If there is no God, how do we combat nihilism?

If there is no god and we are but creatures of chance through a cosmic eruption (the big bang), then surely everything is nihilistic ergo nothing matters. Without turning back to god (as the German saying states, 'All gods must die'😉 how are we to combat nihilism?

Originally posted by Vladamir no1
If there is no god and we are but creatures of chance through a cosmic eruption (the big bang), then surely everything is nihilistic ergo nothing matters. Without turning back to god (as the German saying states, 'All gods must die'😉 how are we to combat nihilism?

There is no inherent purpose assigned to one's life through some external agent. The object is to assign a purpose to one's own life through your own efforts. It is up to the individual to make his own life meaningful.

Originally posted by Vladamir no1
If there is no god and we are but creatures of chance through a cosmic eruption (the big bang), then surely everything is nihilistic ergo nothing matters. Without turning back to god (as the German saying states, 'All gods must die'😉 how are we to combat nihilism?

An interesting question is this: How exactly would the existence of a God suffice to make life meaningful?

Originally posted by rwingett
There is no inherent purpose assigned to one's life through some external agent. The object is to assign a purpose to one's own life through your own efforts. It is up to the individual to make his own life meaningful.

Everyone gets to do what is right in their own eyes, sounds strangely
famliar, as well as unworkable in the real world.
Kelly

Originally posted by KellyJay
Everyone gets to do what is right in their own eyes, sounds strangely
famliar, as well as unworkable in the real world.
Kelly

That's not at all what I said. Please work on your reading comprehension skills, KellyJay.

Originally posted by rwingett
There is no inherent purpose assigned to one's life through some external agent. The object is to assign a purpose to one's own life through your own efforts. It is up to the individual to make his own life meaningful.

But on a deeper level and on a nihilistic perspective, if when you die you end your existence full stop and the rules and morals you live whilst alive are merely social fabrications so they mean nothing too, what is the point of life?

Originally posted by Vladamir no1
If there is no god and we are but creatures of chance through a cosmic eruption (the big bang), then surely everything is nihilistic ergo nothing matters. Without turning back to god (as the German saying states, 'All gods must die'😉 how are we to combat nihilism?

The only question left unanswered by atheistic existentialism is the "nothing" after death.

Originally posted by Vladamir no1
But on a deeper level and on a nihilistic perspective, if when you die you end your existence full stop and the rules and morals you live whilst alive are merely social fabrications so they mean nothing too, what is the point of life?

Rules and morals are social fabrications, yes, but it does not follow that they mean nothing. They mean quite a bit toward living a meaningful life in the here and now. I repeat, the point of life is to make your own life meaningful now. Use the time you've got with full knowledge that each moment is fleeting and cannot redeemed for some speculative afterlife.

Originally posted by Halitose
The only question left unanswered by atheistic existentialism is the "nothing" after death.

"Nothing" is not a question.

Originally posted by Pawnokeyhole
An interesting question is this: How exactly would the existence of a God suffice to make life meaningful?

I've never heard a good answer to this question.

Originally posted by bbarr
"Nothing" is not a question.

In this case it is the ultimate answer to all the questions posed.

Originally posted by Pawnokeyhole
An interesting question is this: How exactly would the existence of a God suffice to make life meaningful?

In and of itself, it doesn't. It merely leaves you with the feeling of "big brother is watching you".

Originally posted by Halitose
In this case it is the ultimate answer to all the questions posed.

You are mistaking being cryptic for being profound.

Why is the Christian - or theistic - position taken as the given, that atheists must refute in some way? What I mean is, why is it obvious that God places some meaning on our existence, where an absence of God does not?

It's certainly not obvious to me as a practising atheist.
I don't need to rely on some external reference to provide my life with meaning - I get meaning from within me, and from the relationships I share with my wife, my kids, my family and friends.

I like the Walt Whitman poem O me, O life!
I won't quote the whole thing here, as I'm sure many of you might've heard of it. The final stanza is relevant here (and I'm paraphrasing)

Question: What good is life? (ie. what's the point of it all?)
Answer: That you are here, the life exists, that the powerful play goes on and you may contibute a verse.

That's my point, my purpose.
Contribute something.
Not think nice hokey thoughts about some imaginary supreme being ...

Originally posted by Pawnokeyhole
An interesting question is this: How exactly would the existence of a God suffice to make life meaningful?

The idea I think is supposed to be injection of certainty into our
lives, instead of the nihilistic horror these people feel when they
realize we may be alone in an extremely large universe, supposedly
therefore rendering us and anything we accomplish on our own to be
meaningless. I would tell them grow up and bitchslap these idiots
who are horrified at the possiblity there is no god, get on with life.
BTW for those who don't know what nihilism is, here is a 50 cent tour:
http://www.iep.utm.edu/n/nihilism.htm#H4