Religion without eternal life

revots33 · #1 05-10-2007, 03:06 PM

Just wondering, do you think the major religions would be as prevalent among today's humans if the afterlife wasn't part of their teachings?

Take Christianity... imagine everything is exactly the same, belief in god as the creator of the world, Adam and Eve, Jesus rising from the dead, baptism, the virgin birth, original sin, everything... EXCEPT we don't live forever after we die. Would people still follow this religion? If so, why?

The.Accountant · #2 05-10-2007, 05:51 PM

I've thought about this too, and I can't imagine the answer being anything other than no.

Justin A · #3 05-10-2007, 11:23 PM

Not a chance. The whole reason that people have these irrational beliefs in the first place is so that they can feel like they will go to a better place after they die. Take that away and there's no motivation for having beliefs that don't require any evidence.

PairTheBoard · #4 05-11-2007, 12:52 AM

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The whole reason that people have these irrational beliefs in the first place is so that they can feel like they will go to a better place after they die.

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I disagree with this. I know a lot of people who have adopted a spritual way of life which includes belief in a personal god and prayer, whose primary concern and motivation for adopting that way of life was to find a solution to living right now. Their motivation most certainly was not concern about an afterlife although their belief in god allows them to trust he will take care of them when that time comes. Many of these people were atheists or agnostics prior to their adoption of this way of life. Many of them had previously abandoned traditional religion. There is a popular saying among them along the lines of, "Religion is for those who are afraid of going to hell. Our way of life is for those who have already been through it".

It may be true that such motivation to find a spiritual solution to living right now might not be common with the majority of people. But there are significant numbers of those who do have such motivation.

PairTheBoard

Phil153 · #5 05-11-2007, 01:12 AM

PTB,

Do you believe in an afterlife?

luckyme · #6 05-11-2007, 01:27 AM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The whole reason that people have these irrational beliefs in the first place is so that they can feel like they will go to a better place after they die.

[/ QUOTE ]

I disagree with this. I know a lot of people who have adopted a spritual way of life which includes belief in a personal god and prayer, whose primary concern and motivation for adopting that way of life was to find a solution to living right now. Their motivation most certainly was not concern about an afterlife although their belief in god allows them to trust he will take care of them when that time comes. Many of these people were atheists or agnostics prior to their adoption of this way of life. Many of them had previously abandoned traditional religion. There is a popular saying among them along the lines of, "Religion is for those who are afraid of going to hell. Our way of life is for those who have already been through it".

It may be true that such motivation to find a spiritual solution to living right now might not be common with the majority of people. But there are significant numbers of those who do have such motivation.

PairTheBoard

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Doesn't compute.

luckyme

PairTheBoard · #7 05-11-2007, 01:54 AM

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PTB,

Do you believe in an afterlife?

[/ QUOTE ]

I believe I'm going to die. Of course I don't know that. Maybe there are enough parallel universes so that I never die in one of them and that's the one that my multiuniverse existence gets shrunk down into as time goes on.

But assuming I do die, and assuming there is a ground of Love to existence and that the source of my existence is Love, I don't see why I should worry about it. It'll be ok whatever it is. Let the dead bury the dead. For all I know, Eternity is in this moment. As Bob Dylan said, "Get busy living".

PairTheBoard

Duke · #8 05-11-2007, 02:16 AM

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"Religion is for those who are afraid of going to hell. Our way of life is for those who have already been through it"

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If only I can come up with something so witty when I start my cult.

Taraz · #9 05-11-2007, 02:46 AM

I think it heavily depends on the religion. Since the church has been using images of hell since the beginning, Christianity would probably have few followers.

Judaism doesn't seem to focus on the after life much or if at all, so I think it would probably stick around.

Islam has a Judgment Day similar to Christianity, so I would assume they would have fewer followers.

Buddhism wouldn't go anywhere.

Hinduism has a heaven and a hell, so it would probably die out as well.

ski · #10 05-11-2007, 09:48 AM

Does anyone know of any religion w/o eternal life?

It is an interesting concept to me because it shows that people need selfish motivation to be unselfish (eg, Christians turning the other cheek (unselfish) but feeling they will be rewarded (selfish))

It also shows that the inventors of these religions understood that.

This is one of the main points that leads me to beleive man is primarily selfish.