Would the existance of an Afterlife devalue life?

Question

I think that the existance of an afterlife would take away the preciousness of life itself, as there would be no limit to our life that makes it so valuable. Am I right? Give me your thoughts.

Answer 1

Of course it devalues life and that was the entire idea behind it.

Like all large organizations the Church wanted more power and its biggest tool was religion. I am talking back in the early history of the Church in the Dark Ages through the Renaissance Period.

The majority of the population back then were serfs and peasants. Any society needs a large agriculture base to sustain itself; so for every noble or church official there had to be dozens and dozens of peasants growing food to feed themselves and them. This was often hard grueling work with little to no rewards. The nobles liked to take their cut of the food grown off the top, taking the best, and if the peasants had a bad year and didn't grow enough then they were the ones who went hungry. If they tried to fight back then the noble kept enough military forces around to stop them; if they organized and revolted, which did happen a few times, then the King would form an Army and campaign against them.

The church didn’t keep standing Armies; the Kings and nobles wouldn’t let them and considered themselves responsible for their defense. However, the constant threat of a peasant revolt was a problem. To help the feudal system work the Church started preaching about the rewards of the afterlife.

The key concept is; If you work hard in live, if you toil in the fields, attend Church, keep the commandments, and obey the rules of those above you then you will be rewarded in the after live with a permanent life of joy an happiness in the company of God and Jesus. The best part of this is that this incalculable reward can be promised with no need to prove that it is real and exists. After all no dead person has ever shown up in church saying God doesn’t exist and heaven is only a myth.

The popular misconception is that when a person dies they go to heavy. But, that is false. According to the bible once you die you are buried in the ground to await the day of The Rapture. Then on that day the dead will be pulled out of their graves to serve with Jesus as the ground troops in the final battle against evil. Then after all of that they will win and then move on to heaven to spend eternity with God and Jesus.

However, the way the Church interprets the idea of heaven to be a real and immediately available reward to those that die. They also gloss over the idea that the world has to come to an end before they get their reward, provided they win the ultimate value.

So the Church had the perfect set of reigns to hold on the peasants and on the nobles as well. Because if the nobles didn’t believe in the Church’s religious doctrine then the Church can turn the other nobles and the peasants against them. All with the only proof required is faith. Faith is a belief in something that can’t be proven.

This is just one reason why I have problems with organized religions.

Answer 2

not if the afterlife is based on what is done in the present.

However for those who think there is a cycle or reincarnation into another form life the present life tends to become less valuable. In other words if you messed up the present life oh well just start again.

For the other ideas of afterlife, your entire future is based solely on what you do here. Therefore every moment of every day becomes extremely valuable because it could be the determining factor in how you enter said afterlife.

Answer 3

NO because there is no proof to an Afterlife, besides, life has been in the process of being devalued since the beginning of human beings. Society now looks at life with less value as evidence with much more violence, greed, immorality, and none existence of good common senses.

Answer 4

Hmmm not really, from the religous stand point it would be heaven (or something to that standard) and the whole thing is to work to get there by obeying God and being a good person. But in general i think it doesnt. For some religous people yah cause they are waiting to get to heaven but think about it. When your dead your no longer playing the "game" of life. Your stripped of everything you know of (since you dont know what the afeterlife will bring to you) and you have no contact with society. For the most part life shouldnt be devalued (if it is) because this is all, we as human beings, know and are familar with right now.

Answer 5

Except that the quality of that afterlife is dependant on this life. God created us as humans, humans with bodies. Our body is as much a part of us as our soul. In the afterlife, we will also have bodies. Whether we choose to follow Christ is the thing that determines our afterlife. We will also bring an account for this life after it's over. So I wouldn't say that it devalues life at all.

Answer 6

Maybe. I would think you could look forward to the "next" life as being just as precious as the one you are currently living. That is if you knew what the next life was to bring. Although I'm sure many people would change their behavior knowing they would get another chance.

If people knew there was as afterlife, but were not aware of what it would be they would most likely still consider this life precious.

Answer 7

im going to say some stuff that will not make sense, finding out what they mean to you is your job...

first energy- the capacity to move
second life is full of it and the existence of a afterlife would be the same as all other religions!
thridly if there is a after then there is a loop between both after and current! since there is not then it is fair to say that there is no after life
fourth if there is no afterlife then the religions are completly false
fifth can you remember anything before you were born?
and sixth what if all ends when you die there is no after life no heaven or hell no other thing but the feeling of five sense you felt on you last minute!
if you think that is enough then that is enough, but if you want to know number seven then just e-mail me.

Answer 8

Read up on early Church and Roman history, especially around the time of Constantine's 'conversion.'

The Romans had long used the MO of 'bread and circuses', keep the subjugated masses distracted and fed and they don't bother revolting. Add in the idea of eternal reward for suffering in this life and they learn to treasure their subjugation.

The Roman Emperors understood the point you're making very well. They used it to control all of Europe. The idea of heaven is a dangerous tool.

Answer 9

You'd have a good point...unless you believe, as I do, that the value of your afterlife is entirely dependent on how you live this life. In my mind, how can this life, as it will determine your eternity, be anything less than utterly and completely precious...especially given how short of a time we are in this life compared to the eternity we'll spend based upon it.

Answer 10

I think you've hit the crux of the argument here. (Pun intended.)

The fact that religions and their owners (political leaders) offer an intangible afterlife in exchange for tangibles like work, money, and sacrifice during the current life, devalues life for the 'faithful' and enriches it for those receiving the benefits--the church, temple, imam, king, whatever.

It's interesting that people give up their time, assets, and even lives based on promises of something to come after they are dead, with the promises given by 'leaders' who have no physical experience or way to prove the far-off benefit.

Just incredibly interesting . . .