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Author Topic:   What happens after death for an atheist?
DominionSeraph
Member (Idle past 4784 days)
Posts: 365
From: on High
Joined: 01-26-2005


Message 100 of 162 (183624)
02-07-2005 1:12 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by LDSdude
02-02-2005 7:25 PM


quote:
What happens after death for an Atheist.
What do you mean by 'death'?
If you're referring to the cessation of biological functions, then either nothing happens, as there's no atheist for anything to happen to; or the atheist continues, and what happens is indeterminate.
quote:
I mean, to all you atheists, can you imagine your current mind just...............gone? Nothing? Emptiness?
As I don't remember what I dream, the period of time that I am asleep is a blank to me. What I have is:
MeMeMeMeMeMeMeMeMeMeMeMeMeMe--------------------MeMeMeMeMeMeMeMeMeMeMeMeMeMe
As I can't access (or don't have) any memories of 'me' in that blank, it truely is empty to me.
quote:
Is there supposedly anything for you after death?
Again, if you're referring to biological death, whether there still is a 'me' is indeterminate (but highly unlikely). With no 'me', there cannot be anything for me.
quote:
No more life to live, no more influence in the world, not knowing what is happening in the world? Just................gone!
Yup.
quote:
If so, what is the purpose of your lives?
To live it.
quote:
It can't be to learn everything you can, because once you're dead it's of no influence to you.
It's still fun.
This message has been edited by DominionSeraph, 02-07-2005 01:14 AM

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by LDSdude, posted 02-02-2005 7:25 PM LDSdude has not replied

  
DominionSeraph
Member (Idle past 4784 days)
Posts: 365
From: on High
Joined: 01-26-2005


Message 101 of 162 (183626)
02-07-2005 1:36 AM
Reply to: Message 99 by LDSdude
02-06-2005 11:25 PM


Re: Religion a waste of time you say?
quote:
To the people here that advocated their beliefs that religion is a decietful waste of time for average people, I say........... Those people will live more hapilly than you will because they will not carry a constant hate in their hearts, and when they die, if there is no after-life, their lives will have been spent better and happier than yours, and if there is an after-life, you're really out of luck. Give it up and let people live their lives the way they want to. (and start thinking about the boy scout motto: be prepared.) (;
If you want to be delusional, that's fine. However, most religious people fail to realize that their delusion only applies to them, and they try to dictate how everyone should live. Once they interfere with the right of others to be left in peace, their own right to be left in peace is forfeit. Action must be taken, so they are attacked mercilessly until they return to the pit from whence they came.
Once they're back in their hole, peace is restored.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 99 by LDSdude, posted 02-06-2005 11:25 PM LDSdude has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 106 by Brian, posted 02-07-2005 10:33 AM DominionSeraph has replied

  
DominionSeraph
Member (Idle past 4784 days)
Posts: 365
From: on High
Joined: 01-26-2005


Message 138 of 162 (183826)
02-07-2005 9:28 PM
Reply to: Message 106 by Brian
02-07-2005 10:33 AM


Re: Religion a waste of time you say?
quote:
One of the things that annoys me about theists is how they force their beliefs onto thier kids before the child has the mental capacity to understand what is going on. Countless millions of children have been psychologically abused over the centuries by their parents, who force the child to believe in their faith. There should be a religous age of consent whereby children under a certain age should not be allowed to follow a religion.
There is something deeply disturbing about a 4 or 5 year old child praying to god or being forced to go through one of their silly rituals.
This is problematic, though; as singling out religion would be inconsistent, thus irrational. And defining a method by which to determine whether a belief in a given proposition is warranted is beyond even my capabilities.
For example, I believe that you're telling the truth when you say that you're annoyed and disturbed. Why do I believe it, though? I mean, I don't have any evidence supporting this specific proposition -- all I have is evidence supporting similar propositions, plus the ordinariness and inconsequentiality of the claim. However, evidence of similar propositions and the valuation as to the degree of ordinariness will vary, as people's experiences vary. The valuation as to the degree of consequentiality will vary depending on what consequences a given person predicts, and how they value those -- and at this point, all I can say is that that is dependent on personality, as the tree has grown too large to follow the branches.
Oh wait... there's another factor in my belief that you're telling the truth. I know that you have access to the truth, as you'd know if you're annoyed and disturbed.
But anyway, before we go off and try to regulate what beliefs should or should not be taught to children, we really need to determine an objective, quantifiable method by which probability calculations can be made; and determine an objective, quantifiable method by which a determination of a 'sufficient' level of probability can be made.
While we both may agree that the theist is using a method by which the probability of being right is vanishingly low, and that the probability level that is required before belief is warranted is extraordinarily high; this doesn't free us from the task of decompiling our methods, and proving that our program is better.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 106 by Brian, posted 02-07-2005 10:33 AM Brian has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 142 by LDSdude, posted 02-07-2005 10:37 PM DominionSeraph has replied

  
DominionSeraph
Member (Idle past 4784 days)
Posts: 365
From: on High
Joined: 01-26-2005


Message 145 of 162 (183876)
02-08-2005 4:30 AM
Reply to: Message 142 by LDSdude
02-07-2005 10:37 PM


Re: Religion a waste of time you say?
quote:
(quote)While we both may agree that the theist is using a method by which the probability of being right is vanishingly low(/quote)
Really? Is that so?
Yes, because 'faith' is also known as 'guessing', and guessing don't work too good.
quote:
The fact that evolution is in control in schools, government and society is a product of false advertising to which the only remedy is for all scientists who proclaim evolution to show their proof.
Evolution is in control of nothing. It's a theory.
However, rational human beings are, for the most part, in control of schools. (I'll withold judgment on government, and society controls itself.) You seem to take issue with this, and seem to want equal time for the whackos.
Sorry, but if you want your kids to learn nonsense, you're gonna have to teach them that yourself.
Anyway, the evidence supporting evolution is readily available. I suggest you take a look at it, instead of getting your information from Fundies who are trying to buy their way into heaven by getting converts.
quote:
If you can't prove that there is a supreme being watching over us, is it not understandable that the power within him is not evidenced boldly to our mortal senses, but is withdrawn for the purpose to see if you could ever find the truth and accept it so as to show unto Him your willingness and desire to follow his precepts and always obey him that you may be rewarded in the life to come?
You're speculating as to the motives of this hypothetical being-in-hiding. You've also just implied that it's not omniscient, as an omniscient being wouldn't need to wait to know anything.
I can also speculate.
This hypothetical being (limited in knowledge, like yours) is hiding to test people for gullibility. It got someone to make an unsupported assertion that it existed, and then went into hiding to see how many suckers believed. Those who believe show themselves to be mindless sheep instead of human beings, and they fail the test.
Isn't this fun?
quote:
There is a reason that you don't find God's name etched on a mountain side, nor do you find his fingerprints on the bark of a tree.
Yeah, because it's highly improbable that any god named God exists.
If something doesn't exist, I don't expect to find any evidence that it does.
quote:
But he did leave evidence of his work. Homogenous structures within the bones of animals show the same creator used the same style of creation throughout all of his work. Bacterial flagelums on the back of many types of single-celled organisms show the inability of natural forces to create perfect, irreducibly complex molecular machines. The inability of amino acids to contruct themselves through chemical reactions into working protiens without the DNA and RNA patterns of instructive creation shows how man's theory of evolution is self-destroying from the beginning of the origin of species. The Periodic Table of the Elements is a jigsaw puzzle of organization and intelligent designing. The perfect recycling systems that occur so harmoniously and effiecently in nature, such as the carbon cycle, water cycle, and nitrogen cycle, each and every one of the earths species fitting into the system as an important role player in keeping the systems moving, are extremely improbable actions. It is as improbable as putting the many different gears, screws and springs of a clock at many separate ends of the universe and then all of them coming together to form the clock and start ticking with no outside forces acting on it.
The evidence is in front of your nose. Stop looking at Darwin and start looking at the ground you stand on. (;
I have. All I see are natural processes, plus the deficiencies in your reasoning.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 142 by LDSdude, posted 02-07-2005 10:37 PM LDSdude has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 158 by LDSdude, posted 02-13-2005 8:23 PM DominionSeraph has replied

  
DominionSeraph
Member (Idle past 4784 days)
Posts: 365
From: on High
Joined: 01-26-2005


Message 162 of 162 (186909)
02-20-2005 9:22 AM
Reply to: Message 158 by LDSdude
02-13-2005 8:23 PM


Re: Religion a waste of time you say?
quote:
Yes, because 'faith' is also known as 'guessing', and guessing don't work too good.
quote:
You need to erase the idea that man is "guessing" about what is beyond this life. This is a view that shows little scientific reasoning. You are on the outside looking in, and because you are ignorant and unwilling to look for answers, you won't even try looking at things from the inside. You have the idea branded into your brain that evolution MUST be true, and anyone who even scientifically questions it MUST be crazy. You can keep that idealism if you want, but until you actually LOOK for answers instead of choosing them, most of what you say will be scientifically biased and unacceptable.
Thank you for illustrating my point.
I've made 15 total posts on these boards, and you seem to think you know me well enough to figure out what's going on in my head. This is what I'd expect from a person who has an emotional need for certainty -- one so strong that they cannot wait for verification, as they need their pacifier NOW!
Does that describe you?
If so, can I wager a guess on the argument you used to come up with that model of me?
1. The Bible is right.
2. The Bible says, "Seek and ye shall find."
3. He did not find.
4. Therefore, he did not seek.
Of course, (1) is unproven, so the conclusion is at an indeterminate truth value. Thus, any assertion that it's true based solely on the argument qualifies as a guess.
Did you use that argument, or something similar?
See what I'm doing? I'm asking you questions -- looking for verification that my tentative model is accurate. I don't demand that reality conform to my model -- I allow my model to conform to reality.
quote:
Evolution is in control of nothing. It's a theory.
However, rational human beings are, for the most part, in control of schools. (I'll withold judgment on government, and society controls itself.) You seem to take issue with this, and seem to want equal time for the whackos.
quote:
You sure you want to publisize that statement? Kids in schools are taught evolution as an unquestionable fact,
Children are no longer being taught the scientific method, or are being taught that the ToE isn't a scientific theory? Are they, perhaps, being taught that it came from God?
Once you combine knowledge of the scientific method with knowledge that it's a scientific theory, there's no way around that it's open to modification if not downright disproof. You don't need stickers to tell you that -- never mind ones that use 'theory' equivocally -- since it's already in there.
quote:
and that is due to un-rationable people who simply don't like religion.
Or simply prefer the scientific method over some 'religious methods', such as: "We are right. If you don't agree with us, we won't sell your wagon train any supplies; then we'll dress up as Indians and kill everyone under the age of accountability, thus saving them through blood atonement."
quote:
Did you know that Darwin was religious? Did you know that he was agianst the removal of God from schools?
Appeal to authority?
Too bad science isn't based off that.
quote:
People who control school curriculum don't neccesarily believe or what to believe in evolution. Many just are against kids learning about a God.
Funny, I haven't heard of any petitions to shut down Sunday schools.
quote:
The society statement is incorrect. Society does not control itself. Certain individuals control society. Don't misjudge me, I'm not a conspiracy guy or anything,
You certainly sound like one.
Why didn't you come out and name these 'certain individuals'? Afraid that they'd come after you? Or, more likely, afraid that you'd be laughed off the boards?
quote:
but most people care about what's on TV tonight more than what is being printed in textbooks and being written by scientists.
Some things should be left to the experts. It's not 'peer review' if you let idiots do it.
Would you want me to have a veto over what gets said in your church?
quote:
You're speculating as to the motives of this hypothetical being-in-hiding. You've also just implied that it's not omniscient, as an omniscient being wouldn't need to wait to know anything.
quote:
Did you ever see that movie, Minority Report? When they punished the criminals for crimes they hadn't committed, becuase they knew the criminals were gonna do it soon anyway? Did you ever see that one? Did it seem at all wrong to you when you watched it that these people had not yet done what they were being punished for? Hmmm? If not, your probably a lawyer or an executive producer, but if you did, then would it seem right for God to send you to Hell without giving you a chance to prove yourself? No. The action, and then the reaction.
And no speculation required, this is LDS church doctrine.
And all that means is that it was somebody else's speculation.
As for Minority Report, the entire premise was that the future could be altered. There was no omniscience involved, as the three freaks could be wrong. In fact, they were wrong every time they saw a murder instead of seeing what really happened -- a person getting arrested.
For an analogue of omniscience, let's use the case of watching the movie.
Take a human. Extend his lifespan. Now have him watch Minority Report a billion times. At this point, he should know every word, every breath, every eyeblink in the movie. He's omniscient as far as it comes to knowing everything there is to know about Minority Report.
Now, why would he bother rewinding the movie, and watching it for the 1,000,000,001st time?
This message has been edited by DominionSeraph, 02-20-2005 12:12 AM

This message is a reply to:
 Message 158 by LDSdude, posted 02-13-2005 8:23 PM LDSdude has not replied

  
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