purpose

Polaris · Joined: 25 Dec 2003 Posts: 1385 Local time: 6:15 PM

CET,

Where did you go for so long? Nice to see you back.

CET · Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 10:58 pm Post subject:

naturalist · Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:30 pm Post subject:

Notice how theists aver that if we have no future state, life would be meaningless.That is a non-seqitur .What I am doing right now is meaningful to me and I hope , to others , but does not need an everlasting foundation. I grieve over the passing of my mother, but she is still meaningful for me .
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Fr. Griggs rests in his Socratic ignorance and humble naturalism. Logic is the bane of theists.

Zotikos · Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 4:38 am Post subject:

Seeing the day my purpose in life is filled will be all the proof I need for the existence of an benevolent god.

pr126 · Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 5:20 am Post subject:

benyjets23 · Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 6:37 am Post subject:

I have a weak faith, but I still have faith. However to keep with the the atheistic slant on this board, I will speak without reference too it.

Maybe purpose has too many Theistic sounding vibes to it, so I will speak of passion. Even if there is no overarching purpose, we all have passion, or at least we have the ability to cultivate passion. Even people who are in dire straights can devlop passion. I would hate to live like Chris Reeves did for the last 10 years, however I think he had passion, both because his renewed sense of closeness to his wife and son and because he continued being involved with movies.

My passion..... Let me give a context that some morons may misuse. I am obese, I eat due to depression and anxiety reasons. Comfort. The last few months I have made a commitment to deal with my food addcition from both a psychological as well as a phsyical level (Gastric Bypass). What drives me to the above. Two reasons:

A.) Health Reasons (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes)

B.) My passion: I have this passion that every time I think about it almost physically creates sensations of warmth and butterflys. I have always wanted to travel, to do the back packing trip across The Indian Sub Continent and South East Asia. I have also wanted to do some travels on the wild side, places that the typical package tourist does not see(Deep Amazonia, Piroque the length of the Congo through the DRC Etc.)

Even if I came into Millions of dollars, I would still not be able to do the above trips. Why? I would not enjoy it, I am too big and too out of shape to do the budget thing, I would be too limited. I go on some package deal, but could I ride on autorickshaws, canoe, take camel safaris at 500 lbs? Fuck no. Hence my passion drives me to seek help and get healthy.

The other thing about passion and purpose, is that we should not think of either in the singular, but in the plural. We can have many purposes and many passions. Thats the ideal. For example, If my only passion was travel, but I lose my job and can't find a job that pays enough to support my travels I am royaly fucked. How ever if I have other passions: relationships, reading, hobbies etc. you won't have all your eggs in one basket. Traveling would not be fun if my entire life revolved around either the 4 weeks a year I can travel, or every few years when I can go back packing for 6 months. Life would suck with my home life is spent wasting away in anticipation of some future plan.

Ben

P.S.: I don't want to thread jack, so please lets not make my point as a starting point to change the trajectory of this thread. Some times people express a misunderstanding of Theistic purpose as if it is about obligation (Have Children, obey the Lord, Read The Bible Etc.), while we all have functional purposes in our lives, the Theist, whether right or wrong, feels an existential purpose as well, that mere obligation does not do justice to. So strawmen should be avoided when writing about other people.

Moloth · Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 8:08 am Post subject:

passion is not a bad way to put it, either. I've often used that term instead of 'purpose'.

I very much enjoy people's company who have a fire, a burning passion for something in life... something that they are so committed to, something so a part of themselves that it gives them meaning... you never have to wonder why they wake up in the morning.
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Last edited by Moloth on Tue Feb 30, 2026 13:61 am; edited 426 times in total

Friend · Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 8:51 am Post subject:

purpose - the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc.

If you want to know your purpose, you have to ask what reason you give yourself for your existence beyond the mere fact of having been procreated. Purpose is the reason you give yourself for why you continue living. That is all, but even so, it doesn't have to be a trivial matter. For instance, I find one of the huge things in life that really buzzes me up is the idea of helping to bring about a better age where a sort of ethical naturalism is championed by all as the most honest form factor through which all can come to be understood. This is a major hope I carry, which I try to help others carry as well.

kmisho · Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 8:55 am Post subject:

I love it when believers say that many other believers have it wrong...

If there is a straw man here, it's created by theists who think that god gives them 'purpose.'

If you can make reference to a passion for life or in life without reference to a deity, this only demonstrates that it is not necessary to appeal to a deity to have such things as purpose or passion or meaning...which only supports the atheistic stance.

I'm nost sure that passion all by itself is a good thing. It depends on what you're passionate about.

"Hate will get you out of bed in the morning."
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K Michau
Now this religion happens to prevail/Until by that one it is overthrown/Because men dare not live with men alone/But always with another fairy tale.
al-Ma'arri, Syrian Poet, died 1057

You deny the existence of 999 alleged Gods. I merely deny one more - yours.
John MacKinnon Robertson, "Godism" 1896

"Never is a long time." Robert Fripp, 1998

Poetry, Art, Music

Moloth · Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 9:06 am Post subject:

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