Finding a Purpose Without God
What gives our lives direction after religion?
Submitted by James Fielding
Growing up in a strong evangelical household, I was always told that God had a plan for my life. My all-consuming goal was to find out what God had in mind for me and do my best to fulfill it.
Needless to say, once I reached the conclusion that I didn’t have the evidence to support the belief in any god, let alone a capital G god, I quickly came to the realization that there wasn’t likely a plan for me.
For many people, this creates an existential crisis of epic proportions. I will admit that at first, I was a little concerned. What was I supposed to use as my “north star” now? After the initial shock wore off, I was more pissed off than anything else. How much time and energy had I wasted on chasing this elusive purpose that doesn’t even exist? How many decisions had I made based on faulty logic? Where would I be had things been different?
While these were all valid questions, it became clear that there was nothing to be gained by dwelling on the past and what might have been. The important thing was to dust myself off and move forward.
So, what is my purpose?
