Negative Consequences Created By Promises Of An Afterlife

[LifeCycle]

The local news posted a story about a man who murdered his family and posted an apology letter on Facebook. Within that letter he stated that his loved ones are no longer hurting and that they were together under the sun in heaven. After he posted the status on Facebook, he then killed himself. Although this is on the very extreme end of the spectrum it illustrates how religion removes the emphasis and focus off of this life and onto the alleged next one.

 

I remember reading a story a year or so ago about a 12 year old girl that committed suicide so she could be with her recently deceased father in heaven. This life wasn't important to her. She knew this wasn't it. She was made promises that only religion can make. It stole her only existence on this planet. She was unjustly robbed by a doctrine that makes promises it can't possibly support.

 

Promises of an afterlife are dangerous to longevity and health of this one. I don't even need to get into terrorism but that does fit into this idea rather well. My intention here is to point out the negative and indirect consequences that this teaching can produce. It's not intended that people kill their own family to free them of migraine headaches as this man did in my first story when they're told of the joyous next existence after this one. It's also not intended that children commit suicide to rejoin lost parents in heaven but it happens and it probably happens more times than we know. The promises, that for all we know are completely empty steal from people.

 

For me, it's just more evidence that it's all a myth. A truly compassionate and all-knowing god would see this problem and address it before it started.

 

In the two stories I mentioned... Would the man have even considered such options if he honestly believed this was our only existence? Would the child have considered death if she believed she could not rejoin her father in paradise?

 

I don't know, people do bad things all by themselves but when the reasons are obviously related to a next existence, I have to believe these two stories would have been non-stories.

[LongWayAround]

It is so tragic that they traded the only real life they will ever have for a lie.  I see this think happen on a smaller, but no less insidious scale, all the time.  Recently, a young man I know moved a couple of states over to be a part of a church "plant".  He gave up going to college, is working a menial retail job, and is living in near poverty because he thinks he will be rewarded in the next life.  It is such a waste.

[Guest Furball]

It is so tragic that they traded the only real life they will ever have for a lie.  I see this think happen on a smaller, but no less insidious scale, all the time.  Recently, a young man I know moved a couple of states over to be a part of a church "plant".  He gave up going to college, is working a menial retail job, and is living in near poverty because he thinks he will be rewarded in the next life.  It is such a waste.

 

I have seen this many times with people i met when i was in church. I remember asking one guy what he did before christianity, and his whole face lit up and said he was pursuing his dreams in music and acting and was so happy and enjoying himself in L.A. following his dreams. After describing how happy he was with all this, he got real somber and described how he was told the gospel, that he ended up giving up his dreams, and playing guitar in the church band and being the music director for the church. He looked down at his shoes and in a depressed tone of voice said that he guessed god closed the doors to his dreams so he could play in the church band. He then just shuffled off like he was going to a funeral or something. I have met so many creative and talented people who could have had a great impact on life and the people around them, only to end up throwing it all away for jesus. It really is sad to see. -Cat

 

 

P.S. It really is strange to see people get so happy when they describe their life before christianity/religion, and then when asked about their christian/religious life, they get so depressed and downtrodden. This should be a red flag to humanity that religion is not the 'way and the truth.' 

[AndrewTomlinson]

If you add to the doctrine the world's imminent end to that of the afterlife, the effects become more far-reaching and destructive by far. Climate change denial and general disregard for the environment are a direct result. It doesn't matter what the world will be like in a generation, because there won't be a next generation. The lord will return any second now. Then we'll all have a magical new world.

[Burny]

The biggest issue I have with religion is the promise of a better life after this one. There is ZERO evidence that this is true, yet people hang onto it like a life line - an excuse to WASTE their one and only FREE life.

 

As you can tell - I find this extremely disturbing and sad.

 

What a grand waste. Future generations will look back at early humanity and shake their heads in disbelief and how far we were willing to go on NO EVIDENCE.

[LifeCycle]

All good points. From denial to putting your own life on the back burner so you can gain eternal rewards in heaven. It really is sad.

[LifeCycle]

And then there are those who took a stand for the myth and paid for it with their lives. That young girl in the Columbine shooting comes to mind.

[Llwellyn]

I think a belief in an afterlife makes people generally lose sight of precious things in the lives now.  They don't maximize their joy by living life to the fullest because they imagine that a subsequent life will be required to give meaning to their present experiences.  On the other hand, they love their religion, and that may be compensation for foregone alternative joys.  To believe it is their reward for being able to believe it.  I would call it a punishment.  But "to each their own."