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Calgaryborn · 07-26-2008, 12:01 AM

I heard somewhere once that the average person thinks about death 2 or 3 times a day. I don't know if that is true but, I wouldn't doubt it.

Of course I approach the issue of death from a faith perspective. I have specific beliefs of what are going to happened based on a book I believed to be inspired by God. I don't worry about death at all other than hoping I kick around long enough for my kids to grow up. I don't believe I can lose heaven so I'm not motivated by that fear{unlike some Christian sects}. The down side is that the same book tells me that some people I love are in peril of judgment and a horrible afterlife. So a position of faith isn't entirely a position of comfort.

Most people I meet hold a position of hope. Usually it is based loosely on a christian concept of the afterlife because of the christian influence on the culture. Others have embraced more eastern concepts of the afterlife or a mixture of the two. I would call their beliefs hope based rather than faith based because it isn't base on a specific religious teaching or revelation but, rather a mixture of what they have heard and what they would like the afterlife to be like. This position to me lacks any certainty but, it does seem to offer comfort for those who embrace it.

I understand that you as an atheist can't embrace faith but, I can't see why hope is out of the question. If I was to ask you how close we are to exhausting the limits of obtainable knowledge you would probably laugh at the thought. If I was to ask you for a percentage it would probably be a fraction of 1%. Likewise there is a small but, significant percentage of knowledge that we hold today that tomorrow will be proven wrong. Everything that is not part of or in serious conflict with that fraction of one percent is fodder for hope. Certainly the afterlife and the possibility of a spiritual dimension to man is part of that 99+%. The possibility of a deity or deities having had an influence on the development of all we know is part of that unknown +99%. As an atheist you might not see the likelihood of a deity but, as one who embraces science you should respect hope. Most science is motivated by hope:Hope for a cure or hope of better world both motivate scientists. Hope that a theory of how some part of the world works is proven and adds to that less than one percent of the known consumes the working lives of scientists. Why can't you hope in something like an afterlife. The possibilities are endless.

07-26-2008, 12:01 AM	#69
Calgaryborn Lifetime Suspension Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Creston Exp:	I heard somewhere once that the average person thinks about death 2 or 3 times a day. I don't know if that is true but, I wouldn't doubt it. Of course I approach the issue of death from a faith perspective. I have specific beliefs of what are going to happened based on a book I believed to be inspired by God. I don't worry about death at all other than hoping I kick around long enough for my kids to grow up. I don't believe I can lose heaven so I'm not motivated by that fear{unlike some Christian sects}. The down side is that the same book tells me that some people I love are in peril of judgment and a horrible afterlife. So a position of faith isn't entirely a position of comfort. Most people I meet hold a position of hope. Usually it is based loosely on a christian concept of the afterlife because of the christian influence on the culture. Others have embraced more eastern concepts of the afterlife or a mixture of the two. I would call their beliefs hope based rather than faith based because it isn't base on a specific religious teaching or revelation but, rather a mixture of what they have heard and what they would like the afterlife to be like. This position to me lacks any certainty but, it does seem to offer comfort for those who embrace it. I understand that you as an atheist can't embrace faith but, I can't see why hope is out of the question. If I was to ask you how close we are to exhausting the limits of obtainable knowledge you would probably laugh at the thought. If I was to ask you for a percentage it would probably be a fraction of 1%. Likewise there is a small but, significant percentage of knowledge that we hold today that tomorrow will be proven wrong. Everything that is not part of or in serious conflict with that fraction of one percent is fodder for hope. Certainly the afterlife and the possibility of a spiritual dimension to man is part of that 99+%. The possibility of a deity or deities having had an influence on the development of all we know is part of that unknown +99%. As an atheist you might not see the likelihood of a deity but, as one who embraces science you should respect hope. Most science is motivated by hope:Hope for a cure or hope of better world both motivate scientists. Hope that a theory of how some part of the world works is proven and adds to that less than one percent of the known consumes the working lives of scientists. Why can't you hope in something like an afterlife. The possibilities are endless.