I've left this thread alone for awhile, but I have to ask one question:
Why does there have to be a god for us to have purpose?
I believe in god, yes, a divine force beyond human comprehension. I do not, however, believe that if that god doesn't exist, we are void of purpose. Like Enkidu said, there's no way to discuss this without an essay, but I find total reliance on a creator to be pathetic and insulting.
Some of the kindest and most helpful people I know consider themselves atheist. Take my 4th grade teacher for example. I ran into him awhile ago, and we had a chat about lifestyle. He's vegan, MEGA green, has been teaching for years, and volunteers at hospitals and such, and was in the Peace Corps for a few years prior to teaching. He doesn't believe in god. He told me, and I quote,
I know this will be taken out of context to say "BUT GOD IS LOVE OMGWTF". You believe in god, which you believe is love. He just believes in love. Pure love. No father figure up in the clouds going "Hey, you should do this so you can go to heaven". No carrot on a stick. Just love. Really, if you say "he believes in love so that means he believes in god", I will jump through the screen and hit you.