A believer or atheist?

Question

Atheists might say "we lived our life with truth and logic"
Believers might say "we lived our life with blind faith"
if there exist life after death (hell & heaven) or vice versa
who is better off ?

Answer 1

Atheists might say "I'm gonna live with my eyes open and make the best of what comes, no regrets!"
A Believer might say "I'm gonna live my life with blind faith, following abstract rules, and suffering crushing guilt over natural behavior"
If no life exists after death (no heaven, no hell) who is better off?

Well, Atheists of course. And if there is a heaven, there could also be purgatory (you might be there for years!), love ones might be in hell (that would suck), Jesus could turn out to be a spoiled brat - who knows? Sounds like a really risky gamble.

Answer 2

This is an interesting argument but ignores the existence of thousands of contradicting religions.

It could be the islanders on Vanuatu who continue to practice Kastom.

There is no way to determine which faith based religion is the right faith based religion, Christians claim they have the truth through faith, Muslims claim it, the Mayans claimed it the Greeks claimed it, and all of them fought because of it, and in the end, little Thomas Cook from Vanuatu and his village of 37 naked villagers might be the only ones with the right interpretation of God and be the only ones in heaven. The nature of Faith makes it impossible to tell.

So in the end, truth and logic have to be the only way to go, and if an afterlife exists, then we can only hope that the winning flavor of God is a bit more loving than the Christians, Jews and Muslims claim.

Answer 3

you seem to be attempting to pose a philosophical question, quite clumsily in fact, but a question that I can help you understand. Everything that you or I have experienced in this life is based on feedback. This is call positive reinforcement and is the foundation for reason and logic. I know when I hold an apple 3 feet in the air and let go it will drop - why do I know this? becuase we understand gravitional forces and can therefore explain why the apple falls.

So we always start off with nothing and work towards an answer - the burden of proof always lies with the one who provides the answer. You can disbelieve in gravity, but I can prove it to you...

So - religion is the only subject that seesm to skate around this issue.. the burden of proof does not lie with Atheists or scientists proving the god isn't true, in fact the burden of proof lies with believers proving it is true.

Answer 4

Atheists, because it's better to live your life according to universal ethics and morality than risk following an incorrect religion.

Assuming life after death exists, there's no way to know which religion (if any) is correct, and what we would be rewarded for in life (maybe atheism will be rewarded, who knows?). Therefore, it still makes sense to make the best of this life, to do the most good for your fellow man.

Answer 5

Well.. I am an Atheist who frequently denies the holy spirit - it gives me goosebumps and has become so frequent it's like I have tourrets..

But anyway.. I think that when people die - they just die - but if there were a heaven/hell, I would defiantly go to hell. And I would like that better - if I had to chose a side, Satan sounds like more fun to hang out with. And besides, maybe I'm just pessimistic, but I couldn't stand being around a bunch of happy people all the time or wearing the color white.

So either way - I'll be happy!

Answer 6

It is impossible to tell. how do we know what heaven and hell are like, and what the criteria for getting in is. Maybe heaven is a lot like California, and all people who live logical lives get in. And maybe hell is a lot like Arkansas, and all blind faith people get in. Then the atheists have it better off.

Answer 7

Oh, dear. Pascal's Wager again?

Christians sometimes proffer Pascal’s Wager (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_wager ) suggesting to non-believers that they should accept Jesus (per John 3:16) as some sort of insurance policy against hell, just in case it turns out god really exists. The fallacy with this line of reasoning is that faith in god for some reward or to avoid punishment is no faith at all. It is a selfish act to receive something in return for a belief. The whole point of religious belief is so that one can become a better person or achive spiritual enlightenment, not to receive a reward or please a spiritual being.

Answer 8

Considering that we can't even determine that there is an afterlife, it's silly to think we can figure out what it's like and who would be better off.

I would prefer a god who values reason over blind faith. Since I prefer that, does that make it exist?

Answer 9

Here's a little problem for you: Why can't Pascal's wager apply to the religion of the Aztec?

Shouldn't we be sacrificing people to Huitzilopitchli.... You know, just in case it's needed to keep the Sun going? Don't worry, they come back as hummingbirds.

Answer 10

Nobody when you think about it. Seriously, Christianity is a copy of the Egyptian trinity. In other words, they have been worshiping the wrong guy for thousands of years. That's only if that was the right God. What if Zeus was the right God? My point is, Atheists are pissing off God, if he exists, by denying him and everyone else is pissing him off by worshiping the wrong God. We're all going to Hell if such a place exists but it doesn't. We just have a lot of superstitious people in this world...