Blog

by Steve Risner

What is the meaning of life? Well, that’s a great question. If you read the Bible, you can likely find a great deal of meaning. The others on this writing team are addressing what the Christian response to this question is. I will be focusing today on who cannot answer this question with any sort of authority: the atheist. In researching this question and what the atheist would say to it, I found many interesting things but few were honest enough to go ahead and say it—there is no meaning in life if you’re an atheist. I’ve read up on Hawking and Dawkins and several other notable godless people who’ve attempted to answer this question. On occasion, the answer would read something like, “For the atheist, there is no meaning to life. However…” And they would go on to attempt to back pedal. Generally, however, the answers were very long winded and, at the end of the day, their words were no more than that—just their words. By what authority can any atheist answer a question like this?

To the atheist, life is nothing more than a chemical reaction. Once those reactions stop, life for that particular individual stops. So what’s the point in even answering the question? If consciousness is nothing more than a chemical reaction, how can we be sure of anything at all? We can have a positive impact on others (which is generally the most powerful statement the atheist will make in connection to the meaning or purpose of life), but eventually, those people we’ve impacted will also die and be forgotten. So all the “purpose” or “meaning” we mustered up has vanished forever. Essentially, the meaning of life for the atheist, no matter how well they dress it up, is X * 0 = meaning where X is the sum total of life’s experiences or the good you did or whatever. Heap it all in there. It doesn’t really matter. Because 0 is what it boils down to.

Asking a godless person to explain the meaning of life is no different than asking them to explain the meaning of photosynthesis. It has no meaning. It’s just what chemicals do. And it’s never large enough to satisfy. The atheist can tell you what they say the meaning of life is or where purpose comes from, but they in no way can give you an explanation as to the source of such a claim AND the purpose or meaning is never larger than self—even if the purpose is to help as many people as possible, it is still about self.

Atheists will often subjectively tell us what they believe is the meaning of life is right now, but it’s nothing more than an opinion. Why would it carry any weight at all? They may claim to do as much good as you can for as many people as you can, but why? What’s the point? People are just piles of chemicals doing what chemicals do. Eventually, they’ll be turned back into earth, and where have we gotten ourselves? The point here is if there is no ultimate authority, anyone can say or do anything they like and no one can complain.

But we, as followers of Jesus Christ, have a Book. Over three thousand times the Bible claims to be the revealed Word of the God who created the universe and all life, and who has made himself known to man. If this book really is God’s Word, then it should explain the meaning of the universe and life—and it does.

Finding a purpose or meaning for life that is bigger than you is easy when you look at the Word of God. I encourage you to take a look if you haven’t done so yet.