RE: Where do we go when we die and are you afraid?
July 23, 2020 at 6:33 pm
(This post was last modified: July 23, 2020 at 7:08 pm by Alan V.)
(July 22, 2020 at 7:33 am)Shazzalovesnovels Wrote: Do atheists believe in a heaven or hell? A good place or bad place? If not, then what's the purpose of the distinction between good and evil?. I'd like to have a respectful conversation about this.
I have an atheist friend who believes consciousness continues after death, but I do not. I think consciousness is an emergent property of a complex brain, and when that brain stops functioning, consciousness disappears. Dementia cases, anesthesia, and sleep studies show consciousness can deteriorate and disappear even in life. So the evidence shows consciousness is brain-dependent.
I therefore do not believe in heaven or hell. Good and evil are relative to human concerns. When we die, we are beyond such considerations because we have no further needs. Consciousness was evolved to serve the needs of a physical body.
I'm afraid of dying, like most everyone. I'm not afraid of the state of nothingness called death.
(July 22, 2020 at 11:20 am)Shazzalovesnovels Wrote: I will never understand atheism. It just seems like a sad life.
Atheism is simple. Atheists don't believe in gods or God.
Life is sad for theists too, since life is unfair. But really, atheism has little to do with what we might prefer. We don't think theism makes any real sense.