I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say it’s all baseless. It could just as easily be the passing down of allegorical tales — stories seeded by some guiding or controlling force countless generations ago in our collective development. There are even arguments for things like a collective consciousness or sub-atomic networks, suggesting that our linear experience of time might just be a way of processing information.
Honestly, who really knows? But speaking as someone who has oscillated between Christianity, Buddhism, and atheism in my youth, I’ve come to see atheism as just as much of a limiting dogma as any other belief system.
After posting my comment, I figured the baseless part might get some critique, but I decided to leave it. I meant it as ‘not based in realty or not based on facts’, if that helps clarifying.
Also, if you heap in atheism with Christianity and Buddhism, you don’t understand what atheism is.
Christianity and Buddhism are actual systems of belief, while atheism is simply a lack of belief in any god or deity.
Anyone who does not believe in some god/deity/greater power, is an atheist. Whether they like it or not, that’s what it is. A simple definition about a persons lack of belief. It does not come with any other rules or dogma. No rituals or leadership at all, so it can’t be a system.
I wouldn’t say I heap them in together. At times in my life I have rejected a belief in anything ‘higher’, which fits your definition of atheism, although perhaps my mindset was closer to an agnostic atheist stance, which to me is more along the lines of ‘I don’t believe, but I can’t be certain as there’s a limit to my knowledge’, as opposed to being a strong proponent of the belief that there is nothing beyond death.
Fair point. No one can be sure about there being anything after death. For me it’s like the safest and most logical bet that there won’t be anything. All other ‘options’ come across a lot like wishful thinking. No one is going to believe in anything that doesn’t fit their own narrative.
Personally, I would not be able to believe Santa Claus is real, so why would I believe in anything supernatural? I’d rather find answers in science.
Also, the idea of there being eternal life after death would just terrify me. It would be the most boring and useless way to spend time. It is the notion of my time being limited that gives it value. When time is unlimited, everything loses meaning.
No not necessarily, but it is the selling point of most religions that I’m aware of. Either eternal life itself or in the form of reincarnation.
Dying again in any way after our initial death doesn’t make very much sense to me and doesn’t have much selling power, I’d imagine…
Anything existing after death just brings way too much fantasy/wishful thinking for me to be comfortable with. I love these concepts in movies or books, but they go straight into the horror or fantasy genres for me.
There’s simply no evidence for anything existing after death. If that changes at some point, then I’d be willing to look into that and change my point of view on it. But I’d be surprised if that happens before my time is up…
I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say it’s all baseless. It could just as easily be the passing down of allegorical tales — stories seeded by some guiding or controlling force countless generations ago in our collective development. There are even arguments for things like a collective consciousness or sub-atomic networks, suggesting that our linear experience of time might just be a way of processing information.
Honestly, who really knows? But speaking as someone who has oscillated between Christianity, Buddhism, and atheism in my youth, I’ve come to see atheism as just as much of a limiting dogma as any other belief system.
After posting my comment, I figured the baseless part might get some critique, but I decided to leave it. I meant it as ‘not based in realty or not based on facts’, if that helps clarifying.
Also, if you heap in atheism with Christianity and Buddhism, you don’t understand what atheism is.
Christianity and Buddhism are actual systems of belief, while atheism is simply a lack of belief in any god or deity.
Anyone who does not believe in some god/deity/greater power, is an atheist. Whether they like it or not, that’s what it is. A simple definition about a persons lack of belief. It does not come with any other rules or dogma. No rituals or leadership at all, so it can’t be a system.
I wouldn’t say I heap them in together. At times in my life I have rejected a belief in anything ‘higher’, which fits your definition of atheism, although perhaps my mindset was closer to an agnostic atheist stance, which to me is more along the lines of ‘I don’t believe, but I can’t be certain as there’s a limit to my knowledge’, as opposed to being a strong proponent of the belief that there is nothing beyond death.
Fair point. No one can be sure about there being anything after death. For me it’s like the safest and most logical bet that there won’t be anything. All other ‘options’ come across a lot like wishful thinking. No one is going to believe in anything that doesn’t fit their own narrative.
Personally, I would not be able to believe Santa Claus is real, so why would I believe in anything supernatural? I’d rather find answers in science.
Also, the idea of there being eternal life after death would just terrify me. It would be the most boring and useless way to spend time. It is the notion of my time being limited that gives it value. When time is unlimited, everything loses meaning.
I hear you. But then does the existence of some sort of higher purpose/unknown science necessarily imply everlasting life?
No not necessarily, but it is the selling point of most religions that I’m aware of. Either eternal life itself or in the form of reincarnation.
Dying again in any way after our initial death doesn’t make very much sense to me and doesn’t have much selling power, I’d imagine…
Anything existing after death just brings way too much fantasy/wishful thinking for me to be comfortable with. I love these concepts in movies or books, but they go straight into the horror or fantasy genres for me.
There’s simply no evidence for anything existing after death. If that changes at some point, then I’d be willing to look into that and change my point of view on it. But I’d be surprised if that happens before my time is up…