For those of you who don't believe in God...are you not afraid? I know Christians are not perfect and I know in some cases where "Christian" examples are the very thing that turned people away from God ..but anyway...my question is...do you honestly not fear what is going to happen to your soul when you die? Or exactly what is it you think is going to happen? I'm not trying to offend anyone or anything...I'm just wondering.
2006-11-11 03:08:14 · 25 answers · asked by laurel 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
ps. I don't believe in God because I fear. I believe in God because of faith.
2006-11-11 03:17:18 · update #1
Tree Hugger- I believe in the God the Bible talks of. That's all I have to say.
2006-11-11 03:19:19 · update #2
That's a really good question and you don't ask it in an offensive way at all. No worries!
I used to be "afraid" a bit. And most ex-christians I know have a very intense phase of "fear of hell" for about 3 months or so when they're coming out of christianity.
Eventually you think through your fear. This is a poor example and also isn't intended to offend but it's the best I can come up with. When you lose your belief in Santa Claus - you very much WANT to believe and you very much FEAR that "what if I'm wrong and I get nothing on Christmas?" SO you go through a christmas or two in a fog of "I'll just WILL myself to believe". But eventually it comes down to "it's not a matter of choice." No matter how hard you try, no matter how strong the incentive, you cannot WILL yourself to believe in something your mind rejects.
If someone held a gun to your head and said "Believe in faries or I will kill you," you might be able to SAY you believed, but to force a belief, even on pain of death, just isn't possible. Ditto hell
I hope that helped
2006-11-11 03:15:24 · answer #1 · answered by Black Parade Billie 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
If you don't believe in God because you don't have faith, then why is it that you use "fear" as the method of convincing?
I don't believe in your God, not because I haven't studied the Bible, (I have actually done more study than most Christians), but because in my study, I've found my own way.
If somebody believes that there is no God, what is it that they should fear? If one doesn't believe in the Bible, how can the treats within it have effect? It's sort of like saying "if you don't believe in "the Force" or "Voldemort" or "Grindell" as these characters are in books as well." What about you? Aren't you afraid for not believing in Zeus?
We believe what we will. If we believed out of fear, there is no religion on Earth that isn't condemned by at least one other as being false. You probably grew up in a Christian household, and were taught that God is Love, and Jesus is the only way. You say you don't live in fear, but are probably terrified to study another religion, like, perhaps, Wicca. You fear that if you do, you will lose your salvation. Is that not fear?
I'm not bound by that fear because I have a different idea of deity than you. Neither are athiests bound by that fear as they don't believe in a God anyway. Personally, I don't believe you are as free from fear as you say.
2006-11-11 03:25:54 · answer #2 · answered by Deirdre H 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
As a Wiccan, I believe that when the soul passes from the physical form we enter the Summerlands. The name for this place varies among different religions. To some it's heaven, to some it's Valhalla.
It's in this place the the religions differ on what happens. For me, I would examine my life and see where I could have improved. I believe that we are sent here with a purpose and if we don't achieve that purpose we are sent back in a form that will help us do so.
This explains why there are people of differing socioeconomic status and lifestyles. If you are having problems ina certain area of you life and they don't seem to go away, maybe it's something you need to learn more about before you can move on to the next level.
For example, in your past life, you were a wealthy merchant who treated your employees badly. You never helped those who are less fortunate and you sneered at the lame or ill. In this life you may be financially strapped and have an illness that keeps you from attaining happiness. This would be the lesson you need to learn. How to treat people with kindness and to do what you can to help mankind.
The lesson isn't usually obvious, but maybe you can figure it out by looking at the things that keep happening to you for clues.
2006-11-11 03:20:48 · answer #3 · answered by kara3967 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Would you be afraid if space aliens ( with vastly superior technology ) planed on resurrecting all atheists from the dead, while keeping everyone that believed in a god dead ? What if some people created a religion based on this ? Would you convert ? Are you afraid enough ? The point of course, is that if you give into fear about what people say will happen after you die , you will be at their mercy. I believe I have only one life ( not any afterlife ), I won't let any religion ruin it for me. That is what I'm afraid of.
2006-11-11 03:25:08 · answer #4 · answered by Count Acumen 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm in doubt about the existence of a god/soul (agnostic most of the time, sometimes I feel more like a deist or an atheist).
Sometimes I fear the idea of death being the total end of me, other times I just don't care and accept it as a serious possibility.
I also think many atheists don't find the prospect of being a Christian all that good a solution considering that there is also the chance of an afterlife of hell - doesn't really put your mind at ease.
2006-11-11 03:19:09 · answer #5 · answered by applemanteddy 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You ask how come we're not fearful; and then in answer to someone's response you say fear doesn't motivate you to believe. I'm taking that with a grain of salt.
But to your question, the "soul" postulate is not a good approach. From what I know of anesthesia and physiology, pain and suffering are possibilities of a physical existence. If there is a "soul," then one assumes it's mechanisms are not associated with neurons, axons, voltaic potential, and all those other physical processes which will surely cease when I cash in my chips. In other words, I have not known this "soul" you speak of, but I do know what pain and suffering is for humans while they live. There's even physical ways to detect and measure it. if the "soul" feels pain, I have no way of feeling such pain. I simply don't have the mechanisms for it.
2006-11-11 03:35:21 · answer #6 · answered by JAT 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
How can you be sure that you believe in the right god?
Aren't YOU afraid what will happen if, in the end, you realize that all along you should have been worshiping Zeus?
Do you honestly not fear what will happen to your soul if you realize that all along you were wrong?
I'm not trying to offend you or anything. I am just wondering.
2006-11-11 03:17:01 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
There isn't any perfection in mankind. Mankind misplaced that perfection with the sins of Adam and Eve. And the reason of the ones sins and loss of life was once Satan the Devil. Satan the Devil nonetheless exists and is towards mankind then ever earlier than. That is why there will also be no perfection even as Satan continues to be ruling this international. But all of for you to quickly finish and Jehovah God will make the Earth a excellent Paradise once more as was once his rationale for mankind all alongside. Steve
2016-09-01 10:49:00 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, I honestly don't fear what is going to happen to my soul. My soul is now and will be OK. I was not raised in a religious way so I was not brought up with fear of what would happen if I did not comply to a deity of some sorts. I really think that it's not fair to raise children with the fear of rejection or eternal damnation if they don't follow the religious path their parents have chosen for them. I am not trying to offend you in any way, but that's my opinion.
2006-11-11 03:15:54 · answer #9 · answered by chocolatebunny 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Why do we have to be afraid?
Why do you think we have to worry about what happens after death? Surely it seems Christians are almost alone in this worry.
Christians have their beliefs - fine. Atheists and followers of other religions make up the vast majority of the people on earth and are quite happy with their lives and beliefs.
They live in the here and now and not in the hope of something after the end of life!
2006-11-11 03:30:45 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋