- Joined
- 01 Oct 04
- Moves
- 12095
"I am perfectly content as a non-Christian. I do not believe in an afterlife and would never consider a religion so restrictive and exclusive as Christianity anyway."
O.K. you are content as you are -- fair enough. If contentment is what you are after, the Christian faith may not have much to say to you for a while. But lots of things that bring contentment are not true. Would you be willing to consider something if it disturbed your contentment, but might actually be true?
How do you know that there is no conscious existence after death? The main reason that people claim to not believe in an afterlife is that they think that the idea is a naive wish-fulfillment in the face of the fear of death.
But disbelief in an afterlife could have the same intellectual status. It could be the hopeful wish that there might be no accountability to anyone after we die, and the hope that there is no intrusive authority in our lives before that time.
Christian exclusiveness starts with the idea that the Gospel of Christ is true in a way that will exclude some other claims to truth. Is this so arrogant? Everybody in the world who has any religious or metaphysical convictions believes that the majority of people in the world are wrong about their religious and metaphysical convictions.
For example, you exclude my convictions. But that's okay. We can talk about it much better knowing where we both stand -- two absolutists having a civil discussion.
Originally posted by dj2beckerWould you be willing to consider something if it disturbed your contentment, but might actually be true?
"I am perfectly content as a non-Christian. I do not believe in an afterlife and would never consider a religion so restrictive and exclusive as Christianity anyway."
O.K. you are content as you are -- fair enough. If contentment is what you are after, the Christian faith may not have much to say to you for a while. But lots of things that bring conte ...[text shortened]... k about it much better knowing where we both stand -- two absolutists having a civil discussion.
Yes.
How do you know that there is no conscious existence after death?
I don't.
Christian exclusiveness starts with the idea that the Gospel of Christ is true in a way that will exclude some other claims to truth.
Yes. It's arrogant - or at least irrational - to think you have any clue about what happens after death.
I am not an absolutist. I don't claim to know Christianity is wrong. I claim that there's no reason to think it's right, or even likely to be right. So maybe I am not your target audience even though I am an atheist.
- Joined
- 01 Oct 04
- Moves
- 12095
Originally posted by AThousandYoungSo what do you have to say about near death experiences
How do you know that there is no conscious existence after death?
I don't.
Christian exclusiveness starts with the idea that the Gospel of Christ is true in a way that will exclude some other claims to truth.
Yes. It's arrogant - or at least irrational - to think you have any clue about what happens after death.
What do you have to say dj2becker? Can I get anything from you at all that is not the work of other people? Please? Tell me "IN YOUR OWN WORDS" what your thoughts on near death experiences are and I will be happy to share my thoughts with you.
In fact I will set out terms of a trade with you, if you tell me in your own words what you feel and entertain a discussion with me about it, I will be reasonable and pleasant. I will also cease my quest to ridicule at every step of the debate. You can't say fairer than that, c'mon what have you got to lose?