Okay, I feel I did not word my question right.
Many athiests are OUTSTANDING people, morally righteous in every way, etc, and I do NOT by any means wish to say that because you are athiest, you are a bad person.
I know that you strive for things in life. Art. Humanity. Goodness. Recreation. Education. Love. Family. Beauty.
In fact, many athiests beliefs are quite similar to Christians, minus God, the devil, angels, afterlife, etc.
I would feel very much hurt if you believe that I am close-minded. I love people regardless, and its important you know that. I do not believe in God simply for Pascal's Wager, it's just something I think about.
NOW. I suppose I just wish to know why athiests choose to not believe in an afterlife. Why is THAT satisfying?
2007-04-30 11:29:47 · 15 answers · asked by Kelsey 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
"It's not based on satisfaction, I just know it's true."
Okay.
I believe in God, on a primitive level, because I believe it's right, and that information satisfies me.
You do not believe in God, on a primitive level, because you believe it's "true", and that information satisfies you.
They are one in the same.
2007-04-30 11:40:15 · update #1
It's not really that it's a CHOICE. You believe what you believe. Why do you choose not to believe in Zeus? Why do you choose not to believe in Hades? People fervently believed in those things for thousands of years. It's the same as that. We don't see the difference between the myths of ancient times, and the mystical, magical, otherworldly things people believe today.
I wouldn't say that not believing in an afterlife has a "satisfaction" to it. I'm not jumping with joy at the idea of everything being over, but I'm at peace with it. Sure, I'd love to think that there's a paradise beyond this life. But thinking it would be nice, and actually believing that that's what's going to happen are two different things.
2007-04-30 11:49:53 · answer #1 · answered by Jess H 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When I was 7 years old, my grandfather died. I asked my grandmother what was death. Where did he go? Why can't I see him anymore? At the funeral, I couldn't understand why he was laying in that box and why he didn't open his eyes because there were a lot of people there and why didn't he hear us? This is what I was told: Grandpa will be cherished and remembered and will live on through us and through you. Be as loving and good as he was and he will live on in you. When I asked why people had to die, I was told this: Life is a privilege and a gift; we have it for a while and then we have to go to make room for all the others who will come after us. There just isn't enough room on our planet for every single human being since time began. So we go to let others have their gift as well. I would, of course, like it better if, as Woody Allen once said: I don't want to achieve immortality through my work; I want to achieve it by not dying! But I am and always have been since my earliest thoughts a realist and I simply cannot believe that there is any life to come. Do good works while you are here...you don't really know if you have any other time to do them!
2007-04-30 12:30:07 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
"I suppose I just wish to know why athiests choose to not believe in an afterlife."
Personally, I have always found it a bit childish to want to live forever, to somehow escape the obvious laws of nature, cheat death, and be eternal.
"Why is THAT satisfying?"
Well, where did you get the idea that life should be satisfying? Life is not a feel-good movie you know. It is what it is. To demand some kind of happy end is again, a little childish.
2007-04-30 11:37:33 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is satisfying in the same way it is satisfying to not believe in the tooth fairy. You know you're not buying into some made-up story someone else told you. You know you're not believing things people WHO COULD NOT POSSIBLY KNOW are telling you.
It's satisfying to feel that your own competent intelligence and belief in observable reality has overshadowed wishful thinking and fairy tales.
2007-04-30 11:35:04 · answer #4 · answered by Karla 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because believing in afterlife is like believeing that the earth and all that is inside it and living on it cane there out of thin air. there is no real proof and there is no reason worrying about whats to come after death, when you are not even dead yet... and if your spot in the after life can be taken away with one simple mistake, why even try for it when you may fail missribly and not have fun doing it...
2007-04-30 13:59:33 · answer #5 · answered by Danielle 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Having no fear of what's to come, knowing that either there is nothing or we will tackle it a day at a time the way we all tackle this life offers no need for the promises of a religion. They don't need satisfaction from the next life, they seek it in this one.
2007-04-30 11:34:16 · answer #6 · answered by Momofthreeboys 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Belief doesn't have to be satisfying.
Eternal life on earth also sounds like an awesome thing to believe in. That doesn't make it true.
Or, maybe if I believe really, really hard, I could actually make Cameron Diaz fall in love with me. But, really, all the faith on this planet won't make that true.
2007-04-30 11:34:30 · answer #7 · answered by ? 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't choose to believe or not believe in God any more than I choose to believe or not believe that if I let go of something it will fall to the ground.
2007-04-30 11:33:46 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
My beliefs are not based on what feels good or what sounds pleasing...But what I know is true.
[edit] I'm not sure what you mean by "primitive level."
2007-04-30 11:36:05 · answer #9 · answered by Eleventy 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It has nothing to do with what is "satisfying" it has everything to do with what atheists think is the truth (that god does not exist)
2007-04-30 11:38:42 · answer #10 · answered by Nick F 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋