Belief in an Afterlife: Empowering or Crippling?

[SickJoke]

Is life beautiful enough as it is, or is the belief in an afterlife helpful to feel a sense of purpose?

Is it beneficial to consider this life just a test - that the real fun begins after death?

Is life less valuable if you believe you have all of eternity to exist?

A thought-provoking 3-minute video on this topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB8iHzUSNog

 

[Thelema]

I think the atheists claim that life is somehow more special when you don't believe in an afterlife is just to make it more palatable to people. Life is wholly unsatisfying, that's what we feel the need to explore and do things...if we felt content, we'd have no reason to get out of bed in the morning. Religion makes you content, when you feel that way, you feel better. Disbelief means you're uncontent and that means you're searching and unsatisfied. So if that logic makes sense, religion makes you feel better than atheism...but religion is obviously total bullshit...So the choice is what's worse, trying to believe something you know isn't true or choose not to lie to yourself to make yourself feel better

Like some guy said "faith is believing something you know isn't true"

George Carlin put it better than anyone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSSwKffj9o

 

[Rodox]

Well to me afterlife is mostly just a way to satisfy people desires of immortality so I can see why it can be Empowering to some people,but when I die I just want to be left alone,what would stop our kind of problems or other people to go on with us for eternity,or a society much like ours,unless we got "reprogrammed" or "brainwashed".

 

[Doomed2Die]

Well, it means nothing if your not certain. Afterlife beliefs typically revolve around uncertainty and in my opinion make no sense within context of certain religions, say like the 'eternally burning hells' supposedly from a loving creator.

My own belief is more of a continuation of life, ressurection by God (Jah) and the end of death itself.

 

[Thelema]

Well, it means nothing if your not certain. Afterlife beliefs typically revolve around uncertainty and in my opinion make no sense within context of certain religions, say like the 'eternally burning hells' supposedly from a loving creator.

My own belief is more of a continuation of life, ressurection by God (Jah) and the end of death itself.

They add Hell to send your enemies to. Its a way of letting you hate someone without supposedly hating them. Like "I don't hate (insert person/people here), but they will go to Hell".

 

[SickJoke]

"Empowering" is dominating the poll. Can anyone explain how exactly it's empowering? I don't mean to attack your beliefs, I'm honestly intrigued.

As an atheist, I've made the decision to take full advantage of this life, because I know it's the only life I'll get. For me, a belief in an afterlife would make life less precious - If I believe I have all of eternity to exist, then these 70 or so years on earth are no big deal. After all, I would have trillions, no, UNLIMITED, years to exist.

Think about it: if tomorrow was your last day to live, wouldn't you make the most of it? On the same token, if you cease to exist after death, wouldn't you make the most of life?

 

[Lea]

It´s not belief in AFTERlife, but belief in something.. transcendental? what´s left of us even when we die. That there is somewhere something "more".

 

[Beyondshy]

"Empowering" is dominating the poll. Can anyone explain how exactly it's empowering? I don't mean to attack your beliefs, I'm honestly intrigued.

As an atheist, I've made the decision to take full advantage of this life, because I know it's the only life I'll get. For me, a belief in an afterlife would make life less precious - If I believe I have all of eternity to exist, then these 70 or so years on earth are no big deal. After all, I would have trillions, no, UNLIMITED, years to exist.

Think about it: if tomorrow was your last day to live, wouldn't you make the most of it? On the same token, if you cease to exist after death, wouldn't you make the most of life?

My thoughts exactly. Which is why I get frustrated at myself for not doing more with my life!

 

[HeartacheHURTS]

Hmmm...if there IS an afterlife (which I hope there is), I just hope I go to the good place haha!