Seraphim

"Then how do you know that is what's going to happen? There are corrupt police officers who will do anything for a promotion. "

My reply : Then consult with your lawyers (Option 1) and force the police man to held his part of the bargain and also withheld some information till very last minute. All comes to making the ciminal as useful to the police man as long as possible.

May I ask if you have priar experience walking on the wrong side of the law?

By Mageth

"I'm an atheist, and like most atheists I know, I think suicide is "something of a waste." I also think suicide is the wrong choice in almost all situations. I do think one can easily come up with some situations where suicide is a viable option, such as the tragic jumpers from the WTC on 9/11. This position seems a bit more fair and flexible than never considering suicide as an option."

My reply : I believe this is your personal opinion. Acceptable.

"In addition, you say xians consider suicide "some sort of sin." This implies that god will punish suicide victims for their actions, presumably by sending them to hell for eternity. Now since many suicides are acts of severely depressed (read: ill) people, why does god get off on condemning and punishing them for the tragic results of their illness?"

My reply : Correction - I never said Christians consider suicide as some sort of sin alone. Every major religions holds its own point of view :

Islam and Christian - Sin. But I cannot get much comment on punishment etc from either side so I can't tell much.

Hindusm and Buddhism - Waste. Since they believe in reincarnation, if a person commit suicide because of a particular problem, he will be reborn again to face the same problem (or something equal to it) in the next life. Plus his soul will wander for a while on the plains of the living till his appointed time of death (according to Hindusm, Buddhism believe that soul will wander for about 30 - 40 days alone).

And besides, suicide is considered a Sin by those with perfectly good mental and physical ability, right? In that context, is a mentally disturbed person considered a sick person and that couldn't be counted as suicide, right?

"Focusing on xianity, the bible clearly teaches to "lay up treasures in heaven" rather than perishable treasures here on earth. The general focus of xianity is that this life is but a short time of sorrow to prepare one for eternal bliss. The biblical underlying goal of xianity, in all its actions, is not the betterment of humanity (who, by their definition, is corrupt), but the increase of the Kingdom."

My reply : I'm no Christian (despite of my nick) but I will give my best shot at it.
Maybe what Xians meant was that since our (or yours maybe) existence on this world is only for a small period of time, they should waste it by filling it with worldly things like wealth. Islam have the same concept in it as well.

"As an example of xians "sitting around and waiting to die," there are some orders in the Roman Catholic Church where monks and nuns cloister themselves in monasteries, pray, attend mass, live frugally, etc., all in preparing themselves for the spiritual kingdom and removing themselves from the fleshly earth. IMO, this equates to "sitting around and waiting to die."

My reply : Like you said - SOME. Some monks and nuns devote to help others as well while waiting for their turn to die. My opinion is that it doesn't matter how long you live, what matters is that how much you do for others while you are living.

"I think that he/she was referring to the Muslim suicide bombers - which is tripe - they're a minority - and they're fanatics to boot. "

My reply : Yes, I was referring to this fanatics who preach that they are fighting for "God". Can't say I have ever come across a "God" who needs protection from Kafirs (unbelievers).
And it is a "He", not a "She" (I'm a guy). Thank you.

winstonjen

False hope also involves things like telling your child that their father is going to come back from the war when you have received a death notice the day before. What would the child think when they realise they've been deceived for all this time. IMHO, it's better to not have that hope at all.

Seraphim

"False hope also involves things like telling your child that their father is going to come back from the war when you have received a death notice the day before. What would the child think when they realise they've been deceived for all this time. IMHO, it's better to not have that hope at all. "

My reply : That is not false hope, that is called lying. False hope means that you have some chance (even so it is very slim) of things working toward you.

winstonjen

No, even a slim chance is better than self-deception (or deceiving others) about a possible outcome. False hope is lying and deception.

Seraphim

"No, even a slim chance is better than self-deception (or deceiving others) about a possible outcome. False hope is lying and deception. "

My reply : You don't seems to know about having hope or lying through your teeth. Hope is something you know you won't get but still hope it will be yours, lying is simply believing that you will get it NO matter what is the outcome or odds against it.

Oh crap ... time to move. Good night.

winstonjen

Then our definitions are very different from each other.

Seraphim

"Then our definitions are very different from each other. "

My reply : Yes, it seems to be such the case. Then it is your responsibility alone how you attend to give you "hope" and how you attend to avoid it from being dashed. However, this doesn't mean that having hope is better than having no hope.

nj_heathens

I see "false hope vs. no hope" as a false dichotomy. Raising it is a favorite tactic of theists who wish to belittle those who choose atheism. Underlying this is the belief that life on earth is fundamentally miserable and unsatisfying--something to be endured while waiting for something better.

We are both emotional and rational beings. Hope belongs primarily to the emotional realm, and is thus difficult to define in rational terms. But it's very likely that as humans most of us need to hope for something; we need goals to define the way we live our lives.

One good way out of this sophistry is ridding oneself of the idea that life is pointless, miserable and unsatisfying--replacing it with a philosophy based on goals that focus on making life better, more positive and more enjoyable. Live with optimism and exuberance instead of focusing on the inevitability of death.

Mr. Heathen