On the subject of death

[Firus]

Now that doesn't prove that God or the afterlife exists, but going against those beliefs requires you to assume that all of humanity is under a massive dellusion. Being skeptical of beliefs which we are naturally inclined and designed to have requires you assume that we can't trust natural inclination.

It's an inclination which is perfectly explainable. People want order. People fear the unknown. So they want to believe in a god which will judge them, which will punish those who are bad, which will reward them for being good. Then they want to believe in an afterlife because it's almost impossible to even comprehend (even for myself, believing in simply nothing after death) dying and the world going on without you being conscious at all. The mere thought of it used to scare the living crap out of me.

People tend to exclude people who are different because, once again, I'm pretty sure they're afraid of what they don't know and don't understand. You're naturally inclined to exclude people who are different, but that doesn't mean it's acceptable and anyone who tries to be different should be frowned upon.

None of this mean people are delusional, it just means they believe in things which give them comfort. Personally, nothing after death makes logical sense to me and gives me comfort.

I'm not saying anyone's right or wrong, as there really isn't much proof either way, but it's not as if you have to declare the entire population of earth delusional to believe differently from them and, quite honestly, I kind of resent that implication.

It's like you're trying to say that people who don't believe in an afterlife are wrong because most people believe in one, which is one of the silliest arguments I've heard in any debate.

 

[Melomaniacal]

Melo, there's evidence that man can't fly.

Since there is no reason to pick a side, there is thus no reason to make any decision based on the idea of an afterlife.

I was graced by god. Prove me wrong.

 

[CRASHiC]

I was graced by god. Prove me wrong.

Okay , we'll push you overboard. We can test if you have this ability, sure, you could chose not to use it and die, but nevertheless, we can test it with some degree of accuracy. Meanwhile, we can in no way test if there is an after life.

This is why I urge people only to think and consider death in how it relates to life, not the dark period after word.

 

[Melomaniacal]

Okay , we'll push you overboard. We can test if you have this ability, sure, you could chose not to use it and die, but nevertheless, we can test it with some degree of accuracy. Meanwhile, we can in no way test if there is an after life.

This is why I urge people only to think and consider death in how it relates to life, not the dark period after word.

Until then, by Dre.'s logic, it is justified for you all to believe that I can fly. So... yeah, you should all praise me. I can fly.

More on topic, some thoughts:
I remember Allan Watts (British philosopher) speaking about humans having the ability to dream longer periods of times. Like, if we were able to dream 80 years of time in one nights sleep. So... what if during that five minutes of brain activity we have once we die, we dream of heaven?

Whoooaaa... far out...

 

[CRASHiC]

Please see thsi movie

It is a complementation of philosophical, religious, and scientific arguments for the "death shourded in dream" philosophy.
The movie's been uploaded by its director onto Google videos, so you can watch it for free.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7583894250854515095#

 

[Dre89]

Until then, by Dre.'s logic, it is justified for you all to believe that I can fly. So... yeah, you should all praise me. I can fly.

Where exactly was the evidence that God gave you the ability to fly?

You're making a distinction between probable belief and true knowledge. You're saying we can't truly know that you can't fly. But we do know it is highly improbable that God gave you the power to do so.

I couldn't be bothered responding to the rest of the people who responed to my argument, plus it'd take too long to explain natural law theory and Thomas Reid common sense philosophy to them.