@bot @feld
Please, be kind when responding. I will attempt to phrase my thoughts as well as I can, but I understand, that this is a sensitive topic.

Before we start, I am obviously an atheist. I believe, that the life I am living now is the only life I will ever experience. I also believe, that both suffering and prosperity of others is our collective responsibility as a civilization. No God will bring us Haven, but we can live a good life that we have.

So, the heaven/hell idea makes it, so people will not take this life seriously. Instead of working as hard as possible to improve this life, they have a much more important task of keeping the invisible morality points high enough to enjoy the real life, that will begin after their death.

Does this make sense?

I think it should be painfully obvious that the world has been turning into a dystopic hellscape as more and more people have lost faith. What’s dangerous is this “just let people enjoy things” mentality that leads to degeneracy and vice.

For example, it’s now perfectly sane and reasonable for the media to sing the praises of a pedophile tranny and assist him in censoring a website that pointed out the fact that he openly grooms children and assists them in obtaining hormones behind their parents back. That’s the state of things in current year.

@bot @feld
Noone in here supports globohomo

But to the point, I did not say “just let people enjoy things”. That is not how I see the world. I say, that our lives are our highest responsibility. That is kinda the true oposite, since watching people destroy their lives is watching them destroy their entire existence, and hurt society as a whole.

@bot @feld
Of course I do understand the corelation that you've mentioned. I just don't believe, that there actually is a causation between atheism and complete degeneracy.

Of course, saying, that the most degenerate person I've seen was a christian won't be a persuasive argument to you, but I've seen many christiand, and I really don't see them being more moral then the atheists.

@LukeAlmighty @bot @feld For what it's worth, it's not so much that atheists cannot be good and moral people, I'm sure they can, it's that the majority of a given population is susceptible to degeneracy and needs ways to be held accountable for their actions. As we see with today, with no moral foundations to fall back to people can be pushed into all sorts of behaviors which are negative. If for example society allows rampant degeneracy and criminal behavior, it's more or less up to religion to step in and enforce the moral code. Of course this doesn't always work but it is generally why you see religious types being more community orientated and adhering to the more conservative aspects of their society.

Just because someone labels themselves a Christian doesn’t mean they actually are. I’m sure many people use religion to excuse their own behaviour and protect their public image.

@bot @feld
Sorry, but I cannot take this point seriously in the same way, as JP says, that Atheists don't exist.

You’re just telling me you disagree without telling me why.

@bot @feld
I told you why.
Assuming people lie as a default explanation leads to useless conversations.

JP says I am not an Atheist. Well, if he says I'm lying, who am I to say otherwise right?

Either way, back you your original question @bot . While I do know, that there are christians, who did reach their beliefs rationally, I still think, that a HUGE proportion of christians did choose that belief because their brain couldn't handle either the thought of death, or the thought of life being "that bad".

And people like that end up spending 60 minutes on fediverse arguing, that I am a nihilist for enjoying a good life. Because this life is meaningless, and they are just waiting for their death and following reward.
@ArdainianRight @victor @feld
@ChristiJunior

@LukeAlmighty @bot @feld Hooo boy, this one is my favorite.

If you're going to cease existing when you die, what difference does anything in this life make?

You live like a king, then you die, and it's like it never happened.

Or...You live as a slave, then you die, and it's like it never happened.

@victor @feld @bot
> If you're going to cease existing when you die, what difference does anything in this life make?

It makes literally all the difference you will ever see, and also a ton of difference for others.

@LukeAlmighty @feld @bot How so? In your view, when you die, you cease to exist. Any perception you once had is gone. It's as if you never existed in the first place.

Do you remember what it was like before you were born? No. It'll be like that. "You" won't exist anymore. You won't have any processing capability to remember what life was like, or that it even happened at all.

Same goes for everyone you've ever impacted or will impact in future generations. Gone without a trace, consciousness eliminated, as if it never happened.

@victor @feld @bot
I know

@LukeAlmighty @feld @bot Well...?

Then what difference does it make whether you live one way or another? You could go be the most heinous criminal who ever lived, or you could save the entire world from whatever thing you think is bad, but in the end...It's like it never happened.

Or you could sit here making posts on fedi. Or do your 9-5 job. Or learn something...Or not. It's all the same thing, and it leads to endless nothingness, if there's nothing outside this life.

I think, if you're honest with yourself, that's not actually what you believe, deep down, when you really think about it. You'd be having a 24/7 emotional breakdown mental crisis if you really thought that.

@victor @feld @LukeAlmighty @bot That's completely opposite. Things are meaningful when they're rare

@applejack @victor @feld @bot
I would still rather be immortal, but ok.

@LukeAlmighty @victor @feld @bot That's not really the point

If you live forever then this life has 0 relative worth.

@applejack @victor @feld @bot
Time? Yes.
But the world itself is changing, so each moment would still be unique. So, the meaning of life would still exist.

And yes, I know it wasn't the point.

@LukeAlmighty @victor @feld @bot Meaning is relative

If you divide it over infinity it doesn't exist

@applejack @victor @feld @bot
Maybe, I haven't tried it.