Black Leaf

Apologies if the title seems like a flame. It is not meant to be.

I am just curious if the Atheists are bothered that there is no afterlife. I am assuming that no afterlife is pretty much an unavoidable conclusion if there is no God ( though if I am wrong and there can be an afterlife even though there is no God, let me know).

I guess my question is rooted in the basic primal desire to stay alive. No one wants to die. But if there is an afterlife, then its not really death, and its ok.

Then again, if there is an afterlife, I suppose I always have "hell" hanging over my head too, so perhaps knowing there is no afterlife is a relief.

Well, I am interested to hear from anyone who has come to terms with being Atheist and what that means for death.

calladus

Non-existance didn't bother me for the billions of years before my life. I can't see that I'll be bothered for the billions of years after my life.

The only problem is that you can imagine a future that doesn't contain you in it - and that bothers you. Okay, it bothers me too. I figure it's human nature to want to continue to exist.

But I know that after I die, it won't bother me anymore.

Yangja Isuko

ofcourse ceasing to exist bothers me, but i can't believe in something simply because the alternative bothers me.

on the other hand, i'm a transhumanist, so if we keep on this path of technological progression, i may yet have to cease worrying about death.

hey, it beats praying.

Pentagram

It is more the lack of reincarnation that bothers me, but in essense yes, it bothers me to not live forever - although it won't be a bother when I'm actually dead, of course.

I can't believe a lie just to feel comfortable, though. I rather deal with the world as it is.

Don Alhambra

Death must be pretty good, because no-one's ever come back and complained about it! Well, not if you're not a Christian anyway.

Personally I can't help but be scared, upset and generally worried by death. I mean, come on! It's all very well saying 'it didn't bother me before I was born', but the point is that before you were born there was nobody to bother.

It's not the death that scares me anyway, it's the dying. My grandfather is currently dying of cancer and the saddest thing is simply that I will never see him again. There is no afterlife, so when we shuffle off this mortal coil, that's the end of the dance.

But you have to learn to deal. Otherwise you can't go on.

schu

As stated by others, being dead bothers no one, only the living worry about such things. Visit a graveyard or a morgue and you will find no one complaining about their state of being. The fact is that the mind (spirit? soul?) cannot exist outside of the living body. That may change sometime in the future when it can be downloaded to a hard drive and saved, but right now no one knows how to do that. Even when this is possible it will take energy to activate the saved information.

In our ignorance, our self centered being, we suppose that the universe was created by an intelligent power with direct reference to it. That is the beginning of religion. When we learn that nature is an endless series of efficient causes we can get over being religious. We find we are just part of nature, no more endowed with a soul that outlives our temporal body than a frog or a bacteria.

Plognark

For my 2 cents worth, I don't like the idea of having no afterlife anymore than anyone else, but I also don't like the idea of many things. I find it childish and rather idiotic to invent something that has such a major impact on life just because human nature is too insecure and egocentric to accept the alternative.

I see no evidence of an afterlife, which sucks, but i'm not going to make something up just so I can feel better about it.

Not having eternal punishment in hell hanging over my head for punching the clown is a nice perk though

MsChutzpah

It doesn't bother me at all. I accept that death is just a part of life and that all living things die. It truly makes we appreciate the time that I am alive........NOW. Many times I think about how I wish I hadn't wasted all those years believing in "heaven" as a christian. Ah, but 'tis better late than never....I hear.


Realizing that THIS life is my only shot; THIS is it; and that it really is very short time , makes every day all the more precious to me. Although I truly understand why many believe and cling to belief in an afterlife; for me, I much prefer reality.

Leah

Death is like an eternal sleep without dreams.

What could be better then to fall asleep and never to wake up again?

I can't think of anything better then eternal peace of mind and body, ... soul if you wish.

Gawdawful

Ah, yes... the old dirt nap. Can't say it bothers me in the least. In fact, I find the concept of my conciousness going to black then nothing quite comforting; the end of any pain or suffering I might be going through to get to that point. Then the old carcass rots and returns to nature as it should be. That's all fine with me.

What I fail to find enticing is the thought of spending all eternity plinking on a harp or singing hallelujahs to the all-mitey three-headed sky pixie. Nor does spending all eternity with family members and relatives I can hardly stand for a Thanksgiving weekend seem all that attractive(concept stolen from Robert Kirby, Salt Lake Tribune).

Note: eternity is available is new smaller bite-sized portions for those that just cannot seem to get a grip on the supersized version.


Warren the Okie