Fulfillment Without God

I have been asked, “If you are not living for God, then what is the point of living at all? This I believe: I can’t imagine a more joyless existence than one wherein I lived my life to appease a God and beg for mercy at every turn.

From my point of view, Atheism is akin to running one’s own business, whereas theism is akin to working for an overzealous boss who makes arbitrary rules regarding use of the coffee machine. Working for this overlord may guarantee this submissive individual a comfortable retirement in the nursing home up above, but it sounds like he is working for the weekend, whereas I am enjoying each and every day of the week. Frankly, I can’t work with someone breathing down my neck all day threatening damnation and hellfire if I don’t organize my files properly. And ultimately, is it really more satisfying to complete a bunch of paperwork to benefit a giant faceless corporation, or is it more refreshing to feel the breeze of cash flowing into your own pockets?

This natural world has an infinite number of pleasures to offer. The fact that these pleasures are merely side-effects of billions of years of evolution does not render them any less enjoyable. Even without God, I can still enjoy countless physical and emotional pleasures which feel to me every bit as satisfying as they do to any theist. I challenge you to find a theist who enjoys gorging on feta cheese as much as I do. Furthermore, I would argue that without God spying on and judging me 24 hours a day, I am able to partake in a much wider range of pleasures.

Without God, I can make decisions I feel will benefit me most, rather than making decisions based on his rigid word. In the face of the lord, I will never have to tremble or feel meek, as the bible suggests I should. Living life without God is empowering and fulfilling, because I am in charge of my own destiny and I am free to enjoy the happiness which is naturally abundant in our world.