this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2024
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Imagine a world without organised religion, where it doesn't affect people's lives, but atheism still exists. What purpose would atheism fill in this scenario?

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 33 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

I don't really understand the question. What purpose does atheism serve now? Who gave it that purpose? Who is the arbiter of such things?

Atheism serves as much purpose in my life as my eye color. It's just a natural part of me and has been as long as I can remember. If I wasn't an atheist, I wouldn't be me.

As far as I can tell, the whole concept of 'purpose' when it comes to humanity as a whole is basically a religious one anyway.

[–] Landsharkgun@midwest.social 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

By living, I am antimortality.

If death didn't exist, what pupose would antimortality have?

Your question is nonsense.

[–] czech@lemm.ee 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Atheism isn't serving a purpose. It's an evidenced-based reality.

Why do you feel it must serve a purpose?

[–] hjjanger@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago

The word atheist is just a term for a rejection of a specific proposition. There's no reason why that would logically need a purpose. We find purpose elsewhere.

[–] lvxferre@mander.xyz 10 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

What's the actual purpose of not believing that pineapples grow on trees? Or not believing that the Moon is made of green cheese? or not believing in any other false statement?

I'm being cheeky to highlight a point: at the core atheism is the belief on a single epistemic statement, "there's no god out there". (Or the lack of belief in the opposite statement. Once you go past the "ackshyually" they're the same deal.)

You don't need a "purpose" for that.

[–] kubica@fedia.io 10 points 2 months ago

Without organized religion if you still don't believe in gods, then you are still atheist. There is no purpose, just how things are.

[–] jbrains@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 months ago

Reminding people to demand evidence for claims.

[–] Max_P@lemmy.max-p.me 4 points 2 months ago

Religion gives atheism purpose by opposing religion, for those that even care about religion. I didn't even care about atheism or religion until US religion started affecting my life, because in Québec religion died in the 70s and is nothing more than a cultural artifact, so atheism is the default and therefore don't need to identify as an atheist, you have to identify as a religious weirdo.

Atheism doesn't have a standalone purpose like religion does. Atheism exists purely because religion exists.

[–] spaceghoti@lemmy.one 3 points 2 months ago

None. Atheism isn't a religion or philosophy. It's an answer to one question, and only one: do you believe in gods? The answer is "no."

Where we go from there is up to us.

[–] Kalkaline@leminal.space 3 points 2 months ago

Atheism A = without theos = god You define a world without a belief in god, so now everyone is an atheist.

[–] Ifera@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

For me, it would keep me from being an oxymoron. I make an active effort to test my knowledge and beliefs, and to update my knowledge when previously held beliefs prove either false or unjustified.

And to hold a belief so significant without any proof or evidence would make me a hypocrite.

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Imagine a world without organised religion, where it doesn't affect people's lives, but atheism still exists.

A near perfect utopia where there isn't fighting over dumbass fake shit where humanity works together to better itself because there is no person who believes in a god, and nothing beyond this one life so we actually are much more motivated to make it better?

There is no purpose to atheism. It's simply a lack of a belief in a god. 🤦‍♂️

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

You highly overestimate human nature.

Remember, WWI and WWII and Vietnam and a bunch of other modern wars weren't really fought over religion.