A Question for Atheists?

God exists.

Colossians 1:16

SDA

"I assume that most atheists instill in their children their own beliefs."

As a rationalist I don't have any beliefs. Belief to me implies faith. I don't try to instill rationalism in anybody. I think it's built in.

You pose a very difficult dilemma in the hypothetical case of a dying child. I don't try to convert religious people to atheism because I think their religion brings them comfort in many cases. I might be inclined to actually expose a dying child to these ideas. Nobody knows for sure what happens when they die. So I don't really consider discussion of the afterlife a lie. My tendency is to let a child pick her own spiritual path. I don't think those who believe in heaven or god(s) believe in a "lie". They just believe in something that doesn't fit into my own logical framework, because my rationalism doesn't allow for belief without evidence. I don't think it's for everybody. Many an atheist has been born to religious parents and raised in religious cultures. If it happens the other way around then so be it. The value of a human is in who they are, who they touch, and how they interact with people. What they believe about god(s) and heaven is irrelevant to me.

"I just mean would you tell them they would go to heaven while they were on their deathbed, just to make them feel better."

I would expose them to the idea and let them decide.

To be an atheist you don't have to be anti god or anti life after death. You just don't mention it. If someone young is dying and I cared about them and knew they would not go on after they died. I certainly would not be mentioning anything about that unless they bring it up. Otherwise I will say something like: "You are so strong. I am sure you will recover, just rest for now." There is no need to also say. Oh yeah by the way, when you lose your battle its going to be the end and I will experience no more.

"I assume that most atheists instill in their children their own beliefs."

I assume most parents expose their children to their views and beliefs and ideally those of others too. Most atheist parents I know expose their children to many of the mainstream religions out there; just so they have a decent idea of what people believe and can make up their own mind.

As for the topic of death, you can either take the "nobody really knows" route - which is not lying, although neuroscience is kind of killing the soul notions here, or you could try to re-focus her on the bit before dying - she has a lot of life ahead of her.

There seems to be a prioritization of wishful thinking over honesty. No one knows what happens after death. It could be the end, or there could be something more. No one who hasn't died yet knows.

Recognizing this lack of knowledge is honesty. Attempt to sugar coat the concept of death with a blanket and unfounded assumption of an afterlife does more harm than good because it teaches people to let their own emotions trump critical and unbiased thinking.

It encourages people to make unfounded and romanticized assumptions towards things which we do not currently know/understand.

Your children are very young still, they will understand this one day. But death is something most of us worry about. There's nothing anyone could say that would take my fright away, because I am in the reality of it.

I think reality is a great thing, the best thing.

When teaching your kids, you have to address them in age appropriate ways. Most six year olds don't really have the ability to conceptualise a human lifetime, so answers based on lifetimes aren't going to be meaningful to them.

In general, I don't view telling a child critical lies about their life to be at all good. At the least, at some point, the kid will figure out that what they were told was a lie, and then, you can kiss that child trusting the adult who told them that lie, goodbye.

Kids aren't stupid.

At very least, since it is your life and your eternity, how about you legitimately study it. See if you can figure out if this all happened by accident, or if the workings of every single thing was created by a being. You've tried the atheist thing forever, try Jesus for just a few weeks and see what happens.

I've studied evolution, atheism, Darwinism, etc. and I can say with complete confidence that the world was created as God has said, and the savior (Jesus) is the only way. But don't take my word for it, learn for yourself.

Go on a mission to OBJECTIVELY learn evolution and OBJECTIVELY learn the overall story of the Bible. Vow to spend a couple of weeks where you pray to Jesus Christ, ask forgiveness for your sins, and try to follow His commands. See if that does anything for you. If not, then you have your answer. If so, welcome to eternity and welcome to the family :-).

I'm not so fussed to be honest.

I grew out of santa, the tooth fairy and god without my parents ever telling me, they probably will too.

in terms of comforting myths, absolutely give them access to one.

my mother died when I was 10 and I asked my father if she was in heaven, and he said the best answer possible; "if there's a heaven, your mum is there."

not forcing a religion, not forcing his own beliefs or dis beliefs, but giving me access to that emotional cushion that religions so often provide to those who can't always face the harshness of reality.

...then I grew up.

But I won't be denying my child the same emotional comfort should history repeat itself in some way.

@ blaise rascale

it's not morally reprehensible - a persons first response at hearing earth shattering news (like a parent dying) is denial, it would actually be morally reprehensible to force them back to reality before they've had a chance to take it all in gradually, it's called mourning? you don't need to keep up the fantasy after they've gotten over it.

@ ?

"I've studied evolution, atheism, Darwinism, etc. and I can say with complete confidence that the world was created as God has said"

Then you're just not living in the real world.

I see you haven't taken up my offer of open discussion via email, pity. I still have a comprehensive response to your last, waiting in my draft folder...

You can't lie. If you have two children, and lie to one and not the other, what will that say? It is far better to encourage kids to live their life to the fullest, and to make sure they enjoy it, because it's all they're getting.

"Childhood's over the moment you know you're gonna die" - Top Dollar, The Crow

enable me get this straight away,you're asking questions of atheists and complaining as quickly as we answer? might a while not be greater valuable spent complaining with reference to the non secular not answering once you ask questions of them? faith is backwards. i think of eighteen is your lot greater or much less