Ask An Atheist Anything., Actually, don't. Keep it relevant. Aliteration is cool. Options

[NoSex]

Alright, this is sort of in response to Podo's (monster's) "feeble attempt" thread.
I'm an atheist. I don't believe in the existence of any god whatsoever. Any questions?

[*jeanna*]

what do you think about warren jeffs followers

[NoSex]

what do you think about warren jeffs followers

Mormonism, in general, is something I'm rather disgusted with on a very basic level. However, these forms of fundamentalist and fanatical Mormonism manage to transcend this disgust - rising to a whole new level of contempt. Mormonism is immensely dogmatic, increasingly cult-like, and hardwired to intimidate, belittle, and cripple its followers (often from a young age). In the case of Warren Jeff, all of these things were actualized to an even more apparent level. Although I don't care how many wives you have (I don't care about your sexual ethics - not to say I don't practice a pragmatic breed of my own), the FLDS Mormon's conception of polygamy is designed to subjugate - this I do care about. Base line and sinker - followers of such movements tend to fall into two categories: the weak and insecure, and the brainwashed and pressured. Really, I don't find their fellowship much different than any other religious fellowship aside from gradation and severity. But, in either case, it's all f**ked up.

So belief in no God would mean you're unconstrained by the insecurities of not knowing whether or not you're going to heaven or hell and that your actions after death for good or evil will go unpunished by a Higher Being - because an afterlife cannot exist in Atheism, right?

So what happens when you die? What is the purpose of a life without divinity?

Note: I'm agnostic.

Well, first off, the idea of an afterlife is not entirely mutually exclusive to atheism. Atheism only posits, in its most broad manifestation, a lack of belief. Atheism is not a system of beliefs or a religion much like theism is not. Atheism merely communicates one's non-belief in any sort of god. So, an atheist might happen to believe in ghosts. He might believe in aliens. He might be into taro cards and the Jersey Devil. He might believe in the afterlife. Granted, this is highly unlikely, for, if the atheist is honest and dispassionate in his disbelief, he would, in the same vain, have no courtesy or dispensation for those other innumerable superstitions. In my own personal case, I'm proud to be entirely superstition free - I don't believe in any of that shit. However, it isn't impossible for an atheist to transgress in such a manner (I've met plenty of silly, down right moronic, atheists in my life).

Alright, now, to more directly address these questions:

You die. I don't believe in any sort of afterlife due to several things. Firstly, the lack of any observed phenomena which would suggest such a reality beyond our lives. Secondly, the contrary observations we make everyday which seem to suggest our consciousness is a meaningless byproduct of our material brains and that dissipation and denigration of body is equitable to dissipation and denigration of mind. And, lastly, the obvious psychological fairy tale motivations behind the invention of such an idea - it's very human.

Life is purposeless and meaningless. But we live it anyways. And, billions and billions of people find billions and billions of different excuses (although most of those excuses tend to be very similar or arguably the same). People find comfort and solace in an explicitly detailed meaning or purpose - but that doesn't make one a reality. Largely, I think that people invent purpose and meaning and or look for it (as in the case of religion) in order to sooth their insecurities and weaknesses. The realization of an objectively meaningless world is a troubling reality for the weak and frightened. To an average human being this realization will be battled passionately and without restraint - they will deny the meaningless world in order to protect their world views and maintain a status quo of effortless comfort and familiarity. For many atheists this meaningless world is found bathed in a sort of perverse beauty - an awe and "magic" which denies purpose and extends into infinity. In my own personal case, I've never had a serious existential crisis (at least not to the point of distress). I've once held my existentialistic beliefs concerning the individualistic search for meaning. I've once believed man has within him the power to bring forth meaning and purpose. I've once prescribed to Sartre dictum - "existence precedes and rules essence." And, really, I would still prescribe to such ideas if it were not for my extended philosophical studies - I've become a determinist. But, in either case, life is a blast - without it you'd be dead.

Note: Me too.