Why do we humans find a need to believe in life after death?

Question

I was just wondering, that's all. Because who's even to say that there IS life after death? I know there's nothing to say that there isn't but you know what I mean.

Answer 1

I personally don't - I have never feared death. I am always  amazed at the power people attribute to the transition and the depth of feeling on this issue that makes for such stories. I am fairly happy with all the possibilities mooted.

I think it might be because we have a strong attachment to  the idea of ourselves as separate entities and so are ego-led, But truthfully I find it quite incomprehensible to invent such a sword of damocles forever hovering over what is  a most natural process.

If you garden you see seeds coming up and plans dying without any need to believe in plant heaven as there are always more flowers. Insects have apparently been on earth  since the start of life and will be here resilient after our race has died out. But we don't usually cry tears over one butterfly or one pansy because there is more where they came from - same with us - still cant see the reason to  panic.

Answer 2

saying humans have a need to believe is kind of speculative. simply most of us do, including almost every major philosopher. its not really like life persay, rather existence.

Answer 3

I think it's because we cannot imagine not existing.  Just try it.  I'm often reminded of the colour grey, whenever I do it,  but even that's not there.  There's no vision, no sound, no feeling,  nothing.  

Answer 4

I believe its in our brain.  Like theres a place for language, math, emotions etc., there may be a place for religion, maybe something we have grown to have from all those years of religion being shoved down our tthroats.

Answer 5

It is a truth revealed to us by God. Jesus Christ gave us evidence of it by teaching about it during His lifetime & coming back from the grave to verify his credibility.

Answer 6

people want to believe in life after death 1 to make death a less scarey thing and 2 when someone close to us dies its makes it that bit easier to deal with.

Theres not proof either way but nice to believe in something

Answer 7

something to look forward to.. a fresh start

Answer 8

Coz we dont want to face that when we're gone we're gone!!!

Answer 9

...people believe what they want to believe and they leave the world with that thought in mind...its still no guarantee...of a afterlife...

Answer 10

we dont know if there is life after death. but its just some thing we try to believe in that gives us hope of an eternal life and makes us less afraid of death

Answer 11

Because we are unable to envision our own death. We feel so full of life, we can't believe that it ends when we die.

Answer 12

because we'd all like to be more than just passer_byers in thisworld.  

Answer 13

It makes death less scary.  We can't handle the idea of completely ceasing to exist.

Answer 14

You've got a whole load of answers that pretty much say the same thing as this. But still--

Its to give people hope i guess. And so people don't get scared by the thought of death.

I've always thought there is nothing after life, still do, we're just worm food..that thought used to scare me so much when i was younger. I believe the concept of 'after life' was created to give people hope, mainly childen, cause they cant handle the thought of nothingness. Not many people can.

Answer 15

I personally don't feel the need to believe in life after death.

However, I used to believe in reincarnation and I can just bout remember why I thought this.

I could not understand imagine a world that did not contain me, or how a human life could simply cease to exist. The notion seemed totally alien to me and so I dismissed it. I believed in reincarnation because I knew that the judeo/christian concept of heaven/h**l was false, and reincarnation seemed like the only alternative.

I now realise the arrogance of my former beliefs. I no longer have an anthropocentric view of the universe, and have replaced this view with a purely naturalistic worldview. There is no reason to beleive that we are anything else but our physical minds. As Dennett says: "we have a soul, but it's made of millions of tiny robots".

Answer 16

How do you know? Knowing how not to know. I know what I know.

Answer 17

It's a flase reward for abstaining from the task of thinking.  Which is a task and requires real effort.  If you abstain, your real life becomes rotten and an after life sounds pretty good!

Remmber always check your fundamental premisis!

  

Answer 18

Body dies, spirit remains. Believe.

Answer 19

we do not like the idea that everything we have done, learned and earned is all over.  but if we have children, they carry it all on, and if we don't, well the young people will carry it on for us,  Unless we die, there will be no room for them, if we didn't, we'd still have hitler and attilla the hun hanging around.  

Answer 20

no one really knows but it's comforting for people who have lost someone to hope they will be with their loved ones again.

Answer 21

I don't personally feel the need to believe in life after death. I am happy to face oblivion when my time comes.

By the way I think asking a question about life after death and then expecting the born again crowd not to chip in is a little optimistic.

Answer 22

its a way to cope with all the c**p life throws of you. you know, 'itll all be better in the long run'  it gives a point to life. some people would just lose it if they thought their life was pointless and there is nothing better than the c**p they have 2 deal with all the time

Answer 23

its a way for our brains to deal with the concept of not existing, but as we evolved it was a way for societies to be created. By believing you are accountable to to a higher being when you die, your actions whilst living are governed by moral codes