Kerry Packer, the famous Australian media owner , in October 1990 suffered a near-fatal heart attack during the Australian Open polo championships in Sydney. He was clinically dead for six minutes before being revived by ambulance officers. Typically, he went on to buy portable defibrillators - which quickly became known as Packerwhackers - for every ambulance in New South Wales. His charitable gifts were usually as generous as they were anonymous, and the episode gave rise to the most quoted of his rare public remarks, when he told an interviewer: "Son, I've been to the other side, and let me tell you, there's nothing there."

As a child I was told (indoctrinated) about god, heaven, hell, good and bad. Eventually some of the bad became good, which caused me to challenge the rest of the story. Fortunately, I questioned (battled) everything that had to do with god, religion, church... if not out loud, loud enough and often enough to be not have too many teachers, mostly clergy, in my corner, (their loss). I only wish I found the salvation of athiesm fifty or more years ago.
Seems those bastards have an infinite supply of carrots, carts and pullers.

I have always thought that religion supplies simple answers to complex questions. Afterlife is the "reward" for all the nonsense you put up with during your life.

Afterlife and paradise represent the carrot on the stick dangled in front of the jackass pulling the cart. It is indeed fortunate for the church that they have a sufficient supply of carrots for all the jackasses willing to pull the cart for a reward.

Having gotten my sarcasm out of the way, no one wants to die. Well, the greater majority do not want to die. Not because of dying but because of not being. That is a hard thing for most to wrap their little brains around. All they've ever known is being -- existing -- and they just can't imagine not existing. Death has to be a transition to something else. What better something else than eternal bliss with no pain, no stress, no.... Also, what better control device than hell if you don't pull that cart. Who would want to go through their transition (death) to wind up in eternal suffering and torment? So they pull the cart, straining for that carrot.

I like the questions: What was it like before you were born? Do you remember that? Were you happy before you were born? Of course these questions fall on deaf ears to the sheeple who have been thoroughly conditioned. They know what it was like before they were born just like they know what it will be like after they 'pass on to the other side'. They even find it difficult to say the word die. "Herbert went home to the lord last week." "She's in a better place now." "Dennis passed away."

Granted, almost everyone would like to die peacefully, painlessly, quickly, and in their sleep. Very few want to be in pain -- to suffer. That's natural enough. I know I don't. But the idea that they can't even bring themselves to say that so-and-so died yesterday instead of using a dozen different euphemisms is incredible.

Had some idiot tell me well there is air and you can't see that so does that exist. I said dumb ass if it is cold out side and you breathe what do you think that is. They were trying to make the correlation . Thought to my self if you jump off a building and gravity were to pull you to a sudden stop would that exist.

In life's grand scheme thing of events, just really does it matter to you what they believe? If they are living and die old, they died happily. Perhaps you think they may be right and you will die miserably. It is of no concern of how we die, but of a very grave concern about home we we may or may not go to after we die. (sorry about messing that up)

'cause they don't believe that. They think, as I did once, that heaven will be a wonderful place. Streets of gold, houses of crystal and God will be the Sun; they will sing like angels and laugh all day. And if doing that now sounds boring is because they are still in this corrupt flesh.

I believe in a possibility of some way of afterlife or whatever form we don't understand at this moment because is not of our business. Until we progress or regress to the other side without the need of god because all we can say right now is simply. No proof of god.. outside of that nobody I know had comeback from the dead to tell us... hey bro... there is nothing to see in the other side so I came back. I am content with a godless afterlife just like here... funny thing will be that there is no god on this plane... and there is a god of some kind in the next plane. And once we move to the next one there is no god again. I don't discard anything of being possible. I will have no problem with godless afterlife. I need no heaven or hell... that is for the god worshippers... afterlife could be something else we don't understand at this moment. I don't accept god to be a requirement of an afterlife.

I think it is partly brainwashing, and partly wanting to believe something will be better in your life. Yes, when you look at religions rationally, god is really a mean freak.