I vote yes, for similar reasons to Dyl.

I'd honestly rather live life believing there is something bigger out there and that eventually dying leads to eternal life and be wrong about it than to not give a crap and find out that there is an afterlife and it won't include me.

vladykins @ 1/11/2017 13:52

I vote no, though technically I have no clue. I think it is more important to live like this is the only life you get rather than wasting time focusing on prepping for the next life.

Just speaking from my perspective, but I don't live my life to prepare for the afterlife. I live my life as this is my only, but I also live it in a way that I think God would find satisfying. But the tough thing is that whole concept is very blurred. As much as many Conservative Christians would like to believe and force that it is black and white, it just isn't.

Every day I consider what I do and how I'm living and I process what that means. But, I could try to think of what God thinks of my life and the truth is, I won't really know until I die.

I also think afterlife to some people may not be heaven or hell. There are other versions. I just don't believe in them.

vladykins @ 1/11/2017 16:09

Bryce @ 1/11/2017 14:57 vladykins @ 1/11/2017 13:52 I vote no, though technically I have no clue. I think it is more important to live like this is the only life you get rather than wasting time focusing on prepping for the next life. Just speaking from my perspective, but I don't live my life to prepare for the afterlife. I live my life as this is my only, but I also live it in a way that I think God would find satisfying. But the tough thing is that whole concept is very blurred. As much as many Conservative Christians would like to believe and force that it is black and white, it just isn't. Every day I consider what I do and how I'm living and I process what that means. But, I could try to think of what God thinks of my life and the truth is, I won't really know until I die. My key thing is I'm not looking for punishment or reward later. How I treat people now is key because it happens to them now and how they feel about it is now, rather than not treat people like garbage because I'm afraid someone is tacking on pluses and minuses on some ledger system somewhere. I've had this debate with my Mormon friend, who said that with no possibility of eternal life what is the point of life? I looked at him and said "Back when I was a Boy Scout we had a saying 'Leave the campsite better than you found it.' That, to me, is the meaning of life." He looked back at me and said "I can't argue with that."

I don't disagree with you either. And I get what you mean now. I definitely focus more on here and now. I can't say for fellow believers though and I think even the Christian realm spreads deep and wide. There are so many minor beliefs between us which makes it both awesome and tough. You get people challenging each other and our beliefs, but there are often times I wish there was just a black and white answer.

But I would probably fall in line with your friend. I tend to think often how hard life would be for me if I didn't have the promise of something more and better. There are many times I would love to press the quit button. Honestly. Life isn't all that fun all the time. But thinking about potentially what might come pushes me in life.

Darren 💲anders @ 1/11/2017 16:17

I don't tend to use the actual phrase "god" when I speak of my beliefs though because that tends to draw personal feelings of the Christian God when in reality I mean the universe which created itself during the big bang So we are the universe and forever will be the universe, observing itself from the inside out.

Where do you believe the big bang came from? What did it come from, I guess.

But where did those forms of matter come from? Something has to begin for it to be, doesn't it?

There are a lot of things a human mind can't grasp

Space Herm @ 1/11/2017 23:18

Everything within the universe has been created from something, so it's only logical to assume that the same goes for everything that exists outside it as well if we're talking consistency and leaving a creator out of it. That's how I see it, at least.

It's kind of like the chicken or the egg argument