<p>First of all, let me preface this by saying I am a Christian. However, does the idea that God may not exist and that this life is all we have bother any of you guys? I am very open minded about science and obviously believe in fundamental components of science like evolution. So, I do not believe one can definitively prove God exists. I don't want this thread to turn into some big debate, but I am curious to see both from theists and atheists/agnostics if the possibility that this life is all we lhave bothers you?</p>
It doesn’t bother me. It bothers me less than the idea of being spiritually dead. It bothers me less than the idea of rejecting my own corrupt desires.</p>
<p>No, it doesn’t bother me. I am a Wiccan theist I suppose, and I believe in reincarnation. But thinking that this is it doesn’t really bother me. In fact, it makes me more motivated to live this life to the fullest. :)</p>
<p>Not really. I was raised Christian but could never convince myself that what I was being told was true. I tried but it never really made any sense to me, so I’ve been an atheist pretty much all my life, so i’ve had more time to deal with the idea. Honestly, it really doesn’t bother me any more. Sure, I’m not comforted when other people say “she’s in a better place now” when I’m at a funeral, but I move on and focus on the joys of the present.</p>
<p>As an atheist (have been one from birth), I find the idea that life is all we have to be uplifting. I don’t have to fear a dreadful afterlife for my sins. I can do what I deem to be the best/right thing to do, not some supreme being’s idea of what is right. I can spend my efforts trying to have an enjoyable life instead of a morally superior life. All in all, I guess being an atheist has let me be more free in my actions and my thoughts.</p>
<p>“As an atheist (have been one from birth), I find the idea that life is all we have to be uplifting. I don’t have to fear a dreadful afterlife for my sins. I can do what I deem to be the best/right thing to do, not some supreme being’s idea of what is right. I can spend my efforts trying to have an enjoyable life instead of a morally superior life. All in all, I guess being an atheist has let me be more free in my actions and my thoughts.”</p>
<p>My sentiments exactly,
I feel that contrary to popular christian belief, leading a life free of god and being left to make your own decisions can make you be a better person, i believe someone who acts upon thier own will to do good is inherently better then someone who needs to be forced to do good by a higher power.</p>
<p>Death doesn’t bother me. Eternal life would. Can you imagine how boring living forever would be? Sure, the first thousand years, maybe even the first million, might be fun. But eternity is a long time.</p>
<p>The Last Answer (Isaac Asimov) really helped with that. Now the thought that I will die one day makes me happy.</p>
<p>No, religion doesn’t haunt me. I am atheist or something similar, but unfortunateley my family is Christian - Catolic and I have been baptized and I have also dona holy communion. God is a fear of the human beings. People belive in what they wish, so human kind needs God, because he is helpful. However I think that people who say God exists are Fool and at the same time People who say God doesn’t exist are Fool. We have to find out God or something similar, so now I support the science that can give us an explanation and reject the religion that is a stupid form of fear.</p>
<p>Death bothers me in the sense that I won’t get to do everything I want to do- I simply don’t have the time. Now I don’t know what happens after you die- no one does [obviously]. I don’t know if God does or doesn’t exist [though I find comfort in the idea of a plan]. But I realized the other day [on my fifteenth birthday, as it were] that I don’t have many more of these. My entire life so far. I have maybe four more of what I’ve had. Five if I’m lucky [though I don’t know how lucky an extra 15 years would be if I’m senile and can’t go to the bathroom by myself]. And by the time I go, so many people I love will be gone. Life is fleeting- whatever happens after. I don’t want it to be so short. I want to be able to see the world, and maybe even make a difference.</p>
<p>As a Hindu, I am confident that Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh (aka Shiva) make decisions that will ultimately help me.
If I screw up and sin, I’ll get a few crappy next lives. But there’s not internal burning layer of hell for me that’ll torture me forever.</p>
<p>I’m an atheist, and I strongly dislike the Christian idea of an eternity in either heaven or hell. It’s not the idea of an omnipotent being controlling the universe that gets to me, just the life-after-death thing.</p>
<p>I believed in reincarnation when I was younger. Not attached to any particular religion, though. </p>
<p>I am afraid of what will happen when I die, because I WANT it to be over when its over. But I don’t feel like I’m lacking anything in this life by not believing</p>
<p>It is interesting to me that people seem to fear boredom more than they fear death.</p>
<p>But I think that when you die either:
A) Your consciousness still exists (though we do not know what its capabilities would be beyond existing), in which case it would be a good idea to make your consciousness as able to take on eternity as possible during life.
B) Your consciousness does not exist anymore…so it would be like an eternal dreamless sleep, or what it was like before you were born.</p>
<p>From what I’ve read, according to science, B is more likely (if not certain). I guess if you really think about it it is silly to fear B because you will not really be able to experience the results of B. I suppose the only real discomfort is not being able to experience the “end of the story.” Sort of as if you opened a really good book, only read one chapter, and the book disappeared.</p>
<p>Uh, I fear both eternal life and death. I don’t want eternal life because it would insanely monotonous after a few million years, but I don’t want death because I feel 70-90 years is way to short. I wish there was an after life, but in that afterlife you would die permanently after a good 10,000 or so years ^_^.</p>