I think you just 'die'

[mad_scientist]

Also, it's the belief that is irrational, not the holder.

That's fine with me. But there's a difference between saying "you are irrational" and saying "that belief is irrational".

I think this spawned from somebody using " rational people" not in the sense that other people are irrational, but more as a synonym for "freethinker". I try to avoid such language because it is confusing and inflammatory.

Of course, we're all ignoring the other (and more directly implied) fallacious assumption -- atheist =/= rational person. That is, not all atheists are rational in general, nor are they necessarily freethinkers, just because one of their conclusions happens to coincide with the rational stance.

[Eddie7]

How so? Outside of semantics anyway. Someone holding an irrational belief is being irrational regardless of how it is worded.

So, if they're completely rational except for one belief, fear, etc they're irrational? You claim that being atheist makes you rational- yet I'm sure plenty of atheists can have irrational ideas, feelings, fears, etc, whereas being theist makes you irrational when it's perfectly possible for theists to be more rational than an atheist in other parts of life.

Of course it's possible. Everyone is irrational to at least some degree unfortunately. But there is a difference in what those beliefs are. It's one thing to hold an irrational belief in something minor. It's quite another to hold irrational beliefs that define the way you live your life.

Nobody does anymore, which is why they're in the mythology section, while gods people still believe in get labeled religion. But that isn't hte point- the point is that you claim you can't believe in a god that doesn't match that definition, yet some of the more ancient gods negate that definition, so I'm trying to figure out where that definition comes from. I'm going to assume you took it from an online dictionary site (dictionary.reference.com or thefreedictionary.com or something) because that's what I got when I googled yours. And if so- you missed a few others, including:

# A being of supernatural powers or attributes, believed in and worshiped by a people, especially a male deity thought to control some part of nature or reality.

# An image of a supernatural being; an idol.

# One that is worshiped, idealized, or followed: Money was their god.

# A very handsome man.

# A powerful ruler or despot.

None of the others imply omnipotence, omniscience, or being the creator of the universe.

Fair enough. Sure, I lazily used the first result, which happens to be the one that conforms to most religious belief. Not that it makes a great deal of difference. Still, I'll gladly revise my original comments to remove the omnipotent part if you like. Including theists who apparently worship very handsome men instead of the all-powerful versions of a god was of course unreasonable. The point remains largely the same for anyone who believes in the religious definitions of a god though.

[Eddie7]

Also, it's the belief that is irrational, not the holder.

That's fine with me. But there's a difference between saying "you are irrational" and saying "that belief is irrational".

I think this spawned from somebody using " rational people" not in the sense that other people are irrational

Actually that's exactly how I was using it.

[AVENCakes]

Of course it's possible. Everyone is irrational to at least some degree unfortunately. But there is a difference in what those beliefs are. It's one thing to hold an irrational belief in something minor. It's quite another to hold irrational beliefs that define the way you live your life.

My spiritual beliefs don't define the way I live. They're really not that big a deal, more like a side note. Most of my beliefs are based on a self-constructed utopia that does not and never will exist, it'd be stupid to live based on them. Spirituality and religion aren't always that big a deal for people, just like some people don't feel at all defined by their sexuality/gender while others feel it's a large part of their identity.

[Screech]

The only thing we really know is that when you die, you trip.

[AVENCakes]

The only thing we really know is that when you die, you trip.

Trip in what way?

[Guest Heligan]

The only thing we really know is that when you die, you trip.

Trip in what way?

Do you mean the natural heroin effect thing- stuff your brain releases as you die? I always wondered if that was really true, be nice if it was eh!

[AVENCakes]

The only thing we really know is that when you die, you trip.

Trip in what way?

Do you mean the natural heroin effect thing- stuff your brain releases as you die? I always wondered if that was really true, be nice if it was eh!

Is that what they're using to explain the life passing before your eyes thing?

[mad_scientist]

Is that what they're using to explain the life passing before your eyes thing?

I always assumed that that was a myth.

[Sally]

Is that what they're using to explain the life passing before your eyes thing?

I always assumed that that was a myth.

Nobody who's almost died has talked about the life passing before your eyes thing, that I've read. They all talk about floating up and moving toward the light where there's someone waiting for them, though. But that's supposed to be some neurological phenomenon of almost-death.

[LonePiper]

I have talked to someone who said that their life flashed before their eyes. Well, part of their life anyway. They said it was only the last three weeks or so.

[Sally]

I have talked to someone who said that their life flashed before their eyes. Well, part of their life anyway. They said it was only the last three weeks or so.

If you could pick the part of your life you wanted, that would be fine. Some stuff you really don't want to look at again.

[heatdissipation]

I have talked to someone who said that their life flashed before their eyes. Well, part of their life anyway. They said it was only the last three weeks or so.

If you could pick the part of your life you wanted, that would be fine. Some stuff you really don't want to look at again.

Yeah, I second that. Maybe we could petition.

[KayleeSaeihr]

Considering I'm a late comer to this thread and applying the principles of tl;dr...

Most people ask the 'afterlife' question because that is a key reason for believing in the first place, people are so afraid of dying, of not continuing that they'll cling to the slim hope that their existance might continue in an afterlife somewhere. It boggles their mind that someone could just accept that there is nothing after death, not even oblivion.

[oneofthesun]

It boggles their mind that someone could just accept that there is nothing after death, not even oblivion.

Oblivion IS nothing. It's not floating around in some dark silent void. It's nonexistence - That's what people don't get.

[KayleeSaeihr]

It boggles their mind that someone could just accept that there is nothing after death, not even oblivion.

Oblivion IS nothing. It's not floating around in some dark silent void. It's nonexistence - That's what people don't get.

I get it, many do not. That's why I exclude it. Giving it a name implies that it is something.

[Philosophia Bibliophile]

I think our bodies become either worm food, ash, or transplanted somewhere else. Now, the spirit or soul maybe a different issue if people believe in that. In my opinion, I think the soul/spirit gets recycled because they're just energy.