Atheists, you don't like our answers -- do you have answers of your own?

Atheists reject answers to the big questions of life that are provided by religion.

So, I'm wondering, do atheists have answers of their own?

How did we get here?

Why are we here?

What is the meaning of life?

What happens to us after death?

Does it make a difference if we live a life of being kind and helpful to others, or if we live a life of selfishness and greed?

What is the value of human life?

What separates man from the animals?

Discuss.

If you are going to be rude and snarky, don't bother. I'm not interested in that. Only respond if you have something useful to say.

 

Will you hold yourself to this standard? I don't mind a respectful conversation but only if it is both directions.

 

On a micro level- our mothers gave birth to us.

On a more macro level- humans evolved- like all animals- from other, previous, animals.

I don't think I have seen a satisfactory answer(to me) as to how the first life on earth- or perhaps the solar system- was created. I am satisfied for the time being with there being theories as to how the first life came to be.

 

On a purely biological level, we are here to create our descendents.

On a more philosophical level, I believe we are here to gain knowledge and to love and care about people.

 

Personally- I think we just stop being. I would love for that not to be true, but I believe that once the brain and the heart have irrevocably stopped functioning, then all that is really left is decomposition.

Now on a more philosophical level, hopefully we all live on in whatever we have accomplished and in the memories of our loved ones.

 

I don't know how to quantify this. On the one hand, humans have been all too willing to kill other humans en masse. On the other hand we human beings have been known to go to stupid lengths to keep the heart beating of a single human being for even just a few days more.

I value greatly human life- not only of my family and friends, but also those of really all good human beings. But if we had to go to war, and I was in the military, I could push the button that fires the missle that kills many good human beings.

On most days though- I just go with the concept that life is precious.

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As far as we know- only humans ask questions like this.

 

Another question I have:

What is the difference between a living human being and a dead human being?

Is some part of a human being lost when he or she dies?

If there is such a part, what would you call it?

 

Hopefully you dont mean "we" as in the human race, because the answer is simple: evolution. Hopefully you mean a more interesting question - how did life on earth get here. My money is on that old chestnut which is glibly simplified into "lightning and primordial soup".

There is no evidence of any purpose that is assigned by anyone but ourselves, so we each need to find our own 'why'. For me it's producing the most happiness for myself and others.

Isnt that the same question?

Depends how our relatives decide to dispose of the body. Maybe incinerated, maybe eaten by worms and bacteria, a few might be eaten by sealife.

A difference to what? To the world? Yes, it will be a tiny bit nicer, all other things being equal, if we're kind and helpful.

I value it pretty highly. More than that of other animals, considerably so in many cases. And more than any possible possession I can imagine.

You mean from other animals... No one single thing separates us. A combination of language, opposable thumbs, imagination, and sundry other things, all of which are shared with certain other animals, but as far as I know no other animal has all of them.

 

Atheism is just the lack of belief in a God, no answers can be given with reference to atheism. Individual atheists will have different opinions on different things, that includes the questions you are asking and will have different reasoning behind their beliefs. To me it would seem more reasonable for you to find out what scientists and philosophers have to say about some of these questions as you will probably get a more accurate answer.

 

meaningless

because we are

life just is, it's pure hubris to think you or I or anything matters at all that we have any purpose or meaning

we decay

nope in the big scheme of things not a bit, being good or bad is a personal choice, in nature there is no good or bad just survival..

zero...the planet, solar system, the universe does not care at all, if we were to all die to tomorrow the planet, solar system, universe will not even notice we are that insignificant

we have guns other than that nothing...

that's highly subjective isn't it, if don't like what you read you decide it's rude and dismiss it?

 

Though for this I think the word you're looking for is consciousness or even basic awareness.

 

one has a pulse

chemical and electrical activity ceases

inactive

 

human memories.

 

Yes because if is nonsense.

Answer(s) to which question(s)? Could you be a little more specific?

A process called Abiogenesis created life from inert matter. Once life did begin, then Evolution took over to give the Earth the many different species you see today.

Here is a video on Abiogenesis:

[video=youtube;U6QYDdgP9eg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6QYDdgP9eg[/video] <--- turn up the volume if you like classical music.

As for Evolution, it has a plethora of evidence to support it.

This nothing but a bogus religious questions to justify some sort of imaginary creature.

Nothing. You are dead.

If you lead a selfish life, you will probably die a lonely person. Yes it makes a difference to be kind and helpful.

Here's a hint: religion doesn't have a monopoly on kind

In what scope? Family and friends are extremely important to us. In the grand scheme of the universe, human life is basically meaningless.

People like the OP needs religion to give them some importance in life. They simply cannot handle the humans are nothing in the grand scheme of things. Egocentrism at its finest.

Nothing. Humans are animals.

There are 6 kingdoms life on this planet:

Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, Archaea, and Bacteria

If you want to call yourself parasite, be my guest. I am human being, part of the Animalia Family, which make me an animal. What are you?

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One has a pulse, the other doesn't

Nope. You will lose some body parts during the autopsy.

 

So obviously by my signature, I'm not an atheist, but my best friend is, and we love these discussions!
1) There are multiple theories: biological material carried from a different planet by an asteroid, that found a suitable habitat, in Earth, to develop and grow. Another one is that spontaneous combination of chemicals in early Earth sprung life by chance.

2) We are here because we are here (my favorite of his answers). Its really an existential take, that we are here because life is here and we are the most evolved form of life, there is no deeper meaning unless we give it one.

3) The meaning of life is simply what we give it (another existentialist view).

4) We cease to be. Your consciousness is you, and is created by the brain. Once that brain dies, your consciousness no longer lives, so it is simple as you cease to be. There's a beautiful quote describing this idea in Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes": "Death doesn't exist. It never did, it never will. But we've drawn so many pictures of it, so many years, trying to pin it down, comprehend it, we've got to thinking of it as an entity, strangely alive and greedy. All it is, however, is a stopped watch, a loss, an end, a darkness. Nothing."

5) It matters how people remember you (my thoughts here), and if that's important to you, that matters! Also kindness has a knack for being shared, especially back to the person who gave that kindness in the first place.

6) The value of human life is that we are human. We are the human species, and that gives it intrinsic value for us. Also, as far as our current knowledge tells us, we possess the greatest ability for abstract thought, and are the only species with a distinct separation of consciousness and instinct (thought this is widely debated, but these are again, my thoughts).

7) I wrote a paper on this and used a simple answer: Music. To sum it up, arts and sciences in all there forms and that great strive for knowledge, understanding, and expression separates us from animals.

 

what came before God, you don't have a answer, that is the same point Atheists are stuck at, only they did not put a God in their equation

none of us really know what was before nothing, that is the great mystery

"Does it make a difference if we live a life of being kind and helpful to others, or if we live a life of selfishness and greed?"

I don't know, if a person is mean all their life and "finds jesus" a month before death... will he be saved?

for most of us we feel good helping others, so we do it because we can, not because we have too

"What separates man from the animals?"

we are further along in the cycle of life and death

.

 

Let me give these a shot.

How did we get here?

My parents had sex. My father's sperm fertilized an egg, and here I am.

Why are we here?

See my first answer.

What is the meaning of life?

Duck hunting, lesbian porn, steel Italian bikes.

What happens to us after death?

Well, I tend to think that you either get buried, get cremated, or........that seems to be about it.

Does it make a difference if we live a life of being kind and helpful to others, or if we live a life of selfishness and greed?

Yeah, you should be nice to people.

What is the value of human life?

As Raymond Babbit puts it, about $100.

What separates man from the animals?

Nothing. Man is an animal.

 

That's not entirely true. There are non-theistic religions and some atheists who accept a lot of the concepts and principals of theistic religions, just not the certainty of divine existence (my personal issue with theistic religion is the expectation of certainty).

Loads of them, roughly one set per atheist exactly like theists.

My personal opinions on your questions, with a healthy dose of "We don't know but...";

How did we get here? Co-incidence.

Why are we here? I'm not convinced there is a "why".

What is the meaning of life? Whatever you make of it.

What happens to us after death? People think worms but it's bacteria mostly (sorry, that was a little snarky but you get the point).

Does it make a difference if we live a life of being kind and helpful to others, or if we live a life of selfishness and greed? It does to the others we're being kind or not to and it will tend to indirectly to ourselves and those we care about.

What is the value of human life? Like the meaning of life, whatever value we give it.

What separates man from the animals? Other animals of course but, imagination. It's the reason we're having this discussion.

 

Here is an interesting experiment you might be interested in:
http://www.snopes.com/religion/soulweight.asp

 

I guess I should back this up a bit.

When I asked "How did we get here?" I meant "How did the universe get here?"

And I know the current theory is that the Big Bang happened, and that was what caused the universe to happen.

But what caused the Big Bang to happen?

 

We don't know yet.

However, saying a god did it, is a logical fallacy know as the god of the gaps.

But If you like to give your unsubstantiated opinion, so will I.

I'll go with Joey, the invisible 3-legged monkey. One day he got mad because the winds blew over his satellite dish for the 3rd time. After the 3rd time, he pulled out his ray gun and shot his TV set, causing the big bang.

Now if want to think I'm just being a smart ass, keep 3 things in mind

1 - There is just as much empirical evidence for Joey as there is for 'god'
2 - There is just as much empirical evidence that Joey caused the big bang as there is for 'god' causing the big bang
3 - The odds of either actually existence are the same.

 

I hate to ruin everyones day but not one person reading this will ever know the answers to these questions. But for the sake of argument, if god created everything what was before god? There is always a beginning to everything and an end. An Alpha and Omega if you will.

 

The evidence indicates that we evolved from a series of lessor beings.

Biologically, to reproduce and continue our genes through to the next generation.

Philosophically, entirely subjective.

Entirely subjective.

Biologically, we are a corpse.

Philosophically, we don't know. There is no conclusive evidence to go off of. Personally, I find reincarnation intellectually pleasing.

Sociology, social psychology, and the fact that we are a social species would mean that being kind and helpful are beneficial both as an individual and to society.

Entirely subjective. I would say effectively infinite.

Humans are animals.

To answer the intent of your question, our capacity for sapience is what sets us apart from most other animals. I say most because dogs, some apes, elephants, and dolphins also show evidence of sapience.

 

I appreciate your nonsmartass remarks, as I'm sure OP does, but using toxic language with the hope of getting a rise out of people helps no one further their knowledge of another culture.

 

That's exactly what God claims to be, the Alpha and the Omega. You're quoting straight from the Bible.

And if you admit there MUST be an Alpha and Omega, then you have admitted there MUST be a God.