Common Sense Atheism on Quora
"What is it that keeps atheists going on in their life?"
"What an odd question!
"As an atheist, I accept that this life is all I have, and once I die I will simply cease to exist. And that’s exactly what keeps me going on in my life! I don’t believe in any sort of afterlife or heavenly reward, so I know I need to enjoy my time here on earth as much and for as long as possible. Every second is precious to me.
"I think a better question is what keeps theists going on in their life? If they “know” that the next world is going to be so much better than this one and that this life is nothing but a blink of an eye compared to the glorious eternity that awaits them, why not simply get this life over with in a hurry? After all, there’s absolutely nothing whatsoever in the Bible prohibiting suicide, is there? Seriously, what’s keeping you here in this miserable existence separated from the God you love so much?
"[OK, so I’m being sarcastic here and don’t honestly think theists should commit suicide. But, come on — what a truly stupid question!]"
No there is I think nothing in the Bible about suicide, I think, (could be wrong). But it does forbid killing. "Thou shalt not kill." Which the church has always interpreted as including, 'self murder', which was always seen as the worst sin, which barred a suicide from heaven forever. Almost certainly that is because the church foresaw the problem you raised long ago, and thought that too many people rushing to heaven, could perhaps be bad for the takings on Sunday.
However in the Islamic faith, there do seem to be a few suicide bombers etc. who want to get at those virgins. Though that is, perhaps, a bad reading of the promises made about those who 'fight' for the faith, since it is questionable if suicide bombing is really fighting. So it is worth pointing out, that the prophet and the first caliphs, were warriors who fought face to face with soldiers armed almost exactly like them with swords and shields, and that is no doubt the kind of fighting referred to in their writings. Maybe though, since logic and evidence don't mean much to the religious, the difference between that sort of fighting and bombing unarmed civilians and children, will be lost on the fundamentalists.
And if that all seems pedantic, it is not, I am being sarcastic too.
The literal translation of the commandment is "You shall do no murder" and that specifically applies to "people" who under Hebrew law are other Jews. Gentiles are not people, they are human, but are not people, which is why it is okay to kill them in wars. (The book of Maccabees in the Catholic Douay Rheims bible discusses this at some depth)
Therefore as a gentile committing suicide is not forbidden, only if you are one of the chosen people can you self murder.
@LenHazell53 Yes well of course that is the great gift, of the O. T. especially, to the churches, since they can cherry pick what they want from the O.T. drop what they don't want, and use the difference between Jews and Gentiles to explain the cherry picking. It is the old case of, make it up as you go along to suit yourself, but still claim that your beliefs are given to you with the absolute authority of an all seeing god. ( Which the original Jews did not believe in anyway.)
"What is it that keeps atheists going on in their life?"
Well speaking for myself it is a mix of family, education, Diet A&W root beer (that I have to import), chicken curry, fried rice and watching cartoons late at night.