Atheism and the meaning of life - what drives you?

[no one]

Helios:
There is nothing about existing that shows caring. Nothing at all.

You're forgetting about all the cancer, AIDS, malaria, ebola, small pox, and other wonderful varieties of true love, aren't you?

[R00tKiT]

Helios:
There is nothing about existing that shows caring. Nothing at all.

You're forgetting about all the cancer, AIDS, malaria, ebola, small pox, and other wonderful varieties of true love, aren't you?

Do you have anything at all in your skull besides the problem of evil ?

[The Grand Nudger]

Gratz on that news. It seems to me, and I bet it seems to everyone who knows you, that there's a difference between a world in which you've existed, and one in which you were never born. Sure, kids and all that...but probably not just that.

As for meaning and death and the death of meaning in death - perhaps death is in the sort of relationship we take to be meaning(ful). None of us can truly commit to life without accepting all of the attendant death which supports and nourishes it. The heterotrophs dilemma. All of the content which we see and take to be reduced by death is premised upon it, in reality. There could be none of that, without alot of this. It's intuitive to believe and perhaps even to worry that the world (and meaning) is done with us when we're dead....I think our role simply changes.

[no one]

You mean like, cookie recipes?

[R00tKiT]

You mean like, cookie recipes?

Yes, cookies and things like that. Why can't we also recognize the problem of good -that there are good things in the world that do demand an explanation?

[The Grand Nudger]

Who's the we? Good and bad events happen, good and bad things exist, we take their explanation to be a competent moral agent. Worlds full of them, billions..even.

You know, Kloro..evil isn't a problem for an evil god - just as good wouldn't be a problem for a good god..just as good and evil...wouldn't be a problem....for a good and evil god. Sounds like it's your god, specifically, that's malfunctioning.

[Silver]

Accepting the theistic explanation is simply irrational. There's no valid reason for its flawed premise or conclusion.

[The Architect Of Fate]

There is no problem of good as an evil god could do evil things that we only perceive as good

[R00tKiT]

Who's the we?  Good and bad events happen, good and bad things exist, we take their explanation to be a competent moral agent.  Worlds full of them, billions..even.

We all know that, @The Grand Nudger. But my question was specific, there is so much hype about evil and suffering when it comes to theism, as if good things suddenly stop happening.... atheists simply cherry pick their data to reach their own biased conclusions

[The Grand Nudger]

The problem of evil is only a problem insomuch as a given person wishes to contend that their god doesn't and wouldn't fuck with evil. It's existence demonstrates that this belief..if everything is indeed god breathed and god willed.... as they suggest, is false.

It's an ethical problem, not an existential problem. In short, that if god exists..the guys an asshole - which makes his existence moot with respect to letting him take me to prom and fool around in the back of his dads truck. Remind me, what did you just get through telling us your good guy god would do if the lady says no? Burn in fire..was it?

Pagans didn't have to tie themselves in knots over this one. "If thor exists, how come I didn't get my latte!" Not his ao, go complain to someone else. The abrahamic god is jealous, though, insists on all the credit, for everything, and so inherits all of the blame as well. People of sound mind don't believe that cancer, AIDS, malaria, ebola, or small pox are evil - they believe that only a pyschotic and incompetent moral agent would inflict those things on people.

For some people, to some minds, that would be disqualifying as a god. I say lean in. Blood god ruling over the meatgrinder, 100 percent flame broiled all natural human patties - the smell is pleasing to his nostrils. At least that would track.