Ask HN: Why do agnostics have children given afterlife uncertainty?
15 comments
What an utterly ridiculous question, one that could only come from the mind of an indoctrinated theist.
Why do theists have children when there's at least a 50% chance they'll burn in hell for eternity? Wouldn't it be safer just to not have kids and not take the chance?
I don't believe in an afterlife of any kind, so I raise my children to be good people and make the most of the one life they have.
Why do theists have children when there's at least a 50% chance they'll burn in hell for eternity? Wouldn't it be safer just to not have kids and not take the chance?
I don't believe in an afterlife of any kind, so I raise my children to be good people and make the most of the one life they have.
Agnosticism doesn't rule out the possibility of an afterlife though.
As for theists, they should worry about having children also as their children's afterlives might be bad.
But if having children is a requirement of the parents' belief system, then the parents would risk eternal torture themselves by not having children.
But if having children is a requirement of the parents' belief system, then the parents would risk eternal torture themselves by not having children.
I'm not sure what they would be "playing safe". At the core it seems that you view children as property or things you must direct and dictate and own their entire lives. That is very disturbing that you would view your children that way because that's not how I viewed my children.
I viewed my children when they were small as helpless little things that it is my job to teach so they can become a responsible independent adults. What they do with their life after they've matured to the point that they can take self responsibility and engage in self-determination is their business and not mine. They may do some things that I agree with and they may do some things I disagree with but regardless of what they do it is their actions and I feel zero responsibility for their outcomes because I know that I trained them to the best of my ability. Now with that training the choices they make in their life are their own.
Whether you are a theist an atheist or agnostic there is no denying that Western society was influenced heavily by Christianity. One of the core judeo-christian tenants is stated very clearly, a son will not bear the sins of his father and a father will not bear the sins of his son. I have visited much of the rest of the world where that is not the case. That seems like a horrible cultural injustice done to people to lock them into servitude or to place them above reproach simply because of the actions of their lineage.
I viewed my children when they were small as helpless little things that it is my job to teach so they can become a responsible independent adults. What they do with their life after they've matured to the point that they can take self responsibility and engage in self-determination is their business and not mine. They may do some things that I agree with and they may do some things I disagree with but regardless of what they do it is their actions and I feel zero responsibility for their outcomes because I know that I trained them to the best of my ability. Now with that training the choices they make in their life are their own.
Whether you are a theist an atheist or agnostic there is no denying that Western society was influenced heavily by Christianity. One of the core judeo-christian tenants is stated very clearly, a son will not bear the sins of his father and a father will not bear the sins of his son. I have visited much of the rest of the world where that is not the case. That seems like a horrible cultural injustice done to people to lock them into servitude or to place them above reproach simply because of the actions of their lineage.
Why should agnostics fear something we have no insight into and no way to measure? Maybe not having a kid will cause mean space aliens to suddenly appear and torture everybody just for fun. Maybe suddenly converting to a religion actually feeds mana to an evil deceptive god who will then have enough believers and power to institute an eternal afterlife of torture. Whoops. Maybe the afterlife is just one eternal playground-buffet-orgy-concert-Twister game that only gets better the more players you have in it and all the agonistics should be convincing everyone to have more kids, all the time.
Maybe it's just not a big concern with so many bigger issues to worry about in this life, like how to actually feed your kids and give them happiness and knowledge and wisdom and all that jazz, before they get anywhere near the afterlife. It's already a lot of work to raise them well for 18 years. Parents of any sort can't be responsible for their kids for all of what, five billion eternities. If there's an afterlife, well, I can only hope daycare costs are cheaper there.
Maybe it's just not a big concern with so many bigger issues to worry about in this life, like how to actually feed your kids and give them happiness and knowledge and wisdom and all that jazz, before they get anywhere near the afterlife. It's already a lot of work to raise them well for 18 years. Parents of any sort can't be responsible for their kids for all of what, five billion eternities. If there's an afterlife, well, I can only hope daycare costs are cheaper there.
> Wouldn't it be better for agnostics to play it safe and not have any children?
Why would you consider yourself even remotely qualified to comment on an agnostic's lifestyle and whether or not they are capable of raising children? It is entirely their decision, you are embarrassing yourself by trying to moralize their situation with your own logic.
People form their own opinions. You don't inherently have to believe in an afterlife to be agnostic of God, and you certainly don't have to fear damnation to raise kids.
Why would you consider yourself even remotely qualified to comment on an agnostic's lifestyle and whether or not they are capable of raising children? It is entirely their decision, you are embarrassing yourself by trying to moralize their situation with your own logic.
People form their own opinions. You don't inherently have to believe in an afterlife to be agnostic of God, and you certainly don't have to fear damnation to raise kids.
The issue is more about whether being agnostic is compatible with peace of mind about your children's afterlives.
I would wager that 95%+ of religious and nonreligious households are concerned more about their children's lives than their afterlives. If you want kids, fearing damnation isn't going to stop you (and if it does, lmao).
I'm not really thinking about afterlife as much as I'm thinking about passing on my genes... And I really shouldn't pass on my genes... If there's a possibility that my child has the same brain problems that I have then I'm basically committing a crime.
Not agnostic, but in a given world where there is no afterlife, life is still worth living and bringing into that world. "Play it safe" is for games and sports, life is for living.
Agnosticism doesn't rule out the possibility of an afterlife though.
I will correct my comment, I understand why you drew that conclusion from what I typed!
What if the prelife consists of eternal torture for everyone who has yet to live?
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No one knows what happens when we die. Everyone counts as “agnostic,” some people choose to delude themselves that they know for certain.
We have no evidence of an afterlife in the religious sense. We have entirely convincing evidence that reproducing passes on our genes, and that all life evolved with that singular goal baked into the process. Even if you reject all of that any religious tradition you choose will also have reproduction as an imperative.
We have no evidence of an afterlife in the religious sense. We have entirely convincing evidence that reproducing passes on our genes, and that all life evolved with that singular goal baked into the process. Even if you reject all of that any religious tradition you choose will also have reproduction as an imperative.
How could an agnostic rule out such a possibility and be confident that any children they have will not suffer this fate?
Wouldn't it be better for agnostics to play it safe and not have any children?