Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

Is it really necessary to rely on relgion for one to have belief in an afterlife?

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

No.

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

Well how many atheists on these boards, actually consider the possibility of there being one?

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

Zero. Next?

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

soooo what's the harm in starting a discussion?

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

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Zero. Next?

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Well, one.

There's certainly a possibility, although I think it's quite unlikely. And of course you don't need organized religion for it.

As far as religion and spirituality goes, the only thing I have a problem with is the offensively retarded belief in a personal God who can be petitioned, and beyond that howlers like Mohammed's ascension to Heaven, Jesus' rising from the dead, Vishnu's all powerfulness, Noah's flood, Xenu's hydrogen bomb explosion, people getting turned into pillars of salt, etc

But take all that stuff out and you can't rule out some things.

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

Ya i agree but that doesn't mean one should totally rule out the possibility of there being an afterlife, or a spiritual essence to the human being.

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

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Ya i agree but that doesn't mean one should totally rule out the possibility of there being an afterlife, or a spiritual essence to the human being.

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Define what you specifically mean by each of these terms. I guess I take a different approach and group these things.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...zazy/smpbs.jpg

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

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Well how many atheists on these boards, actually consider the possibility of there being one?

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I do, and I'd even put the probability pretty high (maybe 20%). But I think it's very unlikely that we can know anything about an afterlife, if one exists, and I don't think the simplistic view of an afterlife as a "reward" or "punishment" for our actions here is realistic. So I think of it as a complete unknown.

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

Well are you familiar with books like Irreducible Mind, The Afterlife Experiments, What Happens When We Die, or Entangled Minds? The list could go on, but the point is there is actually research being conducted scientifically, or has been already conducted in what one might consider a controversial area.

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

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Is it really necessary to rely on relgion for one to have belief in an afterlife?

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No, obviously. Was there anything else [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

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Is it really necessary to rely on relgion for one to have belief in an afterlife?

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I'll go a little semantic on this one, so excuse me in advance. I find it interesting though because it seems religion has gotten an incredibly strong 'meaning' on this board colouring this thread greatly.

Depends a bit on how you define religion. Religion doesn't have to include theism, or belief in a god if you will.

It is no doubt that if you believe in an afterlife, your belief could fall under some definitions of religion. But I don't think it would fall under the 'everyday' usage of the term religion unless it had influence on some other aspects of your life also.

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

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Well how many atheists on these boards, actually consider the possibility of there being one?

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I do. One problem with the word "atheist" is that the concept of "God" is pretty fuzzy and the categories atheist/theist/agnostic seem to suggest that "God" or "a god" is the only metaphysical possibility. Either there's a an all knowing, all powerful cartoon-like character watching over humans and giving a [censored] or everything is made of atoms and the universe occured somehow by some random fluke.

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

Is the consensus on this board that when we die there is nothing?

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

I had this funny image of what if it turns out there is a God and, rather than having the qualities many think He has, He instead turns out to have a strange sense of humor. Perhaps then nonbelievers, rather than spending eternity being tortured, would instead spend eternity debating amongst themselves how God does not exist, though they would be completely unaware of their fate. Of course I'm not suggesting I think that is how it is, but I found the thought amusing. Oh the irony in someone still insisting after a billion years in the afterlife that there is no afterlife [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

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Is it really necessary to rely on relgion for one to have belief in an afterlife?

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Being atheist has nothing to do with an afterlife, or believing in unicorns or being superstitious.

It just so happens that atheists are generally too logical to believe in those things.

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

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I had this funny image of what if it turns out there is a God and, rather than having the qualities many think He has, He instead turns out to have a strange sense of humor. Perhaps then nonbelievers, rather than spending eternity being tortured, would instead spend eternity debating amongst themselves how God does not exist, though they would be completely unaware of their fate. Of course I'm not suggesting I think that is how it is, but I found the thought amusing. Oh the irony in someone still insisting after a billion years in the afterlife that there is no afterlife [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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God is powered by irony.

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

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Is the consensus on this board that when we die there is nothing?

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No, but it's the logical majority.

You could pin your hopes on unknown or undiscovered technology, Clarke's Third Law. But I wouldn't bet my life on it.

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

I find it intersting that the number of Americans professing belief in an afterlife is quite a big lower than the number who say they believe in God, like 70% vs 85%.

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

No. And the thought of an afterlife scares the [censored] out of me.

So no matter what, the preservation of my sanity prevents me from believing in it.

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

If there exists an afterlife, it exists inside each individual who thinks one up. A lot of people these days I think fantasize about a technological eutopia, the ultimate extension of humanity. Whether this is possible only time will tell.

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

If I upload my brain into a super chip, a split second before I die, does that count as an afterlife?

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

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If I upload my brain into a super chip, a split second before I die, does that count as an afterlife?

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Technically, no. That'd be one transhumanist outlet.

Cybernetic immortality is not an afterlife, but you could plausibly construct scenarios to ease the transition, and create Heaven and Hell and Gahanna and Valhalla if you wish.

But why stop there? For most individuals you would have to though. They couldn't handle it.

Re: Do you really think we need religion to believe in an afterlife?
 

You don't need religion to believe in the possibility of an afterlife, but if you are quite certain of an afterlife that you have specific information about you would have to be said to be religious (and nutty imo).