An atheists world: A cold dark place.....?

[Cmass]

Note: This refers to the earthly world, not the spiritual world:
If you are Christian, do you think atheists laugh as much as you do?
Do you think they are capable of deep, committed relationships with their wives/husbands/families? As deep and committed as yours? Really?
Do you think atheists look with absolute joy, wonder and splendor at the world around them?
Are their lives as richly experienced as yours?
Since atheists do not believe in an afterlife, would they be more or less willing than a Christian to step in front of a moving train to save your child's life?
Do you think atheists allow themselves any silly, illogical superstitions even if they know further analysis would likely render the belief untrue?
Do atheists experience joy in the same way as you and/or experience the depth of joy you experience?
Do they partake in ritual?

You can take whatever part of this you want to and run with it.
Honest answers only please.

[skepticFromTX]

Alternative possible "bubble thought" from an atheist:

The universe is a Science Fair project that was cobbed together at 11:30 PM on the night before it was due by a child who inhabits some higher-dimensional plane of existence. This child is not especially gifted by higher-dimensional standards and will probably receive a grade of "C-" on his effort. If his teacher is feeling generous.

In this bubble I see pretty much what we've got.

[QED]

Alternative possible "bubble thought" from an atheist:

The universe is a Science Fair project that was cobbed together at 11:30 PM on the night before it was due by a child who inhabits some higher-dimensional plane of existence. This child is not especially gifted by higher-dimensional standards and will probably receive a grade of "C-" on his effort. If his teacher is feeling generous.

In this bubble I see pretty much what we've got.

Very good. So even if people are persuaded that there is some sort of intent behind our existence -- it would still remain unclear as to the actual reasons for this.

The concept of "creating universes in the lab" is one that has quite serious credentials. It certainly hasn't been ruled out to-date.

[Confused]

Alternative possible "bubble thought" from an atheist:

The universe is a Science Fair project that was cobbed together at 11:30 PM on the night before it was due by a child who inhabits some higher-dimensional plane of existence. This child is not especially gifted by higher-dimensional standards and will probably receive a grade of "C-" on his effort. If his teacher is feeling generous.

In this bubble I see pretty much what we've got.

Very good. So even if people are persuaded that there is some sort of intent behind our existence -- it would still remain unclear as to the actual reasons for this.

The concept of "creating universes in the lab" is one that has quite serious credentials. It certainly hasn't been ruled out to-date.

Well done. Because so much seem so random on life, it doens't show me a design of accident nor a design of intellgence. I like the science project theory.

A friend suggested the following:

Humans come from another dimension in which we lived by Gods, fairy tale creatures etc.. But humans have a tendency to self destruct. Rather than allow this to continue in dimension or universe X, the few remaining were dumped on the first habitable universe founded to fend for ourselves. Hence myths etc.... I know, long shot, but so is God.

[Galphanore]

Alternative possible "bubble thought" from an atheist:

The universe is a Science Fair project that was cobbed together at 11:30 PM on the night before it was due by a child who inhabits some higher-dimensional plane of existence. This child is not especially gifted by higher-dimensional standards and will probably receive a grade of "C-" on his effort. If his teacher is feeling generous.

In this bubble I see pretty much what we've got.

That's just awsome.

[The Persnickety Platypus]

The universe is a Science Fair project that was cobbed together at 11:30 PM on the night before it was due by a child who inhabits some higher-dimensional plane of existence. This child is not especially gifted by higher-dimensional standards and will probably receive a grade of "C-" on his effort. If his teacher is feeling generous.

Bunk. I give the Universe an A+.

[skepticFromTX]

The Persnickety Platypus: "Bunk. I give the Universe an A+."

On the basis of...?

[The Persnickety Platypus]

I should be asking the same of you.

What do you see in the Universe that makes it C- material? What did your little metaphorical science fair kid get wrong?

Go outside right now and gaze into the night's sky. Tomarrow morning, have a good long look at the trees, the grass, the sun. While you are doing this, reflect on the intricate natural processes that brought them about; infinitely complex to your puny human mind, underlyed by a perfect simplicity.

I dare you to try and tell me that it does not evoke feelings of awe.

[skepticFromTX]

The Persnickety Platypus: "Go outside right now and gaze into the night's sky. Tomarrow morning, have a good long look at the trees, the grass, the sun. While you are doing this, reflect on the intricate natural processes that brought them about; infinitely complex to your puny human mind, underlyed by a perfect simplicity. I dare you to try and tell me that it does not evoke feelings of awe."

And don't leave out the development of a human embryo. The birth of solar systems. The merging of two neutron stars. Stuff we can only imagine. Poorly. But enough to cause anyone to gape in awe.

"What do you see in the Universe that makes it C- material? What did your little metaphorical science fair kid get wrong?"

Darfur.
The kid got Darfur wrong.

[QED]

It's a mixed bag alright. We could go on indefinitely listing the "good the bad and the ugly" but what I think we can know for sure is that without conscious observers like us making our subjective assessments of it all, none of it would be of any real consequence. Some people take this as meaning that we are placed in a privileged position as some sort of essential ingredient of the cosmos.

I fail to see how that works. There may be a true infinity of other bubble universes besides ours and not one of them may have conscious observers within them. So what? I would ask.

However, I would say that the methods nature has found necessary to evolve conscious observers like ourselves are pretty bloody by virtually any standards we could care to imagine. The whole deal is based on the natural principle of "minimum path length" probably due to the natural conservation laws that characterize a "non magical" universe (i.e. useful stuff doesn't just magic itself up out of thin air). These fundamental constraints could indeed make the atheists world look pretty cold and dark by certain imaginable standards -- but it's a picture that's laid out before us all -- time and time again. Apart from our innate tendencies to over-interpret passing coincidences stuff doesn't just "magic itself up out of thin air" anywhere near as often as we'd like it to.

[The Persnickety Platypus]

Darfur.
The kid got Darfur wrong.

No, genocides are in God's jurisdiction.

He's just laying down on the job. As usual.