?

[ToddNotTodd]

I am trying to show them that life is meaningless if God does not exist. If I stunned you by my "attitude" then I apologize. I don't understand what part of my reply came across as having an attitude to you. I was just stating my beliefs. I have the freedom to do that!

Life isn't meaningless to me, and I'm an atheist. What do you say about that?

 

[Asvin]

ROFLOL.

Anyone who questions you is a 'hater' apparently.

Glad I made you laugh!

You accused me of being obsessed shooting legs. You assumed too much from too little. Notice how others questioned me as well, but I never called them a "hater." Capisce?

 

[Asvin]

Life isn't meaningless to me, and I'm an atheist. What do you say about that?

I say congratulations!

 

[bhsmte]

I say congratulations!

Do you honestly struggle to understand why a non-believer would have motivation to struggle through suffering and live the best life they can?

If so, you need to do some basic reading on human psychology.

 

[Asvin]

That's a fallacy on many levels. You assume that:

1) God's existence creates meaning.

2) God's nonexistence eliminates meaning.

On one, why does having God create meaning? Because God says so?

On two, why can't we look elsewhere for meaning? Why is eternal life dependent upon a deity existing?

Also, if you want to challenge people's views, fine. But I'll challenge yours in return.

Prove the existence of God.

God's existence provides eternal meaning. Eternal meaning is greater than temporary or finite meaning. You can find meaning in whatever you want, but ultimately God provides the ultimate meaning!

 

[essentialsaltes]

Looks like you all have the secret to the perfect life. I don't think you understand what non-existence truly means. Lacking ANY experience should be preferred to experiencing at least one moment of genuine suffering.

This is like saying that lacking any investments should be preferred to experiencing (or even the potential of experiencing) at least one loss on the stock market. Financial planners would disagree.

 

[Chany]

God's existence provides eternal meaning. Eternal meaning is greater than temporary or finite meaning. You can find meaning in whatever you want, but ultimately God provides the ultimate meaning!

How does God's existence provide meaning, especially for a finite cause such as myself? What is the meaning of God's existence?

 

[variant]

Looks like you all have the secret to the perfect life. I don't think you understand what non-existence truly means.

I have billions of years of non-experience in non-existence, and yet here I am saying I prefer life, go figure.

Lacking ANY experience should be preferred to experiencing at least one moment of genuine suffering. Why get shot in the leg when you have the option to avoid it?

If you genuinely desire to avoid suffering this much it seems a bit over the top and absurd.

The hope for a future good is only favorable if, at the end of life, you have something to do with it. For the Christian, God will use our actions, good and bad, for the benefit of others and ourselves. However, if it all ends at the grave, then why bother? Afraid of death perhaps?

Which is the psychology I was talking about earlier, it's easy to delude yourself into thinking your pain has meaning that it does not.

We can call this egocentric, that your pain is important regardless of what caused it. Pain like other things is only contextually important.

 

[Hetta]

Glad I made you laugh!

You accused me of being obsessed shooting legs. You assumed too much from too little. Notice how others questioned me as well, but I never called them a "hater." Capisce?

You mentioned people being shot in the leg twice. Seems a little strange to me. Enjoy your hostility. I'm sure it makes for a very happy life.

 

[Asvin]

You mentioned people being shot in the leg twice. Seems a little strange to me. Enjoy your hostility. I'm sure it makes for a very happy life.

Was just using it as an example. Only you seemed to take offense at it. Being a bit too judgmental, aren't we?

 

[Asvin]

Do you honestly struggle to understand why a non-believer would have motivation to struggle through suffering and live the best life they can?

If so, you need to do some basic reading on human psychology.

The motivation is too narrow minded is what I am trying to convince people here.

 

[bhsmte]

The motivation is too narrow minded is what I am trying to convince people here.

How do you come to that conclusion, based on what evidence?

 

[Asvin]

How do you come to that conclusion, based on what evidence?

There is no eternal significance for your actions. It may end up helping someone for some while, but it won't last if God does not exist.

 

[Chany]

There is no eternal significance for your actions. It may end up helping someone for some while, but it won't last if God does not exist.

How does eternity automatically equate to significance?

 

[Asvin]

How does eternity automatically equate to significance?

If God exists, he can order the world in such a way that the maximum number of people will benefit from the actions of others. Hence, the eternal significance.

 

[bhsmte]

There is no eternal significance for your actions. It may end up helping someone for some while, but it won't last if God does not exist.

Again, you are basing this opinion on what exactly?

 

[Chany]

If God exists, he can order the world in such a way that the maximum number of people will benefit from the actions of others. Hence, the eternal significance.

I didn't talk about God, I said eternity. It is possible that something can be eternal without God.

Also, I don't see how the conclusion follows from the premise.

First, it is clearly not the case that in our reality that the world is ordered that way.

Second, how does the fact that actions are maximized under your model make eternity significant?

You also never answered why God saying something has meaning makes it have meaning or why God has meaning.

 

[leftrightleftrightleft]

Why make the most of it when it includes suffering? Isn't no suffering better than any?

Your responses repeatedly indicate that you fail to acknowledge the good in the world.

Suffering is relative. The way we judge good and bad in our lives is entirely dependent on our attitude. Often, much good can come from suffering while much bad can come from lack of suffering. If you never suffer, you are never challenged to grow and mature and become wiser.

Death will come. But if your attitude is correct, then the good in your life can always outweigh the bad.

 

[Davian]

How is living better than the alternative if you suffer at least once in your life?

Putting words together, and sticking a question mark at the end of it, does not automatically make for a valid question.

Do you not want to avoid suffering? Avoid any instance of pain or sorrow?

Yes, I would like to avoid suffering. What makes you think I wouldn't?

Why then would you not choose non-existence?

For the most part, it would appear to be an inherited biological imperative to maintain my existence as long as practical. From an evolutionary perspective, those individual critters that lacked this imperative did not fare as well as those that did have it, and they did not become our ancestors.

I continue living because God has made me for a reason. He has given me a goal in life and I realize what that goal is. What type of high risk activity that benefits society do you have in mind? Just curious!

There are lots of things that need testing, and while crash-test dummies and the like can give us good data, there is nothing like using a real live human as a test subject to really test things out. I was thinking seat belts, air bags, fall/climbing harnesses; experimental surgery is just one of the better ones.

In a sentence, what is this "goal" of yours?

 

[Davian]

Do you realize that Christians don't purposely seek to end this life just so that they can get to the infinitely better afterlife? Purposely taking one's life or jeopardizing it will not be looked upon favorably by God.

Do you cross the street? Drive a car? Live in a city and breathe in all that pollution? Why jeopardize your life in this way?