If every Christian, or any other religion that has a belief in a Hell-type princible, found out that there was absolutely no afterlife. No God. No Hell. No conseqences after your life ends. How many of you think everything would be just about the same. That human nature is to do good, and that you don't need a book to spell out what is right or wrong. How many of you think the crime rate would rise because people before having fear in eternal damnation and burning in a blistering pit forever, would know that there is no afterlife conseqences for there actions on Earth. Looking forward to replies. Thanks
I don't think the crime rate would rise much, if at all. Most of the people I know *consider* themselves to be christian, and still do whatever they want. I would hope that things might even get better, if people understand that you only have one chance, or life to be happy, and that's it, light's out. Personally, I do believe in God,specifically the God of the bible, and the afore-mentioned is what I hope I would do.
I don't believe in karma, and I don't believe in the premise that there are "afterlife consequences" for what you do on earth. Naturally this will colour my viewpoint. However I do believe in a higher, superior being NOT necessarily God in the bible, but simply God despite being born and raised and still a 'practicing Catholic'. People have to want to do good from their hearts, inside out. For me, consequences do nothing and do you think God cannot see through such Machiavellian acts or thoughts? Whatever concept of a higher being people may have adopted, I personally don't believe the self-centered and selfish are enough to fool him. He knows not only what and how you do things, but why. That's just my take on things.
i dont think too much would change but people would lose faith since their was no ultimate being to get support from, and in some religions the whole belief is about when you die so i spose some people's whole lifes would be affected
I don't think fear of the consequences makes a good reason to believe any religion. That is spiritual abuse, in it's most pure form. I think that if you took away that fear of hell, people would still believe what they want to believe, and still act how they want to act. Maybe the world would be a better place for it?
I don't think people would be any more "bad" then they already are, but a large amount of society would lose an important coping mechanism. If there is no god what happens to people's idea of afterlife? Where are their loved ones now? What is their destiny? Where is their guidance? I'd bet you'd see a rise in anti-depressant drug usage.
Things would stay pretty much the same, at least after the initial round of random craziness on the part of the now relgiously dispossessed. It wouldn't be "ohh I can do what I want cause there is no hell" craziness; it would be massive numbers of people commiting suicide or going postal due to their entire world view having been annihilated in one fell swoop. Of course even larger numbers would continue to believe in their various religions anyhow. Things would be the same. Nobody is good or at least not bad because of threats of hell or promises of heaven. If such threats and promises were what drove people then we would see most of the non-believers going around comitting crimes everyplace, and we would see all of the believers being good and saintly all the time; which is clearly not how things are.
I think people might be the a little better because the realization would come over them that if there is not an afterlife they should try to make the world a heaven... they would work harder and making this place better...at leaset that what i do... i dont really believe in an after-life... i believe that once a person dies there soul is lost forever... since i believe that i try hard to have a good life and make every moment somewhat exciting or at least interesting peace, love and rock n roll
At the heart of the human motive, even deeper than the want for profit, is the want for survival. The world is currently set up in such a way (at least it is the United States and thats what matters) that if you do something wrong then you are punished (loss of money/freedom/life) and if you do something good you are rewarded (pat on the head). People live in fear of the gun held by the executive branch, not the wrathfull will of God. Loss of God might induce less morality, but people would act basically the same, if a little less sad. My point: People don't care about God & heaven anyway, they care about the here and now.
i never let internal dammination hamper what i do, or want, why look ahead when their so much to do in the now maybe when i'm nearer to my death i will succumb to religon but till that i'll do that has never influenced my choices
human nature isn't about good or harm. the dark side is that we're gullable. the brighter side is our drive to create. those are the only 'human' nature we have. you seem to be asking if people could behaive themselves if they knew for certain they wouldn't suffer eternaly if they didn't. well how we act CREATES the kind of world we live in. at least it does socialy. and not only socialy but what any large numbers of us collectively do. even when we're not individualy awaire of doing so collectively. and the effect this has on other things arround us. what i'm trying to get at is we have our own interest in not making things worse for ourselves. even if not everyone can all the time figure that out. harm causes suffering. so it's a statistical thing. the more there is floating arround the more each individual one of us is to be injured by it, and the more any of us causes the more there is floating arround. no heavins or hells required. i believe there's a good chance we will again experience some kind of existence when we are no longer living as we are now. maybe not immediately, and more likely then not in some way no belief yet invented has ever immagined. no more heavin or hell then we make of it then this life is. but not otherwise anything like this life either. look, every thing we immagine, no mater how collectively, no matter how convincingly, is just that. it doesn't require anything to be or not be. but the universaly vested intrest in reducing the causing of suffering is objectively observable. =^^= .../\...
take as an example the fact that this country in it's most "religous" period around the time of the revolution give or take a few decades, never saw church attendance at levels in excess of 10% of the general population. Yea, most folks "say' that they are Christian or this or that but generally that is mostly just lip service. Most folks are too tied up in the day to day to really consider heaven, hell etc. The answer....mostly just very little change with the odd fact that a lot of people would be saying "I told you so..."
We can never know the absolute truth, in this lifetime anyway, and if there is a hell or heaven we need not worry, if that is part of eternity and part of god's will for us, we cannot interfer and it will happen. This lifetime is part of eternity to and we should make the best out of it while we can, you have a choice make it complete ecstasy or complete shit, your choice. You ask if heaven or hell matter no, i mean not everyone beliefs it and not everyone that dosen't believe in it kills people, or rapes kids. It wouldn't change anything.
I think not, my opinion i that if people realized god as a diety is just a human concept, that heaven and hell are imagenary, it would solve alot of the problems, people would realize that that life is all we have, and are sure of. There would be less murders because they would believe that taking someones one and only life on this earth away is terrible, the drug use would cut down, because people would be trying to live longer, and there would be more kids trying in school trying to make life the best they can, alot of the problems between religions would be solved, and that would bring us all together as one, as a human race. I think if people would realize this is the greatest thing we've got it would turn for the better.
The problem with this assment is that the period around the revolution was if anything the LEAST religious period in our history. The most religious period would have been the first half of the twentith century. Especially during the depression. Even currenty average church attendance in the U.S. is around 44% of the population.
Sun Godess- Good , smart girl. With time more and more peopel understand that. i wanna marry you Just imagine what impact that will have on muslim world.. those stupid peopel who throw their lives out . for a book. believeing that if you blow some other muslims you go to heaven and they ??? die... burn... go to hell ? go to cementry.
It's rather double edge b/c I see dogmatic Christians ECT who live in such an unreal world and the hang ups but it keeps them moral its ironic b/c if u need a creed to be moral and believe a book then it could be dangerous if they saw through if there is no afterlife I don't see it mattering maybe we would have a more fun, light live and let live attitude to life The masses prob do need to be controlled b/c passions rule and we want to be safe dunno, good q God bless peace
