Atheism and "Good fortune"

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Recently I read a post on here from an atheist. She was attempting to point out her opinion on the ignorance of belief in a heavenly afterlife and one’s desire to reach it. One of her main points was that, for her, it was enough to feel “fortunate” that one could experience all the many wonderful things life as we know it has to offer and that that was enough.

The question that immediately came to mind was how can an atheist truly feel “fortunate”?

To me the idea of feeling “fortunate” implies that one feels like they are a reciever of good fortune, again implying that there is one who gives that good fortune to the reciever.

I guess I would ask other atheists on this board if they too feel “fortunate”, or if they may think, like I, that this person doesn’t truly harbor atheistic leanings.

Please note that I have put emphasis on the word “fortune” as that is the word the atheist used in trying to express her feelings. Upon meditation of the word I have found that it holds powerful implications and meaning.
 
It all depends on how one defines good fortune.

If a person defines good fortune as purely spiritual, then no atheist in the world can have good fortune since they are condemned to burn in hell for all eternity, no matter hoiw good of a person they are, because they haven’t been saved. They can only be fortunate if they have been saved, if the definition of good fortune is spiritual.

If by good fortune they mean have a good productive life, be a valued member of society, have a great family and is financially independandt, then yes they can have good fortune.

So it all depends on how one personally defines good fortune.
 
Starwynd said:
If by good fortune they mean have a good productive life, be a valued member of society, have a great family and is financially independandt, then yes they can have good fortune.
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But by definition of the word the atheist who does have those things could not possibly TRULY feel “fortunate” for it.

Having good fortune could possibly mean having those things, but those things in and of themselves would not be the “fortune”. After all, they are just things.
 
Wintermute said:
merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fortunate

1 : bringing some good thing not foreseen as certain : auspicious
2 : receiving some unexpected good

How does believing in God have anything to do with that?
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Post the whole thing and then we can examine it a little.

<<2. Receiving same unforeseen or unexpected good, or some good which was not dependent on one’s own skill or efforts; favored with good forune; lucky.>>

“some good which was not dependent on one’s own skill or efforts, FAVORED with good fortune; lucky.”

When I feel fortunate I indeed feel favored by recieving something good that was unexpected, unearned, i.e. outside my own abilities. The essence of the word, which expresses a feeling, is that you were given something.

Take the simplest example. It is perfectly plausible for a person to feel fortunate for being able to witness a beautiful sunset. How can an atheist honestly feel that they have been “favored” by being allowed to experience such beauty in this world? If they are the recepient, who or what is the giver? From where does this “favoring” come?
 
Starwynd said:
It all depends on how one defines good fortune.

If a person defines good fortune as purely spiritual, then no atheist in the world can have good fortune since they are condemned to burn in hell for all eternity, no matter hoiw good of a person they are, because they haven’t been saved. They can only be fortunate if they have been saved, if the definition of good fortune is spiritual.

If by good fortune they mean have a good productive life, be a valued member of society, have a great family and is financially independandt, then yes they can have good fortune.

So it all depends on how one personally defines good fortune.
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I agree with much of what you say, good fortune is simply being born in a free society. It is being born to rich parents who can give you the best of education and experiences. So I fully agree.

But even if taken in a spiritual sense, Catholics do not say or teach that anyone is condemned to eternal damnation. that is simply not the province of the Church to make a claim about. It cliams to teach the way to eternal salvation, but makes not claims that God in his infinite mercy and wisdom may have salvation plans for others. That perhaps is a baptist way or evangelical right thing, but it is not Catholic.
 
d_floyd77 said:
Post the whole thing and then we can examine it a little.

<<2. Receiving same unforeseen or unexpected good, or some good which was not dependent on one’s own skill or efforts; favored with good forune; lucky.>>

“some good which was not dependent on one’s own skill or efforts, FAVORED with good fortune; lucky.”

When I feel fortunate I indeed feel favored by recieving something good that was unexpected, unearned, i.e. outside my own abilities. The essence of the word, which expresses a feeling, is that you were given something.

Take the simplest example. It is perfectly plausible for a person to feel fortunate for being able to witness a beautiful sunset. How can an atheist honestly feel that they have been “favored” by being allowed to experience such beauty in this world? If they are the recepient, who or what is the giver? From where does this “favoring” come?
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Basically the entire argument is nonsensical. The original “atheist” used the word fortune. There is no reason to assume that she did so after checking the dictionary to get the exact definition. Fortune can be used in a variety of ways. You cannot definition her statement out of existence since it’s doubtful she used it in some technical sense. She simply, it seems to me, was alluding to the fact that she had a good life, and found that enough that she was lucky (in being born into a good country, with good parents, etcs. )
 
d_floyd77 said:
But by definition of the word the atheist who does have those things could not possibly TRULY feel “fortunate” for it.

Having good fortune could possibly mean having those things, but those things in and of themselves would not be the “fortune”. After all, they are just things.
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Not true.

All an athiest has to do is look at the alternatives to see their good fortune. I have the good fortune to be born in Australia, and not Sudan. I have the good fortune to be born into a family that loved me, gave me many things in life and are still around for me to enjoy.

I have the good fortune of being born healthy, of having a number of gifts and abilities that have enabled me to do well in life.

As to what “gave” me this good fortune? It doesn’t have to be an intelligence or a spiritual force for me to recognize how lucky I am.

All I need to do is compare to so many others and see how they live. You may call the ‘giver’ of good fortune as being nature itself, but it’s a luck based process, not an “intelligent” decision.

Why do people alway’s try to find some “spiritual” basis for an athiests view? It’s like believers are alway’s trying to put something on the athiest that doesn’t exist, as though the believer cannot tolerate in any way, an individual who just cannot believe.

Athiests, at least on this forum, seem to be the most vilified of all distinct groups. Why?
 
You guys aren’t getting it. To have good fortune means you are the RECEIVER of something good and outside of yourself. Focus on that aspect of it.

How can an atheist truly feel that they are fortunate when the whole sense of the emotion includes feeling that one has RECEIVED something unearned. Who is the giver?
 
After a close examination of what the word “fortune” implies I would say yes, it has a very theistic meaning.

Let me ask you, are you an athiest?
 
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