If it helps, Sunflash, many atheists can tell you that finally giving up the belief in superstition and myth is a very freeing experience. It is difficult to arrive at that point, because the concept of an afterlife is so deeply ingrained that even though one may realize that there isn't really a god, the fear of eternal damnation as punishment for that realization sits in the back of the mind and threatens to burn you in hell.
That is why religion uses the afterlife concept as a tool in the first place. On one hand, we are promised eternal paradise if we abide by the 'law of god', but on the other we are threatened with eternal suffering if we do not. One of those laws is to believe. Of course, we are told that the choice is ours and that it is 'freewill'. Paradise or Burn in Hell. You choose.
But there is a third option and that is to educate oneself and apply logic and reason to the claims made by religion. It can (and often does) result in total freedom from such fears. When we die, we cease to be. It isn't scary, because once you cease to be... there is no you to be scared. The purpose of life is to live life... not to worry about what comes after. Nothing comes after, so try to live a happy life while you have the chance. It is the only one you get.
That is why religion uses the afterlife concept as a tool in the first place. On one hand, we are promised eternal paradise if we abide by the 'law of god', but on the other we are threatened with eternal suffering if we do not. One of those laws is to believe. Of course, we are told that the choice is ours and that it is 'freewill'. Paradise or Burn in Hell. You choose.
But there is a third option and that is to educate oneself and apply logic and reason to the claims made by religion. It can (and often does) result in total freedom from such fears. When we die, we cease to be. It isn't scary, because once you cease to be... there is no you to be scared. The purpose of life is to live life... not to worry about what comes after. Nothing comes after, so try to live a happy life while you have the chance. It is the only one you get.
