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Are there atheists in hell?

theprestige said:
If hell were real only an idiot would still be an atheist after arriving there.

So I'm pretty sure there would be plenty of atheists in any real hell.
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Any hell of a biblical style is equal to the probable existence of a god of any type.

The RCC is the primary source of this belief mainly as a tool to keep ignorant peasants in line with the church. Fear of eternal damnation is a powerful tool against those that think it's real or possible.

For those that don't it's convenient social manipulation used successfully against less than educated peons in the centuries past.
 
theprestige said:
If hell were real only an idiot would still be an atheist after arriving there.
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That would only be true if upon arriving in hell they were granted absolute and perfect knowledge beyond ordinary human abilities. If you woke up in a strange environment, would you instantly assume it was a religion's hell? Or would you consider other possibilities such as it being a dream, or a simulation, or a prank, or an alien planet, etc?

I submit that only an idiot would immediately assume it was hell and one or more religions was therefore true.
 
TragicMonkey said:
That would only be true if upon arriving in hell they were granted absolute and perfect knowledge beyond ordinary human abilities. If you woke up in a strange environment, would you instantly assume it was a religion's hell? Or would you consider other possibilities such as it being a dream, or a simulation, or a prank, or an alien planet, etc?

I submit that only an idiot would immediately assume it was hell and one or more religions was therefore true.
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I get your point, but I think it depends on circumstances. If you die with the knowledge that you're dying, as many likely do, then I don't think it would be idiocy to presume that if you wake up, it's in an afterlife of some sort.


I mean, if, for example, you've just been cut in half by a train, seen the guillotine blade descend, or endured a lingering progressive fatal illness, etc., the idiocy would be in believing it did not kill you. Even if you were to conclude it was a dream or a simulation or another planet, it would be occurring after your death, and it would not be unreasonable to conclude that if your afterlife is hellish, then it's hell.
 
Of course there are, ask Toby.
 
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bruto said:
I get your point, but I think it depends on circumstances. If you die with the knowledge that you're dying, as many likely do, then I don't think it would be idiocy to presume that if you wake up, it's in an afterlife of some sort.


I mean, if, for example, you've just been cut in half by a train, seen the guillotine blade descend, or endured a lingering progressive fatal illness, etc., the idiocy would be in believing it did not kill you. Even if you were to conclude it was a dream or a simulation or another planet, it would be occurring after your death, and it would not be unreasonable to conclude that if your afterlife is hellish, then it's hell.
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The mere fact that you retain existence enough to consider the matter at all is a powerful influence towards a person thinking that what they thought was their death was the dream or simulation, not the experiences afterwards. I suggest that most rational people, contemplating their own execution afterwards, would be more likely to conclude they were mistaken about having been executed than would immediately embrace the concept of afterlife even while in that afterlife. Again, unless there is a massive transformation in human perception and understanding -- like a literal divine enlightenment-- post-death, there would be a natural period of questioning and doubt.
 
TragicMonkey said:
The mere fact that you retain existence enough to consider the matter at all is a powerful influence towards a person thinking that what they thought was their death was the dream or simulation, not the experiences afterwards. I suggest that most rational people, contemplating their own execution afterwards, would be more likely to conclude they were mistaken about having been executed than would immediately embrace the concept of afterlife even while in that afterlife. Again, unless there is a massive transformation in human perception and understanding -- like a literal divine enlightenment-- post-death, there would be a natural period of questioning and doubt.
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Or grown a set of wings, have learned to play the harp and furniture now consists of fluffy clouds.
 
Darat said:
Or grown a set of wings, have learned to play the harp and furniture now consists of fluffy clouds.
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That sort of thing would be a powerful argument against it being real. A convincing afterlife would be utterly unlike human preconceptions of it.
 
ynot said:
Will calling plenty of atheists "idiots" score you any brownie points with your imaginary, invisible, magical, sky-daddy?

Or is it intended merely as normal hate speech?
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Just the normal hate speech. Also not everybody who chooses atheism is smart, simply for having chosen atheism.
 
TragicMonkey said:
The mere fact that you retain existence enough to consider the matter at all is a powerful influence towards a person thinking that what they thought was their death was the dream or simulation, not the experiences afterwards. I suggest that most rational people, contemplating their own execution afterwards, would be more likely to conclude they were mistaken about having been executed than would immediately embrace the concept of afterlife even while in that afterlife. Again, unless there is a massive transformation in human perception and understanding -- like a literal divine enlightenment-- post-death, there would be a natural period of questioning and doubt.
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You may be right, of course. I suspect neither of us will be an a good position to settle the argument.
 
I , of course, can tell you the truth of the matter. There is no actual hell and for that matter, no actual heaven. In the afterlife we have a non physical body and this spirit body does not have the limitations of a physical brain. So upon death our consciousness expands. But we do not immediately remember all past incarnations. The spirit world is divided into many planes of existence from darker realms where evil people go, and beautiful realms where good people go. People who go to dark realms are not doomed to spend eternity there, they only remain in darkness until they repent and are ready to try and make amends. At that time they may reincarnate, and face karmic consequences for past lives bad actions.

It makes no difference what you believed in during your mortal lifetime, and atheists go to the plane their spiritual evolution suits them for.
 
Scorpion said:
I , of course, can tell you the truth of the matter. There is no actual hell and for that matter, no actual heaven. In the afterlife we have a non physical body and this spirit body does not have the limitations of a physical brain. So upon death our consciousness expands. But we do not immediately remember all past incarnations. The spirit world is divided into many planes of existence from darker realms where evil people go, and beautiful realms where good people go. People who go to dark realms are not doomed to spend eternity there, they only remain in darkness until they repent and are ready to try and make amends. At that time they may reincarnate, and face karmic consequences for past lives bad actions.

It makes no difference what you believed in during your mortal lifetime, and atheists go to the plane their spiritual evolution suits them for.
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How do you know that? :confused:
 
Scorpion said:
I , of course, can tell you the truth of the matter. There is no actual hell and for that matter, no actual heaven. In the afterlife we have a non physical body and this spirit body does not have the limitations of a physical brain. So upon death our consciousness expands. But we do not immediately remember all past incarnations. The spirit world is divided into many planes of existence from darker realms where evil people go, and beautiful realms where good people go. People who go to dark realms are not doomed to spend eternity there, they only remain in darkness until they repent and are ready to try and make amends. At that time they may reincarnate, and face karmic consequences for past lives bad actions.

It makes no difference what you believed in during your mortal lifetime, and atheists go to the plane their spiritual evolution suits them for.
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Repent? To who, or what?
Karmic consequences? On who's behalf?

Back to the OP...
If the Abrahamic deity is such a dick, as suspected, that one only receives proof at the pearly gates, then yeah... "Fine, not an atheist anymore. Would you mind stepping a little closer for one good kick in the fork before I'm on my way 'down'? Thanks ever so much.". [emoji52]
 
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