Atheists out there, what will you do if when you die, you find out there really is a hell?

Answer 1

Atheist do not believe in heaven or hell, it' just that simple. They believe when they die, that's it, nothing else. So, they don't worry about it.

Answer 2

Well, I'll be dead so... whatcha gonna do? The same question could be posed as "What will religious people do if when they die, they simply cease to exist?"

Religion is based on a fear of death. I am much more concerned with LIFE and learning all I can about the world around me, all while being the best I can be, being true to myself and being kind to others.

I don't need any sort of scripture to tell me how to be a decent human being and I don't buy into manipulation. I find it perplexing and hypocritical that people tend to turn to religion only when they have hit rock bottom and have nothing else to dwell on other than death.

So what would I do? I don't know, and to be completely straight with you, I'm not even the least bit worried about it.

Answer 3

If it's your evil god's hell, he won't give us any choice, will he?

It sounds like you're about to take Pascal's wager:


"If god exists, it's infinitely better to believe, since you get heaven instead of hell for eternity. If he doesn't, it doesn't matter since you're dead anyway. So overall it's better to believe"

This is, of course, false.

Some of the problems with the argument:

* The implied assumption that god may exist (with a 50% probability, no less!)

* The assumption that there is an afterlife with a heaven and hell

* The assumption that the god cares about belief in him/her above all else

* The assumption that if you believe in a god, it will definitely be the same god that actually exists.

* The assumption that you lose nothing if it's false. You have lost a great deal, from time praying to a nonexistent entity (somebody mentioned just today praying several hours a day!!!) to morality (your god may ask you to hurt other people) and much more besides.

* The assumption that people can believe in something simply because it benefits them. Would you believe goblins exist for twenty bucks? Why not?

* The assumption that any god won't see through the "believing just to get into heaven" ploy.

For more:
http://www.abarnett.demon.co.uk/atheism/wager.html
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pascal-wager/
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/theism/wager.html

Answer 4

I suppose that would really suck. However, according to religion, I have to have faith to stay out of hell--not be a good person--not make the world a better place...I have to believe and then confess any bad thing I do in order to avoid hell. To me, those ideals seem just about as far from divine as you can get. That, combined with the "scare tactics" that your question itself so perfectly depicts makes me sure in my heart of hearts that not only is religion a man-made crock, but even if it was not of human invention, I still have no interest in it's self-serving ideals and threats. So I guess what I'm saying is: at those fiery gates, when I'm damned for all eternity for not believing, your god will never be able to take away from me the fact that I strived every day to be the best person I can be, and to positively affect the lives of my fellow man to the best of my ability. If he doesn't feel that that is the most important thing that we can do each and every day, then I don't want to be created in his image (purposely no capitalization on "his").

Answer 5

I refuse to base my entire life on the made-up list of "what-ifs" proposed by Christianity.

What if YOU die and find out that eternity is a Cheez Whiz waterfall with pimentos? What if Death took a vacation and you chose that weekend to get into a fatal car accident?

Here's a thought: What if YOU die and find out that the key to heaven or hell had more to do with how you lived your life instead of your belief system, and you were WRONG?

Answer 6

Say hello to Pat Robertson and snub Jerry Falwell.

But seriously, Pascal's wager ignores the probability that there is no afterlife, and therefore to bet there is will likely require you to give up the benefits of your present life on earth. And then you die.

Answer 7

Well, who's to say I WILL go to Hell? Maybe God (if he exists) wants atheists to go to Heaven because we were smart enough to realize he was likely not to exist given the NO evidence we saw.

If we DID go to Hell - who's to say it's the Christianity's version of Hell?

Well, okay... most all are similar - enternal pain really.

But I'd probably be okay with it. I'd be surrounded by historical (atheistic) geniuses!

Answer 8

Well, theres nothing in the Bible that says you must believe while you are alive... If I die and I do infact end up standing infront of the pearly gates, then and only then will i believe. And I'll probably get in too.

Answer 9

I gotta say i used to not be live in god and heaven or hell, but i started dating a man and his family was very highly into god and church and i went and it was a major wake up call, i felt something when i went i felt sad at first when i step foot in this church but meeting these people and i confessed my sin's i was like a new person i felt great, i felt the spirit of the lord and i thank god for giving me this chance to be forgiven. so all you people out there that is atheists... i feel sorry for you.

Answer 10

I will live there as a Promethean rebel against the tyrant who put me there, and hope against hope that there is a rescue operation underway to get me out of the Demiurge's clutches.