Agnostics, when you think about death, and that there might not be an afterlife, how do you find peace?

Question

I'm not going to try and tell you you should believe in god or anything, so dont worry. I'm just kind of trying to figure out my own beliefs right now and i think i might be agnostic, but that's the thing that i'm struggling with right now, death. How do you find peace with the possibility that death could really be the end?

Answer 1

Death is imminent. Everyone will give you a different answer for what happens after you die. There's no way to prove if they're right or wrong. Don't worry about it. Live life and prosper.

Answer 2

I understand what you're saying.
I'm part of several book clubs and I read the summary of one (The God Gene, I think) that basically says humans are 'hard-wired' to believe in a god. I can see that-I have a hard time believing that all the chance coincidernces involved in making the earth livable are possible w/o some guidance. But, I find it offensive that any conscious being would allow things like the Black Plague, Inquisition, Crusades, still births, genetically deformed humans, etc to happen. Also, the more forces that are involved in the creation of anything, the better the creation is. Therefore, since even the dumbest human is incredibly complex, I really can't rationalize a singular creator.
Also, I find it unnatural that a masculine being is given credit for creating life. Whenever anything living is created, a female is involved. My opinion is that both masculine and feminine are necessary for life but I read a few times that female lizards can reproduce on their own
So, I am agnostic about there being any deities but I'm pretty sure there's not a singular, masculine one.

Answer 3

I have an idea about the afterlife that definitely isn't scientific, but it's based in known facts and so far I haven't thought of a reason why it's impossible. I figure that in the infinity of time and space, there's a chance that someone out there will mysteriously remember my life and remember dying. For all intents and purposes, that person will be me, and I have no reason to think that I won't experience some sort of continuity as my life on Earth leaves off and this new life picks up. Do I think this will definitely happen? Not necessarily, but it doesn't seem to break the laws of physics as we understand it, so it seems possible. If I leave it at that, I sleep well at night.

Another idea is that this is all a computer simulation in the next "higher" universe, and that when you die you might be "reinstantiated" with all of your memories intact.

There is no scientific reason to believe in an afterlife, but there do seem to be possibilities that are somewhat based in reality. That's good enough for me.

Answer 4

As an agnostic, I assume that death IS the end. All this means is that I try to LIVE more fully than I did before. See, if there's an afterlife, everyone is kind of off the hook. We can waste time, act stupidly, be unhappy, and none of it matters because it's 'only life' and just a tiny fraction of eternity. BUT, if as I believe death is the END, then I'm highly motivated to ENJOY life, attain wisdom, live fully in every moment, be happy, because this is the only time I get. THAT gives me peace. I don't have to worry about anything other than THIS life.

Answer 5

I understand what you're saying, and it was a challenge for me to find a peaceful perspective as well.

I accepted that death is inevitable, and this pushes me to live life to the fullest. I try to live a meaningful life, to be positive and help others - actions that will allow me to end my time with a clear conscience and sense of accomplishment. We spend a lot more time living then we do dying. Obviously, I am far from perfect, but I really try to stay in the moment and enjoy myself. The thought that my actions might change other people's lives for the better, gives me a sense of immortality.

Answer 6

I consider myself agnostic, not atheist. Agnostics believe in Higher Power, whatever you might call it. Atheists don't believe in God or Higher Power, or life after death.
I believe in reincarnation, that I already have lived before many times. My purpose is to live my life the best way I could. So I eventually won't have to reincarnate again and I would stay with and become one with Higher Power of creation or Universal Love, whatever you might call it. I think agnosticism (the word originally Greek) is most commonly mistaken with atheism, it is most close to Buddhism in their view. Our Earth was destructed and recreated many times. So there is no finality in death; any death human or planetary. It is cyclical. So relax, you will be back again.

Answer 7

well, i'm an atheist, and the reason i'm never bothered by there not being an after life, is becuase i'm not afraid to die. I just want to get everything in before i die. If you think about it, its unrealistic to live for ever. All good things must come to an end. So just dont worry about death now, becuase you still have your whole life ahead of you. Just concentrate on whats going on now, and make sure you experience everything you want to.

Answer 8

When I finally realized that there are a multitude of "answers" out there as to what happens when we die, I realized that there was no point in worrying about it and I needed to start worrying about here and now. I think that if I strive to be a better person and leave this planet better off than worse, I think whoever created me will take care of me not throw me in hell because I didn't believe in JC.

Answer 9

Agnostic = PC atheist. There are no new issues one has to come to grips with after acknowledging that one is an atheist. Wishful thinking provides no real comfort to Christians. They only WANT to believe in God. But, wanting to believe in God doesn't make it so. They're all just as afraid of death as are the atheists. Probably more so since athiests spend more time trying to come to grips with it rather than trying to deny the reality.

Answer 10

I personally believe in reincarnation, and a sort of giant soul-pool that we return to.

All people are different though, and you have to find something that works and makes sense for you.