what makes you think there has to be someone running things? what makes you think there has to be a reason why we're here? okay with WHOM is it okay to be a murderer and/or a rapist? do you REALLY think that if there is no big punisher in the sky, it's okay to hurt people? what a ridiculous and disgusting idea THAT is. you must think human beings have no inner resources and only behave well, if they do, because of some god or other (and look how well THAT proves out -- ever see the stats on who's in prison? those murderers and rapists are mostly christians!) no, there is no right or wrong to the universe, but there is right and wrong to humanity, and you'd have to be blind not to see it.

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Who's running the game/starting the game? We did, to the extent that any "who" can be behind it. "Why are we here?" Assumes that there was a conscious decision to be here that was made. We have no evidence for this so far so it would be foolish to assume that "why" is a valid question, other than tracing the cause and effect back to the big bang.

Now your next set of questions concerns me. Why would the absence of a creator/threat of eternal punishment/promise of eternal reward lead anyone to believe that theres no right or wrong? The christians who assume itd be ok to rape n murder all you want without jesus are belying their lack of moral compass.

If you do feel chemically embalanced and incapable of inherent empathy/sociopathic, then the golden rule is a good one to judge by. It wasnt invented by christianity and most every popular religion has its own version of it. Religion and gods are not necessary to tell right from wrong and Im very worried by anyone who can't seem to tell up from down without having it spelled out by an ancient cult.

Why are we here?
Reminded me of a quote by Douglas Adams about a puddle :-
“This is rather as if you imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, 'This is an interesting world I find myself in — an interesting hole I find myself in — fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!' This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, frantically hanging on to the notion that everything's going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise. I think this may be something we need to be on the watch out for.”

Ref rapists and murderers
'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you'
It's a christian quote, but, still valid as a rational human being.

Your presupposition that someone or something had to start things and run things is a problem from the start. It is uneccessary considering we are all here and there is no evidence of such a being. What is wrong with the earth having life and finding meaning in day to day living? I have no need for anything more to enjoy life, be a good person and treat others in a way that is an acceptable part of being a social species. Right and wrong are determined by what we all agree is right and wrong. Some people fall outside these norms and society deals with them. No need for an outside force for any of this to work.

In the Beginning, there was DOG. And DOG created the Heavens and the Earth. And he saw that it was Good!

Religious folks have to go back to the dude who said the elements numbered four, and included earth, air, fire, and water, in order to make an argument about their god existing in reality.

Aristotle thought that time and space were both absolute. Under those assumptions, it is reasonable to conclude something outside of absolute time caused it. Aristotle called that the unmoved mover, the prime mover, or the uncaused cause.

But space and time are relative.

You can't claim an "infinite regress problem" and then immediately solve it with an "infinite, eternal god".

And claiming "things that begin to exist have a cause" is exactly the same as saying "my god is eternal and timeless and infinite and created everything so THERE!" It's not an argument. It's a claim phrased as an argument.

We seem to know one thing. We are here, and things exist. I don't see it as an extraordinary hypothesis to think that space-time sprang from another flavor of existence (via quantum mechanics or what-have-you). It is no more extraordinary than claiming the north pole isn't an infinite regress, but a natural consequence of the two dimensional surface of the earth existing in three dimensional space. Likewise, asserting space-time must be "caused" per se is jumping scopes completely. The only problem I see is in our conception of things.

Wait a minute! You don't believe that at the stoning of Stephen he saw the sky open up and Jesus was sitting in a chair seated at the right hand of his daddy who was also sitting in a chair? Shame on you. That's when all the church people start shouting "oh, praise god." It's also proof that you can have visions when you are dying and proof of chairs in heaven.

For only four small payments of $89.99 I will send you a copy of my tell-all book, "Confessions of an Absent Father" that explains in incontrovertible detail how I am actually God, but fell in love with a girl named Becky who convinced me to give it all up. I set her bush on fire if you know what I'm sayin'.

There is no game. We're here by random chance, and what we do only has meaning within the constructs of society.

There is no god... It's actually a giant bunny rabbit running the game... And he's coocoo...