Discussions

Dictate's you don't believe in anything till theirs proof, until then "I don't know" is the proper answer to whether there's a god, what other things in your life do you hold to the standard, Ill believe it till its proven wrong, Id like to hear that, I have a bridge for sale, trust me.

Atheism does not teach anything its a simple, I don't know if a god exists, and wont believe till its proven because, I don't know if god exists, and neither do you, you straw manning atheism.

yup...guess I need a life. But it is an important question that has been asked in the earliest of literatures. I'd like to leave religion out of this question because...really...religion was created by man to control the masses and has supported hatred and intolerance down the ages. Do we really know there is a God of any shape or form? No we don't. So what do we know.  
A baby is born with specific skills to survive eating, sleeping and pooping. As they grow the body develops taking in a massive amount of information from the culture into which they were born. As they grow they develop learned behaviors from those who care for them. Each of us has our own unique set of life experiences from adversity to prosperity, the good and the bad. This shapes us into the person we are today. With that experience we make choices in life. Those choices may be good or bad for us, good or bad for society in general. We are all human and that means living is like taking a shot in the dark. We do the best we can given the circumstances. But were is there purpose? There is purpose in living a good life. A life where you show tolerance and acceptance of your fellow person's beliefs, forgiveness for yourself and others because we are all human. I like to think we are all blessed with a special skill. A skill that our purpose is to find that skill and develop it. That skill may be as simple as being a good person who does not judge others for their differences, lends a hand in the community and has the courage to stand up for each person's right to be treated with respect and dignity. The skill may be a talent in music, speaking or some form of artistry where we add beauty and culture locally or on a grand scale.  
IMO a true purpose in life is to become the best person you can be.

I believe we are still animals, with primal urges. Sure our brains are more developed than our cousins but that may be more of a detriment than anything. We have destroyed the planet and are driven by made up dollars. some still believe there is a mythical being watching over over us and that wrong doings are erased with whispering to the ceiling.  
I would actually love to be a gorilla.

We are indeed, only human. We've developed software and technology that is miles ahead of human cognitive ability, but we still collectively possess all the quirks of humanity. One of which is a deep-seated bias that is often not even recognized. Considering the software in the membrane. . . not too surprising.  
Good luck convincing people though.  
 
Some may see that as a bit of an SJW-tinged statement. Guilty! I'm not as afraid of the term as I was 4 years ago. But a more interesting application of the process for me is in the world of AI and algorithms.  
 
In the past, anywhere from job interviews to juries and judges, it was to be assumed that bias wasn't considered. Yeah. . . good luck with that. If a jury holding my life in the balance was to be selected from this town, I would hope they didn't have a presence here or read the local paper. Considering my side of the amber alert conversation of a couple of weeks ago.  
 
Normally, none of this stuff sees the light of day because, why would it? Which is what makes AI fascinating. It's hard to ignore when a technology everyone is already on edge about starts spiriting out racist, sexist or otherwise biased data. It forces one to ask "why?".  
 
Unfortunately, I have yet to see the media look to inputs. Your picture is only as good as your data. Garbage in, garbage out.  
 
And since atheism has become embedded here as well. . .  
 
It's a bit of a negative word for me.  
 
I realized I was a non-believer back in high school, discovering the word for it 6 months later. In my late teens the too early 20s, I embraced the label openly. Deciding it not necessary to self-censor when religious family felt a need to keep pelting me with religiously oriented nonsense by email.  
 
I've always been open to other people's labels (agnostic, deist, etc). But it wasn't until around 4 years ago that I realized how intolerant a seeming majority of the online conversing atheist community was too any secular label other than an atheist. Some going as far as calling people with other self-identifiers as "atheists in denial". NOT a great use of one of the worlds fastest growing mixed cohorts.  
 
Which is partly why I've personally started off on a mission to upend the idiotic NU-definition of atheism. .lacking a belief in a God or gods.  
 
I start by dropping the gods in favor of deities. Since our world encompasses more than just the west.  
And I follow with, losing the "lacking belief" part. A definition that allows some to argue anything from babies, cats, and shoes are "Atheist".  
 
Atheists do not LACK belief. They made a choice. The can of monster energy drink next to me clearly is lacking cyanide. I, however, am not lacking belief in a deity or deities.  
 
Which I suppose brings me to my nu found purposes of existence:  
 
1. ) stop atheists from being so annoyingly self-defeating  
 
2.) Helping push the world to a more bias-free AI driven paradigm  
 
Not at all an uphill struggle.

Oh my, did I ever ask the same questions when I was in my 30's!  
I had such a profound epiphany that I would never be able to explain to people viewing my message here! I used to fear everything. I was depressed thinking this life was such an combination of random events that were a vain means to and end.  
 
One day, I saw that everything that existed has some kind of conformity and purpose. That creation was more than a random explosion in the universe because so many things are too intricate and beautiful for words!  
In my search, I began to read the Holy s:criptures, first as a history book, then seeking the deeper meaning, it led me to believe more and more in an Intelligent Designer.  
Now I see to know Gods' purpose for my life. It's profound once I stopped to listen to the little voice inside. How I feared everything in life: People, traffic, disease, animals, germs, evil, (all the dangers of leaving my home), and more.  
 
I have no more fear or worry or doubt about my future. Can't really tell you how I know that your life has a profound purpose. I guess when I was at my lowest point in my life, I prayed ..." God if you exist, then _______". When I saw my prayer answered...(a prayer that was so profoundly impossible for any HUMAN to answer), I was convinced that I was LOVED and my life had meaning and purpose.  
 
Everyone has a different prayer after the word "then".  
 
I also met Him. (God and Christ). I know it's hard to fathom. But its just a share. Doubt I can convince you, but hope you seek out your way as I did.  
 
Furthermore, I am not a "religious" person. Never have been. I like science. I guess that is where it all began, with me studying the universe. I had to succumb to faith. That took my fears. It was too overwhelming to ignore.  
 
...embrace life. It's all good. If you want to talk, no problem. I am always open for a chat via private msg.  
 
Hope y'all don't mind my sharing.  
 
~send with love.

Unfortunately, we only have two basic options:  
1. Everything came from nothing and no one designed it.  
2. Everything came from nothing and someone designed it.  
 
Both opinions require faith. I have never seen God, but I have also never seen something appear from nothing.  
 
We sit looking at ebrandon while 37.2 Trillion cells function in unison inside our bodies (Smithsonian.com). I would need much more faith to believe this complexity was unintentional.  
 
To the original poster, it seems that you are understandably concerned with the suffering in this world, maybe you have a hard time understanding that a God could let horrific crimes happen (you mention murder, rape, innocent children being hurt). I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this too. In your opinion, how should the world be different? Do you imagine some kind of limit to the evil that humans can inflict on each other that God should impose? Should we all live until we are exactly 100? Without sickness, suffering, environmental instability or even a stubbed toe? How could God impose limits without imposing on free will?

Thank you for your reply Pray it Forward. Very well said

Is nothing even possible? nobody knows what was here before the big bang, they have some guesses, but to assume nothing was here before, and there is something now, when we don't even know what that nothing would be or is, as we are now surrounded with stuff now every where,even the vast outer space a hard vacuum is made of something, so it would be safe to assume we are made from what ever was here before the big bang.

>: Says atheists are wrong in their atheism, and re-labels the word even though almost every dictionary source says otherwise.  
 
>:Declares "purpose of existence" to stop "annoying" atheists from being "self-defeating"  
 
>:Claims atheists are the intolerant ones.  
 
>:Wants to promote "bias-free" paradigm  
 
makes sense..

Makes perfect sense. Glad you only focused in on the atheism part. And missed the whole point.  
 
Edited by Simonwalcal, 2019-03-07 08:15:37

There was a point in that word-salad?  
 
You disparage an entire segment of the population, with what is at best, a ridiculous straw-man.  
 
I responded to the part of your post I was interested in, because frankly, the rest just sounds like it belongs in /r/iamverysmart.

Atheists are a unique bunch. So they love to tell me all the time. In that sense, the argument may well be viewed as a strawman argument.  
 
Whoda think it. . . out comes the logical fallacy handbook of handy dandy comebacks.  
 
Having said that, this type of atheist DOES exist. I've even seen the phenomenon mentioned a few times before in this very thread. It's something I highlight and detest and try to fix because, frankly, it's what's holding the whole movement back. The seemingly unexamined notion that the cure to religiosity is a new form of group think.

Really, my purpose to being is validated more each time I read something like the above post. Maybe it is really just survival of the fittest.

No purpose. Enjoy your life loving the people around you. Enjoying time spent playing games, sports, creating, building, teaching, helping, inventing....etc.  
 
Life is yours to make, sometimes you get a bad start but you end up realizing it is yours to build. Once you come to the realization of what makes you happy and content you become complete and just enjoy your days here.  
 
As for god, sure why not? I don't believe in a god. I believe in myself and the people around me. If I don't pray or believe and there is a god and he created all of this and we are his children why does he need our belief? I myself don't demand belief from others. If I had the power to be your god I sure wouldn't demand your belief. Why pray to him? Those are control mechanisms of days past. Ways to differentiate religions to call it your own because humans have always think their idea is the better one....why not a better religion?  
 
Religion is not bad, it helps countless people through life, it serves a purpose, makes people happy, its of their free will, etc, etc.  
 
i used to think people were foolish to believe in a god, silly young ideas. Growing up you learn more about life as you get married and have kids...you change. Now I don't devalue anyone for their beliefs, just try to understand it if you want and get along. People are important, they come first not god, religion, who is right or wrong, etc...people.  
 
Life is fun and I can't wait to see whats coming up next!  
 
 
Mind warp: Imagine what other intelligent life out in the stars believe in. Did they have this same discussion millions of years ago 500 million miles away? Or will they have the same conversation in 20 millions years on this same planet and its the next iteration of life on planet Earth. We are but a spec of sand on the beach the size of the Sun. But the beach contains billions of specs of sand...each an earth? Solar system?  
 
Its fun to think of the vastness of everything, what was before and what will come. Life is great! LOL

There doesn't always have to be a purpose in everything, but you can always find a purpose in anything.  
I have learned to just take life one day at a time, as tomorrow is a gift, it is not promised, so I strive to do what I can for whoever I can each day.  
Mistakes may be made, errors can be corrected, and hope is always free.  
The end of our lives are far too often spent alone and in regret, so make what you do until then enjoyable.

Your purpose is what you make it. Enjoy your own personal journey through life. You only get so much time.

My kids, all that matters!! To guide them through life’s journey the good and bad!!