What afterlife would actually appeal to you?

[Lukraak_Sisser]

This is a bit of procarstination in response to a number of the posts here by people trying to save us all.
The main selling point of a present day religion is not that believing/praying will cause god/the gods to help you in this world, but rather that you will exist on afterwards.
But what afterlife would actually appeal to people?

Christianity goes with the carrot/stick thing. Heaven is good because you are NOT being tormented for eternity which is what will happen otherwise. But is it really? What is there to expect there? As far as I know the religion is very vague about it except 'happyness'. I'd expect I'd be terminally bored within 2 weeks.

As far as I know the islamic afterlife is pretty similar. Except as a martyr you get the whole 72 virgins thing, but that probably gets boring quite soon too and it also seems hard to really be considered a martyr. I suspect that IF the islam is right suicide bombers are in for a nasty surprise.

Judaism is even vaguer about it, I literally do not know anything about what their afterlife would be like.

Same with scientology, but that seems more oriented on present day rewards again.

Roman/greek/norse afterlife is dull in the extreme except for a minor few.

The whole re-incarnation thing of hinduism/bhuddism is not that attractive to me. If it exists I happen to have been lucky with where I was born. Given the size of the human population the chances of that happening again seem low.

An eternity of pasta with meatballs while on a ghost pirate ship might be acceptable

But if anyone else knows of a religion with an afterlife that actually sounds fun I'd be happy to take a look at it.

 

[lionking]

Eternity is horrendous, no matter how it's configured.

 

[Darat]

I'm quite lucky as I have evidence on my side that I will get the afterlife I want, which is a comfort.

 

[Belz...]

Meh. Might as well live again as something else. Chalk me up for reincarnation, but with memory of my past lives so I can pick up where I left off.

 

[SpuriusMaximus]

Well, if it makes you feel any better about Judaism, neither do they. As far as anyone can support it, even the idea of a vague afterlife at all may be at most as old as the return from the babylonian exile, or at the other end as new as the Maccabees. At any rate, even as late as the switch from BCE to CE time, the Sadducee faction (you know, the _priests_) basically maintained that this life is it. No heaven, no hell, no resurrection in the end times, no nothing. Any rewards or punishments happen in this world, and then you're just dead.

I'm saying that not as a derail, but to get to: TBH it's not such a bad idea, and, hey, it's actually been held by a religion.

But if I'd have to pick an afterlife, hmm, I guess the Egyptians' idea of continuing business as usual wasn't too shabby either.

 

[Cainkane1]

This is what I'd like too.

But if I'd have to pick an afterlife, hmm, I guess the Egyptians' idea of continuing business as usual wasn't too shabby either.[/QUOTE]

I'd like this too. Business as usual except as young and disease free with a decent career, good relationships with friends and women and such. I'd be perpetually in a college somewhere never graduating but always scoring A's in my eternal learning.

A Roman style orgy from time to time wouldn't be bad either.

 

[Darat]

...snip...

But if I'd have to pick an afterlife, hmm, I guess the Egyptians' idea of continuing business as usual wasn't too shabby either.

You mean be a servant for all eternity!?

 

[bokonon]

I think it would be fun to wander the universe of time and space at the speed of thought, just to try to see all there was to see and learn all there was to know. If one could experience what the living (and perhaps even non-living) things one encountered were experiencing as they themselves experienced them, it would eliminate frustration at being a mere voyeur. A touch of forgetfulness would complete the fantasy, so that one was never afflicted with the ennui of feeling that there was nothing new to be sought in all that eternity.

 

[aggle-rithm]

I think it would be fun to wander the universe of time and space at the speed of thought, just to try to see all there was to see and learn all there was to know.

I hope you're patient. Since neural impulses move 200 mph tops, I personally would want to move much faster than this.

Of course, too close to the speed of light and everything will happen in a nanosecond, which doesn't give you much time for exploring.

 

[bokonon]

Ha ha, that's very logical.

If I'd said the speed of imagination, would that have sidestepped your reason raisinizing?

 

[aggle-rithm]

Ha ha, that's very logical.

If I'd said the speed of imagination, would that have sidestepped your reason raisinizing?

I think you're better off forgetting about speed and wishing for an afterlife where you are at all points in the universe at the same time.

While you're at it, why not wish for a pony?

 

[bokonon]

I think you're better off forgetting about speed and wishing for an afterlife where you are at all points in the universe at the same time.

Too confusing and chaotic. I'm a linear kind of guy.

While you're at it, why not wish for a pony?

Because I don't want a pony.

 

[Kevin_Lowe]

I think Islam basically has the right idea. I'd settle for an eternity of sex, drugs, good food and entertaining recreation.

Party poopers always like to claim it as a received truth that you'd eventually get bored of all that. I doubt it myself. I think that as long as there was a reasonable amount of variety in the fun on offer by the time I was bored of the one millionth pleasure the first pleasure would seem nice and fresh again.

Some people would also say "But don't you want some higher meaning or something in your life, instead of empty hedonism?". To which I would respond "I find that higher meaning in solving the problems we face in this world. In an ideal afterlife there are no such problems, so I get to goof off with a clear conscience".

 

[JFrankA]

why not wish for a pony?

In my afterlife EVERYONE gets a pony!!!!

Actually, this whole "after life" thing was one of the reasons why I realized I am an atheist. I can't imagine anything more "heaven-like" than my life now. The pains, the trials, the loss, the tedium, the work, etc, does not stack up to the joys, the loves, the good times, etc, that I have and will have.

Anything else just seems cheating and boring. I will admit, Bokonon's after life with Aggle-rithm's modifications sounds like the best after life I've ever heard.

.....Maybe the three of us should start a religion.....?

 

[Last of the Fraggles]

Don't think I could cope with anything tooo different from what I have now. All points in the universe simultaneously doesn't sound pleasant...but being able to go wherever I wanted instantly sounds nice.

Would obviously have to be fit, healthy etc.

Something that appeals would be to go back to the start and do it all again knowing what I know now. But would get bored of that after a few times around possibly.

Reincarnation sounds cool, but if you forget your past lives there doesn't seem much point. Also would be nice to be given a choice of what to come back as.

 

[Aepervius]

Eternity playing god game. Very sarcastic in a way.

 

[DarthFishy]

Valhalla - Warhammer 40k style...

 

[MRC_Hans]

I think it would be fun to wander the universe of time and space at the speed of thought, just to try to see all there was to see and learn all there was to know. If one could experience what the living (and perhaps even non-living) things one encountered were experiencing as they themselves experienced them, it would eliminate frustration at being a mere voyeur. A touch of forgetfulness would complete the fantasy, so that one was never afflicted with the ennui of feeling that there was nothing new to be sought in all that eternity.

Yeah, observing the universe at will would probably keep me occupied for a good approximation of eternity. Especially if there were some I could share my experiences with.

Hans

 

[godless dave]

Something where every question I had in life was answered would be nice. It would also be cool if I could travel around the universe checking things out. Eternity seems a bit long, though.

 

[brainlesssteel]

I'd be interested in any afterlife in which I was able to hang out and drink beer with the likes of Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, Albert Einstein, Frank Zappa, Joey Ramone, and all of my other heroes.

Let's just hope GG Allin doesn't show up...