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Life after Death?

Once you realise that time quite literally started with the Big Bang, but that there was something present before that too, it's not too big of a conundrum. If we've got something before time, eternal existence is nothing. eta: plus at that point our understanding of the term "eternal" is really quite arbitrary.
 
Watershed said:
atheists describe themselves as happier than religious people
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have many of them tried? religion can be very satisfying...

...less likely to randomly get depressed too...


more importantly though:

opaltiger said:
Violation of the law of conservation of energy.

There must be something in the universe that either a) hasn't got a cause or b) exists eternally. My money is on the latter.
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How would (b) solve it? are you saying that some of this eternal matter was converted into energy? if this did happen, isn't the causeless existence of this eternal matter just as improbable as the causeless existence of the light that was the big bang?
 
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FireChao said:
have many of them tried? religion can be very satisfying...

...less likely to randomly get depressed too...
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Most atheists had christianism forced into them at childhood.

Most atheists chose between being religious or not.

If most atheists didn't turn back on their decision, it's for a reason, isn't it?
 
Metallica Fanboy said:
Most atheists had christianism forced into them at childhood.

Most atheists chose between being religious or not.

If most atheists didn't turn back on their decision, it's for a reason, isn't it?
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having christianity "forced into [you]" isn't quite the same as understanding and believing it
 
Watershed said:
give me a rational reason to be a christian

how does one "understand and believe" christianity

there is zero reason to
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the only real reason is that when you do it feels right

here's my reasoning:

God is real -> Live to his will -> better chance of eternal happiness
however, the other possibility:
God doesn't exist -> Live in contented Christianity -> Die and cease to exist (along with the rest of humanity)

...either way you're happy

I don't think that atheists have a bad chance of getting ino heaven, though, as long as they can accept which things that they did were wrong (and i'm not saying that they always do more things wrong)

...I just realised that I contradicted myself there... ah well...
 
How would (b) solve it? are you saying that some of this eternal matter was converted into energy? if this did happen, isn't the causeless existence of this eternal matter just as improbable as the causeless existence of the light that was the big bang?
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... I have absolutely no clue what you're on about. But.

Either you have something from nothing, or an eternal something. The latter sounds a lot more convincing, since something existed before the Big Bang, too.

eta: hahaha pascal's wager. that is not going to convince anyone. it is deeply flawed in assuming that whichever religion you are talking about is the true one.
 
opaltiger said:
Once you realise that time quite literally started with the Big Bang, but that there was something present before that too, it's not too big of a conundrum. If we've got something before time, eternal existence is nothing. eta: plus at that point our understanding of the term "eternal" is really quite arbitrary.
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makes sense.
 
Where did we (or, rather, the scientific community) get all these ideas from? I'm not trying to criticise or refute what you're saying, I'm just curious as to how anyone could speculate meaningfully on the nature of things so distant and unfathomable (to me, at least).
 
FireChao said:
the only real reason is that when you do it feels right

here's my reasoning:

God is real -> Live to his will -> better chance of eternal happiness
however, the other possibility:
God doesn't exist -> Live in contented Christianity -> Die and cease to exist (along with the rest of humanity)
Click to expand...

what if god rewards atheism
what if i believe in Allah instead
what if

too many ifs for this to work

...either way you're happy
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ntrly

I don't think that atheists have a bad chance of getting ino heaven, though, as long as they can accept which things that they did were wrong (and i'm not saying that they always do more things wrong)
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accepting you're wrong doesn't get you into heaven, it simply makes you more aware of what you're doing

...I just realised that I contradicted myself there... ah well...
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yeah see how are we to take you seriously then
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Music Dragon said:
Where did we (or, rather, the scientific community) get all these ideas from? I'm not trying to criticise or refute what you're saying, I'm just curious as to how anyone could speculate meaningfully on the nature of things so distant and unfathomable (to me, at least).
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What ideas, specifically? A lot of theories are backed up by mathematics, mostly. I don't think the scientific community would dare advocate a theory if it wasn't backed up by math, at least.
 
According to the Bible atheists can't get into Heaven so I don't know how we'd have a decent chance :/
Well according to Jesus' disciples and we all know they were kind of crazy.
 
Vladimir Putin's LJ said:
According to the Bible atheists can't get into Heaven so I don't know how we'd have a decent chance :/
Well according to Jesus' disciples and we all know they were kind of crazy.
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Where does it say that? Give me a reference and I may agree with what you are saying. Don't knock people you don't know. eg. disciples.
 
The Christian God is a malevolent douchebag that I wouldn't want to worship even if I believed he was real.
 
My feelings exactly, Xikaze. I tell people this but they don't understand. "He's benevolent and all-loving!" Okay, try reading the damn Bible.
 
Dezzuu said:
My feelings exactly, Xikaze. I tell people this but they don't understand. "He's benevolent and all-loving!" Okay, try reading the damn Bible.
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And then there's the well-known thing about why won't God stop evil.

To quote off the top of my head:
"Is he willing, but not capable? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he capable, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both capable and willing? Then why won't he stop evil?
Is he not capable nor willing? Then why call him God?"
 
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