How does your religion (or lack thereof) affect the meaning or value you place on human life?

[NewGuyOnTheBlock]

It's just a question, and this thread is not intended to fall into the throws of interfaith debates. These are very personal questions that each of us can answer to ourselves and we truly can't have an answer outside of ourselves that is truly intrinsic.

MY ANSWER is, I rather tire of the theist mumbo jumbo that tells me that I believe there is no value here without a deity or a hereafter. Nothing could be further from the truth! I see life as precious; and further, I see this life as the only life we have, and ever will have. No, we are not "specially created"; but everything came together just the right way at this very time to make me .... well ... me! That means that I am fortunate to be here. I see, I hear, I breathe, I think, I feel; and these precious experiences (even the painful ones) cause me to to feel fortunate to be here and to have these experiences. Regardless of where it came from, life is a really cool gift!

I feel the same way for my fellow man; each of us are lucky to be here because things came together just the right way to make them ... them!

So, because we are so lucky to be here, and because this is the only life we will ever experience, may as well make it the best life we can live! Now, I live with the pain of regret and I wish that on nobody; so I cherish morality, kindness, compassion. We can't have the best life we can possibly live if we are out and about doing harm to our fellow man or thumbing our nose at the laws that govern our societies.

And when we offer kindness and compassion to others, we do something amazing; we make better, not just a life, but the only life another living creature or person will ever, ever have!

That's my answer; and now, it's your turn. How does your religion (or lack thereof) affect the meaning or value you place on human life?

 

[SomeRandom]

I never really gave it that much thought.
To me, compassion and empathy is, on some level, instinctual to humans. We are a social species and we would have not survived without learning to work together.
If you need to rely on religion to treat others with basic human decency and respect, then that says more about you than your religion. Imo. That’s not to say that a person shouldn’t look towards religion for guidance on how to treat others, of course.
Just that I would think most people, religious or otherwise, strive to show compassion towards their fellow man. The exact definition of “compassion” may differ religion to religion, however.

 

[74x12]

It's just a question, and this thread is not intended to fall into the throws of interfaith debates. These are very personal questions that each of us can answer to ourselves and we truly can't have an answer outside of ourselves that is truly intrinsic.

MY ANSWER is, I rather tire of the theist mumbo jumbo that tells me that I believe there is no value here without a deity or a hereafter. Nothing could be further from the truth! I see life as precious; and further, I see this life as the only life we have, and ever will have. No, we are not "specially created"; but everything came together just the right way at this very time to make me .... well ... me! That means that I am fortunate to be here. I see, I hear, I breathe, I think, I feel; and these precious experiences (even the painful ones) cause me to to feel fortunate to be here and to have these experiences. Regardless of where it came from, life is a really cool gift!

I feel the same way for my fellow man; each of us are lucky to be here because things came together just the right way to make them ... them!

So, because we are so lucky to be here, and because this is the only life we will ever experience, may as well make it the best life we can live! Now, I live with the pain of regret and I wish that on nobody; so I cherish morality, kindness, compassion. We can't have the best life we can possibly live if we are out and about doing harm to our fellow man or thumbing our nose at the laws that govern our societies.

And when we offer kindness and compassion to others, we do something amazing; we make better, not just a life, but the only life another living creature or person will ever, ever have!

That's my answer; and now, it's your turn. How does your religion (or lack thereof) affect the meaning or value you place on human life?

I like how you care for fellow people so much and I think over all you have a good view of things for an atheist perspective but the one problem I have with your world view is I think if anything; it over values the present life. As a person who believes there are more important things than this present life I tend to place things as more important like duty, honor etc.

I mean the point is not to value this present life so much that we lose those things. Because we may become afraid and not stand up for what's right just to save our one single life. Survival can have the side effect of becoming our god. In the atheistic world view none of those virtues matter after you're dead. They disappear as if they never existed as far as you're concerned. So no point in clinging to them if it means you'll die.

Secondly, yes you may value your fellow human's life as much as your own as long as you're well fed and comfortable in the modern world. But what if all that went away? When tested this world view could all break down. It may become survival of the fittest.

I like how the scriptures say he that saves his life will lose it and he that loses his life for my sake(Jesus, virtue, truth) will keep it (eternal life) and greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends.

 

[sun rise]

And when we offer kindness and compassion to others, we do something amazing; we make better, not just a life, but the only life another living creature

I like that statement and agree with it.

And it does not matter if someone is a theist or atheist - if they try to offer kindness etc, they're ok in my book.

 

[Deeje]

@"NewGuyOnTheBlock
Well, first of all, you need to change your username because its a fib.....you've been here since 2014.....can someone who can't tell the truth be trusted?

So, because we are so lucky to be here, and because this is the only life we will ever experience, may as well make it the best life we can live!

Is that another way of saying "eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we are to die"? That is hardly a new concept.
If you live your life with that belief, then your wish is sure to be granted. Did no one ever tell you that if you don't care about God, then he is under no obligation to care about you?

What was it that made you lose belief in his existence? Was it something humans did? Why blame God for that? Throwing the baby out with the bathwater was never an option for me. My church let me down terribly but I didn't blame God for their errors....I left and found those who did as Jesus instructed....those who lived their faith. I have never regretted my choice.

Now, I live with the pain of regret and I wish that on nobody; so I cherish morality, kindness, compassion. We can't have the best life we can possibly live if we are out and about doing harm to our fellow man or thumbing our nose at the laws that govern our societies.

Do you know where 'the laws governing our society' usually come from?

Regrets can only be felt if one has offended their own sense of right and wrong.....did our conscience just pop up out of nowhere? You couldn't have regrets unless you had a moral compass. Regrets usually come from ignoring it...and I don't think there are any of us who don't have them. No one is perfect.

And when we offer kindness and compassion to others, we do something amazing; we make better, not just a life, but the only life another living creature or person will ever, ever have!

Very noble, and I guess this describes the difference between a "good Christian" and "a good humanitarian".....one is motivated by love for their fellow man, and the other is motivated by a love for God as well as their fellow man.

Which one would suffer burn out first do you think? The one who has no reason for why the world is nothing close to being ideal (and where did he get his ideas about what is ideal anyway?) and who has no real hope of anything getting any better by human efforts....or the one who understands why there is so much injustice and selfishness and greed and can trust in the Creator to fix these things because he promised to?....heaven knows man does not have the will or the ability to rise above his own selfishness. Fixing our mess always seems to be someone else's job.

Are you a 'voice in the wilderness' wondering if man can ever rise above his own self serving ego to make the world a better place?
I don't think my life would have any peace at all if I had to rely on man to steer the world in the right direction......looking at his track record to date, I believe its almost time for God to end this nonsense and get us back to what we lost....this is after all an object lesson on the folly of believing that we don't need God to guide and direct us. He has given us 'enough rope'....and we have done just as he predicted we would.

It is patently obvious that humans are their own worst enemies. Those who think that they don't need God are IMO...absolute fools. (Psalm 14:1)

 

[Secret Chief]

It's just a question, and this thread is not intended to fall into the throws of interfaith debates. These are very personal questions that each of us can answer to ourselves and we truly can't have an answer outside of ourselves that is truly intrinsic.

MY ANSWER is, I rather tire of the theist mumbo jumbo that tells me that I believe there is no value here without a deity or a hereafter. Nothing could be further from the truth! I see life as precious; and further, I see this life as the only life we have, and ever will have. No, we are not "specially created"; but everything came together just the right way at this very time to make me .... well ... me! That means that I am fortunate to be here. I see, I hear, I breathe, I think, I feel; and these precious experiences (even the painful ones) cause me to to feel fortunate to be here and to have these experiences. Regardless of where it came from, life is a really cool gift!

I feel the same way for my fellow man; each of us are lucky to be here because things came together just the right way to make them ... them!

So, because we are so lucky to be here, and because this is the only life we will ever experience, may as well make it the best life we can live! Now, I live with the pain of regret and I wish that on nobody; so I cherish morality, kindness, compassion. We can't have the best life we can possibly live if we are out and about doing harm to our fellow man or thumbing our nose at the laws that govern our societies.

And when we offer kindness and compassion to others, we do something amazing; we make better, not just a life, but the only life another living creature or person will ever, ever have!

That's my answer; and now, it's your turn. How does your religion (or lack thereof) affect the meaning or value you place on human life?

Pretty much the same; and that "value" - as you mention - does not only refer to humans.

 

[Altfish]

I'm a Humanist, since it is defined along the lines of ...

"a rationalist outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters"

... I'd say that Human Life is at the top of our list

 

[SalixIncendium]

My religion, or at least my understanding of it, places value on all life, and all life has meaning, not just human life.

I live by a principle of non-violence called ahimsa. I recognize that other lives are of the same nature as me, and in harming others, I am harming myself.

There is also karma, the principle of causality that everything I do has repercussions. In a nutshell, I’m fully accountable for all of my actions, as I will ultimately experience the effect of those actions.

 

[pearl]

MY ANSWER is, I rather tire of the theist mumbo jumbo that tells me that I believe there is no value here without a deity or a hereafter. Nothing could be further from the truth! I see life as precious; and further, I see this life as the only life we have, and ever will have. No, we are not "specially created"; but everything came together just the right way at this very time to make me .... well ... me! That means that I am fortunate to be here. I see, I hear, I breathe, I think, I feel; and these precious experiences (even the painful ones) cause me to to feel fortunate to be here and to have these experiences. Regardless of where it came from, life is a really cool gift!

We agree that all life is precious, the difference, for me life is precious because all life belongs to God.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Being non-religious too I can't fathom how the religious get the idea that we (the non-religious) can't or don't place value on so many things in our lives, and towards life itself - human but also all other life. The more one knows about how any individual comes into existence (the biology bit), and how we have progressed so far from where our ancestors once were (the historical bit), together with being born to certain parents and in a certain country, one would have to have no powers of reflection to not appreciate how lucky one is to be born into such - if one is. But so many are not. Plus of course what we know about the universe now and possibly how rare life is, and the same goes for how rare our Earth might be. Why wouldn't we value such?

Most of us, being on such a forum and seemingly, are well off compared to so many others, but all might have the capacity to live as good a life as they could if such was possible. Hence that value is one that I aspire to - that would benefit all humans and to live lives that they might want and could have. Unfortunately, population numbers and the way so many live seem to oppose such - some happy to have much more than others (and perhaps seemingly thinking they deserve such), whilst so many others are divided similarly by their having different religious beliefs from others.

So instead of any value seemingly bestowed by God, I like many no doubt, would see the value in humans themselves, our place within the rest of life (and its value), and what we might achieve - individually and as a species.

 

[Brickjectivity]

That's my answer; and now, it's your turn. How does your religion (or lack thereof) affect the meaning or value you place on human life?

The title has a problem, because it tries to be even handed but implies religion is necessary. A 'Lack' cannot have an effect. It is merely not having, unless there is a need. If you imply there is a need for religion only then can the lack thereof have an effect. Without a need for religion the lack of it can have no effect.

I rather tire of the theist mumbo jumbo that tells me that I believe there is no value here without a deity or a hereafter.

It is far more than only theist. Many people consider this life to be only a dream, especially mothers and fathers. For the majority of the thousands of years of human existence life has been very tragic, very painful, very harsh, very uncertain. Living today in luxury as we do, we have fun and ease. Put yourself into the shoes of yesterday, and tell me again its theist to believe that life is but a dream. No, this is not theist. It is humanity's doom to believe these things when times get very bad.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

It's just a question, and this thread is not intended to fall into the throws of interfaith debates. These are very personal questions that each of us can answer to ourselves and we truly can't have an answer outside of ourselves that is truly intrinsic.

MY ANSWER is, I rather tire of the theist mumbo jumbo that tells me that I believe there is no value here without a deity or a hereafter. Nothing could be further from the truth! I see life as precious; and further, I see this life as the only life we have, and ever will have. No, we are not "specially created"; but everything came together just the right way at this very time to make me .... well ... me! That means that I am fortunate to be here. I see, I hear, I breathe, I think, I feel; and these precious experiences (even the painful ones) cause me to to feel fortunate to be here and to have these experiences. Regardless of where it came from, life is a really cool gift!

I feel the same way for my fellow man; each of us are lucky to be here because things came together just the right way to make them ... them!

So, because we are so lucky to be here, and because this is the only life we will ever experience, may as well make it the best life we can live! Now, I live with the pain of regret and I wish that on nobody; so I cherish morality, kindness, compassion. We can't have the best life we can possibly live if we are out and about doing harm to our fellow man or thumbing our nose at the laws that govern our societies.

And when we offer kindness and compassion to others, we do something amazing; we make better, not just a life, but the only life another living creature or person will ever, ever have!

That's my answer; and now, it's your turn. How does your religion (or lack thereof) affect the meaning or value you place on human life?

So far, it's giving me motivation to change myself. I don't have high goals so any huge transformation I wouldn't know. But still, I figure every year I ended up in the same spot communicating with family. Not much of a family person so that's probably why I'm called. Aunt finally got to see her family before she died. She told us that's important even though my childhood was off and on with that.

Anyway...acts of gratitude, trust, meditation, and listening. Working on speech. I don't have "scripture" to quote on quote guide me. All intuition, patience, and practice.

(Good question if people didn't not pick over it )

 

[NewGuyOnTheBlock]

I mean the point is not to value this present life so much that we lose those things. Because we may become afraid and not stand up for what's right just to save our one single life. Survival can have the side effect of becoming our god. In the atheistic world view none of those virtues matter after you're dead. They disappear as if they never existed as far as you're concerned. So no point in clinging to them if it means you'll die.

The point of this thread is to express how our personal religions, or lack thereof, affect their value of life. The point of this thread is not, was not, to tell others why they are wrong. I expressly requested that such debates and discussions be avoided.

In order to avoid going further down this rabbit hole, I will only request that you read my original post, where I stated that I cherished compassion and morality. To turn my back on a wrong is neither compassionate to the one being harmed nor does it reflect a value on morality.

Is that another way of saying "eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we are to die"?

You are taking one statement out of context. Life comes with responsibilities and if we do not live up to those responsibilities, then we do not live our lives to the fullest. Every decision has consequences; and the choice to forsake responsibilities for hedonistic purposes will impose limits on our life and our potential.

What was it that made you lose belief in his existence? Was it something humans did?

No, it was that ....

Why blame God for that?

..... Nevermind. You've already made up your mind, making further discussion pointless. If you wish an answer to your question; the correct answer; MY answer; please PM me.

Do you know where 'the laws governing our society' usually come from?

I don't share the belief in the "lawgiver" or "objective morality coming from a deity" ideas that many theists tend to hold. But as I reminded another, this thread was not intended to be a place for such discussion or debate. If anything, this thread was for simply listening to each other. If you wish to discuss this in further detail, please PM me or start thread and PM me the link. But not here please.

In the atheistic world view none of those virtues matter after you're dead.

Have you ever shared my worldview?
Have you ever been an atheist?

If you answered "no" to either of these questions, you are not qualified to determine what the "atheist worldview" is.

Is there only one worldview shared by atheists?

If the answer is "no", then you are out of line to dictate to me what "my" worldview is.

But again. This thread was created as a place for "listening". So please. Listen.

As far as the last comment; it matters to me how I am remembered. It matters to me how others will feel about my passing. So yes; those virtues of honor and duty matter.

Are you a 'voice in the wilderness' wondering if man can ever rise above his own self serving ego to make the world a better place?

No. Because I have witnessed others do exactly this very thing. Some were theists. Some not. Being an atheist does not make one inherently selfish as many would like to believe, though there are inherently selfish non-believers. Being a theist does not necessarily make one a selfless person, though there are selfless people who are believers. Our spiritual beliefs may affect our character; but our spiritual beliefs do not define it. This is just my personal opinion. Please refrain from debating with me as I requested during the OP. I want to listen to what you have to say about how your personal beliefs affect your value on life; and to be heard without being confronted. I also wish to be heard while not being confronted. The purpose of this thread was "listening".

Regrets can only be felt if one has offended their own sense of right and wrong.....did our conscience just pop up out of nowhere?

There are many beliefs and opinions out there about where our conscience comes from. I may not share your belief in where the conscience comes from. Your belief may be right; but I doubt it. It seems to me that you are one of those theists who struggle with the idea of the non-believer can be moral, selfless, and have a conscience. So with that being the case, maybe it is best that you do what this thread was intended to to ... and listen.

You couldn't have regrets unless you had a moral compass.

So either: (1) I have/had a moral compass; or (2) I have/had no regrets.

The title has a problem, because it tries to be even handed but implies religion is necessary. A 'Lack' cannot have an effect. It is merely not having, unless there is a need. If you imply there is a need for religion only then can the lack thereof have an effect. Without a need for religion the lack of it can have no effect.

Certainly a "lack" can have an affect. If I have no food or water, I die. If there is no heat or oxygen, there is no fire.

 

[NewGuyOnTheBlock]

It is patently obvious that humans are their own worst enemies.

Interesting point and worthy of a thread of its own.

 

[Regiomontanus]

It's just a question, and this thread is not intended to fall into the throws of interfaith debates. These are very personal questions that each of us can answer to ourselves and we truly can't have an answer outside of ourselves that is truly intrinsic.

MY ANSWER is, I rather tire of the theist mumbo jumbo that tells me that I believe there is no value here without a deity or a hereafter. Nothing could be further from the truth! I see life as precious; and further, I see this life as the only life we have, and ever will have. No, we are not "specially created"; but everything came together just the right way at this very time to make me .... well ... me! That means that I am fortunate to be here. I see, I hear, I breathe, I think, I feel; and these precious experiences (even the painful ones) cause me to to feel fortunate to be here and to have these experiences. Regardless of where it came from, life is a really cool gift!

I feel the same way for my fellow man; each of us are lucky to be here because things came together just the right way to make them ... them!

So, because we are so lucky to be here, and because this is the only life we will ever experience, may as well make it the best life we can live! Now, I live with the pain of regret and I wish that on nobody; so I cherish morality, kindness, compassion. We can't have the best life we can possibly live if we are out and about doing harm to our fellow man or thumbing our nose at the laws that govern our societies.

And when we offer kindness and compassion to others, we do something amazing; we make better, not just a life, but the only life another living creature or person will ever, ever have!

That's my answer; and now, it's your turn. How does your religion (or lack thereof) affect the meaning or value you place on human life?

As an atheist I certainly did not value human life as much as I do now. I used to think abortion was fine, for example. And combined with me being a tree-hugger, I thought a nice reduction of the human population of 1/3 or even 1/2 would be tragic but useful to the biosphere (well it would be but in the long run would not matter) which I find disturbing now. There is no ultimate ground for morality without God (I know that makes heads explode) though of course that does not mean an atheist cannot be a moral person (duh).

 

[Brickjectivity]

Certainly a "lack" can have an affect. If I have no food or water, I die. If there is no heat or oxygen, there is no fire.

Because you need heat, oxygen, food and water. In other words the title question presumes a need for religion.

 

[Deeje]

Life comes with responsibilities and if we do not live up to those responsibilities, then we do not live our lives to the fullest. Every decision has consequences; and the choice to forsake responsibilities for hedonistic purposes will impose limits on our life and our potential.

It will also have repercussions for others who have the misfortune to either live with you, or have to interact with you for any reason. ("you" as in you and me) It will probably limit their life and potential to some degree as well. I do not see my own actions as things that affect only myself.

I don't share the belief in the "lawgiver" or "objective morality coming from a deity" ideas that many theists tend to hold.

Can laws exist without a lawgiver? Laws are designed for a purpose.....design and purpose are the product of intelligence.....that is how I see everything.....everything has a purpose and an explanation (in my experience). I cannot entertain a succession of millions of fortunate 'flukes'. To my mind, that is unintelligent nonsense. But I am a spiritual being....I realize that others are not and therefore see life through a completely different lens.

Please refrain from debating with me as I requested during the OP. I want to listen to what you have to say about how your personal beliefs affect your value on life; and to be heard without being confronted. I also wish to be heard while not being confronted. The purpose of this thread was "listening".

I have tried to tie in your points in giving my response and opinion.....I was not intentionally debating.

Interesting point and worthy of a thread of its own.

"It is patently obvious that humans are their own worst enemies."

Perhaps I will start one then....

 

[NewGuyOnTheBlock]

As an atheist I certainly did not value human life as much as I do now.

Interesting. Thank you for your answer.

Because you need heat, oxygen, food and water. In other words the title question presumes a need for religion.

That is your perception. You do not believe, it seems, that having no religion has an affect on the value you place on life. Thank you for your answer.

I do not see my own actions as things that affect only myself.

A very powerful lesson to learn in life. Thank you.

Can laws exist without a lawgiver?

I believe natural laws most certainly can. I certainly understand how this thought can blow the mind of the believer. Thank you for your responses.

I have tried to tie in your points in giving my response and opinion.....I was not intentionally debating.

Understood. Then I was being hyper-defensive and threatening my own thread. Thank you for clarifying and again, thanks for your responses.

 

[Brickjectivity]

That is your perception. You do not believe, it seems, that having no religion has an affect on the value you place on life. Thank you for your answer.

Yes, that is what I mean. It has no affect. It can't, because it isn't anything.

 

[Art1787]

It's just a question, and this thread is not intended to fall into the throws of interfaith debates. These are very personal questions that each of us can answer to ourselves and we truly can't have an answer outside of ourselves that is truly intrinsic.

MY ANSWER is, I rather tire of the theist mumbo jumbo that tells me that I believe there is no value here without a deity or a hereafter. Nothing could be further from the truth! I see life as precious; and further, I see this life as the only life we have, and ever will have. No, we are not "specially created"; but everything came together just the right way at this very time to make me .... well ... me! That means that I am fortunate to be here. I see, I hear, I breathe, I think, I feel; and these precious experiences (even the painful ones) cause me to to feel fortunate to be here and to have these experiences. Regardless of where it came from, life is a really cool gift!

I feel the same way for my fellow man; each of us are lucky to be here because things came together just the right way to make them ... them!

So, because we are so lucky to be here, and because this is the only life we will ever experience, may as well make it the best life we can live! Now, I live with the pain of regret and I wish that on nobody; so I cherish morality, kindness, compassion. We can't have the best life we can possibly live if we are out and about doing harm to our fellow man or thumbing our nose at the laws that govern our societies.

And when we offer kindness and compassion to others, we do something amazing; we make better, not just a life, but the only life another living creature or person will ever, ever have!

That's my answer; and now, it's your turn. How does your religion (or lack thereof) affect the meaning or value you place on human life?

Well, if I didn't have the teachings of my church, I would still (based on my current attitudes) think that other human beings deserve the same treatment that I do. Because of my religious beliefs, I know how important people are to God -- our spirits are literally his sons and daughters, accorting to the NT.