Why be Athiest? Why NOT have insurance of knowing you will go to Heaven?

[The Good]

As you can see in my signature, I am a Christian, but I just have a question for all the Athiests here at the Total War Center... The question is, why be an Athiest when you can have a kind of insurance with a religion? My point is, is that why not be in a religion just so you get a chance to go to a Heaven, rather than Hell? It truly perplexes me why someone would not want that kind of "insurance."

Rules for this topic:

Keep it appropriate, don't talk bad about someone's religion. And that means no trolling, flamming, or even spamming too.

[Falconius]

AS far as I'm aware they wouldnt need any insurance, considering they don't believe in hell. Or an afterlife of anykind. Indeed the proper question to ask is why they dont go all out considering that this is the only life they belive that they have.

[Exploder]

Why do you want a insurance that you will exist for eternity?
It dreads me think that I HAVE to exist for eternity, whether if its in hell or heaven.
It's far more comfortable to think that you will just cease to exist when you die.

[Chaigidel]

I see it more as a kind of pride--- you know making a choice and sticking too it rather than saying i dont believe but ill take some insurance

omg not that im an atheist :o

[Darth Wong]

As you can see in my signature, I am a Christian, but I just have a question for all the Athiests here at the Total War Center... The question is, why be an Athiest when you can have a kind of insurance with a religion?

Because I don't plan on paying insurance premiums for an insurance plan that covers only one particular made-up hazard out of an infinite number of possible made-up hazards, which I have no reason to believe is real anyway.

[jw1089]

Because I don't plan on paying insurance premiums for an insurance plan that covers only one particular made-up hazard out of an infinite number of possible made-up hazards, which I have no reason to believe is real anyway.

ummmmm, just what premiums are those?

[Darth Wong]

ummmmm, just what premiums are those?

Let's see, if I sign up with this organization I can't watch porn without guilt, I'm expected to donate money to the church on a regular basis, I'm expected to attend church on a regular basis, if I'm single I'm supposed to abstain from sex until marriage, and I have to spend my entire life thinking that I'm an irredeemable sinner simply for being born a human being.

[turtle]

I'm neither atheist nor theist... I have my own ideas. If anything, I think we should look at existence as it is and come to our own conclusions. I suppose that's what atheists do, but they still conform to there being no possibility for any kind of existence beyond our own physical one... and this is blantantly close minded, to me.

Of course, I'm not speaking of all atheists, just generally.

No man knows, or ever will know, the truth about the gods and about everything; for even if one happened by chance to say the complete truth, nevertheless one would not know it.

Someone a long time ago said that one.

EDIT: I suppose I'm somewhat agnostic, not totally though.

[enoch]

because I would rather find my own truth - not really an atheist - just not a fan of being told what god thinks/wants

I can look upon his creation
and love the mercenary that he is

[Dunecat]

Because it's a moral choice. At least for me.

Plus, that whole Pascal's Wager's bullocks.

[ajm317]

Why don't YOU believe in Amun-Ra and get yourself mummified?

You know, just in case.

[ajm317]

Don't forget you can't vote for a candidate that supports gay marriage.

[Who]

I'm gonna say what I said before in a previous topic. Though I'm not an athiest, I am an agnostic and it is because I don't believe us humans have the capacity to know whether such a being like God does or doesn't exist, and therefore I leave it open.

[Darth Wong]

I'm gonna say what I said before in a previous topic. Though I'm not an athiest, I am an agnostic and it is because I don't believe us humans have the capacity to know whether such a being like God does or doesn't exist, and therefore I leave it open.

Do we have the capacity to know whether the flying spaghetti monster exists?

[ajm317]

Do we have the capacity to know whether the flying spaghetti monster exists?

No, no we do not.

You clearly have to leave that option open.

The flying meatball monster though, is pure fantasy.

[Darth Wong]

Oh yeah, that's the worst premium of all: if I join up with the All-State Salvation Plan, now I have to not only worry about whether my own sex life is sufficiently puritan, but I also have to worry about everyone else's sex life too.

[ajm317]

And you'd best put down that biology book.

Don't want any crazy Darwinist ideas getting in your head.

[Feliks]

I'll put it this way. I live the most ethical life I can, I try to be the best human being that I can at all times. And if when I die there happens to be a heaven/hell-like afterlife and I'm sentenced to an eternity of suffering just because I found myself unable to believe in a God, despite the fact that I was a good person; then that is not justice. And I will not follow any divine laws devoid of justice.

[David Deas]

Thats easy to say when you aren't frying.

[Feliks]

Thats easy to say when you aren't frying.

So no matter how much good I do, no matter how many people I help, as long as I don't believe in the right god I'll burn in hell? That just doesn't make any sense to me. I don't just refuse to believe it, I can't!