Would The Existence Of God Give Life Meaning?

[Guest BackSlyder]

Theists claim that without God (or gods) life would have no meaning. Life would not have meaning because God creates us with a purpose in mind that we have to find and fulfill. So, ultimately, it is God that makes life and makes it meaningful. This is a valid point on one level, but it is not the entire picture. The logical rule this statement is based on is that whatever is created has a purpose (whether created by men, tools for example, or God). This logic makes a great deal of sense. For, I would not spend my time creating a vase without the expectation that it would give me pleasure to gaze upon after it is created, or without the hope that it will bring financial gain. This is the basic idea that this logic entails.

 

But, can we apply this rule to God and his creation and still claim that life has meaning? It is taught in most religions (especially monotheistic ones) that God has always been and will always be. He is outside of the confines of time. And we cannot understand this because we are “finite” beings. In my opinion, this is the greatest cop-out I have ever heard, and it comes in various forms.

 

Anyways, this leads to the only conclusion one can have. And it is this: God was not created. But, when we apply the logic of “what is created has a purpose,” we are left with only one conclusion: God has no purpose. His existence is meaningless. And therefore everything he does, in the highest scheme of things, is also meaningless.

 

So, the divine purpose-seekers, are left back at square one: Life is ultimately meaningless. Even if there is a God(s), life will always be meaningless.

 

People feel that they can cope with death only if they know there is a great hereafter; that life is eternal. I myself used to feel this way also; I felt I could not go on unless I knew that life didn’t end after the big “D” (Death). But I was mistaken. After becoming an atheistic agnostic (Who the hell knows? I might be wrong about all of this crap. But I could be right too.), I realized that I would be miserable having eternal life. If you really think about this, what the hell would you do for all eternity? You would eventually get bored and depressed. Like anything, the new would wear off after a while. And God would have to forever think of something else for us to do to take our minds away from the fact that life is void, meaningless and without purpose.

 

One might reply, “We would have our loved ones and new friends that we would make over the ages. Our company would bring us an unending joy.” But, is this necessarily true? I do not believe it is. If there is anything that life has taught us, it is this: People, relationships, and things all have a finite amount of time in which they exist. Whether it is death or the ten-year extended warranty, we know that it is going to eventually happen or expire. It is this simple truth that causes us to cherish what we have now. As the saying goes: You never know what you have until it is gone. It is this basic fact of life that drives us to appreciate what it is that we have now. It is the fragility of life that causes us to love life.

 

Take, for example, that Thanksgiving is coming up this weekend and your parents are flying in to share the holiday. You have not seen them for a long time and are ready to burst with excitement that you are going to see them. When you arrive at the airport and see them for the first time in years, you quickly approach them (or run to them) and give them the most loving, back-crushing hug you are able to give. You wonder how it is that you can stand to not be near them throughout the years. But, as always, that moment eventually ends. And you are used to them being present again. You feel like they were never gone and that they will always be there. At some time during that weekend, you begin to take for granted the fact that they are here. But suddenly, you realize that they will not be here forever, and this may be the last time you ever see them. The mere realization of this makes you again appreciate their presence.

 

It is the realization that things don’t last forever that enables you to appreciate them as they should be appreciated. Now, depending on how one chooses to look at this fact, this will either make them depressed and hopeless, or it will drive them to make the best of the life they have. Eternal life would rob people of the preciousness and beauty of life. If eternal life were true, then after some time of eternally existing, life would become bland, monotonous, and eventually miserable.

 

Now, if there is nothing after this life, or at the least one believes there is nothing after this life, one is ensured an eternal comfort void of all pain and suffering. And that person can choose to live happily in the face of anything and know that any bad thing happening will one day end. If one’s circumstances are bad or even horrific, they are given the comforting assurance that death will bring this to an end one day.

 

In conclusion, the verdict is simple. The existence of a God(s) would not make life any more meaningful. And if he is cruel enough to give us eternal life, we are assured of eventual eternal misery.

[Ouroboros]

"Meaning of life" to me means the same thing as "purpose for life" or "goal for my life". My life goal is to make it better for me, my wife, my kids and my environment (like house, work, society). So I have a meaning to life without any interference of any imaginary person. And like you said, without a "God" you actually appreciate life more.

[Astreja]

IMO, meaning is closely tied to action -- Not to mere existence. We create our own "meaning of life" by what we choose to do.

 

And I think that this principle would apply equally to any gods that are out there. They have to do stuff, just like us.

 

Perhaps creating and destroying planets is how Yahweh deals with existential angst. Although I rather hope not...

[Max]

My favorite response on the "meaning of life" issue comes from the Opus comic strip:

[fxfighter]

My favorite response on the "meaning of life" issue comes from the Opus comic strip:

That's a really great way of looking at it, haven't really thought about it that much but this seems to be the most agreeable thing on the subject so far (to me).