What would happen to me?

Anagram said:

I consider myself an agnostic atheist. That is to say that I have no belief in a god or gods, but I don't reject the possibility of their existence, although I do find it unlikely. However, that is certainly not what I wish to believe. I would much rather believe in a higher power, and that life continued after death. It's much more appealing to me. It's just that I cannot consciously choose to believe this. I even tried going back to believing in god once, but it just felt like I was living a lie. I don't think it is possible for me to choose to believe something that I don't.

So my question is, if I died right now and it turned out that my belief was wrong and yours (assuming you believe in god/s) was right, what would happen to me? I've seen a fair number of posts recently saying that all unbelievers will automatically go to hell, and I'm curious to see if that a well held position.

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There's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for everyone. You won't be disappointed.

This is one of those topics that WON'T be resolved. Those without faith believe that this is it. When the lights go out, they are really out. Those with faith believe otherwise.

What do you believe?

Anagram said:

I consider myself an agnostic atheist. That is to say that I have no belief in a god or gods, but I don't reject the possibility of their existence, although I do find it unlikely. However, that is certainly not what I wish to believe. I would much rather believe in a higher power, and that life continued after death. It's much more appealing to me. It's just that I cannot consciously choose to believe this. I even tried going back to believing in god once, but it just felt like I was living a lie. I don't think it is possible for me to choose to believe something that I don't.

So my question is, if I died right now and it turned out that my belief was wrong and yours (assuming you believe in god/s) was right, what would happen to me? I've seen a fair number of posts recently saying that all unbelievers will automatically go to hell, and I'm curious to see if that a well held position.

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I refuse to believe in a God who would throw me in the fiery pit of Hell for all of eternity because I didn't live up to expectations...


Just be good to people and you'll be okay, God or not.

Flippinfunky said:

I refuse to believe in a God who would throw me in the fiery pit of Hell for all of eternity because I didn't live up to expectations...


Just be good to people and you'll be okay, God or not.

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You see too many movies, dear

Hell is not as portrayed by Hollywood. It is a place of suffering, but you've got to read everything in context to understand it. Heaven is union with God. Hell is separation from God. Since the soul is immortal, that is forever. It is not ruled by the Devil/Satan. He gets to go there too. The references to fire are to give you something you can tangibly understand. Our bodies are mortal and die. Salvation does not keep you from physical death, it saves you from spiritual death, i.e. separation from God, i.e. Hell.

Anagram said:

I consider myself an agnostic atheist.

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That would make you a theist.

I would much rather believe in a higher power, and that life continued after death. It's much more appealing to me. It's just that I cannot consciously choose to believe this. I even tried going back to believing in god once, but it just felt like I was living a lie. I don't think it is possible for me to choose to believe something that I don't.

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If you can ever be able to separate your emotions from your comprehension of universal reality, or cosmological reality, you may make a step towards understanding the universe.

So my question is, if I died right now and it turned out that my belief was wrong and yours (assuming you believe in god/s) was right, ...

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That's impossible. No gods exist, we know that already.

Your emotional existential angst about what happens when you die is one of the common characteristics of human existence. All you have to do is live your life now as you want to live it.

ric27 said:

You see too many movies, dear

Hell is not as portrayed by Hollywood. It is a place of suffering, but you've got to read everything in context to understand it. Heaven is union with God. Hell is separation from God. Since the soul is immortal, that is forever. It is not ruled by the Devil/Satan. He gets to go there too. The references to fire are to give you something you can tangibly understand. Our bodies are mortal and die. Salvation does not keep you from physical death, it saves you from spiritual death, i.e. separation from God, i.e. Hell.

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I was describing it using hyperbole, ric. I grew up in Baptist country....I'm no Bible/Religion virgin.

Flippinfunky said:

I was describing it using hyperbole, ric. I grew up in Baptist country....I'm no Bible/Religion virgin.

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We must remember Paul....when he said not to judge those who aren't in the church. Their judgment is up to God. This was said for a number of reasons. First, members of a church are supposed to "judge" each other. Not in a condemning way, but in support. To keep each other faithful. Obviously, this can and is abused, but nothing good is safe from overenthusiastic abuse.

The second reason is to keep believers from doing goofy stuff to those who don't believe the same.

Anagram said:

I consider myself an agnostic atheist. That is to say that I have no belief in a god or gods, but I don't reject the possibility of their existence, although I do find it unlikely. However, that is certainly not what I wish to believe. I would much rather believe in a higher power, and that life continued after death. It's much more appealing to me. It's just that I cannot consciously choose to believe this. I even tried going back to believing in god once, but it just felt like I was living a lie. I don't think it is possible for me to choose to believe something that I don't.

So my question is, if I died right now and it turned out that my belief was wrong and yours (assuming you believe in god/s) was right, what would happen to me? I've seen a fair number of posts recently saying that all unbelievers will automatically go to hell, and I'm curious to see if that a well held position.

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Here's my take. Jesus, Mohammad, Moses, and other prophets spoke in parables. I think religion and the secular have made a mess out of the words by taking everything as a literal translation, for instance, Jesus speaking about "being the light and the way" gets taken out of context as people say you must believe in Jesus simply to get into heaven, yet God, and Jesus both acknowledge that we are imperfect creatures.

In my opinion, "being the light and the way" was a guide to living, do unto others as you would have done onto yourself, treat other people as if they are worthy of compassion, give of yourself, and just be a decent human being. I think following that path would find forgiveness knowing that this is a world of conflicting opinion with no way of proving or disproving any of them in life.

Anagram said:

I consider myself an agnostic atheist. That is to say that I have no belief in a god or gods, but I don't reject the possibility of their existence, although I do find it unlikely. However, that is certainly not what I wish to believe. I would much rather believe in a higher power, and that life continued after death. It's much more appealing to me. It's just that I cannot consciously choose to believe this. I even tried going back to believing in god once, but it just felt like I was living a lie. I don't think it is possible for me to choose to believe something that I don't.

So my question is, if I died right now and it turned out that my belief was wrong and yours (assuming you believe in god/s) was right, what would happen to me? I've seen a fair number of posts recently saying that all unbelievers will automatically go to hell, and I'm curious to see if that a well held position.

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I'm Bahai, and I believe only God can chose what happens to you after this life on earth. There is no "heaven" or "hell", those are just symbols for your soul being close to God or far from God in the next life. But we don't know for sure how the next life will look like, this remains a mystery.

But just like an unborn child in the womb has no idea of the life after birth, this stage of development will shape its later talents. This life on earth serves as an opportunity to develop qualities your soul needs in the next, just like a child must develop in the womb: By living an ethical life, by prayers and practizing a sense of spirituality, you acquire the qualities your soul needs in the next life to blossom. The best guideline for this is the Bahai religion, but that doesn't mean only Bahai can prepare their souls for this next life.

Even if you miss this opportunity, your soul will still "grow" or "advance" in the next life, just slower. By praying for the deceased, people on this world can have positive impact on the growth of the souls of the deceased in the next life too.

So, I guess my advice would be: Just try to be a good person. Try to make sure there are people who around you who love and value you, and will remember you once you're gone. When you can look in the mirror and see a person who does his best not to be an ass, you're on a good way. Try to get hate, anger and grudges out of your system. Try to be an enrichment for the lives of other people around you.

If you're good at that, fine. If you have troubles doing that, maybe religion can give you good advice how to be more ethical or loving -- even when you have troubles believing in all of their teachings.

Anagram said:

So my question is, if I died right now and it turned out that my belief was wrong and yours (assuming you believe in god/s) was right, what would happen to me? I've seen a fair number of posts recently saying that all unbelievers will automatically go to hell, and I'm curious to see if that a well held position.

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That's between you and God.

nota bene said:

Ah, but here's the problem: You yourself are judging others when only our Father knows the hearts of His children.

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stating a fact that is generic and affects us all is not judging any specific event or person...

Our father in heaven is a lot like our parents here....they won't cruelly punish you for going astray, but they are right to remove a bad apple from the barrel if it threatens to destroy the rest of the apples...

Hell as a place is fiction, it is more of a condition.

Just my opinion, since NONE OF US KNOW....

UtahBill said:

Our father in heaven is a lot like our parents here....they won't cruelly punish you for going astray, but they are right to remove a bad apple from the barrel if it threatens to destroy the rest of the apples...

Hell as a place is fiction, it is more of a condition.

Just my opinion, since NONE OF US KNOW....

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We don't know, but we do know what is written of it. Judaism does not hold the same concept of Hell that Christians do, and much says that Hell is a condition of self contempt and shame.

If you haven't repented and been forgiven of sins then you would stand before God and have to atone for them. You would go to hell.

God is a loving God, he paved a way for everyone to be freely forgiven, but he is also just and if we die with unforgiven sin then we must atone for them and be judged, and that judgement is eternal hell in my opinion.

digsbe said:

If you haven't repented and been forgiven of sins then you would stand before God and have to atone for them. You would go to hell.

God is a loving God, he paved a way for everyone to be freely forgiven, but he is also just and if we die with unforgiven sin then we must atone for them and be judged, and that judgement is eternal hell in my opinion.

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Let's say you grow up in a remote Chinese village, and all you know is Buddhism for example, you've lived a life better than most Christians in terms of your actions but you never accepted Jesus Christ as your lord and saviour and never asked god for forgiveness.

Does that mean you're going to hell?

digsbe said:

If you haven't repented and been forgiven of sins then you would stand before God and have to atone for them. You would go to hell.

God is a loving God, he paved a way for everyone to be freely forgiven, but he is also just and if we die with unforgiven sin then we must atone for them and be judged, and that judgement is eternal hell in my opinion.

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So justice is infinite suffering for a finite sin you may have committed in your life? That seems completely unjust to me, but then again I don't understand how justice=torture in the first place.

Jetboogieman said:

Let's say you grow up in a remote Chinese village, and all you know is Buddhism for example, you've lived a life better than most Christians in terms of your actions but you never accepted Jesus Christ as your lord and saviour and never asked god for forgiveness.

Does that mean you're going to hell?

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Romans 2:12-16 "All who sin apart fromt the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them. This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares."


As an aside, Paul was a Rabbi, i.e. he had studied the law (Jewish) and was well versed in parsing every word. That's why his letters frequently read like a legal brief.


The law referred to is Jewish law. In the context, he was explaining how the law didn't save anyone, it just condemned. This delved into the fact that even those who had never heard "the law" still had it in their hearts from God and when they did what was right, it was accorded as righteousness. There is other scripture that I couldn't find in a short time, but basically it says that those who never heard the word still hear God in their conscience and either obey or disobey. The point being, man doesn't judge, God judges and whether he condemns or justifies is one of his secrets.

digsbe said:

If you haven't repented and been forgiven of sins then you would stand before God and have to atone for them. You would go to hell.

God is a loving God, he paved a way for everyone to be freely forgiven, but he is also just and if we die with unforgiven sin then we must atone for them and be judged, and that judgement is eternal hell in my opinion.

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From a practical standpoint, the Bible is clear that there is a judgment when you hear the word and accept it or reject it.

Jetboogieman said:

Let's say you grow up in a remote Chinese village, and all you know is Buddhism for example, you've lived a life better than most Christians in terms of your actions but you never accepted Jesus Christ as your lord and saviour and never asked god for forgiveness.

Does that mean you're going to hell?

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If the person knew of Christianity and chose to reject it then yes, they will go to hell. I think that those who have never been exposed to the Gospel may be spared because the Bible calls the only "unforgivable sin" rejecting Jesus. The Bible also says that the apocalypse will not occur until every nation has heard the word of God. God is the judge and if you die ignorant of the truth I think He may spare people and judge them according to what they knew in life. I think kids who die too young to understand salvation go to heaven for the same reason.

digsbe said:

If the person knew of Christianity and chose to reject it then yes, they will go to hell. I think that those who have never been exposed to the Gospel may be spared because the Bible calls the only "unforgivable sin" rejecting Jesus.

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The unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, not rejection of Christ.

lizzie said:

To the bolded: this is a part of why it is called faith.

As for your second paragraph: Nobody knows with certainty, as religion is always based on belief and faith. I have run the gamut of religious persuasion, and found none of them satisfying or "real" to me. Same with agnosticism, and I consider that I was probably what you would call an uncommitted atheist for a few years. What it has boiled down to, at this point in my life, is that I am okay with whatever is actually reality, and my tendency is to view God as more of a creative impulse and mental energy, than as any type of judgemental authority figure. My religious belief is now my own, and is not dependent on anyone else's approval. It's a way of being, perceiving, and viewing life, as opposed to being based on fear of an afterlife, or lack thereof. Best wishes in your endeavor, as it is truly a road wrought with confusion, occasional fear, and doubt.

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Jesus demonstrated, for all to see, that there was an afterlife. For those who were there, it wasn't faith for them, because they wrote down what they saw. For us it takes faith to believe what they claim to have seen and experienced. The neat thing is that we can experience God as well.

For me the greatest proof of God's existence is my own. My own awareness of my self and surroundings, call it being self-aware, or what have you. But just looking into a mirror makes me ask why am I able to do that?

digsbe said:

If the person knew of Christianity and chose to reject it then yes, they will go to hell. I think that those who have never been exposed to the Gospel may be spared because the Bible calls the only "unforgivable sin" rejecting Jesus. The Bible also says that the apocalypse will not occur until every nation has heard the word of God. God is the judge and if you die ignorant of the truth I think He may spare people and judge them according to what they knew in life. I think kids who die too young to understand salvation go to heaven for the same reason.

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Don't forget about the parable of the "Prodigal Son" though. It is a very important teaching IMHO and one of the most core messages from the bible, the son made critical mistakes, ended up lost in a figurative sense, but when he returned it was celebrated by his father. To me that is a very strong way of presenting the relationship between god and us, that we can stray and come back.

Hughes said:

Jesus demonstrated, for all to see, that there was an afterlife. For those who were there, it wasn't faith for them, because they wrote down what they saw. For us it takes faith to believe what they claim to have seen and experienced. The neat thing is that we can experience God as well.

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What I've found so marvelous in the real sense of the word is what those who saw the Resurrection then did with their lives. The same man who denied Christ thrice turned back to Rome and allowed his own crucifixion. Whatever all those people witnessed was enough to change their hearts and lives forever...enough so that even today human hearts are being changed by their testimony and acts.

nota bene said:

What I've found so marvelous in the real sense of the word is what those who saw the Resurrection then did with their lives. The same man who denied Christ thrice turned back to Rome and allowed his own crucifixion. Whatever all those people witnessed was enough to change their hearts and lives forever...enough so that even today human hearts are being changed by their testimony and acts.

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Indeed! A group of cowering followers of Jesus, who thought that he was going to unseat the Roman Government and rule and relieve them of the Roman oppression. They were completely demoralized and depressed, but they literally changed the world as a result of their experience with the resurrected Jesus.

digsbe said:

If the person knew of Christianity and chose to reject it then yes, they will go to hell..

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Lets suppose you have a 16th century Native American living in Mexico. He is aware of Christianity from the Spanish whom have just genocidially destroyed his people. The only Christian religious authority he knows are friars who divide their time between enslaving the survivors and burning the entire cultural records of his civilization. Are you really going to say it would be just to punish him for not deciding to adopt the religion of people who have brought him nothing but suffering?