Quote:
Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos
You'd have a hell of a time (no pun intended) convincing someone to do this if you didn't give them some incentive that after they are "gone" they'll get some sort of reward.
Who ever heard of an atheist suicide bomber?
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I'd argue the atheistic version of this could be self-immolation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-immolation
There is a long history of this in protest of regimes and atrocities. Lots of example from the late 60's and early 70's in those countries that were brutally ruled by the Soviets.
No reward for most of these guys. There weren't getting a thousand virgins and a special spot in heaven. Why did they kill themselves? To try and make a difference for their fellow countrymen, or ethnic group. To change the world. To draw attention to the plight of a people.
Its a very powerful symbolic act. I know the guys who did it in the Czech Republic during the Soviet Occupation became national heroes and I learned about them when over in the Czech Republic last summer. The Communists had to move the grave of Jan Palach because too many people were flocking to it to pay tribute to him. But they still payed tribute to him despite the moving of his body.