Can There Be Meaning in a World without God?

Visit https://www.bartehrman.com/courses/ to shop from Bart Ehrman’s online courses and get a special discount by using code: MJPODCAST on all courses. Many people of faith think, and strongly believe, that without an almighty sovereign being over this world life would (and can!) have no meaning: it's just a matter of chance and circumstance with no ultimate end, no goal, nor purpose, no meaning. Bart had that view for years, and feared that leaving the faith would lead to a purposeless, meaningless, chaotic, anarchic existence. As it turns out, that didn't happen. But why? In this episode we explore the possibilities of meaning in a world without God. Megan asks: -How did people in ancient cultures derive meaning from life? Was it similar to modern Christian views that the purpose of life was to do what god wants you to? -Who were the writers who discussed the meaning and purpose of life in the Greek and Roman worlds? -Do we see these views being passed down to Christians, and do they turn up in scripture? -What about morals and ethics? Were these derived from religious beliefs? -How did your born-again experience change how you thought about the world? -Did your religious faith give your life a different purpose and direction, and did your conversion substantially change your behaviour as well as your outlook? -Did you worry that you’d lose that when you moved away from faith? -What about now? Without religious belief, do you feel like you’ve lost that purpose? -Without a god to tell you what’s right and wrong, or that you should treat others well in order to avoid hell, how do you know what is ethical, and why do you even worry about the morality of your actions? -Is belief in god necessary to life a fulfilling, ethical life?