By Neil --
I hear it quite frequently in the arguments of theists. If God does not exist, what is the purpose of the Universe? Why are we here? What is the meaning of life without God? As with any rhetorical question there is no answer to any of these inquiries.
Image via WikipediaNone based in reality anyway. Of course from the theist perspective, the answers are laid out in black and white and typically don't require a great deal of mental capacity to embrace. Because these questions have no basis in the physical realm they are used by theists to establish a baseline of uncertainty to an opposing view. You don't know why we're all here? Then you are ignorant to the truth so let me tell you about Jesus. Religion is nothing more than opinion and therefore it is all too easy to postulate artificial reasons for the existence of objects we perceive.
I submit to you that the Universe does not need a reason to exist. It needs no purpose to exist. It doesn't require permission to exist. It simply exists. In one form or another it has existed for a long time and my own ignorance of it's origin does not simply mean that I must accept the standard de facto Christian explanation. We as human beings don't exist for any purpose either. Sorry folks. Your purpose for existing may be a personal one but in the grand scheme of things, there is not one of us that is here for any specific reason. A rock laying in a stream bed does not need a reason to exist. It simply does. This is not to be confused with the method in which that rock got to it's current place in the world or even the function that rock may perform as part of a larger system.
Some would say that this is a dismal outlook however I don't hold myself to be anything more than what I am. There's nothing cosmically special about me. My perspective on the world remains cheerful and optimistic. I can appreciate the beauty of my surroundings and what it is to live the human experience. I just don't need to justify my place in the world. And this world doesn't need a reason to exist. It simply does.
I hear it quite frequently in the arguments of theists. If God does not exist, what is the purpose of the Universe? Why are we here? What is the meaning of life without God? As with any rhetorical question there is no answer to any of these inquiries.
Image via WikipediaI submit to you that the Universe does not need a reason to exist. It needs no purpose to exist. It doesn't require permission to exist. It simply exists. In one form or another it has existed for a long time and my own ignorance of it's origin does not simply mean that I must accept the standard de facto Christian explanation. We as human beings don't exist for any purpose either. Sorry folks. Your purpose for existing may be a personal one but in the grand scheme of things, there is not one of us that is here for any specific reason. A rock laying in a stream bed does not need a reason to exist. It simply does. This is not to be confused with the method in which that rock got to it's current place in the world or even the function that rock may perform as part of a larger system.
Some would say that this is a dismal outlook however I don't hold myself to be anything more than what I am. There's nothing cosmically special about me. My perspective on the world remains cheerful and optimistic. I can appreciate the beauty of my surroundings and what it is to live the human experience. I just don't need to justify my place in the world. And this world doesn't need a reason to exist. It simply does.
COMMENTS