Originally Posted by Afzal

Just takes one mistake in any holy book to ignore it completely.



But if there's nothingness, there is nothing, you aren't living...obviously you can't imagine it, doesn't mean it's scary because you wouldn't exist :/

I find the notion of eternal life very disturbing and without any purpose. If you're in Heaven and you can get everything you want in an instant, what's the use of the other bazillion years? Are you never satisfied in Heaven, then what's the use of Heaven? :/

There's got to be a course for this right?

I disagree with you. I think eternal life is better than none. If you had to choose right now at this moment, to be nothing or be something (something as in being the person you are right now at this moment reading this), I think you would choose the latter. Why? Because being you means that you retain your conscienceness- your identity revolving around the people you love, doing things you love, or even what you hate defines the exact moment you are at right now. To lose all that is to lose everything (all the value life has offered to you up until this moment) and that is one scary thought.

Originally Posted by jeboi7

I disagree with you. I think eternal life is better than none. If you had to choose right now at this moment, to be nothing or be something (something as in being the person you are right now at this moment reading this), I think you would choose the latter. Why? Because being you means that you retain your conscienceness- your identity revolving around the people you love, doing things you love, or even what you hate defines the exact moment you are at right now. To lose all that is to lose everything (all the value life has offered to you up until this moment) and that is one scary thought.

But if you stop existing, you stop caring about all that crap and hence you are relieved of the burden that is life.

Originally Posted by jeboi7

I disagree with you. I think eternal life is better than none. If you had to choose right now at this moment, to be nothing or be something (something as in being the person you are right now at this moment reading this), I think you would choose the latter. Why? Because being you means that you retain your conscienceness- your identity revolving around the people you love, doing things you love, or even what you hate defines the exact moment you are at right now. To lose all that is to lose everything (all the value life has offered to you up until this moment) and that is one scary thought.

On the contrary, eternal life seems a condemnation. Yeah, life's good fun, but at some point death ought to be pretty dece' as well. You know, being gets boring after 80-odd years.

Originally Posted by Mahratta

On the contrary, eternal life seems a condemnation. Yeah, life's good fun, but at some point death ought to be pretty dece' as well. You know, being gets boring after 80-odd years.

Old people can have fun too...

Originally Posted by Afzal

But if you stop existing, you stop caring about all that crap and hence you are relieved of the burden that is life.

Your view is pessimistic, I don't think life is a burden...but yes, some do suffer more than others.

Originally Posted by jeboi7

Old people can have fun too...

I assumed that they'd have already tried heroin by the time they get into their 80s, after that, there's naught left but axiomatic set theory

Originally Posted by jeboi7

Your view is pessimistic, I don't think life is a burden...but yes, some do suffer more than others.

You don't think life is a burden because you've barely lived.

We're talking about eternity, here. Not 50, or 100 years, or even 10 billion years, but far far far longer than that.

Being in a heaven apart from the mind (i.e., a place where you can actually walk and move and talk and think just like real life) seems like it would lose its appeal after the first 8 billion years. I mean to say, you'd be so content that you'd just stop doing anything, if everything remains the same. It seems like there is no change, it's just what you get is what you get, for the next 50 trillion years and then some.

This boggles my mind

Originally Posted by Alchemist11

You don't think life is a burden because you've barely lived.

We're talking about eternity, here. Not 50, or 100 years, or even 10 billion years, but far far far longer than that.

Being in a heaven apart from the mind (i.e., a place where you can actually walk and move and talk and think just like real life) seems like it would lose its appeal after the first 8 billion years. I mean to say, you'd be so content that you'd just stop doing anything, if everything remains the same. It seems like there is no change, it's just what you get is what you get, for the next 50 trillion years and then some.

Ahem, what do you know about my life? You know, a ~20 years of age can have a very fullfilling life too. I don't think life is a burden and I can assure you it isn't because of my age. I refuse to believe that life is a burden although it can be difficult at times. It is a gift that we all should cherish. Being born as a human is like a winning the lottery- at least you have greater potential do things other living creatures can't do. By the way, I'm an agnostic so don't point me out calling me a religious zealot or some crap like that. I just prefer to see the glass half full not empty.

About your generalization about "being in heaven apart from the mind and losing its appeal", I respect your point of view and I will leave it at that.

Originally Posted by jeboi7

Ahem, what do you know about my life? You know, a ~20 years of age can have a very fullfilling life too. I don't think life is a burden and I can assure you it isn't because of my age. I refuse to believe that life is a burden although it can be difficult at times. It is a gift that we all should cherish. Being born as a human is like a winning the lottery- at least you have greater potential do things other living creatures can't do. By the way, I'm an agnostic so don't point me out calling me a religious zealot or some crap like that. I just prefer to see the glass half full not empty.

About your generalization about "being in heaven apart from the mind and losing its appeal", I respect your point of view and I will leave it at that.

Lol I didn't mean your life specifically, I'm saying for people approximately our age, we have a long life ahead of us (hopefully). I doubt any of us are married yet, none of have kids, or even a proper job yet, etc.

I don't disagree on any particular point, but what I'm trying to say is that the description of heaven given out by some religious texts seems unchanging, forever and ever and ever, and that might be what 'worries' or freaks people out - the idea that you're in the same place for the rest of eternity, whether or not you're 'content' with it. It's the same idea that a lot of old people lose the will to survive, not because they 'want to die' but that they wouldn't mind it after almost a century of living - they're okay with going.

I suppose it's fair to say if heaven exists we're not going to be able to understand the contentment it brings so it's hard to discuss what it would be like.

And it's not really a 'generalization' it's a possibility. It could be solely in the mind, in other words out of body, or you could have the same 'body' you had in your youth, or your prime, or something like that. I'm using one example and going with it but I'm not generalizing by saying that's the only one that could happen.

Originally Posted by mcmastergcdb

lol not that I wouldn't like to live with Asians. But they talk louder than normal when they start talking in their language (norm when u see a flock of asians). I have pretty much never seen a group of koreans or chinese that spoke English.

Well I've never seen a group of englsh or french that spoke chinese or korean.

Also not tryna get religious here! But Hell and Heaven are on Earth. A person who is starving and can't get enough food is living in hell. On the other hand, a person who is happy with his family, children and job is living in heaven because he is enjoying his life. I don't think there is any heaven or hell like place after death, like alchemist said, it would be pretty boring to even live in heaven for 1000s of years in afterlife.

Originally Posted by jeboi7

Well I've never seen a group of englsh or french that spoke chinese or korean.

wtf is that supposed to mean?

Question: Being in Heaven would I assume includes being with your loved ones (whats the point otherwise)...but what if your loved one was bad and they went to hell?

It would diminish your `heaven` experience, so it wouldn`t actually be heaven..so would your loved one get a free pass?

Just curious...I don`t know if I believe in either anyway..

Why is it so hard to believe in life after death? If god created us once why can't he do it again? I'm sure its not that hard if he's already done it before.