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As An Atheist Can Your Life Have Purpose and Meaning?

I was wondering what other people thought about this.

I realize we weren't born with a purpose. No creator or "higher calling".

But as a non believer can your life have meaning and purpose without god?

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Chang on March 8, 2013 at 8:23pm

Despite stabilizing conditions, facts remain that we are past peak oil production, water shortages remain a problem, as well as loss of animal and plant habitat due to deforestation -- and this is true even if the population peaks out at 10 billion according to UN "medium" estimates. Pollution declines as government regulations improve. Super bugs (viruses) are a function of threshold host density. Global warming is not simply a small rise in temperature, but major ecological changes that may cause drought or flooding depending on the area. The largest factors for population growth decline are either linked to economic decline or HIV.

I'm not going to be an overpopulation alarmist, but if you think we could just solve all this through production as described in free market Capitalist theory, you've been eating Soylent Green for far too long.

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Permalink Reply by Secular Forces 2013 on March 8, 2013 at 7:14pm

as a corrupt sob w/faith as cover for drug dealing and general bad shit...
is there a moral and ethical reason to your.. standards? (directed towards the vatican hacks...)
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/03/08/atheist-cop-sues-after-being-...

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Permalink Reply by Steph S. on March 9, 2013 at 9:22pm

Thanks for the link Jim - will check it out.

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Permalink Reply by EJN on March 10, 2013 at 4:47pm

Marc D comments below the article, "If that's how they treat an atheist cop I'd hate to see what happens to an atheist suspect."

Damn good point.

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Permalink Reply by GOD'aye on March 10, 2013 at 6:11pm

Not completely Dogly, Super-Bugs are a result of a combination of multiple hosts (over population) and poor behavior of hosts and doctors when it comes to use of and dispensing antibiotics or vaccines.

If doctors only dispensed antibiotics when totally necessary and hosts used them properly, likely super-bugs would not have arisen. Same with vaccines, if everybody was vaccinated instead of groups deliberately avoiding vaccination for religious reasons or fear of what false conspiracy theory tabloids reported.

Likely many crippling diseases like TB, polio and measles would not be coming back with a vengeance.

So even religion (god will cure it or vaccines are against god's way) has a role to answer for in creating super-bugs.

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Permalink Reply by TNT666 on March 10, 2013 at 7:55pm

McGill University concluded last year after studying a couple of those hospital bugs that the biggest culprit in hospital superbug transmission is high pressure water taps. These commercial oxygenated high pressure taps are installed more and in most commercial buildings. So McGill University is going to work on replacing all their faucets and increasing the ratio of bathrooms to paptients, in order to reduce transmission.
Other superbugs are direct consequences of GMO and synthetic pesticides. There are many causes. But each and every one of the multiple causes is compounded by population density and secondly, not to be forgotten, building insulation. As modern H.sapiens with modern homes, those of us living in colder climes are experiencing an onslaught of diseases which are related to our filthy indoor air conditions. We are animals, we need clean circulating air... but somewhere along the religious pathway of dominion over nature and separation of human from the "evil animals", that was forgotten.

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Permalink Reply by GOD'aye on March 10, 2013 at 8:29pm

Yes TNT, insulation poses lots of issues, from asbestos fibers on early insulators to trapped debris which harbors bacteria, allergens and mold, all detrimental to human health.

Also many roof insulations techniques trap dust and debris, to become a fire hazard in itself, even though the fiberglass or wool insulation itself is reasonably fire resistant.

Such is one of many hazards humans have created for themselves.

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Permalink Reply by Dogly on March 10, 2013 at 8:29pm

Sadly, I am VERY familiar with super bugs. MRSA in particular. A major reason for these super bacteria is the overuse, as a food additive, in raising factory farmed animals. The conditions in these massive concentration camps is so filthy, the air so rich with ammonia fumes and the stench of feces, and the crowding so extreme, that these animals require constant antibiotics. The drugs also speed growth.

Then, a careless attitude toward cleanliness and hand washing, filthy hospital room walls, the curtains around each bed, and medical instruments, like blood pressure cuffs and stethescopes, all contribute. The hospitals have policies in place to reduce their liabililty in deaths resulting from their active transmission of these bugs. They test entering patients, to prove they already were infected. They NEVER test patients leaving the hospital. Why? Because, that would show they caught the infections while in the hospital.

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Permalink Reply by Dogly on March 10, 2013 at 8:31pm

Oh, I forgot. It is because of our over-population that we raise animals in this unhealthy, unethical way.

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Permalink Reply by TNT666 on March 10, 2013 at 8:36pm

Which is why I got irritated when a certain person came around with their high and mighty talk of purpose is to "do good", when the definition of "good" is so entirely subjective. And what is "good" for the few is deleterious for so many.

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Permalink Reply by Steph S. on March 10, 2013 at 9:47pm

TNT666 - you are so wonderful. Thanks very much. I agree that good is subjective. In fact there could be a discussion on exactly what the meaning of "good" is. Many thanks for your intelligent responses. Appreciate it.