How does atheism supply meaning?

[Wootah]

We are either simply part of the world existing for a brief time, in a massive universe, with death waiting and no purpose and meaninglessness and not in control of anything or we can create something and be something. This is atheism on one end and creation on the other.

It's why I don't believe there are atheists. No one can truly hold that view and I certainly don't think any atheists on this site really drink that cup to the full. I tried. Once. A long time ago.

Obviously, people do hold this view, less the meaningless part that was added to poison the well.
For those that are uncomfortable with said view, there are religious options available to fulfill the need to have purpose supplied to them.

What I can't understand is how it is a struggle for some to find purpose in this life and then seem to project that on to others that don't suffer from such a thing. I personally treat this life as something special and have plenty of purpose, because for all I know, it is the only one we will get. The idea of this life being a test for some other life actually would make this life less meaningful as the next would become the true goal. Therefore, could it be argued that atheism supplies more meaning/value for this life than religions in general? Those that struggle to find purpose without religion would obviously not be able to see this and would then be susceptible making claims like we see above.

"No one can truly hold that view" would therefore simply be a projection.

How does atheism supply meaning?

[AquinasForGod]

[Replying to Wootah in post #1]

It doesn't and atheists just have to be okay with that as a consequence of their views.

[Purple Knight]

How does atheism supply meaning?

Lets you make your own meaning. That, I think, is more valuable than the idea that the only meaning I can have is made by someone else and spoonfed to me, and I have to eat up even if this someone else decides avocados are on the menu.

I get more happiness eating food I make than mindlessly crunching on crisps from a bag. And I'm not a good cook. Not by a long shot. I have learned to cook for my taste, but it's not to anyone else's taste.

There's a real satisfaction you get with something you make yourself, as opposed to just being given something. To me it's more fulfilling. That certain fulfillment, to me, is part of meaning, and no greater aspiration than making my own meaning.

[TRANSPONDER]

[Replying to Wootah in post #1]

It doesn't and atheists just have to be okay with that as a consequence of their views.

We welcome it. I feel it is preferable to be responsible for our own actions decisions and ideals, to make our own meaning in life, to decide for ourselves what matters and devise our own plans, rather than have them dictated to us by a secret Head of Illuminati, the existence of which we are far from certain about.

The various apparent misconceptions about atheists do not understand how refreshing it is not to be saddled with Dogma, responsibilities and duties we didn't ask for, and this spurious burden of sin, all because of a bloody apple eaten in a garden that a lot of Believers think is mythical anyway. And I utterly reject the idea that I owe Christianity something (usually money) because someone got up the noses of the Roman administration.

As to death and afterlife, I've already observed that eternal life is likely to be an agony after the first ten billion years and that's only the start. One poster I was pally with on the former board argued that one might live day to dayin heaven. As we do here. But eternally? And no possible change of job, surroundings or lifestyle possible.The get - out of 'uittermost bliss' (for which they have not the slightest evidence but a need to wriggle out of the problem) only means what seems to be the only answer - your brain is effectively blanked and just filled with laughing gas for eternity. Well thanks, but I'll take the Buddhist Nirvana,or as atheist call it 'Oblivion' which is atheist for 'a good long sleep and no early morning wake -up call' and you don'tn need to spend your life with your legs in a pretzel to get it.

The process of death ain't too pleasant, especially if it's a nasty one. But actually Being dead is not to be feared. Not when you think it through. How, when it gets down to it, is the eternal life (even if it's the same as here) more meaningful than a finite one here, except that it never ends? It it the eternal avoidance of death makes it meaningful? I can't see how. I suspect that the believers are letting fear of death run away with their marbles, not to mention confusing basing their whole life here on their Theism and they can't imagine not having it.

I can assure them I can do perfectly well without religion and even reckon it makes my life better than if I had it.

[Shem Yoshi]

Anyone's understanding of purpose is just their own understanding. Do not both atheist and theist wake up day by day and labor under the sun. And have fruits in their labors and both die.

I do not believe this question is for anyone's understanding of how fulfilling or purposeful their life is, but rather for the IDEA of purpose itself.

If both live under the sun, labor, and die... And that is all we know. The scripture says "there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away"... So a theist idea of purpose is in the same boat of an atheist.

The question is, is purpose objective, or is life random and undirected (outside of anyone idea of a subjective purpose).

I believe that is the debate. And even evolutionist assert that life is undirected, that is what darwins understanding of evolution was based off of. Random undirected mutations and natural selection... I mean on that theory what can be concluded about purpose? That we randomly do things, and randomly survive... Because even natural selection would have to come down to random events. If a volcano explodes and kills one species, but the other is far away and live... It is random.

What does that say about purpose?

[TRANSPONDER]

Anyone's understanding of purpose is just their own understanding. Do not both atheist and theist wake up day by day and labor under the sun. And have fruits in their labors and both die.

I do not believe this question is for anyone's understanding of how fulfilling or purposeful their life is, but rather for the IDEA of purpose itself.

If both live under the sun, labor, and die... And that is all we know. The scripture says "there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away"... So a theist idea of purpose is in the same boat of an atheist.

The question is, is purpose objective, or is life random and undirected (outside of anyone idea of a subjective purpose).

I believe that is the debate. And even evolutionist assert that life is undirected, that is what darwins understanding of evolution was based off of. Random undirected mutations and natural selection... I mean on that theory what can be concluded about purpose? That we randomly do things, and randomly survive... Because even natural selection would have to come down to random events. If a volcano explodes and kills one species, but the other is far away and live... It is random.

What does that say about purpose?

We have to conclude that on evidence, there is none. The universe did not plan for us nor cares whether we live or die. It is important to us and we cannot imagine that it is not important Objectively. So we imagine a conscious cosmic entity that cares about us, our lives,our morals and which church we belong to as much as we do.

We are fooling ourselves. The only objective purpose that nature has for us is survival, the same as every other living critter and plant on the earth. The more developed impulses of empathy, co-operation and family are also found in higher animals. Human social evolution led to more complex ethics and eventual law codes. They are consensus agreements intended to help us get along, and religion hi -jacked them and credited them to the various gods. We are also fooling ourselves if we demand that it be 'Objective' by being handed down by a divine being, especially because it would not be what we agreed was best for us but what some other alien being told us what we had to do.

[theophile]

How does atheism supply meaning?

Lets you make your own meaning. That, I think, is more valuable than the idea that the only meaning I can have is made by someone else and spoonfed to me, and I have to eat up even if this someone else decides avocados are on the menu.

I get more happiness eating food I make than mindlessly crunching on crisps from a bag. And I'm not a good cook. Not by a long shot. I have learned to cook for my taste, but it's not to anyone else's taste.

There's a real satisfaction you get with something you make yourself, as opposed to just being given something. To me it's more fulfilling. That certain fulfillment, to me, is part of meaning, and no greater aspiration than making my own meaning.

I think this misses the point of the central quote in the OP. Once you 'make your own meaning' you are squarely in the realm of creation, and you are ultimately playing the same game as a theist.

Sure, that meaning was not derived from the bible, or ingrained since birth, but that's just semantics. (And you're creating a false opposition here when you caricature theists as 'mindless'...)

[AquinasForGod]

[Replying to TRANSPONDER in post #4]

The Catechism says, “We shall know the ultimate meaning of the whole work of creation and of the entire economy of salvation and understand the marvelous ways by which [God’s] Providence led everything toward its final end.”

We will have a full understanding of why everything is the way it is. We will have the beatific vision, where we apprehend God. We never get sick or tired or bored, etc.

Imagine having a reality machine, something far better than the holodeck. You can imagine anything, like being Superman for 100 years, where you will believe you are Superman. You live out that experience, which in turn grows your imagination. Now you can imagine new experiences to have, and having those experiences only grows your imagination more. This growing of your imagination and thus new experiences never ends.

That is just one aspect of heaven, and just that one aspect would never get old.

[brunumb]

The Catechism says, “We shall know the ultimate meaning of the whole work of creation and of the entire economy of salvation and understand the marvelous ways by which [God’s] Providence led everything toward its final end.”

Why should anyone care what the Catechism says? You might as well just quote something from The Silmarillion.

[Purple Knight]

I think this misses the point of the central quote in the OP. Once you 'make your own meaning' you are squarely in the realm of creation, and you are ultimately playing the same game as a theist.

How? The question was how atheism supplies meaning. Isn't the point to be on the same level as a theist is, and have a belief that provides meaning?

If you don't have to conform to one specific meaning, atheism supplies meaning the way the supermarket supplies food. You can pick up something prepackaged or you can select your own ingredients or you can go full-on ascetic and eat nothing.

Sure, that meaning was not derived from the bible, or ingrained since birth, but that's just semantics. (And you're creating a false opposition here when you caricature theists as 'mindless'...)

I don't think theists are mindless at all. It takes a lot of courage to admit you're wrong. And that's what every theist does, every day. He selects God's way over his own way. That's the more difficult path.

And the meaning I cook myself may very well be wrong. Just like I can't cook for squat. But it's meaningful to me.