Heaven coping for death?

As far as I'm concerned, it's not "how can you prove there's no afterlife?" it's "what is your reason for believing there is?" I understand people want hope and faith that life isn't it, but just because you want it to be true doesn't mean you can go around telling everybody that it is definitely true.

first of all, i never tell anyone its true, this is a debate and i'm merely expressing my opinion, the same as you.

i'm not religious, i havent been to mass in years and i never pray or anything, i even dislike the pope. and dont ask me what i think of the bible.

my belief is that this cannot be the high point of the evolution of our consciousness (i hope i said that right). i believe there is more to it than occupying this body. i believe while our bodies may not evolve, that our consciousness can.

Heaven is just peoples coping for death such as reincarnation.

I suppose one could argue that you are correct because so many other religions have a heave/hell-esque place where the good are rewarded and the evil punished for their sins.

However, in response to this, why would anyone invent a hell? If heaven is a way for coping with loss, why would anyone want to believe someone is in hell?

So if you child asks abot death and where one goes when they die.What are you going to tell them?JM

Maybe, nobody knows. I wasn't saying you tell people that, I was saying religion in general. People tend to believe in heaven and hell as a result of religion for the most part. It seems to me that even if there is a heaven and a hell, why should you mold your life around it. Why should you live your whole life worrying about getting into heaven? Just worry about now, in case there is no heaven. And then if you die and it turns out there is a heaven, great. But at least if it turns out there wasn't one you haven't wasted your life trying to achieve an impossible goal.

But I tend to be someone who won't believe in something unless there is at least a little bit of a reason to. Just because I was taught it was true growing up doesn't mean I'm going to buy into it now that I'm old enough to form my own opinion. And I for one see no other reason why people believe in heaven or hell except for the fact that religion says it's true. Sorry, that isn't enough for me.

Originally posted by FeceMan

However, in response to this, why would anyone invent a hell? If heaven is a way for coping with loss, why would anyone want to believe someone is in hell?

Scare tactics. "Better be good or you'll burn in the lake of fire.."

and I agree but what about when kids start asking about death?You can't just say forget about it and live your life?You should be able to tell them what you belive in and your views.
Even llike I said before it may not be real no one really knows!As for me I belive in heaven and hell and if asked by one of my kids one day I wil say that when you die and you are good you go to heaven but if you are bad you go to hell.
THis is what I believe in dispite my jewish reglion and that it is what I plan to tell my kids.JM

I wasn't saying you tell people that, I was saying religion in general.

ok my mistake

It seems to me that even if there is a heaven and a hell, why should you mold your life around it.

nobody should, and i do agree that you should not spend your life behaving yourself just to get into heaven. i don't, and i intend to enjoy my life.

i just believe that if this is it, that there's nothing after this life, then its an awful waste of a species.

But the human species can continue to live and prosper, it's just organisms that die off, not the species.

true, but i mean evolution wise, for you and me as individuals. is this it? if so i'd be disappointed.

And that is if you belive in that evoultion stuff which I don't!JM

Originally posted by pr1983
true, but i mean evolution wise, for you and me as individuals. is this it? if so i'd be disappointed.

Yeah, of course I'd rather have an afterlife than just dieing with nothing to look forward to, but just because I would rather have an afterlife doesn't mean I believe that's actually going to happen.

thats your choice and i respect that even though my beliefs differ.

But if you know you don't have an afterlife or don't belive in it.Then you I think you should in this life be good then what ever when you die you don't have to worry.JM

Scare tactics. "Better be good or you'll burn in the lake of fire.."

Think about it. Religion could have all the rules they want, how are they going to enforce them without punishment to those who don't abide by them. They want people to live a life free of sin so they convince them that if they are sinful then the devil will torture them for eternity. I'm not only talking about crime, I'm talking about anything that is considered a sin. Besides, whats so bad about getting the death penalty if afterwards you get to live in paradise? I think that's why they developed the thought of hell. What is the motivation to be good if everybody goes to heaven anyway?

Originally posted by Afro Cheese
Think about it. Religion could have all the rules they want, how are they going to enforce them without punishment to those who don't abide by them. They want people to live a life free of sin so they convince them that if they are sinful then the devil will torture them for eternity. I'm not only talking about crime, I'm talking about anything that is considered a sin. Besides, whats so bad about getting the death penalty if afterwards you get to live in paradise? I think that's why they developed the thought of hell. What is the motivation to be good if everybody goes to heaven anyway?

Middle age people believed that everybody who lived in a Christian land (or had a vague idea of God, or something all encompassing like that) went to a purgatory, and then heaven.

What do you mean by middle age?

welll, if their isnt a heaven, and their isnt a god, and the world is just made up of cells and were just here takin up the air, then whats the point? u can go back and say we all evolved from monkeys or whatever, but how did the monkeys get here? then u can go back even futher, but eventually u get to cells. how did cells get here. GOD! everything doesnt have to agree with science. heaven is a place rewarding those who led a good life and thats teh facts

Its difficult to say for certain, and every person is different. If one believes, there is likely to be more to it then just saying heaven is a way to cope with death. In ancient times, Suma, Egypt and so forth, when life was harsh and short, religion does appear to have been a way to make it more bearable "we are in a 20 year drought suffering from plague and so on, but we will be rewarded in the afterlife", similarly, some scholars claim that at various times various religious institutions have used faith to keep people under control, such as work hard, obey ones master and be pious and you will be rewarded after death. But is that all to it? I don't completely think so.

That is my point too.If we were made monkeys first at the beginning then who made us and where did we come from?That is one reason I believe in creation it makes better sence to me.
That whole monkey thing is just confusing.I mean we can't just had apear here on earth without no one making us.Right?Uh sorry off topic again.
JM