re: If there is no heaven or hell, does the purpose & meaning of your life change?

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As an atheist, my purpose does not change one bit. I am here to do right by my fellow man, take care of my family, and bring joy to those closest to me.

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Same for me.

Some Christians have this distorted view of most atheists as being heathens, hedonists, or otherwise evil people with no conscience.

Most of the atheists I know are productive and conscientious members of society who are usually willing to extend a helping hand to those in need.

We are your neighbors, co-workers, friends and family members, even though you may not know it.

You just won't see us at your church on Sunday.

As a resident of Oklahoma, this video always cracks me up:

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The overwhelming evidence.

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I’ve seen you toss this same claim into other threads, then disappear the moment I ask you to support it. Perhaps this time you can translate some of that supposedly overwhelming conviction of belief you have into an actual argument and remain in the thread long enough to defend it.

What exactly is this “overwhelming evidence”? Lay it out.

And to be clear, evidence means independently verifiable facts that specifically support the existence of the Christian God over competing explanations. The fact that real people, places, and historical events appear in the Bible is not evidence that its supernatural claims are true. Even evidence that Jesus existed would establish only that an itinerant Jewish preacher named Jesus existed, not that he was divine, performed miracles, rose from the dead, or was God incarnate. A text containing accurate history does not make every claim in that text true.

“Common sense,” personal conviction, feelings of God’s presence, the beauty or complexity of nature, and the number of people who believe are not evidence either. Those are intuitions, experiences, and arguments, all of which occur across mutually contradictory religions.

You claimed the evidence is overwhelming, so present the strongest evidence you have and explain why it points specifically to Christianity rather than deism, another religion, an unknown cause, or ordinary natural processes.

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More atheists and agnostics are sitting in church pews than you probably realize, attending for family, tradition, community, or simple habit rather than belief.

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Right or wrong, there’s a lot of motivation for an atheist in the Bible Belt to play along with Christianity to at least some extent and keep their true feelings hidden.

A known atheist in Smalltown, Alabama, might face difficulty finding a good spouse or attaining a prominent political or professional position in the community.

It’s often easier to just play the game like an actor, and I know exactly what that’s like.

So yes, there are at least some atheists sitting in church pews on Sundays - and maybe more than many think.

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The overwhelming evidence.

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Like what?

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weagle1999

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Are you ok? This discussion seems to be making you very angry.

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My brain likes to know there is an end, the idea of eternity or even like infinity in space has always been hard to grasp.

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I don’t think we can grasp the concept as humans. I imagine time is way different in heaven

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You die, you're forgotten after a couple of generations, and your entire life was a waste of time.

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Procreated, raised children that influence future generations, yours and others, impacted the world (physical and figurative) for future humans, made life better for those contemporaneously on Earth with you, and expressed your life (one that is granted to you) to the fullest (talents, thinking, emotions, relationships, experiences)…

And on to the next life (whether heaven or hell concept that we are taught is real or not)…

If no heaven or hell, don’t assume it’s just the end. Who says? Who knows?

I don’t believe what we are taught. It’s something. Life is just too amazing. It’s just something different. And my life’s purpose began when it began, not ended. IMO.