Eternal unconsciousness and religious belief

[an anarchist]

TLDR: Does the idea of "eternal unconsciousness" upon death disturb or frighten you? If you are religious, have you allowed yourself to ponder the possibility that we could be eternally unconscious once we die? Is it possible that this possibility is frightening enough to help you believe in an afterlife via religion/spirituality?

I am no longer religious. So, I have a lot less to post about on this site than I once did... I figure I can still pose my thoughts in the lens of questioning religion.

Perhaps it is fear that can keep an individual in their religious beliefs. So I ask, "Have you considered eternal unconsciousness?".

When I was religious, the idea frightened me. However, I did not fret much, for I believed in heaven. So I did not ponder it at all.

I wonder if you, as a religious individual, have pondered the idea/possibility of eternal unconsciousness upon death? Perhaps if you allow yourself to ponder the possibility, you might find yourself disturbed. Perhaps this is telling. What does it tell? Perhaps you would know best.

I make this OP because I want people to question and inspect the foundations of their religious beliefs. That is how I can contribute to the discourse here, now that I am not religious personally. But I would still like to contribute.

 

[osgart]

How could it frighten anyone? It's akin to ceasing to exist. There would be great disappointment, but no fear. My religious beliefs I hold as like one card among many possibilities including the one you are talking about.

Where would my natural identity fade to to make EU possible?

I prefer belief in the mystery of existence that presents itself. I can't choose what I believe rather it befalls me to believe it. That does not mean I put my blinders on and not look elsewhere.

There's roadblocks to every conviction and belief out there. I live my life as though forever exists, but there's a cost to that. Living life as though it's precious and finitely short has costs to it as well. So I'd prefer to live my life for a higher purpose and it is truly how I want to live then I have no regrets. I'm never in a hurry for reckless relationships.

 

[Link]

Yes it does. Not just for myself, but all good souls.

 

[Whateverist]

Not in the least. It is what I've always expected since early elementary school. What is cool is that I now understand there is something wrong with the presumption that the entire universe is mindless material stuff from singularities to stars to atoms to Bach and Shakespeare. As a result I no longer assume death is eternal unconsciousness nor feel the need to opine loudly that it strikes me as most likely. Fine if it is, find if it isn't. I'll just focus on the life in front of me.

 

[Eddi]

I don't much fancy being snuffed out for all eternity

However I don't think that will ever happen as I am convinced there is a God

And I don't think that's just wishful thinking!!!

 

[Quintessence]

Perhaps it is joy and celebration that can keep an individual in their religious practices and beliefs.

Hi, by the way.

 

[Twilight Hue]

TLDR: Does the idea of "eternal unconsciousness" upon death disturb or frighten you? If you are religious, have you allowed yourself to ponder the possibility that we could be eternally unconscious once we die? Is it possible that this possibility is frightening enough to help you believe in an afterlife via religion/spirituality?

I am no longer religious. So, I have a lot less to post about on this site than I once did... I figure I can still pose my thoughts in the lens of questioning religion.

Perhaps it is fear that can keep an individual in their religious beliefs. So I ask, "Have you considered eternal unconsciousness?".

When I was religious, the idea frightened me. However, I did not fret much, for I believed in heaven. So I did not ponder it at all.

I wonder if you, as a religious individual, have pondered the idea/possibility of eternal unconsciousness upon death? Perhaps if you allow yourself to ponder the possibility, you might find yourself disturbed. Perhaps this is telling. What does it tell? Perhaps you would know best.

I make this OP because I want people to question and inspect the foundations of their religious beliefs. That is how I can contribute to the discourse here, now that I am not religious personally. But I would still like to contribute.

It can't be eternally unconscious. If it was, none of us would be here.

 

[loverofhumanity]

TLDR: Does the idea of "eternal unconsciousness" upon death disturb or frighten you? If you are religious, have you allowed yourself to ponder the possibility that we could be eternally unconscious once we die? Is it possible that this possibility is frightening enough to help you believe in an afterlife via religion/spirituality?

I am no longer religious. So, I have a lot less to post about on this site than I once did... I figure I can still pose my thoughts in the lens of questioning religion.

Perhaps it is fear that can keep an individual in their religious beliefs. So I ask, "Have you considered eternal unconsciousness?".

When I was religious, the idea frightened me. However, I did not fret much, for I believed in heaven. So I did not ponder it at all.

I wonder if you, as a religious individual, have pondered the idea/possibility of eternal unconsciousness upon death? Perhaps if you allow yourself to ponder the possibility, you might find yourself disturbed. Perhaps this is telling. What does it tell? Perhaps you would know best.

I make this OP because I want people to question and inspect the foundations of their religious beliefs. That is how I can contribute to the discourse here, now that I am not religious personally. But I would still like to contribute.

The idea of eternal life bothers me much more. By being eternally unconscious I would not have to be reminded of my shortcomings and failings in this life but somehow I don’t think we are all going to get off so easily.

I want to be happy when I reflect on the life I led down here. Being in complete unawareness would be a big let off for people like Hitler who would not have to be reminded of their evil deeds. From what we read from the holy books, we are going to be brought to account for our deeds in this life so good will be its own reward and the evil we have done will not be scrubbed from our memories.

I think we have a soul which is kind of like the black box flight recorder of a plane except it keeps a record of everything we have done in our lives. And because that black box also belongs to God, God Himself is a witness to all we have done in our lives and we will be brought to account for our deeds. The question is, do we each have a contract with God.? if we do then we are all bound by it. Most definitely those who espouse a religious belief are bound by a contract to live up to those beliefs to the best of their ability.

But what about those who have no belief? I believe that we all have been created in the image of God and all have been given the capacity to recognise, believe and except God. I also believe that the circumstances of our rejection of God will be taken into account when we are judged. if it was not our fault for certain reasons maybe mental illness or certain other extenuating circumstances of course God is all forgiving. But I believe wilful blindness due to insincerity in our own belief will not be accepted by God and we will face consequences for that.

But in the end, it’s all up to God and ourselves how we act and behave. To be eternally unconscious would be the easiest way out of committing the most heinous of deeds and not being brought to account.

 

[1213]

TLDR: Does the idea of "eternal unconsciousness" upon death disturb or frighten you?

No.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.
1 John 4:18

But I would still like to contribute.

Is it because unconsciousness frightens you?

 

[an anarchist]

Is it because unconsciousness frightens you?

Not why I want to contribute to the site, but I will share that the idea of eternal unconsciousness disturbs me. It used to frighten me dearly, but I'm more at peace with it now. Just makes me uneasy

 

[SalixIncendium]

TLDR: Does the idea of "eternal unconsciousness" upon death disturb or frighten you?

No, because this concept doesn't align with my views.

If you are religious, have you allowed yourself to ponder the possibility that we could be eternally unconscious once we die?

I, in my true nature, do not die.

Is it possible that this possibility is frightening enough to help you believe in an afterlife via religion/spirituality?

No.

 

[Kathryn]

Having lost so many people who were close to me in such a short amount of time, I have pondered I believe every possible aspect of death, including ones (such as this one) that I do not basically believe. In short, I believe we are all in for a lot of surprises some day and I am all for that. I don't believe in reincarnation and I do believe we keep living in some aspect, but of course I'm not sure how that will play out. But if we do (big if there since I don't believe it) just lapse into unconsciousness, I'm OK with that. When I've been unconscious before, it wasn't bad at all.

 

[John D. Brey]

Not why I want to contribute to the site, but I will share that the idea of eternal unconsciousness disturbs me. It used to frighten me dearly, but I'm more at peace with it now. Just makes me uneasy

Far be it from me to frighten you more, but the idea of eternal unconsciousness is like a walk in the park compared to the truth of the matter.

You see, the problem is that absolutes and relatives mix less well than husbands and mother-in-laws. If, when a person dies, they will be eternally unconscious, that's an absolute. Unfortunately, a relative (their extremely short 70 or 80 years) can't exist like a pimple on the absolute. The absolute nature of post death unconsciousness would, logically and scientifically speaking, swallow up, make non-existent, the relatively short 70 or 80 years of consciousness.

What this means is that the fact anyone is conscious now, reading these words, guarantees that they will never be permanently unconscious since an absolute state of unconsciousness can't exist with a relative state of consciousness (and vice versa).

For that reason, the Bible doesn't speak of cessation of consciousness. It speaks of two places consciousness will be registered forever after the death of the body: heaven and hell.

As the oracle in The Matrix says: I hate to give good people bad news. But now you just go right on ahead and finish that oatmeal cookie you've got in your hand and by the time it's gone you'll remember you don't give a hoot for any of that ole Bible-thumper BS. Then, at least for the relatively short moment, everything will be absolutely right as rain.



John

 

[Alien826]

Like others here I used to find the idea of total loss of consciousness to be somewhat disturbing. Now, with most of my life behind me and the prospect of worsening physical health ahead of me (nothing in particular, it's just the common fate) I feel a bit differently. In some ways the idea of having it all over and done with is attractive.

Most of us have an example of it, anyway, in anesthesia for surgery. There you are lying on a bed, awaiting the onset of the anesthesia. You feel the start of unconsciousness, then suddenly (to you) you are awake on a different bed in a different room and someone is talking to you about how well the surgery went. What was the intervening time like? Nothing. Zip. Nada. You weren't aware of it. Doesn't seem too frightening to me.

 

[Alien826]

Far be it from me to frighten you more, but the idea of eternal unconsciousness is like a walk in the park compared to the truth of the matter.

You see, the problem is that absolutes and relatives mix less well than husbands and mother-in-laws. If, when a person dies, they will be eternally unconscious, that's an absolute. Unfortunately, a relative (their extremely short 70 or 80 years) can't exist like a pimple on the absolute. The absolute nature of post death unconsciousness would, logically and scientifically speaking, swallow up, make non-existent, the relatively short 70 or 80 years of consciousness.

What this means is that the fact anyone is conscious now, reading these words, guarantees that they will never be permanently unconscious since an absolute state of unconsciousness can't exist with a relative state of consciousness (and vice versa).

For that reason, the Bible doesn't speak of cessation of consciousness. It speaks of two places consciousness will be registered forever after the death of the body: heaven and hell.

As the oracle in The Matrix says: I hate to give good people bad news. But now you just go right on ahead and finish that oatmeal cookie you've got in your hand and by the time it's gone you'll remember you don't give a hoot for any of that ole Bible-thumper BS. Then, at least for the relatively short moment, everything will be right as rain.



John

Or, consciousness is a function of the brain. It exists for as long as the brain exists.

 

[John D. Brey]

Having lost so many people who were close to me in such a short amount of time, I have pondered I believe every possible aspect of death, including ones (such as this one) that I do not basically believe. In short, I believe we are all in for a lot of surprises some day and I am all for that. I don't believe in reincarnation and I do believe we keep living in some aspect, but of course I'm not sure how that will play out. But if we do (big if there since I don't believe it) just lapse into unconsciousness, I'm OK with that. When I've been unconscious before, it wasn't bad at all.

John

 

[George-ananda]

I think belief in an afterlife is a much more optimistic and life-affirming belief. Nonbelief is a more depressing viewpoint.

That said, my mind must go with what is most rational to believe. I used to be a nonbeliever, but I was intellectually won over by the real-world Afterlife Evidence of various types. I knew to be on the lookout for accepting something because it is more comforting. I believe the evidence was robust enough to overcome that concern.

 

[John D. Brey]

When I've been unconscious before, it wasn't bad at all.

As a great Christian philosopher/poet (Bob Dylan) said you can always go back but you can't go back all the way.




John

 

[John D. Brey]

Or, consciousness is a function of the brain. It exists for as long as the brain exists.

The incomparable Terry Gross interviewed a brain surgeon (Theodore Schwartz) just last week. As he pointed out, yes, our consciousness is solely the result of neurons firing in the brain. And yet, as experiments have shown, the conscious part of our existence is like a guppy swimming in the ocean of a much larger entity some call Mind.

Yes, I realize guppies are freshwater fish and are not found in the ocean. But similarly, Mind is a spiritual entity not really found swimming in the conscious thoughts except where the Mind has become incarnate in the beliefs of the righteous (1 Cor. 2:16). As the sperm whale evolved from something as small as a guppy, faith in Christ Jesus evolved from the amoeba of incarnate Mind. Those few who have it in the measure of a mustard sea have moved mountains.



John

 

[Spice]

I believe our subconscious is eternal, but it does not stay in unconscious limbo eternally. I believe the person we each see ourselves as will be limited to this one life. However, there is more to us than this ego, this personality that we see as who we are.

Just as you may remember how you were in 1st grade, the playmates you were drawn to, the curiosity you possessed and how things of that nature changed, grew, and developed over your life (and those of us of a certain age may see significant changes), your subconscious has stored the lessons of life that defined those changes, and, IMB, will continue to change in the next life.

The "you" that you are at the end of your life, imagine that personality in a child in first grade, perhaps in a different economic class, a different country, a different environment and the change and growth another life will add to the subconscious "you."

As Jesus said what you do unto the least of these you do unto me -- think when your interacting with another, it may be your great-grandmother on their next journey. And think, what will you teach them by way of your interaction?