But if God and immortality be repudiated, what is left?…
““But if God and immortality be repudiated, what is left? That is the question usually thrown at the atheist's head. The orthodox believer likes to think that nothing is left. That, however, is because he has only been accustomed to think in terms of his orthodoxy. In point of fact, a great deal is left. That is immediately obvious from the fact that many men and women have led active, or self-sacrificing, or noble, or devoted lives without any belief in God or immortality. Buddhism in its uncorrupted form has no such belief; nor did the great nineteenth-century agnostics; nor do the orthodox Russian Communists; nor did the Stoics. Of course, the unbelievers have often been guilty of selfish or wicked actions; but so have the believers. And in any case that is not the fundamental point. The point: is that without these beliefs men and women may yet possess the mainspring of full and purposive living, and just as strong a sense that existence can be worth while as is possible to the most devout believers.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Human purpose and meaning can arise without belief in God or an afterlife, as shown by many secular lives of virtue.
In simple terms: Purpose can exist without religion.
Key Takeaway
Seek meaning through actions and values.
Themes
meaning
purpose
secularism
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- volunteering
- career
- artistic creation
- community service
Key Concepts
humanism
existentialism
ethics
Questions to Reflect On
- What values guide your life?
- How do you find purpose without religion?
A Different Perspective
Secular frameworks may lack communal rituals that reinforce meaning.