What meaning does love have to an atheist?

[LastPoet]

Edward: Reputation points should be a hint that: YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG! We have lots of theists around and they have green rep, it doesn't mean they don't express their opinions, it means they actually talk to people around. You, I am sorry to say, are not. And I am not going to point out where you fail, because alot of members have already pointed it out to you. You quote alot of people around but you don't actually adress their points, you create assumptions based solely on the bias of a bad definition on what atheism is, and you extend this error towards science. Do you prefer to get rep from people for beeing a good member, or prefer receiving rep just because its 'polite'? People here at least are honest, and rep points (negative or not) come with a motive that you can check on your profile. Furthermore, rep votes can be changed to positive if one can turn out to change ways and have a serious coversation. Take the hint, although to be honest I really doubt that you will ever do so.

All could be avoided, if on your 2nd or 3rd post you had simply asked "What is atheism?".

[Autumnlicious]

Looks like neg rep is gone now.

[Tiberius]

You all are a bunch of cowards. This guy or gal comes in and asks legitimate questions, and what do we see? Oh big surprise, red reputation points, feigned offense, vulgarity and insults.

Nice list, only you left out the answers that several people gave. Not really a display of "cowardice" really now is it?

You have nothing and you know it. And this is what pisses me off the most about atheists is the cowardice they have of facing the real implications of their philosophy. If there is nothing but matter then love is nothing but matter and that makes it meaningless. It's not even two pigs mating; it's a sick joke.

Why is matter meaningless? Meaning is given to things by people; people are made of matter. Our brains are made of matter; the neurons that fire within them are made of matter. Yet out of all this matter, we are able to generate meaning for things in the universe.

Is meaning objective? No. Is it subjective? Yes. Does meaning being subjective suddenly make it useless? No.

Adrian says understanding this makes it better. What a load of garbage comparing it to computer technology. You sound like someone who's never lost a thing or loved a thing.

I don't give a damn what I sound like. I've lost things...people in fact. I've loved things...people included again. My comparison was a valid one for the purposes of explaining how understanding something can give it more meaning, not less. If you failed to get that, tough.

You all walk around like you have answers to the things that matter most to people and you have nothing postive only doubt and skepticism. Outcasts from the spiritual caste and nothing more; Isn't that right?

Skepticism is positive. Reserving judgement until the evidence points a certain direction is a very good and positive thing indeed. It prevents us from making bad decisions, and it helps to reflect upon your beliefs.

Here let the theist with the worst reputation set the record straight for you:

Ok...and you *aren't* walking around like you have answers to the things that matter most to people? Hypocritical much?

If God is monistic in nature, which I believe He is, then love is a revelation of that unified nature. You feel like you are one with the other person, and in fact, you are. That's why Jesus said love your neighbor as yourself and to love your enemies. I don't think he really expected that to work, I think he wanted us to understand the monistic nature of God through our unity with one another. So, love does matter.

Any evidence of this at all? No? Didn't think so.

You are right though; love does matter. Love *is* matter.

Love is like a computer network--Jesus, give me a break.

If I'd said such a thing you might have good reason to call out to a supernatural entity, but I didn't, so you don't.

[LastPoet]

Looks like neg rep is gone now.

Its his move now

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

As for my arrogance pissing you off. You're arrogant, too.

That's called tu quoque,a common logical fallacy,it does not address my comment,although it implicitly confirms my assessment.

I have never denied being an arrogant and intolerant old fart who does not suffer fools. However, that does not change or justify your behaviour.


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Tu quoque (pronounced /tjuːˈkwoʊkwɛ/,[1] from Latin for "You, too" or "You, also") is a Latin term that describes a kind of logical fallacy. A tu quoque argument attempts to discredit the opponent's position by asserting his failure to act consistently in accordance with that position; it attempts to show that a criticism or objection applies equally to the person making it. It is considered an ad hominem argument, since it focuses on the party itself, rather than its positions.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu_quoque

[Edward the Theist]

Why is matter meaningless? Meaning is given to things by people; people are made of matter. Our brains are made of matter; the neurons that fire within them are made of matter. Yet out of all this matter, we are able to generate meaning for things in the universe.

Are you crazy? Seriously, do you even consider the shit you believe? How can matter make itself matter? It is what it is. You have reduced human beings to rocks, and then you say the rocks through an illusion of consciousness make themeselves matter. A rock cannot love a rock. A human that is nothing more than matter cannot love another human being, not really.

Why don't you be honest? Why don't you, as an atheist at least admit that love is as big an illusion as God? Is it because you want to appear good? You want to be an atheist, but you are unwilling to be an atheist. You want to be a saint, but saints don't existst among rocks.

[TheDarkestOfAngels]

If God does not exist, if there is no eternal spiritual realm beyond the temporal material realm where reason and emotion have their ultimate foundations what meaning does love have? In an atheist worldview where love has no spiritual/non-material foundations what is the difference between the love of a man for his wife and a couple of pigs mating? If love only exists in a material form and is just a series of reactions of chemicals in our brain than what is the difference between a parent's for their child and a junkie getting high?

I can't speak of what love means to other atheists because it is a very personal experience and views on the subject I think vary more on the individual than even the kind of overall worldview of faith or atheism would seem to indicate.
In a more genreal sense, however, I don't understand the necessity of marrying spirituality and love as the two are distinct from one another. I don't understand the necessity of the afterlife implications of having religious faith meaning that love means less to atheists than to theists.
I don't get it at all and if you can explain that to me, then I would appreciate it.
Love to me is that much more special to me - whether it's between me and my lover, my family, or my friends. The fact that there is no afterlife means I need and really should make the most of the life I do have. I should live it free of concern, paranoia, and worry over which afterlife I'm going to have and worry about the here and now aspect of my life. I greatly appreciate the loves I have and lost over my years - my parents - my close friends - and my girlfriends and lovers both past present and future and especially on the day where I can start my own family, because my life on this earth is precious and I'm not going to waste a minute of it worry about whether or not an invisible sky daddy approves of the way I live my life or not.
Life is a very precious thing to me - my own and others - and the people I appreciate the most deserve to have the appreciation they've shown me in the best way I know how to show it.

The one thing I hate about theists and their ideas that god equates to human morality astonishes me greatly because when you come to realize just how small we are in the universe and how quickly each and every one of us will fade out of the grand history of the universe, it can really humble you and make you really understand how important the connections we humans have with one another and how trivial things like money, stuff, and social standing are in the grand scheme of things.

So, I think my life is only made better with the kind of friends and family and support and all the emotions between us can give gives my life far more meaning and it gives me far more happiness in my ongoing pursuit of happiness than just about anything else I'll ever do. That's what love is to me and I could only hope that love will mean the same to my children.

I think it's abominable that anyone that has to be threatened with eternal torture and has to be rewarded with eternal pleasure to behave properly can be properly called a moral person.

That's my take on love, which is by no means complete, but is a decent representative of my overall views.

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You all are a bunch of cowards. This guy or gal comes in and asks legitimate questions, and what do we see? Oh big surprise, red reputation points, feigned offense, vulgarity and insults.

It's their choice to respond in any manner that doesn't break the rules. The most insulting post on the first page is yours because you chose to attack them and they merely attacked the question. Not one of them attacked the poster directly.

You have nothing and you know it. And this is what pisses me off the most about atheists is the cowardice they have of facing the real implications of their philosophy. If there is nothing but matter then love is nothing but matter and that makes it meaningless. It's not even two pigs mating; it's a sick joke.

Which, again, shows your extreme ignorance on atheistic views. You've formed your opinions on atheism and even when surrounded by atheists telling you that you're wrong on how atheists view the world, you stubburnly refuse to bother to listen.
As such, you've demonstrated a deep-seated inability to listen or bother to understand any opposing viewpoints to your own. Are you even here to discuss or are you here to merely confirm your own beliefs?

Adrian says understanding this makes it better. What a load of garbage comparing it to computer technology. You sound like someone who's never lost a thing or loved a thing.

And here you go again - you're not merely attacking someone's idea - even when you consider it wrong, now you're accusing Adrian of not loving his own family because he doesn't ascribe to the fantasies that you do believe in?
This is just outright offensive that even crazy politicians don't do publicly. You've just accused Adrian of being inhuman and inhumane, especially coming from someone who talks about things like 'love thy neighbor' and the revelation of love being a part of a unified nature when you can't even have an honest discussion without horrendously insulting other members of the forum to a degree I frankly consider heinous.

[Edward the Theist]

Hey, idiot. I think you know who I'm talking to. Don't even try to manipulate me into, "Oh, that's not what I meant. I dddddidn't mean that." Because I don't give a shit. My words stand as I have written them. I'm not responsible for whatever slant you want to put on them to build your stupid strawmen.

By the way, our pity dance is over. Go bug someone else.

[ABierman1986]

Man, one can only hope that you at least take away from this that atheists DO have plenty of meaning and purpose, and the emotion to back it up.

[Shell B]

What he'll take away: I'm so awesome. Atheists are fundies. I'm so awesome. I'm so awesome. I'm so awesome.