Quote Originally Posted by gwahir View Post
As for the afterlife: sure, it'd be nice if, after we died, we could all enjoy eternal bliss. But not only do I think that's a laughable idea, I think it's very, very important that people NOT believe it.

To believe that this world is a test or a precursor to eternal life means that one can slack off and not worry about learning, or making this world better -- after all, it's a blip compared to eternity. No, everyone has the responsibility to improve THIS world. The one and only world we KNOW to exist. We MUST think and act as if this is all we've got, even if we're wrong. After all, if we're wrong, we'll get to Heaven having tried to make our and others' pre-Heaven existence as good as possible.
I've meet plenty of people who have the "Heaven exists, so fuck the earth" attitude, but they are few and far between. Most people I know strive to make a world a better place, even if they do use religion or something similar as a banner to rally behind. Here in Utah, serving a two year mission for the church is as important as graduating high school, but I know plenty of people who instead of going to serve as bible thumpers, join church sponsored habitat for humanity programs for two years. It's been an increasing trend and I like to think even though it's still tied in with all the bible thumping bullshit, I like to think it has made a difference in this world.

Personally, I am hoping heaven exists because the thought of oblivion and lack of consciousness straight up terrifies me.