(January 1, 2012 at 12:51 pm)whateverist Wrote:(January 1, 2012 at 5:47 am)Godschild Wrote: Compared to an eternity death is just around the corner, waiting in it's silence to take hold of you, to relieve you of all your dreams and thoughts, to put a silence to your voice, never to be heard from again. Everyone should fear death for what it does to those that are left behind.
"Death is just around the corner" sounds like the mindset of someone who isn't much investing in the life they have right now. Of course, in geologic time, our lives are mere specks. But if you live it fully, you can get a surprising amount done while enjoying some nearly timeless moments.
But eternal life? Consciousness may be poorly understood but there is a lot of agreement that brains give rise to it just as GI tracts give rise to digestion. It's pretty hard to imagine either process existing outside a body. Timelessness, heaven and hell are all mental states which only seem to last forever. Change is the only constant. Enjoy sentience while it lasts.
I love life and hope to live for many years yet, one never knows when death will over take them. The first part of my statement was to show the hopelessness of non belief in God. The second part was to show that, after we are gone death has an effect on the ones that loved us and that is the part of death we should fear. However as a christian I see a need for the non believer to have a fear of death. By the way my sentience is ever lasting, eternal, forever and ect. I will enjoy it especially on the other side.
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.
