How do you deal with life and death with no belief that there is something afterward?
If I were an atheist, then I would be absolutely terrified of death and do everything I could to live as long as possible. How on earth do you deal with life having no expectation of something afterward?????
Most complete answer gets best.
2007-06-30 18:09:41 · 23 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Christians, feel free to refute the atheists, I enjoy a good debate.
To the two of you who used his quote, Mark Twain was a very wise chap :)
It is the nothingness that scares me the most.
2007-06-30 18:23:09 · update #1
I have pondered the same question alot. Basically I think of it this way, What did things feel like before I was born? Nothing...For billions of years I didn't know what it felt like to exist...so death is probably very similar. I live life knowing that any day could be my last so I live life to the fullest...I don't live in fear of a mythological force that may or may not control the events in my life...I am the only one in control and it feels good!
2007-06-30 18:14:46 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't think you understand anything about atheists. Those of us who believe there is no afterlife have absolutely nothing to fear. How could one fear nothingness? As for how I deal with life, that's easy. Since I believe there is no afterlife, the only chance I have to impact others is here, in this world. I try to make the most of life. I travel, volunteer, work, play, and try to help others. All that we leave behind is the deeds we have done, so that is the path to immortality. Even if no one remembers my name in a hundred years, I will still have an affect on the world then. You see, when I give happiness to another, that person is more likely to do the same for someone else. Kindness can be contagious, and the person I help tomorrow, may be responsible for a random act of charity hundreds of years from now as that act is passed from one person to the next. I have already lived a full life, and I am only in my thirties. Every extra day is like a bonus. Nothing scary about that.
2007-07-01 01:23:47 · answer #2 · answered by seattlefan74 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why is it that people think that Atheism necessarily means no belief in an afterlife?
Just as there are many sorts of Christian, there are many sorts of atheists. Buddhists are actually atheists, and they believe in reincarnation.
Atheism means only "NO GOD", not "NO Supernatural at all". Some may believe there is no afterlife, but this isn't all of them.
In any case, it is quite possible to live a life with a belief in nothing afterward. Our legacy may well be what we leave behind, and leaving a good one is a fine goal. To die, knowing that one has left a fine legacy is a wonderful thing. To know that you've made a difference is a fine end. Do you not agree?
2007-07-01 01:33:43 · answer #3 · answered by Deirdre H 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is terrifying, the prospect of oblivion. Each man has a thirst for the truth and will follow it to where reason leads him. I was faced with the fact that to say "There is a God", is a presumptive statement. It requires some kind of support. I have never encountered it.
Life is filled with beauty and sorrow. That death and oblivion wait as well as that life has no meaning other than what we are able to give it, is part of that. It is enough to find what beauty and love that we can while we are here.
2007-07-01 01:21:46 · answer #4 · answered by Herodotus 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am an atheist.
I deal with life and death as most humans do. We are finite creatures. Although we do not know exactly how long each of us will live, as an atheist, with no expectation of any wonderland or torture chamber afterwards, I try to live my life as best as I know how.
Enjoying life, and all that it has to offer, is a reward that I accept daily. Putting things in place and providing for my children and my family in the event of my demise is important as well.
I deal very well with my mortality. It is a fact. I live my life to maximize its potential.
2007-07-01 01:18:32 · answer #5 · answered by CC 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you go to a movie can you enjoy the movie without the expectation of seeing another movie or is your enjoyment all wrapped up in what's next?
When you have a delicious meal are you only enjoying it because you have the expectation of another meal or because the meal you are currently having is delicious?
There is no way for you to put yourself completely in an Atheists shoes to understand that there is no fear.. Deep in your psyche you have the belief that there is an afterlife and therefore the thought of not having one terrifies you even when you are attempting to understand how an Atheist has no fear..
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2007-07-01 01:25:30 · answer #6 · answered by Diane (PFLAG) 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Simple. When I die, my existence stops, which is an annoying thought since I am having way too much fun to want to throw in the towel, but it does not appear that I can do anything more to prevent it than to prevent sunrise. So, I'll dance while the music plays, and watch my grandchildren grow up to be the same sort of fine citizens as their parents are. What's not to like? Meanwhile, I am sharing some of my discoveries in this forum, with the hope that others (such as yourself) may benefit from them.
2007-07-01 01:19:35 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why does there have to be something AFTER life to make the life we have now worthwhile? Why can't we just accept that life is life is life and there's nothing we can do to change that? I won't say that I know, but I'm quite sure this is all I have, this life, so I'm going to make the most of it. Sure, I'm scared of dying, everybody is to a degree, but that's not going to stop me from living.
Finding out that I wasted my entire life worshipping an imaginary sky god seems like it'd be a real downer. I'm gonna live my life to the fullest now, because we get one shot.
It's a matter of maturity and acceptance: being mature enough to accept that this is all we have.
2007-07-01 01:15:32 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
why do you need something after? Is life so short and useless that it cannot be enough for you? Or is it fear of the unknown? If you are afraid of something is the answer some god or a soul or any of a number of other explanations given by someone else who has NEVER experienced death?
2007-07-01 01:14:39 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is why you have religion...you cant deal with the fact once over it is over...It might not be over though Einstein believed in life after death only for the reason energy never ceases to exist....so your energy has to go back into the vast universe in which it came...
2007-07-01 01:14:22 · answer #10 · answered by duffmanky 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋