The Absence Of God

There's about as much meaning to the existance of our individual lives as there is to the meaning of the existance of the individual life of an ant. Relatively speaking.

 

I am both everything and nothing.

 

Everything is meaningless, unless you make it mean something.

 

For me, no. My view of God exists in the here and now. When Jesus talked about the kingdom of heaven being a place of peace, meekness, goodwill, etc., he was talking about the present. I do not live in anticipation of an afterlife. I rarely ever think about what will happen when I die. I do know this, if I can do things that facilitate bringing peace, goodwill, humility, social justice to this world, then I have fulfilled the will of God.

If tomorrow it was revealed beyond a shadow of a doubt that God did not exist and it was all a hoax, I would still bring those things to the world.

 

Even if there is a God, does that mean there is true meaning?

Wouldn't that meaning just be God's opinion?

"Meaningless, meaningless,
Utterly meaningless says the Master"
-Ecclesiastes (God)

 

I only have experience with the Christian god but here's my take. Just like others have said, the meaning implied by this type of god is merely that god's opinion. I actually find this type of universe to be immoral. Just consider jesus turning water into wine. The implication here is that there are no such things as water or wine or intermediate processes. This is fine and dandy, but in the christian perspective we are all on pain of death to see things gods way. If those things are merely an illusion, how dare god hold us responsible? Re-read the "fall" in genesis. It wasn't so much the eating of the tree, but the failure to believe gods interpretation that it would bring death.

 

No, the absence of God doesn't change much if history is good for an answer.

 

The absence of 'god' actually gave my life more meaning, I struggled with the notion of god and how I fit into his/her/it's plan...and that lest me with never knowing my true purpose that god put there for me.

Now with my lack of belief in god has given me ample opportunity to see meaning and purpose in my life...it probably sounds ass backwards, but it's how it worked for me...

 

I was raised Catholic, but my views are not. I do believe that many people want and need religion for purpose... After all, it's the question that has been asked since man has had consciousness. Personally, I like to take as many views on religion, philosophy, and science as possible; therefore giving me more insight than just living under one way of life.

Specifically, I think that Hinduism might be one of the most powerful religions on the planet. The main idea that really speaks to me is the most simple teachings of Hinduism, Brahman, which is everything: matter, space, time, people, animals, you name it. Another is the idea that we were all created from nothing, and to nothing we must return. A very simplistic view on life and death, yet so powerful.

To get to the original question, the absence of God or gods doesn't make me feel meaningless at all. If anything I agree with Entropywins. Furthermore, it makes me feel special to be alive and be conscious, have what I was born into, etc. Why spend a majority of your time worshipping and worrying about a "god" that might not even exist. We don't know, and that's what I think about theology. I won't give in to a single religion because not one religion signifies that they literally have no clue what is out there! I do think that a religion can fit into your lifestyle and views very well, but as for believing that there is only one god or that if your bad you go to hell? Give me a break, that sounds like something you say to a child to make them behave.

Without religion though, I think that moral values would be completely erratic. I like the values I was raised upon, they made me who I am today. But the absence of God in my life has helped me be more realistic and optimistic. I remember when I was young literally praying to God I didn't go to hell b/c I masturbated or something haha. The sad thing is that people of all ages are actually devout to some of this crap and would literally sacrifice their life for their religion. Really? Cmon, I think we've evolved beyond that point.

Sorry for length, vyvanse makes me talk a lot.

 

Life is what you make it out to be. If you employ no meaning, there is no purpose. If you employ meaning in worshiping a deity so that you hope to be rewarded with being able to eternally worship said deity good for you. Or you could, you know, devote your life to this world and this definite existence rather than take a shot in the dark and hope for the best. Frankly I'd rather live my life how I want to, than kiss some invisible being's ass.

 

I think mostly life is the meaning that you yourself derive from it

What have you learned from your existence, regardless of the existence or non of a god?

I believe God created our reality, but it's up to us to derive meaning from it, learn our own lessons, and become more conscious of the realities we find ourselves in

we're in an eternal quest for knowledge

 

No, spirituality (something I believe has a great hand in giving life meaning) doesn't require the belief in an all knowing greater God. You can do anything you want with your life, and there are tons of meaningful things you can do. Build a house, volunteer at a food pantry, smoke a steamer, fuck you can even pick up trash and that has a meaning behind it.

 

I don't understand how god and meaning are tied together in the first place so I dunno man.

 

i dont know what to believe in. all i know is that when you die, there is some sort of afterlife.

 

The absence of someone else's idea of god certainly doesn't render life meaningless. Holding an idea that doesn't fit with you because it seems too ridiculous that there's some supreme being, the creator of everything, who gets bothered or can be offended if he's not worshipped right.

Life still has meaning, whether you feel there's something greater than your current awareness or not. You always have a choice though. To open, to seek, to experience, the truth of who you are. Find your own path, without having to accept any idea of god in order to do so. And then, along the way, perhaps you begin to feel something that cannot really be explained, that gives you a sense of meaning, which brings joy, peace and contentment into your life.

Or you can always decide to see life as meaningless, make things harder, because there's nothing but the current you to do this.

Thing is, we very much create our own reality. The truth is out there (sorry for the cliche) but only if and when you want it to be. Although, in my experience, even if you choose the harder route, and many do, life still has a habit of bringing things to you in a most unexpected way.

Could it be that there's a higher aspect of your own being that you're not consciously in touch with?

 

God was created by man? Well, you do sound sure.

You must be saying that every culture imagines the same thing, even if they're an isolated tribe deep in the jungle. Then, once they do, they naturally follow a similar path, where some, who become known as shaman, masters, gurus, have experiences that show the truth of reality, and they come to see that the life we're living is just part of a necessary illusion.

That life has meaning on a level most don't realise, and the journey of illusion is to choose to find and realise it.

Upon finding it, and it does happen, does this reveal the universe as it is, and is it obvious there's an absence of god? Or does it reveal something that just makes so much more sense without needing any word to describe it?

 

The absence or Presence of God is neither here nor there....it all boils down to how you live your life right now...that gives it meaning..

Patience with clarity is what I value and develop in my life....and all things flow from it. I continue to develop this because this is a good trait for me to live by, and its the way I see the Universe and its Energy works to serve others.