From the beginning of human history people have wondered about death. It is not uncommon for young children to ask their parents, what happens when we die?
Of course we all either consciously or subconsciously know what really happens when we die. The answer of course is that we are dead. It is right there in the word. Unfortunately, people have a very hard time internalizing this concept. Emotionally, the idea of no longer existing seems to be a terrifying thought for many people.
This is where religion enters. The religions of the world (primarily the western world) tell people that when they die, they are not actually dead. In fact, the Abrahamic religions in particular use people’s fear of death as a weapon of control. If someone surrenders to [insert your religion here] and allows the religion to dictate how they live, they will be rewarded after they die with an eternity of bliss in Heaven where there will also be trillions of dollars waiting for you and maybe a porn star or something (because 72 virgins just doesn’t cut it in this materialistic world). If you don’t do as religion tells you to do, then you are really in big trouble… after you die of course. Then you will be tortured in ways you can’t even image for all eternity… forever!
These heavenly incentive of bliss and hellish threats of torture are all make-believe. There is no evidence for any of it. I met one religious believer handing out pamphlets about Hell on a Philadelphia street corner who was quick to ask a non-believing atheist like me, “Okay then, what does happen when we die?”
I felt like a parent talking to a child, “Do you remember what life was like before you were born? Well, that is exactly what life will be like after you are dead,” I told him. I went on to explain to him that when people die, they are dead.
Besides, forever is a long time. Who would really want to live forever? When you think about it, most people get bored pretty easily. Can you imagine how bored you would be after a thousand years or so? How about ten thousand years? Now imagine you could live for a million years. If you think that’s a long time, start thinking about a billion or a trillion years. Eternity is even more boring than that.
Personally, I am glad we die. Don’t get me wrong, I would rather live a nice healthy life, but I just don’t think living forever in bliss or torture would be much fun. All we can do is live our lives fully here in reality, enjoy ourselves, and make the world a better place while we are here. The best way to live on is to live on in the memories of those who care about us in life. We are all part of the great human experience and so in that sense we also live on in the continued survival and progress of our species.
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Comments
Athestists believe in religion Today is a date set by religious beliefs 1/30/2010 AD and before was BC its religious and athestists believe it.
Of course I am sitting here now on the 32/10/2011 C.E or common era, and before that it was B.C.E or before common era.
Staks, to believe that this material world is all there is requires a terrific amount of faith in make-believe, too. To believe that what we have here is a happy accident is to believe that a tornado could go through a junk yard and construct a Boeing-747 from the pieces lying about. Exactly who is living in a make-believe world? Why is man the only rational creature on earth, and how did this bit of happy accident occur as well?
And one last thought. You should re-visit and contemplate on Pascal's Wager again if you haven't done so in a while.
Cheers.
"Staks, to believe that this material world is all there is requires a terrific amount of faith in make-believe, too."
I've seen this argument before. But this is apples versus oranges. There might be an afterlife but considering us humans are just one of many animals and the fact that we truly aren't special leads me to believe that an afterlife would be too good to be true.
"To believe that what we have here is a happy accident is to believe that a tornado could go through a junk yard and construct a Boeing-747 from the pieces lying about. Exactly who is living in a make-believe world?"
You have no understanding of how we got here. If a planet can support life it will get life after enough time has gone by. Probability says it will happen. If a coin flipping machine flips coins long enough eventually you will get 50 heads in a row.
And we are the only rational creature because our niches would conflict otherwise.
I'd explain more but the character limit is limiting.
Staks, I can't believe my ears when people say they don't believe in God. If you can explain scientifically to me how this earth was created and has just the amount of air for us to breathe in the atmosphere; that each bird, animal and human has a beautifully designed body and reproduces itself - never has changed from creation, and that there are two sexes, created perfectly, without an all wise all knowing Creator, then my hat is off to you. But, you can't and living forever would be boring if there was nothing to do, but God says that we will live and be rulers and we won't just be floating around heaven all day as God is a creator, so try some imagination and do some intelligent thinking, only a fool says in his heart there is no God! And also, when someone dies, they are asleep and if they don't repent and change, they will be cast into a lake of fire and die, not be tortured.
Hi Staks, I enjoy reading your articles. I don't believe in any kind of religion - but I also don't 'know' what happens when we die. There is no way to 'know' until we experience it. We can all make our best guesses if we choose to, or believe what a religion tells us.......but I still think "I don't know" is the most honest answer to the question.
Staks, I wont waste your short time on this planet debating how it is that you can speak language, type on a computer, write absurdities or believe or reject an idea.
Consider though the probabilities of one type of animal being able to do all this without a creator. c'mon your smarter than that. Did you ever consider that if there is no GOD then there is not any standard for right or wrong thus I can do any anarchist thing I want to, as long as I don't get killed. I used to be just like you, sieze the day, tomorow we die is so true, but are you sure that the electromagnetic energy of your brain does not continue on past death? How are you sure? even Einstien believed in GOD. So did Darwin at the end of his life.
When you have to know the truth try these sites:
www.reasons.org www.needhim.com www.oneplace.com
And His Word tells us that we all know His Truth because He gives it to us....but there are those who turn from it....and go the way of the world....and as Christians we pray for them...for to know His Truth is a glorious thing and the rewards are too awesome to contemplate....for those who love Him....eye has not seen, nor ear has heard, nor can the mind imagine, what God has planned for those who love Him....Halleluhia !!!
To have the Joy of the Lord in your heart is indescriable and indestructable!!!
which one
You may wish that there were no God, but I don't believe that you believe there is no God. If you felt you were talking to a child, imagine what he felt. Had it been me I'd have felt sympathy for the pseudo intellect wasting his time in trying to convince me of something he has never investigated. You have contempt for God. How can you have contemt for something that dosen't exist? God is real, He loves you. Promise, you won't ever get bored in his presence, ever. In the quiet of your hardened heart ask him this: God if you do exist show me. Noone has to know. You've beeen talking to deaf ears all your life anyway. What have you got to lose.
You may WISH to be able to prove your god exists, but so do millions of other people.
Whenever I ask a god-believer for some proof of their god's existence, they never understand. Like deer looking at headlights. I believe that's because they KNOW they don't have a real god, only a feeling and a name to give it.
To say there is no Creator and no other purpose for our existence except to live and die is non-sense.And as far as Heaven and Hell is concerned, how could you not believe in the punishment for the bad and rewards for the good.If a man has made his career out of oppressing people his entire life and dies of natural causes at the age of 80, is he equal to the young innocent child dieing at the hands of a drunk driver? Does it make sense to say the mob boss lived a good life by cheating and killing for his fortune? Why do you wake up in the morning, make your coffee and eat your breakfast?Why do anything if not for a purpose? Our purpose in this life is worship.What happens when things don't go well for you?I know of an Atheist who is married and doesn't want to have kids because he hates the world. Does he not wish himself to be born? Since you get so bored with life and don't have anything to look forward to, than why not just end all of this misery right now? GO BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT!
Stop it Joe! Why are you lying to yourself? I don't discuss things that I don't believe in, let alone write about it. You've closed your heart to the very concept of a God. Perhaps your afraid of someone being smarter than yourself. Why not investigate. Open a book. Read why others are so convinced there is a God. Not the bible, I'm sure you have equal distain for His word. Explain to me the image on the tilma in Guadalupe Mexico. If I'm a deer in the headlights its because your the fool driving through the fog with his highbeams on. Just responding to your insipid cliche with one of my own. Your the scientist who refuses to perform an experiment for fear it will prove his pet theory wrong. Open your heart, turn off your polluted intelect and read why others believe what they do. I'm certain you'venever done that. This may be your last chance. Now excuse me while I go to Mass.
To say there is no Creator and no other purpose for our existence except to live and die is non-sense.And as far as Heaven and Hell is concerned, how could you not believe in the punishment for the bad and rewards for the good.If a man has made his career out of oppressing people his entire life and dies of natural causes at the age of 80, is he equal to the young innocent child dieing at the hands of a drunk driver? Does it make sense to say the mob boss lived a good life by cheating and killing for his fortune? Why do you wake up in the morning, make your coffee and eat your breakfast?Why do anything if not for a purpose? Our purpose in this life is worship.What happens when things don't go well for you?I know of an Atheist who is married and doesn't want to have kids because he hates the world. Does he not wish himself to be born? Since you get so bored with life and don't have anything to look forward to, than why not just end all of this misery right now? GO BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT!
Atheists believe in religion because there are groups of people who call themselves religious. It doesn't mean atheists believe that religion is true. Atheists can believe in people who claim they are witches, but not witchcraft.
For the guy asking about a tornado making a 747: Can any component of the plane interact with another component without outside help? Would the landing gear, if left alone, connect to each other seamlessly, and without assistance? By comparison, hydrogen and oxygen are capable of just that, as are the other basic compounds of which all life is made.
Billions of years ago, some of the reactions became more efficient than others, and thus dominant over less capable reactions, until they formed the life we see today. Death is simply the end of said chemical reactions, where the body ceases to function. Why does it happen? Who knows. Doesn't change the fact that this is all that death is.
Personally, I don't think that it is honest to say that we know that we cease to exist after death. This isn't any more honest than a belief in an after life. You see, we don't even have a convincing way to define what constitutes self. We don't really understand consciousness and how it works or what it is. We have major scientific and philosophical gaps in our knowledge and understanding that make it a leap of faith to believe that we, what ever "we" are, comes to an end when we die. Certainly, if some portion of self continues on after death, it is not human and wouldn't "think" as humans do, because that requires a human brain. But is that all we really are? Isn't it possible that consciousness is a patterned exchange of energy independent of a particular instrument? There are many possibilities for how at least some aspects of ourselves might survive the death of the human body. This isn't to say that it certainly does, only that we just don't know.
Good essay, but damn, you have some thunderingly dumb commenters. Jaysus.
Personally, I don't think that it is honest to say that we know that we cease to exist after death. This isn't any more honest than a belief in an after life. You see, we don't even have a convincing way to define what constitutes self. We don't really understand consciousness and how it works or what it is. We have major scientific and philosophical gaps in our knowledge and understanding that make it a leap of faith to believe that we, what ever "we" are, comes to an end when we die. Certainly, if some portion of self continues on after death, it is not human and wouldn't "think" as humans do, because that requires a human brain. But is that all we really are? Isn't it possible that consciousness is a patterned exchange of energy independent of a particular instrument? There are many possibilities for how at least some aspects of ourselves might survive the death of the human body. This isn't to say that it certainly does, only that we just don't know.
Katherine,
The electrical patterns that make up our memories can't hold their cohesion without a structure to contain them, and a continuing charge to maintain them. Once all the energy dissipates in our brains, all memories are lost, and we are for all intents and purposes dead. The only memories left of us are left in the heads of the people who knew us and lived to pass on what they knew of us. Live well while you can, cause there aren't any do-overs when you die.
I've just been hired as an Examiner but am thinking of quitting. Do you get any flak from Examiner.com about writing in first person?
Steve-n-SA,
But there are lots of living people that have lost their memories! Some have even lost their ability to create new memories. While these people may be incapable of functioning normally in society and are different then us, there is still something about them that makes them, them. Think about it. Are you really just your memories? If so, which ones? How many would you have to lose before "you" cease to exist? What are you really anyway? It may be frustrating but, unfortunately, the only thing that science can really examine in terms of the nature of self and experience, is the ability to communicate that experience and patterns of energy in the brain. This really doesn't tell us as much as we would like it to. Some things, we can never be sure about. Some theories aren't well supported enough to put much stock in. I am not counting on do-overs. Still, I wouldn't rule out continued existence in some form. What if we really are like music? Does the instrument matter
Believing there IS a god and believing there ISN't a god, both are religions. A "belief" is just that, religion. And religion, although it is a pointer to the truth, is not the truth itself. Atheism claims to know the truth--that there is no life after death. That is a religion just as much as believing in heaven and hell. Both say, "I am right, you are wrong". That's war, people. How are we supposed to FEEL alive, loving and enjoyment of life when we're at war over concepts of death that cannot be proved?
Now, "not knowing", there's the rub. And what happens if, say for a moment, just a moment, we're completly honest with ourselves that don't know anything? Isn't it true? If we just allow ourselves to realize this obvious truth--we don't know anything--what might that feel like? Well, that is where the experience of life lies. And life itself, as we whirl in the unknown, reveals all things.
Hey Staks,
I hate to say this again, but you really do not understand even basic biblical doctrines....really, you don't. Have you every actually studied the Bible, even as an historical document?
Doctrinally speaking, Christianity does not teach that Christians should ever fear death! Christ and His Apostles ALL taught that being a Christ Follower FREED a person from the pains of death! Just the opposite of your premise in the article! 1 Corinthians 15:
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christians cannot be 'controlled' by death, because through the Victory of the Cross, we are free from it! If you're free from something, you cannot be controlled by it.
Further, there aren't 'trillions of dollars' waiting for us: we get to serve God for all eternity...THAT is our reward!
Learn some doctrin
Learn some biblical doctrine Staks, before you attempt to present any; you're just illustrating that you don't take either the Faith people have, or Atheism for that matter, seriously at all: were to you be serious about your subject matter, you'd do the research necessary to make a cogent argument.
I study Islam, Wicca, Druidism, Shinto, Buddhism, Hinduism, in an attempt to understand what people of those Faiths actually believe, rather than what I want to think they believe. Objective research is key to understanding any subject matter Staks and I urge you to take that view in your attempts to refute at least the Big 3 (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).
Lastly, as I've pointed out before, mathematically speaking, complex life, ie humans and the way the world works, should literally not exist. Straight forward mathematics, no religion involved. The extent of the possible, much less plausible mathematical chances are mind boggling...again do the research.
Cheers.
JR - I am disappointed with you use of Ad Hominem attacks. The million dollars was a joke. You need to get a sense of humor. The point is that it is a reward system. You admit this. So the point still holds. While "Christians" are told in the Bible not to fear death it is only because they are Christians and spared from eternal torture in Hell. So if you don't do as you are told, you should be afraid... very afraid. Isn't that what the Bible says? Isn't that the point that I was making in the article?
I'm glad you studied those religions. But the question is, have you learned anything from them? There is an old Buddhist story about the Christian Missionary coming to the Buddhist Temple to tell the Monk about Jesus. Have you heard that story? Do you understand it?
Katherine - You make a valid point and to an extent you are correct we do not know with absolute certainty that there is no life after death. But we do know with reasonable certainty that there probably isn't. Do you think that all life lives on after death or is it just humans? Would you argue that perhaps ants live on forever? I don't think most people really think cockroaches are immortal. But why not? Humans are just more intelligent cockroaches when you really think about it from the standpoint of the Universe. There is no reason to believe that there is life after death. If there was, then we wouldn't call it death. When people die, they are dead. That sounds kind of obvious to me and I could be wrong. You would have to present some pretty convincing evidence to the contrary for me to be convinced.
Steve-n-SA,
But there are lots of living people that have lost their memories! Some have even lost their ability to create new memories. While these people may be incapable of functioning normally in society and are different then us, there is still something about them that makes them, them. Think about it. Are you really just your memories? If so, which ones? How many would you have to lose before "you" cease to exist? What are you really anyway? It may be frustrating but, unfortunately, the only thing that science can really examine in terms of the nature of self and experience, is the ability to communicate that experience and patterns of energy in the brain. This really doesn't tell us as much as we would like it to. Some things, we can never be sure about. Some theories aren't well supported enough to put much stock in. I am not counting on do-overs. Still, I wouldn't rule out continued existence in some form. What if we really are like music? Does the instrument matter
I agree with Hank. Good essay, but most of these commentors are thunderingly dumb.
Heather,
First, belief isn't a religion. Belief can be useful or otherwise dependent on what it's based on. Is a belief based on evidence or just faith (belief without evidence). Faith itself isn't religion either, but religion does require it. Second, do you, as a Christian, believe there is no Zeus, and believe there is no Allah, and believe there is no Vishnu, etc? or do you just not believe in any other God but yours? I don't believe in any God, yours included. That is not religion.
Katherine,
Sound waves and electrical signals are two different things. Sound is a waveform, a vibration that's carried through the air by the molecules that make up the air. It will carry a fair distance in the air before it's dissipated too much to hear. Electricity is carried through electrical pathways such as circuits or in our case, nerves. we need a constant feed of electricity to maintain our memories, which our bodies normally provide, usually until death. upon death those charges that kept our memories active fade away, having nowhere else to go, they dissipate into the surrounding tissue. Air has a high resistance to electricity, so wouldn't carry away your memories as you die, and even if it could, without the storage media of your brain, it would lose cohesion, becoming just an electrical charge.
Atheism is a religion like not collecting stamps is a hobby.
Instead of asking "What is the meaning of life?" ask "How do I deal with death if it is the end?" Well you don't deal with it by making up nice faiy tales and living in denial. You deal with it by seeing life for what it really is, incredibly rare, short term and not to be wasted. The trouble is our species is very good at surviving, but not very good at accepting facts. If your belief in religion includes avoiding death, you are living a lie. Reality won't be changing any time soon, so maybe changing the way you think would be a better way of dealing with it? Anyway, I must find my slippers...
Judaism (an Abrahamic religion) doesn't really purvey this kind of afterlife; no heaven, no hell. it really doesn't address much of an afterlife at all. The closest thing to the mention of an afterlife is a mention of a type of limbo. Certain mythologies out of Eastern Europe do, but it's nowhere in the canon or the bulk of Jewish believers.
I am disappointed in your stating slam right off the reel that when we die, that is it ! We utterly cease to exist. No consciousness, no afterlife, immediate or future...
I'm sorry -I can't buy that. I believe in an afterlife, but I do not believe in any hell.As to reincarnation ...well, I have no details and I have an open mind. But to just go pfff ...?
Paul, You may not be "buying" it, but all you have is wishful thinking and no evidence. When insects die, do they go to an afterlife? Why are you any different? Do you remember what it was like before you were born? Why do you think it will be different after you are dead? All the evidence we have suggests that consciousness is a product of brain function. When our brains stop functioning, that's it. We just live on in the memories of others. Show me evidence to the contrary and I'll consider your wishful thinking... which hasn't even really been thought out. Would you really like to live forever? After awhile that has got to be boring. Come on, grow up.
Hi,
I will be anonymous on this post... I'm french so i'll do my best to express myself...
I have not read every comment but for the few first one... people that say that we must have a god
because all of this can't be an accident and etc... here is the proof for analitycs people that stack is true... universe is to infinity... so we have an infinity of possibilitie... and one time... the planet earth was created... beeing a combination that allow the live... OK now one thing done... BUT their is more...
People claim that we are so perfect because their is male and female... the nature is so perfect and blablabla..... Do you agree with me that all things that are killing our planet right now come from the nature... yes they are wood and petrol being build in item that now pollute...
So this mean that planet is not perfect because it pollute itself and more......
WE ARE SUPPOSED to be the species that go to HEAVEN because we are better than all these dog cat fish( well you know) BUT we are the main source of problem on this planet and you are telling me that we are supposed to go to heaven... if you look carefully... I think we are the last species to go in paradise.... If not... this mean that we are an egoist civilization that is supposed to take everything to his advantage no carrying about animals and forest because GOD decided that everything was our resource... but I don't think that the god of love we are supposed to have would do that....
Please excuse me again for my bad english I've done my best here.
I wait for comments an repost and I'll come back to answer
In the begining man in his infinite Ego created god in his own image and when he saw what he did he smiled and put himself above all other life. Unable to know right from wrong he created hell and being fearfull of not knowing what comes after death he created heaven.. knowing his story would be changed and be misquoted over time he passed it on orally for many years when he saw it was nothing like his original story he permited it to be written down and when he saw what they did he knew that it was good..Pope John Paul George and Ringo
The concept of "living" in heaven for eternity is appalling! How utterly boring it would be to continually praise this Almighty God – the entity that purportedly created us, set us up to be sinners, abandoned his son to die a cruel death by torture, and then gave the believers doubt and fear, reducing them to little more than sock puppets! No thank you. I can’t abide the thought of that malicious evil god, much less adoring him for eternity! Turns my stomach.
Life is survival and always has been. We at one point in life would have been hunted by other species of animals before we worked together and made weapons to survive. We then wiped out the species who hunted us and we then became the deadliest species on Earth. Hunting got easier and our weapons improved and we got smarter quicker. As life became easier to survive we started to think about our existence and thought about how we came to be. We didn't have science or any answers so we created religions to make up for our unanswered questions of why and how we came to be. Because religion kept man happy and was and still is a great tool for rulers of different countries of the Earth to keep the people in line and give them an easier life. All living things in the universe sease to exist when they die. From germs to extra terrestrial beings will cease to exist at death.
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