It can be true; everything that a man can imagine is a possibility in reality. However, you believe it not to be true, which is a completely different thing altogether.
Somethings are impossible in reality but possible in imagination, time travel for example. Paradoxes can also be imagined but not happen in reality.
I can imagine water catching fire, but it is impossible in reality.
I can imagine an afterlife, but it is surely impossible. If everyone was reincarnated that would require that every living thing was reincarnated, same goes for afterlifes. Can you imagine the amount of insects? although, given the idea, I presume available space is infinite. Reincarnation is slightly flawed by population size, if the entire populace of everything alive exceeded that of previous amounts then surely that would require the creation of new 'souls'. And when the amount decreases, perhaps through an apocalyptic event, do souls then have to form a que? Reincarnation requires the amount of life in the world to be kept at a constant, which, unfortunately, would be almost impossible to calculate. But given rise of man and his urban machineries, destroying vast forests and such, im assuming that we are a long way below life amounts back when great britain was a sylvan island.
Uncle Kenny said:
I understand that you have no problem with stepping on people's beliefs and apparently enjoy instigating religious debates. Believe what you want but don't list it as fact. I don't do it with religion so you shouldn't do it with atheism.
You aren't wrong I must admit, although I don't enjoy instigating religious debates. Besides this was bound to incorporate religious elements of discussion due to the fact that afterlife belief is religious. Isn't reincarnation a buddhist theory or something? I am a little forward in my writing, but that's just my style. I only present it as fact as there are numerous amounts of flaws with the theories that I haven't heard any plausible answers to, but you do have a point, suppose I'll just have to wait untill I pass away myself. Also Kenny, stop editing your posts to "Ignore this" etc, it only intrigues me!
commonyoshi said:
An afterlife is rediculous because you cant picture how it will look like?
I'm sure people ten thousand years ago would think the earth being suspending on nothing to be an unbelievable idea as well.
It's ridiculous because the fundamentals are fallible without plausible explanations. Also I thought people didn't assume the earth was suspended, but the centre of the universe. Earth was the central point and everything revolved around it. However, that may have been a christian belief and christ wasn't born for another seven thousand nine hundred and ninety-three years.
Uncle Kenny said:
Religion isn't just about an afterlife, it gives us a purpose. If you become famous in life and your aetheist then what's the point? When you die, did your life truly matter? Do any of our lives truly matter? If you don't matter then why bother going on and living? Why not just kill yourself right now?
You can't enjoy fame if you believe that death is the end. If it helps people, who cares? You'll be dead so you wouldn't know and besides you would just be helping other pointless existences. With religion, everyone has a purpose, a reason for existing. We're here because we matter. Even if we are wrong, we can't lost either way.
If we're wrong we just die and that's it but if we're right, guess who is going to heaven?
My point would be how great your life is, rather than was. Perhaps immortalisation through a text or something, it won't mean anything to me once I'm dead, but that doesn't mean I don't know life will continue for everyone else after me, and people can read about me etc.
As for suicide, it is something that has gone through my mind, but the thing that holds you back is that even though what happens after you won't know about (as the mind has ceased) there is enough compassion for those still living who would mourn the death and be put through a rather unpleasent experience that you wouldn't wish upon someone.
Enjoying fame is simply about the now and not what comes after. Everyone has a reason for existing, my theory is we are all stepping stones in evolution towards the unreachable goal of perfection.
But if you are religious and you are wrong, then your beliefs were pointless and your life capped by religous restrictions. Think about muslims, the amount of time wasted each day praying, if there is no God(s), what they do is pointless, the western god seems pretty content with the occasional prayer.
