One thing I've always thought paramount to most of world's major religions, or likely of all religions, is the notion of afterlife (whether it's heaven/earth, after world, reincarnation...etc).

This is only an opinion of course, but it seems to me most religious teachings are based on what to do to prepare for a favorable life after death (althought Christianity is more obvious than others). There are morals, principles, and such to be included in religious teachings, but without the concept of afterlife and the possibilities to obtain a more favorable one, I believe most religions would never have gotten established.

This topic is to ask for your opinions on this, and also to ask u to imagine what you would do if right at the moment you die, you would cease to exist (no afterlife, no wondering around as a spirit, nothing like that, you simply become ashes and cease to exist).

I've believed that ever since I became an atheist, and it doesn't bother me at all. It was tough when I was a Christian™ just converting to atheism and I realized: "This is it. Nothing more." Going from the candy-coated Christian heaven view to the cold, scientific atheist view took some guts when I was just converting, but now it doesn't bother me at all.

"This topic is to ask for your opinions on this, and also to ask u to imagine what you would do if right at the moment you die, you would cease to exist (no afterlife, no wondering around as a spirit, nothing like that, you simply become ashes and cease to exist)."

what would i do? i wouldn't do anything. i'd be dead. duh.

I think this is a good question. I feel that ceasing to exist when you die is an impossibility because we ARE here for some reason and I feel very confident that at death all these types questions will be answered in one form or another. But if what you are saying did happen to me i would have to agree with Sputnik

what would i do? i wouldn't do anything. i'd be dead. duh.

Clarification:

I was asking to see how it would alter your actions/plans while you are alive. For example would you be more focused on doing things with more immediate consequences rather than doing things that are "investment" for after you die? Would you be more depressed or happier? Would you still choose a religion if you are currently religious? Maybe you won't live or see things differently (for example you are already an athiest)?

Originally posted by BorgHunter
I've believed that ever since I became an atheist, and it doesn't bother me at all. It was tough when I was a Christian™ just converting to atheism and I realized: "This is it. Nothing more." Going from the candy-coated Christian heaven view to the cold, scientific atheist view took some guts when I was just converting, but now it doesn't bother me at all. Well i made a statement in another post i made where i asked where would we be without religion. In it, i stated that without religion in this world, there would be total chaos. So if i believed that at the time of my death that there was nothing, what reason would i have to abstain from every dark desire i have ever had? IMO there would be no reason at all.

Borg i mean no offense with my next comment but im sure you will think i do. I dont think there is any way that a 15 year old could even begin to understand their mortality unless they themselves have ever had a life threatening illness/accident and seen how fragile we all are. So when you say "it doesnt bother me at all", i believe that is only becuase you dont know any better. Of course you may have experiences in your life that would make me mistaken.

what reason would i have to abstain from every dark desire i have ever had

I just want to point out that actually, even if there is no afterlife, rationally you would (I would, anyway) still abstain from those dark desires whose bad consequences happen *before* you die. For example commit rape, murder, etc and you will get punished by the government.

Originally posted by Dio Seijuro
I just want to point out that actually, even if there is no afterlife, rationally you would (I would, anyway) still abstain from those dark desires whose bad consequences happen *before* you die. For example commit rape, murder, etc and you will get punished by the government. If you're caught. Not every murder is solved. Hardly every rapist is brought to justice. Besides, if no one believed in God then there would be many more crimes commited. Who is to say that an even lesser percentage would be solved. As i said, it would be chaos, IMO.

In my opinion there is no such thing as life after death. Humans are like any other animal...we are born, live then die...end of story. I try to be kind and do the right thing in life because it makes my life better in the long run. I don't think crime would increase if there were no religion because mans law still dictates and prosecutes those who disobey it.

Well said Biochemgirl

Take a look at a pack of wolves they don't know about religion(atleast not the way we do). They still form a working group, that fends and takes care of each other. Humans are of course smarter then animals, so for the most part we treat others like we would want to be treated. I do believe religion has helped some but I still think we could function without it. Of course we still would have our government and laws, which are what keep us inline now.

Originally posted by HaVoK
Well i made a statement in another post i made where i asked where would we be without religion. In it, i stated that without religion in this world, there would be total chaos. So if i believed that at the time of my death that there was nothing, what reason would i have to abstain from every dark desire i have ever had? IMO there would be no reason at all.
Therein lies the difference between a good person who cares about other people and a selfish one who is in Christianity and follows its tenets just so you can get into heaven. I consider myself a good person: I don't steal, rarely lie, don't hurt anyone intentionally, etc., and I'm an atheist.
Originally posted by HaVoK
Borg i mean no offense with my next comment but im sure you will think i do. I dont think there is any way that a 15 year old could even begin to understand their mortality unless they themselves have ever had a life threatening illness/accident and seen how fragile we all are. So when you say "it doesnt bother me at all", i believe that is only becuase you dont know any better. Of course you may have experiences in your life that would make me mistaken.
My mom died a mere 6 months ago. Very suddenly. I consider that a pretty significant experience. I won't argue whether the average 15-year-old could understand, as I would agree that my peers are pretty stupid and immature.

In answer... If I knew without a shadow of doulbt that there was nothing after death I would live as I live now. I try not to make ripples in another persons pond.

Having been born in the first half of the last century I have experienced many things as the years went by. I have went from Christianity to athiest to where I am now. I believe a conciousness passes to another plane of existance. Not the thinking mind but a level of awareness that is seperate. No thoughts of this life. Certain things that have happened to me personally,of which I will not get into here, have given me this belief that will never be altered to the day I die.

I do not try to change your beliefs,this is up to the individual.
I do not agree with most of mans religions they tend to cause problems with those in disagreement of a particular belief.

Just be wary of the guy that tells you to send money to god and gives you his p.o.box.:)

Well ill just leave you all to your idealistic little world where without the belief in God you all sit around the fire singing camp songs and living a perfect existence. You people are cracked if you think that the world would be a better place without christianity.

Originally posted by HaVok
Well ill just leave you all to your idealistic little world where without the belief in God you all sit around the fire singing camp songs and living a perfect existence.

How is not believing in God/Christianity any more idealistic than believing in them? I don't live a perfect existence and I don’t think any Christian can say they do.

Originally posted by HaVok
You people are cracked if you think that the world would be a better place without christianity.

Do you honestly think the world is just peachy with Christianity? If so, are you sure your not the one sitting around the camp fire singing Kum Ba Ya? Humans have basic needs that must be met for them to live a peaceful life. Have you ever heard of Abraham Maslow? He suggested that after acquiring biological/physiological homeostasis, the next need is safety. People have an ingrained need/want to be safe. It's huge in the marketing industry. How many things do you do each day to keep yourself, your family and belongings safe? Way back before Christianity even existed Mr. Caveman guarded his territory from other individuals who might take his possessions. Would you as a Christian simply say "Oh, I don't need to lock my house today because I live in a Christian based world. God will protect me and anything bad that may happen to me or my loved ones is all part of God's plan.”? My point is people want security, law and order and it didn't take the invention of a religion to make it instinctual.

How much has that changed with the advent of Christianity? Not much that I see...if anything it has made it worse. So much bloodshed and misery has come from fighting in the name of God. I just don't understand how that is any better than not having a God in the first place.:confused:

Originally posted by Dan Fussell
Just be wary of the guy that tells you to send money to god and gives you his p.o.box.:)

That reminds me of a joke. There are these 2 priest, and after their service they bring their money back to their office. The one priest dumps is money on the table and starts counting it and placing it neatly into piles. The other priest takes is bag of money and throws it into the air. Priest #1 says "what the heck are you doing?" priest #2 says "I throw the money into the air and figure God will catch what he needs, the rest is mine" :)

Originally posted by HaVoK
Well ill just leave you all to your idealistic little world where without the belief in God you all sit around the fire singing camp songs and living a perfect existence. You people are cracked if you think that the world would be a better place without christianity.

Havok that is a pretty rough statement, the indians, red heads in Salem, celtic people of Ireland all would have had a better world without Christianity. Lets face facts Christians of long ago did some bad crap in the name of God. I relize that Christians are not like this anymore, but to say Christians of yesteryear were peacefull, is nutz. Of course I am talking about people and not the religion, but it still went hand in hand.

What would the world be like if Christianity never came along? What would be going on if only the pagan religions were around? Lets not forget humans have been around for along time, and Christianity didn't come around until AD, how did those folks live without the teachings of the Bible?

Originally posted by mad dog
Havok that is a pretty rough statement, the indians, red heads in Salem, celtic people of Ireland all would have had a better world without Christianity. Lets face facts Christians of long ago did some bad crap in the name of God. I relize that Christians are not like this anymore, but to say Christians of yesteryear were peacefull, is nutz. Of course I am talking about people and not the religion, but it still went hand in hand.

What would the world be like if Christianity never came along? What would be going on if only the pagan religions were around? Lets not forget humans have been around for along time, and Christianity didn't come around until AD, how did those folks live without the teachings of the Bible? Actually Mad Dog, when i said belief in God, i am not vain enough to think that because i am a christian that christianity is the only religion. I just got tired of borgs little rants about christians in general. I know literally hundreds of christians on a personal level and i dont think many of them would knowingly do an unchristian thing. Yes, as in every facet of life, there are christians out there that are hypocrites and do not practice the religion that they profess to follow. (example would be Mopolotan) But, as i said, most of the christians i have met are god loving people who try to live a productive, loving life. And for anyone here who cannot accept that the majority of christians are like that, then debate with me on this subject is pointless.

Read my rant in Church Background yet, Havok?

Originally posted by BorgHunter
Read my rant in Church Background yet, Havok? No, should I? Its probably no different than the garbage you spew on any other religious thread.

Originally posted by HaVoK
No, should I? Its probably no different than the garbage you spew on any other religious thread.
Read it before you shoot your mouth off about how horrible it is. Jeez, won't even give me a single break...

Originally posted by BorgHunter
Read it before you shoot your mouth off about how horrible it is. Jeez, won't even give me a single break... Errrrrr.........to quote the famous Homer: "Doh".:o I guess an apology is in order. I apologize.

Originally posted by HaVoK
Errrrrr.........to quote the famous Homer: "Doh".:o I guess an apology is in order. I apologize.
Thank you. Apology accepted. :)

Originally posted by HaVoK
I know literally hundreds of christians on a personal level and i dont think many of them would knowingly do an unchristian thing. Yes, as in every facet of life, there are christians out there that are hypocrites and do not practice the religion that they profess to follow. most of the christians i have met are god loving people who try to live a productive, loving life. And for anyone here who cannot accept that the majority of christians are like that, then debate with me on this subject is pointless.

I agree I know more good folks then bad :) , but I have met a few that are off the wall, and have actually even threatened me and others that don't think like them. I quess that is what makes life interesting :)

Originally posted by HaVoK
Borg i mean no offense with my next comment but im sure you will think i do. I dont think there is any way that a 15 year old could even begin to understand their mortality unless they themselves have ever had a life threatening illness/accident and seen how fragile we all are. So when you say "it doesnt bother me at all", i believe that is only becuase you dont know any better. Of course you may have experiences in your life that would make me mistaken.

it doesn't matter how long you've been alive. it matters what you've done with that time and what you've observed.

Sputnik

When you get older you will have a different understanding. When I was 18 I thought I knew everything, WOW was I wrong, every passing day teaches us something new. The world goes through changes and unless you have lived through those changes then you only know what you have read about, BIG difference. I still remember in 86 when the ship exploded and how everyone cried and what big news it was. Schools stopped and had the kids watch, businesses stopped, etc... Today is too busy to stop and see what is happening, tomorrow may stop all together. Life does not come from a book it comes from living, books are great, but they are not anything like the actual event.

did i ever say anything about books? you can learn quite a lot in fourteen or fifteen years if you look hard at the world around you. then again there are people in thier thirties and forties and fifties who never bother to look past their own noses.

i'm not claiming to know everything or even a lot. but just because a person is in their teens doesn't mean that by route they must be less intelligent than everyone who is older.

Sorry Sputnik I did not mean anything bad about my post. You do seem do be very intelligent. Think of it this way, when you are 90 and some 12-16 year old comes up to you and start's talking about the twin towers like they know more then yourself. I will bet you will say LISTEN SONNY I was alive back then and lived threw the deal. See my point, I was not saying you are stupid actually I feel you are the oppisite. All I was saying is experience is what gives knowledge. You are also correct when you say their are 30-40-50-60-70-etc.. year olds that don't have a clue, just look at hollywood.

Originally posted by HaVoK
If you're caught. Not every murder is solved. Hardly every rapist is brought to justice.

What stops most people is the simple logic 'treat others as you would have them treat you'. If there is or is not an afterlife, people have morals and ethics. I have heard people say that religion is why we have morals, but there are obviously some atheists with morals and there are obviously some priests without them.

It is hard for people to believe that there is nothing after you die, when you've heard that by following this religion you can go to this place and live forever in complete happiness. But realistically it cannot happen. Your brain is where you think, where you understand things and where you feel emotions, pain, love ect...
When your brain is no longer functioning, then you will not feel these things. You will not think anymore, you are gone forever and you as a person will never live again. It is bleak but it is true.

NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooo

Your brain is where you think, where you understand things and where you feel emotions, pain, love ect...

WindWip, I believe you're talking about the mind; there is a difference. The brain is merely the hardware that the mind uses. Think of the mind as a form of sentient algorithm that gives the brain instructions for higher level thinking. From what we know about the brain so far, it seems that the human brain far out-performs those of animals with brains of comparable size, so I cannot say that the brain by itself is responsible for all the remarkable achievements of the human mind.

But I do agree with your idea of death...

Originally posted by BorgHunter

My mom died a mere 6 months ago. Very suddenly. I consider that a pretty significant experience. [/B]

I am sorry your momma died....I hope your ok...
Respect...

Then what's the reason for life...if it ends at death...?

As far as life after death...I think this life would be pretty vain..and useless to live if there's no reason for it...

You live..you die..that's it...game over...?

I can't see it...there has to be more...

Originally posted by Imp
You live..you die..that's it...game over...?

I can't see it...there has to be more...

There is more, you rot then the worms come and eat you.

I do believe there is more then just our shell, the shell dies but the spirit, soul, life force, goes on.

Imp, look at each day as a new learning experience. Find something enjoyable each day. Adversity is as much a learning as everything going your way.
Enjoy life to its fullest and when you die you will have a strong spirit remaining.

Those that live a life of gloom and dispair will not be as content in spirit after death.
These people will have a difficulty in realizing the transition has occured.

Look forward to a wonderment.

Seperate mans religions from any beliefs you have. Some religions are merely opinions as on this forum. Especially beware of any religion that would pit one person against another or thrive off guilty feelings.

Be happy :D

I am trying to see the good in life...it gets difficult to see thru all the pain and suffering in this world..and catch a ray of hope and happiness...

On a small scale..like just my life..it is getting better...internal peace is bliss..although rare...

I don't have any religious upbringing in me...I've heard and read alot from different religious circles...but try to hold nothing as a truth...

But after life..your spirit lives right MD...?

I believe in transending...your spirit being able to leave your body at your command..thru practice of course...astro projection...

Soo...

You think in death...it will be the same...? Like you astro projected and just stayed out of your body...

But then what...? just a different realm of existence...?

If yes...then there has to be a purpose for it...a goal to obtain...

If no..then what's the sense....

"You live..you die..that's it...game over...?

I can't see it...there has to be more..."

why?

Originally posted by sputnik
"You live..you die..that's it...game over...?

I can't see it...there has to be more..."

why?

If there isn't...then your life is in vain...

Originally posted by Imp
If there isn't...then your life is in vain...
That's something that many people find hard to accept, which is part of why religion first came around. (It first started with just people trying to explain the unexplainable, like lightning and volcano eruptions.) I, for one, accept that there's a distinct possibility that there's nothing more after death. Many people can't accept that, but that's okay.

There are times I hope I'm wrong about my religious beliefs. :(

Originally posted by Imp
If there isn't...then your life is in vain...

Perhaps that's true, but only if you look at life as a kind of trial to go through on your way to something better. To have any hope of understanding what happens to us when we die, we must first have some notion of where were before we were alive, and some concept of what it means to be "alive". I think it's these questions which are the sustaining force behind most religions today.

These unanswered questions keep begging for answers, and people accept one set of answers or another proffered by the various religions, depending on their own personality or upbringing. Or perhaps they choose their own set of answers to these questions. It is the depth of belief in these answers that determines how well-adjusted an individual is in relation to there belief system. In my opinion, angry, prosylitizing persons are insecure about their beliefs and are, at least subconciously, still searching for that inner peace that comes with accepting one set of answers or another.

The search for these answers is a very personal one, and indeed it may be that search which defines us as a species. Don't let anyone convince you that they "know" the answers to these questions because nobody does, and recognize that the people who claim to have the answers for you, are the ones who are most desperately searching themselves.

Originally posted by BorgHunter
I, for one, accept that there's a distinct possibility that there's nothing more after death. Many people can't accept that, but that's okay.

There are times I hope I'm wrong about my religious beliefs. :( [/B]


Borg...I can't accept that death is the end...

I don't know 'God'..and I can't qoute scriptures or parables or stories to you about it...

But I know me...and I believe the life force inside me...my spirit...is just a spirit trapped in a human body for now...I need this flesh to exist here on this earth..to be able to touch..feel...etc...in this realm...

My flesh will go back to its original place..in time...

I think my spirit will be set free from this earthly vessel...I think a spirit is eternal...it will live forever...somehow...some where...

Maybe just another realm...I don't know...

Life has given me too many experiences to believe death is the end...

To see a newborn baby actually pushed from its mother in labor..and enter this world dead...then brought to life...it makes you wonder where that spirit came from...to fill that body...

To astro project...to be in your spirit form..and look down on your earthly body...that still lives but don't move because your not there to move it...

Dejavu is some freaky shit...
I'm so not sure..and don't claim to have any answers..I'm looking too...but if I were to believe that death is THE end..then my life is not worth living...it would be fruitless and null and void...it would have absolutely NO meaning at all...it wouldn't matter if I..or anyone..was alive or dead then...it simply wouldn't matter...

It HAS to matter...it has to be a step...it has to be a place where we learn and grow...and prepare ourselfs somehow for the next realm...

Just my thoughts....

Originally posted by BorgHunter
That's something that many people find hard to accept, which is part of why religion first came around. (It first started with just people trying to explain the unexplainable, like lightning and volcano eruptions.) I, for one, accept that there's a distinct possibility that there's nothing more after death. Many people can't accept that, but that's okay.

There are times I hope I'm wrong about my religious beliefs. :( There are times you hope you are wrong about your views on death? Hell, if i had that outlook i would hope all the time i was wrong.

Dont get me wrong, i respect and accept the fact that they are your beliefs, but doesnt it make you depressed sometimes to feel that there is nothing after you die? I think more along the lines as IMP does. If there is nothing after this life, then what is the use. For the most part, life can be summed up as a timeline upon which everything you love is taken from you at some point,IMO. If im not auditioning for the main event, where this is no loss and everything is love, whats the use?

Im feeling a little melancholy today, so if i seem a little over dramatic, please excuse me.

sometimes the truth and what makes you happy are two different things. of course none of us knows what happens after you die, only the dead can tell us that. but we can't totally rule out that we may just die and that's it just because it's not what we would like to believe.

Then let's ask those who've died...

15 year old boy... (http://www.wirenot.net/X/Stories/nde/NDE%2000-G/broughtbackfromthedead.shtml)

8 year olds experience of death... (http://www.beyondindigo.com/articles/article.php/artID/165)

I was going to get alot of links..but check it out yourself...you'd be surprised...

There are so many stories...from all kinds of people..religious and not religious...young and old..different races and life experiences...

that all talk about a bright light..or looking into another world...some call it heaven...others say there were screams..and darkness...nevertheless...they were in their spirit...

none came back without telling a story of beyond...of a life after death...

I'd not feel depressed at all if there is nothing after death.

Imp

I do believe you are correct in your thoughts, but who really knows???????????the dead of course.

Now you say life isn't worth living but then you turn around and talk about a birth? Doesn't it make it worth living when you do see miracles like a birth, etc...? I also believe you are correct when you talk about the spirit moving on to the next course. There are millions of things that we as humans know NOTHING about. Does something mean it is not true, if we know nothing about it?

I have met a person that was dead twice(bad heart) one time he was gone for 4+ minutes. He has NO doubt in his mind that there is something after the body is gone. Too many people have talked about seeing themselfs lying dead, or looking at things while being outside of their body(that they would not have been able to see while in their body).

Originally posted by mad dog
Now you say life isn't worth living but then you turn around and talk about a birth? Doesn't it make it worth living when you do see miracles like a birth, etc...?

Seeing a miracle of birth....is amazing...4 in a room then 5...

It was a sight to behold...and an honor to see...and I am glad for the experience...

But..if I were to tell that same baby...years down the road..that it's life means nothing...it will just go to dust and cease or any part of it to exist after death....then my heart would be truly sad...

And that alone would rob me of my joy of a miracle of life....it would seem better to not even be born...then to have your whole life mean nothing in the end...

What happens when that baby grows and gets to see the miracle of birth. I think you are looking only at bad not the whole picture. Wouldn't it be better to have lived and experienced, then to not have lived at all? You need to stop looking for all the negatives, and start looking at all the positives.

Imp:

So miracles are important to you. Also, I see that you feel if there is nothing after we die, this life is not worth living. It's your idea of purpose and worthiness, and it's fine. But here is how I see life: today, what I care about the most, is whether I'll eat a good meal tonight, whether my girlfriend and I will spend a good Valentine's Day together soon, whether I'll have time reading my favorite manga or watching a movie after I finished an important project tonight, whether I should go workout or play basketball to stay fit, whether I win the basketball game if I go, whether I look good in black, whether I should enhance my classic rock knowledge. You see, what happens after I die has no place in my everyday concerns. My everyday happiness comes from being able to have obtained what I wanted or done what I wished to be done, or from pleasant surprise like a gift from somebody or finding a new cool website. Most importantly, it comes from making decisions for myself, planning things, and doing what I enjoy doing more than doing what I don't enjoy doing. And my ultimate happiness is putting these everyday happinesses together. It's not some transcendental stuff like the next life or heaven/hell. If there is no afterlife, I'm still perfectly happy. :cool:

just becasue nothing spiritual happens to us fater we die doesn;t mean that we dissapear. if you affect people in your lifetime, there's no reason to believe in an afterlife. so what if we die? there are poeple to remember us, and hopefully, an impact we've made on someone. it's useless speding your whole life wrrying about what happens when you die, it's better to enjoy what we have now and just live our lives instead of getting caught up in things that will jsut bog us down and keep us from making the most of the life we do have.

Dio that was like a philosopher or something. You make a good point about life, it's for living and it's for happiness.

Originally posted by WindWip
Dio that was like a philosopher or something. You make a good point about life, it's for living and it's for happiness.

There are many good thoughts here...alot to think about...

Just a question Dio...

In your everyday life...do you plan for your future...and wonder what it will be....?

In the same token...we are dead longer then alive..**funny that..**
Wouldn't you plan somehow to prepare for it...?

If I think it is a spirit world after...wouldn't it make sense to prepare my spirit...to age and mature it in every way I could while alive....?

And say...there is NO life after...then I've lost nothing...

But if there is and I didn't prepared...I lost everything...

Imp:

Of course I look forward to the future. As I mentioned, one of the joys in life is making decisions and planning. The thing is, I am certain tomorrow will come, next year will come, and the year after that. I know this. But what comes after death I can only believe, presume, or imagine. I do not know. So it does not concern me as much. I am completely open to the possibilities of miracles, reincarnations, and such things, but since I can only presume, I am perfectly fine with them all being false presumption and that there is nothing after life. After all, that's also a presumption--a scientific one.

live for the present, live in the now, don't worry about the next, death will come that is the only guarantee that comes with life.

some of yall say some crazy stuff that dont make any sense and u know it doesnt make any sense but u say it anyway. Cause u dont know what going on. Let me ask everybody this if u were to die do u know fo sho where u going? I do, i beileve there is a God and i believe that i am going to heaven, but if there is no God and there is no afterlife then i wont be dissapointed because, i dont have to do crazy things or eat certian things or celebrate certiain things. As long as i accept jesus christ as my personal Lord and Savior then i know that i will go to heaven no matter what happens. Nobody can take that away. So yes there may be rules in the bible but those rules are almost the same as the law. Dont steal or kill and etc. So im not worry bout anything cause i know what going to happen

Originally posted by joejoe281
Let me ask everybody this if u were to die do u know fo sho where u going?

I know the same as you.........NOTHING!!! about death. I have my beliefs just has you have yours but neither one of us has any proof, or solid evidence.

Regardless if somebody thought life was pointless or not. The prime psychological force that moves us is the need for survival. Let's see, Maslow's higharchy of needs, first is phisiological, the need to eat, breath and such, then safty, then love, then esteem, and then self-actualization. "God" comes at the last one. Let's think of it this way, if a person is starving, and will die if s/he doesn't eat in a day, which do you think s/he is thinking about, finding something to eat, or what life after death is like? The argument that people will go crazy if they thought there was nothing after this life that they would have to live up to is, frankly, crazy. Any organism's first care is survival.

maybe they're thinking about the next life while they're picking apples :D