My theistic friends have a hard time with the concept of creating your own purpose. I don't know why they struggle with it, since I find it so simple.

The issue is that theists seem to equate atheism with nihilism. Nihilists may believe there's no purpose to life. That's their issue, not mine. I create my own purpose.

Pascal's Wager is the most inane justification for belief for so many reasons. I fails on all levels.

(June 22, 2012 at 2:15 am)hoppimike Wrote: Does this bug anyone else?

"Oh an ATHEIST... isn't your life just meaningless then?"

or

"You may as well just believe or you might end up in Hell! There's no advantage to being an atheist."


etc etc!

What people don't seem to get is that yes atheism IMO can be scary with regards to afterlife or lack thereof but that doesn't mean it doesn't have advantages. How about getting your Sundays back? How about a life without rule and without possible delusion? Isn't that worth something?

Sorry, mini-rant! haha

Mike ^^

Yea that one pisses me off too. Ultimately our lives are meaningless over billions of years and we will go extinct and our planet will die too. But it is utter bullshit that we cannot enjoy the time we have, do good, and help others.

MacBeth act 5 scene 5, "flurry of activity signifying nothing". Shakespeare didn't know scientifically why that was so true, but it was obvious. Everything dies.

Here is how you can counter that. Ask them if they have gone to a movie, concert or sporting event. They will say yes. Ask them if they would not go because they know those things end? Of course they would still go.

---

(June 22, 2012 at 3:50 pm)apophenia Wrote:

What is wrong with hating bad claims? If you had a friend who believed the earth was flat, you might like them, but you would still hate the claim.

If someone wants to get their rocks off with a social club, that is a human right people should have. But they should never pretend it should get a taboo.

It is a BAD claim and a complete and total naked assertion that a disembodied brain with magic super powers exists. Gods are human inventions and mere projections of their own desires.

(June 22, 2012 at 3:54 pm)Brian37 Wrote: Yea that one pisses me off too. Ultimately our lives are meaningless over billions of years and we will go extinct and our planet will die too. But it is utter bullshit that we cannot enjoy the time we have, do good, and help others.

MacBeth act 5 scene 5, "flurry of activity signifying nothing". Shakespeare didn't know scientifically why that was so true, but it was obvious. Everything dies.

Here is how you can counter that. Ask them if they have gone to a movie, concert or sporting event. They will say yes. Ask them if they would not go because they know those things end? Of course they would still go.

VERY well said!!

I agree. Life is enjoyable regardless of the one after it or if there is one after it, and I think one of the best pro-atheism arguments is the pursuit of true freedom