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Question for all religious people.

George-ananda

Advaita Vedanta, Theosophy, Spiritualism
Premium Member
If a person is an atheist and he had lived his life as a good, honest and hardworking person, always helping other people, loving his family and friends and not having evil thoughts about anyone or anything and eventually he dies-my question is: where does his soul goes-to the heaven or to hell?
I think he will go to a good spot appropriate for him.

And I don't see it as a black/white or heaven/hell afterlife. The universe is infinitely more sophisticated.
 

Hawkins

Well-Known Member
If a person is an atheist and he had lived his life as a good, honest and hardworking person, always helping other people, loving his family and friends and not having evil thoughts about anyone or anything and eventually he dies-my question is: where does his soul goes-to the heaven or to hell?

The Bible predicts no such a person can possibly exist. Or else he can pass the judgment of law without Jesus.
 

Samantha Rinne

Resident Genderfluid Writer/Artist
If a person is an atheist and he had lived his life as a good, honest and hardworking person, always helping other people, loving his family and friends and not having evil thoughts about anyone or anything and eventually he dies-my question is: where does his soul goes-to the heaven or to hell?

What you're talking about is salvation by works. Unless you're a Catholic, this is a bad standard from the get-go.
Protestants believe in either salvation by faith (usually evangelicals, and this usually involves confessing the name of Jesus) or by grace (there is nothing at all you can do, Jesus has decided to save you anyway).

Yet this whole thing falls apart because atheists are modern day Sadducees, a Jewish group known for non-belief in the resurrection. You'd have a tough time convincing any atheist to even want to go to Heaven. Be in the presence of God? What are you smoking?
 

arthra

Baha'i
If a person is an atheist and he had lived his life as a good, honest and hardworking person, always helping other people, loving his family and friends and not having evil thoughts about anyone or anything and eventually he dies-my question is: where does his soul goes-to the heaven or to hell?

My own personal view is that if an "atheist" is "a good honest and hardworking person, always helping people, loving his family and friends and not having evil thoughts..." he or she must have been exposed at some stage in their life to the teachings of an advanced system of philosophy (love of wisdom) or belief. Over time the ethical and moral teachings of inspired teachers has an affect on our values regardless of some of our other beliefs.

Atheism is usually defined as ".....a lack of belief or a strong disbelief in the existence of a god or any gods

b : a philosophical or religious position characterized by disbelief in the existence of a god or any gods"

If a person had a "strong belief" opposing a prevailing religion some would designate him/her an atheist. I do believe people can pass through a stage(s) in their seeking truth and could be considered "atheist". At a later stage in their thinking they may have a belief or develope a spirituality.

If we consider that this "atheist" has a "soul" then he/she has a sense of the spiritual reality. Now in terms of "heaven" and "hell" these are in my belief conditions of the soul rather than localities or such things as hell as being hot or below us and heaven being a really cool place above us.
 

Shia Islam

Quran and Ahlul-Bayt a.s.
Premium Member
If a person is an atheist and he had lived his life as a good, honest and hardworking person, always helping other people, loving his family and friends and not having evil thoughts about anyone or anything and eventually he dies-my question is: where does his soul goes-to the heaven or to hell?

Can you be good without being grateful to your mother?!
Can you be good without being grateful to your teachers and all those who have helped you?!
Can you be good without being grateful to him who has brought you into existence and gave you everything that you have?!

If you claim that the one who makes you exist DOES not exist himself, then you have certainly lost the compass..and went astray!
You just can't be good..
The one who is not good with the one who have the most rights over him cannot be good with the others!

But then, for those who lack the means to consider that they must search for and find the truth and know God, such as those who lack the mental ability to realize the truth, their story is different, we believe that they will be tested in the other life..
 

Kenny

Face to face with my Father
Premium Member
If a person is an atheist and he had lived his life as a good, honest and hardworking person, always helping other people, loving his family and friends and not having evil thoughts about anyone or anything and eventually he dies-my question is: where does his soul goes-to the heaven or to hell?

I think this question is unrealistic on multiple accounts:

  1. First, assuming I am normal, I have evil thoughts, don't always love my family correctly, don't always help other people and have lied in my lifetime. I'm not sure anyone matches your qualification unless it was Jesus.
  2. It assumes that we, as humans, are the ones who will judge who goes to Heaven and who doesn't. It is God that judges and not man.
  3. It presupposes that in his effort of being "good", there are also times when he is "bad". If it is man's goodness that determines the destiny, how would someone know if he is "good enought" and that his "goodness" outways his "badness"?
  4. In the measure of "goodness", how do we know we have the right measuring stick? Was it man's measuring stick or was it God's?
 

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
Can you be good without being grateful to your mother?!
Can you be good without being grateful to your teachers and all those who have helped you?!
Can you be good without being grateful to him who has brought you into existence and gave you everything that you have?!

Are you aware that those questions do not apply to atheists any more than to theists? Not even the last one?

If you claim that the one who makes you exist DOES not exist himself, then you have certainly lost the compass..and went astray!

If you say so.

You just can't be good..
The one who is not good with the one who have the most rights over him cannot be good with the others!

But then, for those who lack the means to consider that they must search for and find the truth and know God, such as those who lack the mental ability to realize the truth, their story is different, we believe that they will be tested in the other life..
I honestly don't know who you are talking about. Quite possibly no one who exists.
 

Ponder This

Well-Known Member
If a person is an atheist and he had lived his life as a good, honest and hardworking person, always helping other people, loving his family and friends and not having evil thoughts about anyone or anything and eventually he dies-my question is: where does his soul goes-to the heaven or to hell?

Ask men to judge such things and they will soon be selling you indulgences to insure your stay in Heaven.
 

joe1776

Well-Known Member
My own personal view is that if an "atheist" is "a good honest and hardworking person, always helping people, loving his family and friends and not having evil thoughts..." he or she must have been exposed at some stage in their life to the teachings of an advanced system of philosophy (love of wisdom) or belief. Over time the ethical and moral teachings of inspired teachers has an affect on our values regardless of some of our other beliefs.
Or it could be that we humans are born with a conscience and the atheist just followed his.

From the New York Times:"According to Yale psychologist Paul Bloom, humans are born with a hard-wired morality. A deep sense of good and evil is bred in the bone. His research shows that babies and toddlers can judge the goodness and badness of others' actions; they want to reward the good and punish the bad; they act to help those in distress; they feel guilt, shame, pride, and righteous anger."
 
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osgart

Nothing my eye, Something for sure
We all go downstream, one way only into a spiritually indifferent and totally anomalous existence. If existence was moral there wouldnt be a food chain just to survive. Luckily the next life we dont have to maintain such a crude body.

I think what ill do is sojourn to the very edges of the universe, and jump off into another place, that aint so dark.

In an infinity, perhaps infinite totally else things exist. Plus i find it hard to comprehend not existing. My bet is sooner or later our universe runs out of gas or dark energy.

We create heaven or hell for ourselves, and existence dont really care either way. However true morality should eventually win out in the end.

You never know, right where you sit could be a totally undetectable world, like spooky action at a distance. If consciousness formed the universe, then indeed were in for a wild ride.

If not, poof!
 

Reaper

Ave Satanas
Hel (not a bad place, by the way) or Valhalla. What ever the Gods decide.
Atheists are not deemed bad folk in my faith, they're people like everyone else and are treated as such by the Gods. Who knows, maybe there's a particular God who is quite fond of you and will even want you in their hall, you never know.
 

Dantedeven

Member
I wish someone to correct me, POLITELY:




Reply:







He who was not aware of the things that happen unseen. Will return in the flesh, as man or animal. His soul will enter the cycle of life. But, if this layman would gather knowledge of God. In other words, knowledge of what is good and bad. Then there is no way back. And he will have to choose a side unless he does not understand it.
 

robocop (actually)

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
If a person is an atheist and he had lived his life as a good, honest and hardworking person, always helping other people, loving his family and friends and not having evil thoughts about anyone or anything and eventually he dies-my question is: where does his soul goes-to the heaven or to hell?
I am an atheist religious person and I'd say more than likely goes to Heaven.
 

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
I wish someone to correct me, POLITELY:

See if this carries a sufficiently similar meaning to yours:

People who are (sincerely?) unaware of the unseen world will (have to?) come back to life in mortal bodies, either as humans or animals. Their souls will remain in the cycle of life.

However, if there are atheists who happen to learn of God's existence - and, therefore, learn to discern what is good from what is evil - then there is no way back, and they will have to choose a side even if they do not have a full grasp of the consequences.
 
The point I was making with my question is this: All major religions are recognizing heaven and hell in some form and both are considerate as punishment and reward for ones soul for following religion`s teachings. In the same time all religions are teaching morality and rewarding the good behavior and thoughts as oppose to the bad ones (what`s good and what`s bad is basically the same for all major religions with some minor differences). If all of what I have mentioned is true then there are two possibilities for the last destination of the soul of a person I have described: his soul goes to heaven-means that not one religion is a valid one as it is only required for one to be a good person rather then to follow religious teachings; or his soul goes to hell-means being a good person doesn't matter in any religion and deities prefer people following rules and religious teachings to the letter which by-the-way are telling everyone to be a good person in the first place.
 
The Bible predicts no such a person can possibly exist. Or else he can pass the judgment of law without Jesus.
Fair enough and presumably the question I have asked was posed to early christian priests and the answer you gave which was mentioned in the Bible was totally human-`no such person can exist`. The problem with that answer is that it is just a human interpretation of the divine plan and as such it can be wrong, and as soon there is a shred of doubt about validity of the text the other option (such person CAN exist) is viable thus we have a flaw in scripture and as such it cannot be divine in origin making entire system of believes built upon such scripture to say at least questionable.
 
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