Simple question?

Quote: missedhervee

"Great nothingness?"

Pshaw.

Sure, there is no god, but there is a world, a universe which we exist in.

That's a lot of "somethingness."

The issue isn't that there is nothing, it is that our lives are ephemeral and impermanent.

I don't worship the universe either. Not even a little. Why should we, unless you believe in some power of the Universe to take issue with it?

And I don't consider atheism a religion, but if someone is going to force the claim on it then it should have some similar benefits.

I have a pretty bleak view of death, compared to most people. Not only do I not believe there is proof of an afterlife, or a god, or heaven or hell, but I also have no reason not to believe some sort of eternal suffering awaits us all just as much as any other possibility. I'm probably more of an agnostic anyway.

But that's why I think most possibilities are made up. Because people don't naturally endorse the worse possibility there is among others. They like to figure out where they just disappear into nothingness, or if they follow a plan, they'll be better off than other people.

Objectively, why would anyone think live extends beyond death?

Makes no sense.

Life is a gift: enjoy it while you can.

Because a Person walked on water in front of other men and He said there is everlasting life.

That was likely hard to believe.

So raising a person from being dead in front of others likely helped.


If the CDC told me anything, I wouldn't believe them.

So understandable why others refuse to believe other persons.

Quote: rxwine

I have a pretty bleak view of death, compared to most people. Not only do I not believe there is proof of an afterlife, or a god, or heaven or hell, but I also have no reason not to believe some sort of eternal suffering awaits us all just as much as any other possibility. I'm probably more of an agnostic anyway.

What makes you believe eternal suffering awaits? Why not eternal happiness? My personal belief is there is absolutely nothing after death. I will let you know soon.

Quote: DRich

What makes you believe eternal suffering awaits? Why not eternal happiness? My personal belief is there is absolutely nothing after death. I will let you know soon.

Houdini promised to come back if he could. I don't think your chances are good.

What I was really getting at, is nobody makes up an afterlife where everyone suffers, not because it's not equally possible as anything else, but because it is such an unpleasant consideration.

But I believe the odds are the same as anything else, as I believe we don't have any real information about the afterlife. Or even if there is one.

The fact that if you can hear thunder you can be struck by lightning probably ignited a lot of superstition.

"He was just standing there talking about how he managed to cheat his neighbor out of two goats, and then BLAMO! A lightning bolt out of clear blue sky hit him and set him on fire."

Quote:

Lightning can travel 10 to 12 miles from a thunderstorm. This is often farther than the sound of thunder travels. That means that if you can hear thunder you are close enough to a storm to be in danger of being struck by lightning.

People don't normally burst into flames from lightning. I just added that for a fun word picture.

Karma could be a risk for a person that doesn't believe in a religion.

Karma could be enough deterrent to do right.

I've seen good folks get punished many times and terrible folks seem to get away with murder.

I believe there's an accounting, eventually though.


I had a coach that only had one rule.

"Do Right".

No need for 10 commandments, etc.

I don't discount karma, as it is almost a principle of "equal and opposite reaction". Just applying it across a broad range. Everything may act like a pendulum on a long arc. You push the pendulum away from you and it eventually swings back. It might happen on a very long scale across much time than just a short distance of a swinging weight.

Newton's law is a good explanation.