# Annihiliationism? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 22, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591 "2011-08-22T00:48:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/1 "2011-08-22T00:48:53Z")
Annihilationism is the belief that in the afterlife non-Christians’ souls are simply destroyed rather than punished in Hell forever. Do you think the idea is more tolerable-after all for atheists its no worse than what you’ve expected. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/2 "2011-08-22T00:54:57Z")
One problem is that annihilationism is often put in the context of a Great Judgement. i.e., I am hauled in front of God, who frowns upon me, pronounces his fury, while I wail and weep, and THEN he annihilates me. Whole lot of drama… Little purpose. Skip the judgement thing, and, yeah, I’m fine. It is, as you say, exactly what I expect anyway. Trinopus (All the unnecessary drama is one of my prinicple _philosophical_ griefs with Christianity. Why beget a son, sacrifice him, raise him again, etc.? All that effort, when, God, being omnipotent, could simply have issued a writ.) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/3 "2011-08-22T00:57:16Z")
I think most atheists couldn’t give a shit how you contort your religious beliefs. Knock yourself out. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/4 "2011-08-22T00:59:46Z")
This is actually what I believed when I was a Christian. Now that I’m an atheist it’s what I think happens to everyone anyway. Utter destruction seems better than a literal eternity of suffering in my humble opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/5 "2011-08-22T01:02:30Z")
Actually, I don’t believe in Annihilationism, Hell, Heaven or an afterlife or so really it doesn’t impact me one way or another. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/6 "2011-08-22T01:05:06Z")
I thought annihilationism was the Zotlist doctrine that says that anyone who worships any deity except the Mighty Zotl-Xa will be destroyed in the afterlife. The only ones who will be saved are devout Zotlists and, of course, the atheists who never offended the Mighty Zotl-Xa by false worship. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/7 "2011-08-22T01:07:48Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Annihilationism is the belief that in the afterlife non-Christians’ souls are simply destroyed rather than punished in Hell forever. Do you think the idea is more tolerable-after all for atheists its no worse than what you’ve expected. Since all the real world facts and all the logic are _still_ on the side of the atheists, no. It just means that your god is saving people for being gullible and killing the rationalists. It’s like decanting people from the Matrix and then shooting them in the face because they didn’t recognize they were in a simulation. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/8 "2011-08-22T01:07:55Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Annihilationism is the belief that in the afterlife non-Christians’ souls are simply destroyed rather than punished in Hell forever. Do you think the idea is more tolerable-after all for atheists its no worse than what you’ve expected. I believe you are a pony. How does that affect you? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/9 "2011-08-22T01:11:17Z")
> [@sh1bu1](#): > > I believe you are a pony. How does that affect you? He’ll have to worship Princess Celestia instead of Jehovah? ---
**Author:** ![medicated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@medicated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medicated)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/10 "2011-08-22T01:31:10Z")
Stikes me as rather like listening to an argument about whether Superman could beat Batman in a fair fight. It might be diverting for a time, but eventually the inanity gets to me, and I’ll go back to dealing with the real world and all the things that keep me busy therein. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/11 "2011-08-22T01:46:18Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Annihilationism is the belief that in the afterlife non-Christians’ souls are simply destroyed rather than punished in Hell forever. Do you think the idea is more tolerable-after all for atheists its no worse than what you’ve expected. More tolerable than what? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/12 "2011-08-22T01:47:30Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > He’ll have to worship Princess Celestia instead of Jehovah? When good ponies die, their souls go to Chincoteague. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/13 "2011-08-22T02:00:28Z")
> [@Sudden\_Kestrel](#): > > More tolerable than what? 😕 Than eternal conscious punishment. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/14 "2011-08-22T02:03:11Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Than eternal conscious punishment. It’s better to be executed than tortured forever, but both options demonstrate that the god you worship is an evil one. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/15 "2011-08-22T02:06:01Z")
It makes more sense if we do, as Christians tend to do, ascribe human qualities to God. If you were to conduct interviews for who you want to live with for all of eternity, you’d just choose the good applications from the stack and toss the others away. What would be the purpose in calling the bad applicants in and torturing them forever, if you were a loving and kind person? It wouldn’t make sense, correct? Punishment only makes sense if a person is given another chance to do better. So if Hell is a temporary situation…and a person’s soul is eventually released and allowed to try again, that makes sense. But an eternal hell does not make sense. Even when a person serves a life sentence in prison, they are allowed to recreate themselves there…to redeem themselves there. There is no redemption in Hell and that’s why it makes no sense to me as a form of punishment. It’s not punishment. It’s torture. If there is a Hell, that means God is not loving and kind. I cannot force myself to worship such a being, and it makes me not like the people who would believe those two things are compatible. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/16 "2011-08-22T02:15:32Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Than eternal conscious punishment. To an atheist this religious concept is as nonsensical as any other-not worth considering at all. Since you are prone to believe things like this, how do _you_ feel about it? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/17 "2011-08-22T07:13:09Z")
I think I’d prefer an eternity of punishment to what’s actually going to happen, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/18 "2011-08-22T10:35:23Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > To an atheist this religious concept is as nonsensical as any other-not worth considering at all. Since you are prone to believe things like this, how do _you_ feel about it? That’s also my take on it. I don’t give a flying duck what folks who’re into that old times religion believe us 'orrible sinners go or don’t go. Nor do I care one whit what others (religious, atheists, agnostics and blueberry puddings) think about my own opinion on the afterlife or lack thereof. What’s interesting is that \*you \*seem to care. Might want to ask yourself why that is ? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/19 "2011-08-22T11:07:36Z")
I’m okay with any and all of OP’s speculation of what happens in the afterlife. Just keep your religion from annoying me in here-and-now. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591/20 "2011-08-22T11:34:49Z")
It is a subset of the belief that you create your own destiny, including the afterlife. What you expect you will have. So if you belief in Annihiliationism that it what will happen. Sort of a spiritual suicide. The problem many people would have is that many believe there is always a way out of the circumstances you created, which true Annihiliationism would not allow. Is it more tolerable, yes, I would WAG very much so as it is consistent with the beliefs of atheism. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annihiliationism/593591.md?page=2)