A lady named Katherine Ozment has written a book titled,

Grace Without God: The Search for Meaning, Purpose, and Belonging in a Secular Age.

I have NOT read the book, and likely never will.  The advert says the author, "...takes readers on a quest to understand the trends and ramifications of a nation in flight from organized religion."  Further, "Writer, journalist, and secular mother of three Katherine Ozment came face-to-face with the fundamental issue of the Nones when her son asked her the simplest of questions: “what are we?”

What are we?  That's a good question, but I am not really very curious about what " a secular mother" might have to say about it.

Some insight can be gleaned from Betrand Russel's position that, "Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.”  With no purpose, the "what are we question" becomes indeed difficult.

In fact, as a non-philosopher (at least no training), it would seem that we cannot describe "what" without invoking purpose.  Some things have many purposes, others fewer, but, "What is a pencil?", "What is a floor?", "What is a bird." Seem all to be answered by what they do.  The bird is an animal that: flies (most of them), lays eggs, has feathers, etc.  Feathers have purpose, as do eggs and flight.

"What are we?"  Well what were we created to do?  Nothing?  Hmm, well maybe we weren't created at all, maybe we just happened.  In that case then what we are is the chance outcome of a random process that did NOT have us as the goal.  To translate, we are nothing but an accident.

Alternatively, perhaps we were created by G^d to praise Him and enjoy Him (fellowship with him) forever!  Forever?  Yes indeed.  

But which hypothesis (faith-based guess) is correct?  What evidence is there that we are the product of chance?  What evidence is there that we were created for a purpose?

As a physiologist, in my view, there is ample evidence that we are NOT a product of chance.  Our bodies are FAR too complex to be randomly assembled, even if guided by "natural selection".  Evolution is a faith position- and it's philosophical outcome is meaningless existence.  What are we, if the product of chance, we are simply a product of chance with no purpose, no meaning, no "what" at all.

Now, I do NOT suggest that outcomes dictate causality, I do suggest that we DO have meaning and purpose, and i do suggest there is CONSIDERABLE evidence that humans were created by Someone, and we do have an answer to, "What are we?"

So, though I have little interest in what a "secular mother" might think, I do have interest in what YOU think?