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The absurdity of life without God
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The absurdity of life without God.
“The Absurdity of Life without God,” by Craig
In his article, William Lane Craig has attempted to argue that life has no value, purpose,
or meaning without God. He argues that man has an exceptional ability to ask questions such as
who he is and why he is in the world. By trying to answer these questions without referring to
God, the answers are terrible and are not satisfying (Craig, 2022). He goes on to argue that if
God does not exist, the entire universe and humankind are doomed. Thus, resulting in making
life difficult, absurd, and with no purpose.
"Suffering: Richard Dawkins Contra Jesus," by Thomas
Thomas has compared and contrasted Richard Dawkins' view of suffering with the
theological Jesus' view of suffering. In his comparison, both arguments vie that suffering has a
meaning and often results in joy in the end.
"The Plight of the New Atheism: A Critique" (only pages 822–823), by Habermas
Habermas contradicts Harris' point of atheism. He explains how Harris views that God
did not create the world. Moreover, he elaborates further that even though God created the world,
it is possible that the God who created the universe was evil. The author also argues that Harris is
not aware of any philosophical discussions from the world's point of view. He explains that he
has not defined his terms clearly. Moreover, if Harris can claim that morality has a nature
objective, he cannot explain ethics from his atheistic point of view.
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One philosophical similarity between the articles is that they contradict the atheistic point
of view, which states that there is no God. Craig notes that life has no meaning if there is no
God, while Habermas contradicts Harris's atheistic beliefs.
Can life have objective meaning without God? Defend your answer making reference (pro
or con) to the reading(s).
Life can't have objective meaning without God since God is the center of objective
meaning. Humans cannot give life meaning on our own because we lack both knowledge and
power, but God has all knowledge and all ability. Without God, there is no way for humans to
objectively give life meaning since they cannot know whether their ideas would lead to
something good or bad. In terms of existence, atheists can never be sure if their ideas could lead
to anything good if they lack divine guidance.
Could life be “good” without objective meaning? Defend your answer making reference
(pro or con) to the reading(s).
There would be no objective purpose without God because life would have no meaning.
If there were no God, humans would have no reason to exist, and therefore they would not exist.
Since humans do not need to be here to create meaning in their lives, we need to ask "why" this
universe exists? Why am I here? Thus, human existence requires a purpose that does not come
from within oneself. Without God, the only meaning that humans can find is subjective meaning,
which is the experience of one's own conscious. However, this kind of meaning cannot be
objective because it depends on what one happens to be able to conceive as good or bad. Without
God, someone can believe they are living a meaningful life while, in reality, they are not.
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Life would not be good without objective meaning because it would not lead to any
moral obligations that would improve it. Without objective meaning, life could be meaningless
and could not lead to anything. Additionally, life would be incapable of producing something
that would not be good. Without objective meaning, there is nothing that life can do to improve
itself. Life cannot think for itself because it requires the input from a conscious mind that gives it
meaning and purpose. Life cannot produce anything because it cannot reason and create things
for itself. However, the absence of life's defining qualities does not make it irrelevant.
What effect do your conclusions regarding the problem of evil have, in your view, on the
philosophical case for God’s existence? Explain how and why.
The problem of evil is one of the most well-known and popular arguments against the
existence of God. This philosophical problem is based on the premise that God's nature is
incompatible as omniscient, omnipotent, and benevolent with His permitting evil actions to be
committed by creatures He created. Thus, this problem is based on the conviction that God
would need to prevent evil to fulfill His nature. So, evil would seem to be a logical contradiction
with the concept of God.
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References
The absurdity of life without god | reasonable faith. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2022, from
http://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/popular-writings/existence-nature-of-god/the-
absurdity-of-life-without-god/
Thomas, T. (n.d.).<Suffering: Richard dawkins contra jesus. Moral Apologetics. Retrieved April
30, 2022, from https://www.moralapologetics.com/wordpress/2018/9/19/suffering-
richard-dawkins-contra-jesus
[pdf] a critique of the new atheism—Free download pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2022, from
https://silo.tips/download/a-critique-of-the-new-atheism
