Corona688

That's the theism talking. Then why did you ask? Why would you WANT to live forever?

variant 13

Why not?

Though maybe not forever, just a lot longer than I have.

The Other Michael

Hello Jeffrey Formosa,

Sam Clemens (Mark Twain) allegedly said: "I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit."

You are here NOW. We don't have evidence for anything continuing after death. Enjoy your life while you can experience - being dead isn't likely to be much to write home about.

good luck,
Michael

Angrillori

The Mark Twain idea is what got me and my wife by:

Heck, I didn't mind the first 15 billion years I didn't exist, I don't imagine I'll miss the next ones.

'Course, I didn't know Mark Twain said it. I thought that I thought it up myself!

Jeffrey Formosa

Then what about NDE, the afterlife choose thing may be true.

Bright Life

Sorry Jeffrey, but this phenomena has been satisfactorily explained. The whole "light at the end of the tunnel" thing can be regularly duplicated--and often is during pilot and astronaut training for high G-force exposure.

Are you looking for an afterlife because you think you'll be happier then, than you are now? If so, you're cheating yourself out of the most valuable possession we, as humans, have--life.

You've got some more deconversion work to do. Perhaps reading some authors who have come to peace with their realizations would give you comfort. If so, just ask. I know folks here could give you plenty of great titles.

All the best,

BL

sweep

Jeffrey Formosa- you don't have to worry. The twentieth century is over. World war is over. medieval logic is over. Hell ends. If living things were not able to die, then hell could be a real possibility.

no living thing has ever been there. you are the meeting of gene and environment.

you hate what your ancestors have done for you? You hate all the blood that was spilled, for your freedom? without the struggle for functional life, there is no after, IMO.

callmejay

It sounds to me like what you really need is to figure out how to start enjoying "this" world. Maybe you could see a counselor about the fact that you hate this world? It doesn't have to be so bad. I used to be really upset, too, and now I'm much better.

BruceWane

The typical near-death-experience (tunnel, white light, scenes from life, etc...) is completely consistent with the symptons of the brain starving for oxygen. Air-Force pilots often experience this kind of thing if they are subjected to strong enough g-forces to force blood out of the brain.

Think about it......the only reason people believe in an afterlife is because they are aware of death. We somehow interpret intelligence as evidence of "something more" or a "soul". So....do dogs and cats have an afterlife? Some people think they do......how about apes? How about your pet goldfish? How about cockroaches? How about your houseplant? Where is the line between soul/no soul?

Religion feeds on the human proclivity to egotism - "I am special, I have a soul, which no other creature has". Yeah, right.....get over yourself. You're a smart animal at the top of the food chain. Enjoy it.

Religion is the ultimate scam. It gives you the disease (sin, guilt, and a soul - the key to eternal suffering) and the cure (redemption, eternal happiness).

Mageth

Former Christian/afterlife believer here, too.

Jeffrey, investigate other philosophies/religions if it will make you feel better. Look into Eastern philosophies, esp. Buddhism in its various forms. An interesting book I've read that helped allay my carryover fears from growing up in the clutches of theism, and to embrace this life, was Joseph Campbell's An Open Life.

This life is what is important; you cannot (at least it is difficult to) lead a fulfilling life here-and-now if you're constantly worried about the possibility of an afterlife. I, lacking belief in god(s), believe that I should live my life as well as possible, enjoying it as much as possible, with the tools and input, and within the environment, that has been "given" me. I accept and welcome this life for what it is. If I do this, even if there is a god and/or an afterlife, I can conceive of no god that would unjustly punish me for doing my best. If there is such a god that would punish us for doing our best with what we've got, that god is not worthy of our service or worship.