Life is meaningless for Christians?

[Astreja]

And, at age 60, you're beautiful.  Please accept this observation as simply being factual.

*curtsy* Tank ewe!

[Harry Nevis]

No endgame required.  I don't care if my life has some overarching purpose; it's more important that my actions have purposes, plural.


Not interested in living out an alleged purpose assigned to me by a fictional entity.  You, sirrah, do not get to dictate my meaning.

All is vanity.

Except for you, where it is vanity and stupidity.

[JackRussell]

I'm quite happy as a bloke to call myself a feminist.

Here we have all sorts of epithets for females, In Sussex it's often 'my love', it can be innocuous, but usage and context are critical.

On an internet forum I try to steer well clear of language like this, it's too sloppy and culturally confusing. Sweetie can clearly be seen as diminutive and condescending, and making a point of gender is, well, odd.

But then I am mansplaining!!

[henryp]

All is vanity.

I'm not dictating anything sweetie, I'm simply stating fact. Everything you do, I don't care how important you believe it to be, means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Thanks for reinforcing what I linked to in my OP.  Just sick, absolutely sick.  And, that's the way that I used to think about things and life, just like you do.  But, this is it bud, and so, make the most out of life now, because when you are dead and done, you are nothing but useless energy.

And, it's not a "fact" (what you state) but a myth and a poor one at that.

If doing something in preparation for the afterlife pushes the button to release the 'meaning' juice physiologically, how is that different than your physical reaction to whatever you find meaningful.  You both experience the same thing.  

Nothing is actually meaningful.  It's just some chemicals being released (or whatever the physiological details are).  The actions themselves carry no importance.  Only the body's reaction to them.  Whether you're not eating mean on Friday, or giving money to some homeless guy, if it triggers the reaction, it triggers the reaction.  The action itself, and any rationalization is irrelevant in regards to experiencing 'meaning'.  

The Matrix guy nails it.  The guy knows he's not eating steak.  He knows the world isn't real.  But it's not about the reality of the world, it's about the physiological experience.

[Astreja]

I view "sweetie" as diminutive, condescending and presumptuous, implying a familiarity that usually does not exist. I don't think I've even used it in addressing a small child, and I would certainly not inflict it upon an adult of either gender.

[The Grand Nudger]

If doing something in preparation for the afterlife pushes the button to release the 'meaning' juice physiologically, how is that different than your physical reaction to whatever you find meaningful.  You both experience the same thing.  

I don't recall anyone ever claiming that a christer wasn't wrong..and that the meaning they think originates from the divine is, more accurately, coming from them in this life.  

As a physiological effect, it isn't any different...but that's something that you should probably be explaining to a believer, not an atheist...and has nothing whatsoever to do with the point of contention between the two povs.

Nothing is actually meaningful.  It's just some chemicals being released (or whatever the physiological details are).  The actions themselves carry no importance.  Only the body's reaction to them.  Whether you're not eating mean on Friday, or giving money to some homeless guy, if it triggers the reaction, it triggers the reaction.  The action itself, and any rationalization is irrelevant in regards to experiencing 'meaning'.  

If meaning exists as a physiological effect, then meaning exists.  QED.  

The Matrix guy nails it.  The guy knows he's not eating steak.  He knows the world isn't real.  But it's not about the reality of the world, it's about the physiological experience.

Semantics bore you, do they?

[Jehanne]

Thanks for reinforcing what I linked to in my OP.  Just sick, absolutely sick.  And, that's the way that I used to think about things and life, just like you do.  But, this is it bud, and so, make the most out of life now, because when you are dead and done, you are nothing but useless energy.

And, it's not a "fact" (what you state) but a myth and a poor one at that.

If doing something in preparation for the afterlife pushes the button to release the 'meaning' juice physiologically, how is that different than your physical reaction to whatever you find meaningful.  You both experience the same thing.  

Nothing is actually meaningful.  It's just some chemicals being released (or whatever the physiological details are).  The actions themselves carry no importance.  Only the body's reaction to them.  Whether you're not eating mean on Friday, or giving money to some homeless guy, if it triggers the reaction, it triggers the reaction.  The action itself, and any rationalization is irrelevant in regards to experiencing 'meaning'.  

The Matrix guy nails it.  The guy knows he's not eating steak.  He knows the world isn't real.  But it's not about the reality of the world, it's about the physiological experience.

Religion can be abusive; that's what makes it so harmful.  I used to suffer night terrors about dying and going to eternal Hell, beginning around age 12, which were not even alleviated until long after I had become an atheist and had publicly renounced my Christian faith around age 14.  In my case, I think my childhood church was guilty of mental and emotional abuse of a child, me.

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I view "sweetie" as diminutive, condescending and presumptuous, implying a familiarity that usually does not exist.  I don't think I've even used it in addressing a small child, and I would certainly not inflict it upon an adult of either gender.

He was being condescending, no doubt about that.  However, when I go 60 miles south of where I live (east central Iowa), people start using the words, "Honey" and "Dear" quite a bit, although, "Sweetie" is rarely heard, except for children.

[henryp]

If doing something in preparation for the afterlife pushes the button to release the 'meaning' juice physiologically, how is that different than your physical reaction to whatever you find meaningful.  You both experience the same thing.  

Nothing is actually meaningful.  It's just some chemicals being released (or whatever the physiological details are).  The actions themselves carry no importance.  Only the body's reaction to them.  Whether you're not eating mean on Friday, or giving money to some homeless guy, if it triggers the reaction, it triggers the reaction.  The action itself, and any rationalization is irrelevant in regards to experiencing 'meaning'.  

The Matrix guy nails it.  The guy knows he's not eating steak.  He knows the world isn't real.  But it's not about the reality of the world, it's about the physiological experience.

Religion can be abusive; that's what makes it so harmful.  I used to suffer night terrors about dying and going to eternal Hell, beginning around age 12, which were not even alleviated until long after I had become an atheist and had publicly renounced my Christian faith around age 14.  In my case, I think my childhood church was guilty of mental and emotional abuse of a child, me.

Sure.  Personally, I think being able to replace the 'meaning' religion gives you with a new pretend 'meaning' with less negative side effects, if you can pull it off, is probably the way to go.  But it's tricky business.  It's harder to use non-religious 'meaning' as a crutch, I think.  From observation, I think christian brainwashing really starts paying off when you hit your 30's.  From 3 to the early 20's, it's not so great.

[The Grand Nudger]

@Jeh "60 miles south"

-and you're never going to get a straight answer from us as to how we meant it, bless your hearts.   

[Jehanne]

Religion can be abusive; that's what makes it so harmful.  I used to suffer night terrors about dying and going to eternal Hell, beginning around age 12, which were not even alleviated until long after I had become an atheist and had publicly renounced my Christian faith around age 14.  In my case, I think my childhood church was guilty of mental and emotional abuse of a child, me.

Sure.  Personally, I think being able to replace the 'meaning' religion gives you with a new pretend 'meaning' with less negative side effects, if you can pull it off, is probably the way to go.  But it's tricky business.  It's harder to use non-religious 'meaning' as a crutch, I think.  From observation, I think christian brainwashing really starts paying off when you hit your 30's.  From 3 to the early 20's, it's not so great.

Some will continue to say, however, that the (religious) Lite Beer is not as good as the regular stuff.