On the Afterlife

[Bo_Disattva]

The idea of an afterlife gives people an excuse to shirk their responsibilities in this life. The “afterlife” is the opiate offered by religion. The paradox is that people who live their lives in hopes of reaching salvation in an afterlife are often the most depressed and miserable among us. If you are constantly waiting to get into heaven then you’ll never get out of hell—the hell that you create in this life.

 

[1964dodge]

I partially agree with you. I believe in god (and I think all religions have the same god) but I don't believe in religion. I pray every night a prayer from my heart not from a book. I believe in heaven and hell. I also know there is a possibility that i'm wrong and when I die , worm food and nothing else. but I think religion even like me praying etc. at home is a good thing if not taken too far. I have a lot of serious physical issues but I live my life the best I can I don't want to waste a life. I also think god or the belief in god makes people do good things over evil. just my opinion. mike

 

[moxman]

I have found the opposite to be true for me. As an atheist, I am freed from worrying about either heaven or hell. I just try to enjoy my life as much as possible.

Being freed from these external factors is freeing and I can live my life on my own terms.

I do not believe in an afterlife. When we die, that's it fade to black.

 

[MagickLynx]

the secret is to try to enjoy the present - unfortunately hard for many

none of us will know until we die if our consciousness is infinite

i would like to think it must go on but i might be wrong

 

[echos]

I don’t believe in afterlife. I believe in existence. I believe the world is a huge data and everything and everyone just exists timelessly. So maybe you are 5, 10, 50,...all at the same time and you never really die. Even in the time after you die and decompose, you still live in the past and nothing can erase that.
... I guess I’m basically saying we’re all stuck in hell unknowingly?

 

[gdgdsgdsgdgd]

Anyone who doesn't believe in the afterlife, research near death experiences and read conversations with god. I feel people who don't believe in god or the afterlife, haven't come across the evidence supporting it. I used to be an atheist before personal experiences and research.

 

[Nick]

I don't believe in an afterlife. I did at one time. That belief only stood to continue to fuel my depression. It solidified the fears I would end up burning in hell due to being evil at my core. My life does not fit within the confines of religion. There are many people who find comfort in the afterlife. If that construct works for them and improves their quality of life, then I see no problem with it. I suppose some do use it as an excuse to not live life to the fullest, but others like me, find the afterlife a prison.

 

[Lara_C]

The idea of an afterlife gives people an excuse to shirk their responsibilities in this life. The “afterlife” is the opiate offered by religion.

People who have found comfort in believing in eternal life after suffering the loss of a loved one are at least entitled to their opinion, and I haven't personally noticed that believers are less responsible than anyone else.

The paradox is that people who live their lives in hopes of reaching salvation in an afterlife are often the most depressed and miserable among us. If you are constantly waiting to get into heaven then you’ll never get out of hell—the hell that you create in this life

I've known people who believe they are saved now, and this faith gives them strength to endure adversity. There are also some things which can't be changed, but can be accepted without destroying a person's happiness entirely, and faith that there is more to existence than it seems does help a lot of people.

 

[Lara_C]

none of us will know until we die if our consciousness is infinite

Maybe not -if life is eternal, we could forget the life just lived and could go on forgetting life after life ad infinitum. For all we know now, we could have had zillions of deaths and rebirths.

 

[MosesY]

The idea of an afterlife gives people an excuse to shirk their responsibilities in this life. The “afterlife” is the opiate offered by religion. The paradox is that people who live their lives in hopes of reaching salvation in an afterlife are often the most depressed and miserable among us. If you are constantly waiting to get into heaven then you’ll never get out of hell—the hell that you create in this life.

What responsibilities do I have in this life? I am divorced and my daughters are grown so the only responsibility I have is to clean, feed, and clothe myself and to not harm other people. That's it. Please explain to me how a belief in the afterlife would be a detriment to those responsibilities. If you are take religion as a whole, specifically Christianity, followers of Christ take on more responsibility than other people. They are instructed to love their neighbors, love those who hurt them, forgive people who hurt them, help those in need, give away their shirt if someone steals their coat, etc. These are all responsibilities that an atheist doesn't have. An atheist can choose to adopt them yes. A true follower of Christ would be a real benefit to the world, would make the world more like heaven and less like hell.

A true follower of Christ does not live his life in hopes of reaching salvation; he believes that he has already attained salvation. There is a vast difference between the two, and to truly live as Jesus lived would be a life of heaven on earth.

I find it interesting that you are against belief in the afterlife and yet you break from science. Science tells us that depression and misery are a factor of the brain chemistry and brain mechanism. You insinuate that if someone hopes for a good afterlife they are depressed and miserable living in this world because of their belief. I disagree with that. Many people who believe in the afterlife are perfectly happy with normal relationships, billions of people. I believe if someone is depressed and miserable they need two things; medication and talk therapy to help them with the abuse from their past.