Atheism

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
And how many people, who are atheist, don't have an opinion about god?

ok, this is getting into semantics. I was going to point out that an opinion is different than a specific positive belief, but whatever, that argument was done months ago. religious people think that they are deflating atheism by calling it the same as everything else (which actually damns their own beliefs) and atheists think by saying not believing isnt believing, their ideas are superior to "beliefs".

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Everyone, on this forum, has some opinion on god; it's only a matter of degree.

certainly, everyone has an ontology about what god is. They do not, as part of that ontology, necessarily have a positive belief about the nature of God.

Quite literally, I see no evidence for God, thus I don't think it exists. Beyond that, I have no opinions about its existance. I have an ontology, informed by my understanding of religion, of what I think a God might be like, or of what I would consider positive evidence of God, but certainly, I have no active disbelief in the matter.

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
Why though? What would be the incentive for an Atheist wanting an afterlife? That just doesn't make sense.

Well, like I said if it is a good afterlife then it would be easy, we all have a strong sense of self preservation, so really it is the same reason that you want to have a long healthy life.

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
What would be the incentive for an Atheist wanting an afterlife?

Perhaps there are "vendetta atheists" to whom Being Right No Matter What is most important. They might be disappointed there's an afterlife.

Originally posted by Mindship
No one wants to End. Atheists just don't see a solid reason (and with good reason) for believing we Go On.

Perhaps there are "vendetta atheists" to whom Being Right No Matter What is most important. They might be disappointed there's an afterlife.

Get your own opinions, thief!!!

Originally posted by Bardock42
Get your own opinions, thief!!!

Originally posted by Bardock42
Well, if he actually believes it he should want to prove it, he definitely has to prove it if he wants it to be accepted by certain people here (obviously proof of god is not necessary for all people in order for them to believe it)

I don't want to explain.

Originally posted by amnesia
I don't want to explain.

You don't have to, perhaps you should not state it at all then though...just a thought.

Originally posted by inimalist
I tend to agree with this.

You don't want to continue living in some form after you die? I find that odd. I enjoy existence. I'd like for it to continue after my body's death.

The argument for the Christian Hell isn't a compelling reason for me to change my wish. The Christian Hell is as likely as any afterlife in my mind (i.e. negligibly small) so there's no reason to fear it. There might be the fear of the unknown, certainly, but I'd rather take my chances with an unknown afterlife than none at all.

Originally posted by Mindship
No one wants to End. Atheists just don't see a solid reason (and with good reason) for believing we Go On.

Perhaps there are "vendetta atheists" to whom Being Right No Matter What is most important. They might be disappointed there's an afterlife.

I most certainly would not be disappointed. I'd laugh and crack open a beer (metaphorically, most likely). I just see no reason to believe in an afterlife, so I don't.

Originally posted by Digi
You don't want to continue living in some form after you die? I find that odd. I enjoy existence. I'd like for it to continue after my body's death.

The argument for the Christian Hell isn't a compelling reason for me to change my wish. The Christian Hell is as likely as any afterlife in my mind (i.e. negligibly small) so there's no reason to fear it. There might be the fear of the unknown, certainly, but I'd rather take my chances with an unknown afterlife than none at all.

I most certainly would not be disappointed. I'd laugh and crack open a beer (metaphorically, most likely). I just see no reason to believe in an afterlife, so I don't.

So you want a paycheck, without having to put in any work? In other words: you don't want religion, but you wanna be able to reap its benefits? That just doesn't make sense. Religion and the concept of an afterlife are directly tied to each other.

You'd like to continue after the physical death of your body, but how? If there's no God, then how do you figure this would happen?

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
So you want a paycheck, without having to put in any work? In other words: you don't want religion, but you wanna be able to reap its benefits? That just doesn't make sense. Religion and the concept of an afterlife are directly tied to each other.

You'd like to continue after the physical death of your body, but how? If there's no God, then how do you figure this would happen?

That's incorrect. Christianity and its afterlife are tied to each other, same for all other religions. The concept of an afterlife is however totally independent of Religion.

There's hundreds of answers to that, imagine we are but a simulation, perhaps our "existence" will be used again in another calculation. The question would be what is this "I" that we perceive, and why can't it physically stop one place and start again another...there doesn't need to be a God at all, life as we perceive it just has to be a certain way. However I am sure many atheists would agree that that seems unlikely just as much as a Christian afterlife...perhaps a little less...

Atheists who belief in an afterlife don't necessarily think of that afterlife as a paycheck anyways. And even if it is you don't really know what your job is to receive the "paycheck".

Originally posted by Digi
You don't want to continue living in some form after you die? I find that odd. I enjoy existence. I'd like for it to continue after my body's death.

The argument for the Christian Hell isn't a compelling reason for me to change my wish. The Christian Hell is as likely as any afterlife in my mind (i.e. negligibly small) so there's no reason to fear it. There might be the fear of the unknown, certainly, but I'd rather take my chances with an unknown afterlife than none at all.

but like, with no description of what the afterlife might be like, you are as likely to find one you don't want than one you do.

Originally posted by inimalist
but like, with no description of what the afterlife might be like, you are as likely to find one you don't want than one you do.

That's my thought. The chance of a miserable eternal existence, seems a way too huge risk to choose it over a lack of existence.

Originally posted by inimalist
but like, with no description of what the afterlife might be like, you are as likely to find one you don't want than one you do.

Originally posted by inimalist
but like, with no description of what the afterlife might be like, you are as likely to find one you don't want than one you do.

The esoteric texts give pretty good descriptions of the afterlife, where everyone ends up being God. I would genuinely be surprised if I was only some meta-being's "Twilight Zone" episode.

Originally posted by Mindship
Anyone expecting 72 virgins I think will be disappointed.

The esoteric texts give pretty good descriptions of the afterlife, where everyone ends up being God. I would genuinely be surprised if I was only some meta-being's "Twilight Zone" episode.

Yeah, I mean so much can go wrong there....what if it's 73....or one of them fooled around with a guy at a party once, nah, just seems unlikely.

Originally posted by Bardock42
That's my thought. The chance of a miserable eternal existence, seems a way too huge risk to choose it over a lack of existence.

Cracked hit on it when they did "why immortality would be worse than death" with the whole 'getting trapped somewhere' thing.

There are fates far worse than not existing. In some ways, knowing my time is finite inspires me to get things done. I can't imagine I'd have as much of a drive to contribute to human understanding if I wasn't also aware that I only have a limited time to do it in.

Originally posted by King Kandy
I'm guessing when he says "I hope there is an afterlife", you're meant to mentally add a tag afterward ending it "and it is pleasant".

But even an eternity of "pleasent" might not be that desireable.

Did you ever watch Startreck the next generation? They have these god like beings called Q. They live in this reality where they can have or be or do whatever they want. But they were all miserable and bored.

How many amazing things are there? Like, ok, I could spend thousands of years marveling at the universe and the cosmos, but even that would eventually get stale. Similarily, 72 virgins (I can't understand why virgins would be preferable here... I'd prefer some experience) would get old, if that is all you are doing for eternity.

The "dimension" in which this afterlife took place would have to be tailored in such a way that it could always be giving you new pleasurable sensations, forever, or else it would eventually get really repetitive.

Originally posted by inimalist
Cracked hit on it when they did "why immortality would be worse than death" with the whole 'getting trapped somewhere' thing.

There are fates far worse than not existing. In some ways, knowing my time is finite inspires me to get things done. I can't imagine I'd have as much of a drive to contribute to human understanding if I wasn't also aware that I only have a limited time to do it in.

But even an eternity of "pleasent" might not be that desireable.

Did you ever watch Startreck the next generation? They have these god like beings called Q. They live in this reality where they can have or be or do whatever they want. But they were all miserable and bored.

How many amazing things are there? Like, ok, I could spend thousands of years marveling at the universe and the cosmos, but even that would eventually get stale. Similarily, 72 virgins (I can't understand why virgins would be preferable here... I'd prefer some experience) would get old, if that is all you are doing for eternity.

The "dimension" in which this afterlife took place would have to be tailored in such a way that it could always be giving you new pleasurable sensations, forever, or else it would eventually get really repetitive.

Originally posted by King Kandy
Well most depictions of heaven i've read describe it there being a sort of altered mental state among people who reside there, like they've transcended the need for external stimuli or something similar. I know a lot of christians have described it more in terms of the mental state then the "reality" of what happens in the afterlife.

so eternity would be like a severe case of mental disability?

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
So you want a paycheck, without having to put in any work? In other words: you don't want religion, but you wanna be able to reap its benefits? That just doesn't make sense. Religion and the concept of an afterlife are directly tied to each other.

You'd like to continue after the physical death of your body, but how? If there's no God, then how do you figure this would happen?

If an afterlife exists, modern religions are just flailing around in the dark as to what it might be. An afterlife could exist outside of the world's religions, and their ideas of it. Are you telling me that for an afterlife to exist, one of the world's religions must be true? That's ridiculous. An infinite number of afterlives could exist that have never been dreamed of by religion.

The idea of a paycheck is also ridiculous, and is really only applicable to what you believe the afterlife to be. Who says it's a reward, and isn't bad? Who says we were put here to reach the next life? Why must the next life be repayment for this one somehow? And if there is "work" for a reward involved from some god, who says you are doing the right work for the right god? There's so many other possibilities than what you're seeing, or at least from what it seems like from your post.

And frankly, and this might annoy you, if the Christian God were real, I'm in based on everything except belief. I'm pretty sure I became more moral when I left religion, and don't do anything that's popularly considered a sin. Depending on how hardline you are about Christianity, I may or may not be in hell. Honestly, if I were to go to hell simply because of a lack of belief, I'd want to flip that God the bird anyway. Mind you, I'm not moral to please a hypothetical god (I have my own reasons), but plenty of non-Christians would make it into Christian heaven under certain interpretations of it.

Anyway, I don't figure this will happen, to answer your final question. That's kinda the point. I don't believe in an afterlife. Because there probably would need to be some sort of paranormal force (god or otherwise) to make it happen. You seem to be confused.

Originally posted by inimalist
but like, with no description of what the afterlife might be like, you are as likely to find one you don't want than one you do.

I suppose. I'd roll the dice in that case. I guess I just kinda figure that existence is pretty cool, and I enjoy it. Why not want that to continue in some form? I suppose that's an inherent appeal of some religions.

But the difference being, I do believe this is all we have, and I live my life as such.

Originally posted by Digi
I suppose. I'd roll the dice in that case. I guess I just kinda figure that existence is pretty cool, and I enjoy it. Why not want that to continue in some form? I suppose that's an inherent appeal of some religions.

But the difference being, I do believe this is all we have, and I live my life as such.

to be fair, I'd put my brain in a computer if the technology became available