What do you have to live for?

[Endless Devoid]

I live because I can.
Because while I'm alive I have the opportunity to be happy.
To live for myself and for those I grow to care for.

When I die, why should I care what happens? I'm dead.
I won't NEED or even WANT a purpose, it will be over.

Your argument sucks. It makes no sense and preys on stupidity, the same stupidity that religious leaders feed to the masses, trying to make then insecure and sucker them into their religion. It's immoral and disgusting, and the entire reason the concept of God is fake. You define wonderful principles and do not live by them.

What do YOU have to live for?
You die and you go to heaven. Gee. Who cares? What happens in heaven? Same thing as on Earth?
Are you really that afraid of death that you'd refuse to let it simply come? A true Christian should WANT to die. So why not do themselves, and the rest of us a favor?

[Darkness Princess]

I live because I can and because I'm here.
I'm alive, why await death? Live for the joy of what life brings and its sorrow. I live because my life is mine to lead.
I love life, the chance to meet so many people and to love them,hate them, argue and just be around them. There's so many opportunities in life and so much to do. What else can I do but embrace them and make the best of the time thats been given to me?

[Elegant Esthetics]

Originally Posted by Dogenzaka

To those who don't believe in any sort of theism or anything of the sort, what do you have to live for, I ask? What's your purpose to live?

We simply breed, and then die. With nothing we are brought into the world, and with nothing we leave. What's the point? In the end, you'll simply be devoured by scavenger organisms, maggots, and worms until you're forgotten. None of your money, morals, fame, accomplishments, feelings, thoughts, or principles would matter in the end. In the end, everything will be gone and not as it is. So what do you live for?

Not only is this statement totally biased, but it is also ultimately flawed. Assuming that there is no afterlife, the non-theistic people won't be the only ones to suffer. They've just spent their lives living the way that they wanted to, instead of as dictated by a religion that was preaching lies. =)

And, everyone has some sort of impact on history. Even if it's only in an old photo that your great grand children view twenty years after your death, you've made an impact and you're remembered. And, I don't see every single religious person being remembered throughout history. Unless you're an activist, prophet, martyr, or founder of a new religion, no one gives a shit about you just because you were religious.

But, in answer to your question, I live for myself. I do things that I don't enjoy, sure, but generallly that is to make other people happy, which is what I enjoy. Living every moment, looking at the past fondly, and accepting the future without pondering deeply about life is what life is generally about. For those of you that have spent your lives hoping to get into heaven, you lose more than the people truly living their lives do. Not that you can care, but you still do.

Which brings me to my next point. Who is saying that non-religious people don't get to go to some sort of afterlife? Assuming that G/god is a kind and loving deity, why would he discriminate based simply on whether or not someone worshipped him? Sounds rather petty for a deity, if you ask me.

[Miss Murder]

I won't rephrase what those before me have already stated about your flawed and relatively useless argument, Dogen, but I can answer your original question.

I live for the sole purpose of living, as any human being does, though their personal thoughts may contradict with that. I live to have family and friends, and all the personal activities I find "fun" ( which can be catagorized under human pleasures ). But even more than that, I live for the sole possibility of making a difference in absolutely anything, being remembered at least for a small time and even by one lonely person, and changing the minds and ways of thinking of those around me.

If everyone thought like you, Dogen, that "life's not worth living since we're all going to die anyway", where would the world possibly be? No inventors, no revolutionaries, no inspirationalists, no art or music, etc. etc. Some of that can seem a bit mediocre at first, but really, all of that is essential to the world.

I suppose, however, that your favoured response to that statement would simply be, "LOLOL DOESNT MATTER ANYWAYZ". But that's my answer.

[HadesDragon]

Originally Posted by Dawning Kensei

Which brings me to my next point. Who is saying that non-religious people don't get to go to some sort of afterlife? Assuming that G/god is a kind and loving deity, why would he discriminate based simply on whether or not someone worshipped him? Sounds rather petty for a deity, if you ask me.

Or he could be a God that values knowledge and the search for the truth. If so, we're in the clear. =D

He could also be an indifferent God (which opens up a few more possibilites)...or even an evil God. If so...well...=p

[Elegant Esthetics]

Exactly. The idea that being a good little follower will get you straight into heaven is a flawed idea.

[HadesDragon]

Especially considering how many religions there are. I mean, how do you know which one to follow? What most don't seem to realize is that all gods are equally real, that is, each one has just as much a chance of existing as the other. This includes gods that are today largely considered false, such as the greeks', the egypcians', the norses', etc. Would be funny if you died and found out the Illiad was true, wouldn't it?

Or it could be that the true god(s) are ones that haven't/aren't been/being worshipped at all.

[Guardian Soul]

Nobody knows what the afterlife holds, but we've been given a gift, and I think that we should live life to the fullest. You've been given a body, feelings, emotions, It's pretty amazing how humans work, you should be thankful for this opportunity. Out of all of the things you could have become in this universe, you have the ability to be one of the more intelligent creatures, at least on this world. How can you just throw it all away? It's pitiful.

Even when I die, I'm happy knowing that I'll have left a mark behind, I once existed, and my memories will have existed, and will continue to have existed for eternity.

[Sephiros_TH]

It sounds like this topic was made on the assumption that god is the only reason to live, or to me anyway. Animals seem to go on without any belief in a deity. Humans, being animals, are naturally hardwired to continue living and propagate the species and do other things along the way if the choose. Unless the psychological state of the human is interfered with then that alone will keep a human kicking. People live because they can and because in a way its what they are programmed to want to do. So I ask you what does a theist have to live for? total devotion to an ideal and the belief that one will live again, and then what?

[Time]

Originally Posted by Dogenzaka

Does it matter? If you were dead you wouldn't care whether you had fun or not, since you wouldn't exist, and eventually you won't exist, just like at one point you never did.

Besides last time I checked real life sucks, full of bills, crashing governments, and colliding beliefs. Does it matter though? Eventually, you are going to die. And that's the end of it.

Those things only matter if we let, to be honest. One can live without many of those things, truthfully. It's all a matter of how you go about doing so.

[Phoenix]

That's like asking why breathe is your lungs are going to give out eventually anyway. Or why enjoy a party if it's eventually going to end. It's because the party's going to end at some point that you should enjoy it as much as you can. Not a hard concept. I like life, therefore I live it.

[gungonX]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

That's like asking why breathe is your lungs are going to give out eventually anyway. Or why enjoy a party if it's eventually going to end. It's because the party's going to end at some point that you should enjoy it as much as you can. Not a hard concept. I like life, therefore I live it.

Not a hard concept at all, but once again religious influences are caught up in the mix.

[Endless Devoid]

It disgusts me how people condescend to others who do not believe in psychotic religions, and yet when the "non-theists" strike back, they wail religious persecution and act like victims.

Heigh-Ho, the fall of Rome.

[Dogenzaka]

Which brings me to my next point. Who is saying that non-religious people don't get to go to some sort of afterlife? Assuming that G/god is a kind and loving deity, why would he discriminate based simply on whether or not someone worshipped him? Sounds rather petty for a deity, if you ask me.

Because he ain't just flowers and candy.
He's an angry and punishing God as well. lol.
He loves good and hates evil.

Doesn't have to do with the fact of worship, the principle is simple. It has to do with sin.

That is irrelevant though, no need to talk about Christianity when I never even mentioned it

That's like asking why breathe is your lungs are going to give out eventually anyway. Or why enjoy a party if it's eventually going to end. It's because the party's going to end at some point that you should enjoy it as much as you can. Not a hard concept. I like life, therefore I live it.

Exactly. Explain to me why it's significant to keep breathing. To keep living, if there is no purpose for it.

It disgusts me how people condescend to others who do not believe in psychotic religions, and yet when the "non-theists" strike back, they wail religious persecution and act like victims.

You're very offensive. Please be respectful, or leave.

[HadesDragon]

Originally Posted by Dogenzaka

Because he ain't just flowers and candy.
He's an angry and punishing God as well. lol.
He loves good and hates evil.

Doesn't have to do with the fact of worship, the principle is simple. It has to do with sin.

That is irrelevant though, no need to talk about Christianity when I never even mentioned it

You assume he was talking about the christian god lol.

Exactly. Explain to me why it's significant to keep breathing. To keep living, if there is no purpose for it.

Okay, you go to a party, realize it'll end, and decide to leave. There's no point in enjoying it because it's just gonna end eventually.

It's exactly because life ends that you should enjoy it, Dogen. Make the most of what you have. Do something good for the world and lived your life to its fullest, and die happy knowing you did so.