In general, Buddhism is a way of finding peace within oneself. It is a way of looking at life that helps us to find the happiness and contentment we seek. Buddhists develop inner peace, kindness and wisdom through their daily practice; and then share their experience with others bringing real benefit to this world. They try not to harm others and to live peacefully and gently, working towards the ultimate goal of pure and lasting happiness for all living beings. Suggested Link http://www.aboutbuddhism.org Some people don't understand how one can have spirituality without a belief in a god but the two do not need to be related. Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, is considered to be one of the most spiritual figures in human history. Buddha never expressed or supported a belief in a god. He even discouraged his followers from such speculation, preferring that they work on their salvation in this world. Spirituality is the sense of feeling connected to everything around us in a way that is beyond our human understandings. One can recognize the mystery and marvel of life, come to means with their own limitations and also seek to grow in a way that is beyond our physical limits without a belief in a god as used in the traditional sense. The difference between non-religious and the religious is that the non-religious feels no need to pretend to understand the mysteries of life and no need to create gods or religions to explain them. When a person accepts religious doctrine as absolute truth they stop questioning and stop searching for the actual truth. This limits how spiritual a person can be because the more we learn and know about nature and our surroundings the closer we are able to become with universe. Assuming the answers builds separation between yourself and the world but discovering the answers builds connection. Some may feel that learning how things work removes the possibility of spiritualism just as it can kill a good magic trick but this is not the case. Take evolutionary biology and genetics for example. Through new studies in these fields we have learned that all of life consists of the same 4 base pairs in our DNA and the only thing that makes us different is the order and combination of our DNA. We now know that humans are not separated from all other life as the Bible claims but rather that we are all connected sharing the same building blocks of life as apes, birds and even flowers. This connectedness towards everything is very similar to the ancient Japanese spiritual belief that all of life is weaved together by a single spiritual force.

The bottom line is that we don't know. Nobody knows because no one has ever come back from the dead. Unless a god personally comes up to you and tells you what is going to happen when you die, it all comes from another person who has no more special mental powers to tap into exclusive knowledge than you or I. All religions give their own various stories to explain a possible scenario but all of these tales have their origins in human imagination and myths. It is wrong to lie to ourselves for means of a false sense of comfort when it comes to this big question. We obviously know what happens to our physical body but no one knows if there is some supernatural magical land of the dead that our consciousness will reside at.

What do we know about death?

The only answer that has been solidly proven is that our bodies decompose and return to earth. Traditionally this is not the happiest answer but it depends on how you look at it. Everything is existence is a combination of the various molecules and elements that will continue to exist long after us. The elements that our body and mind consist of will form new objects and life. This is very similar to recantation but in the belief of recantation the human conscience is reborn in another single new life form. Based on what we know this is not the case. Rather, individual elements of us will be spread across to be part of the molecular build up of millions of various life forms and elements. What is important here is to think of life and existence as something much larger than just the limited human conception of it. We, as humans in this life, are a small part of the world around us, even if there is no "afterlife" this would only be it for our personal human consciousness, it is not it for the rest of the human race nor is it for the whole of existence that we and everything else are all a part of.

Although our consciousness may not be immortal, the impact of our actions during life can be.

Living like there is no afterlife

The important question is, why worry about an afterlife? One should only worry about this life that we are living right now and make the very best of it as if it is the only life we will ever have. If there is not an afterlife, as in there is no magical place our consciousness goes to after our bodies die, and if we wasted our one chance at human life by putting our lifes focus on the afterlife then that would be tremendously terrible. We are going to die and that is what makes us the lucky ones because most people will never get a chance to die since they will never be born. The number of people who could be here in our place outnumbers the sand grains of the Sahara. If you think about all the different ways our genes could have been permuted you and I are extremely lucky and privileged to be alive. As humans we are extra fortunate because we possess a very unique ability allowing us to make a real change in this world, something that would leave a positive impact which the world and help protect or improve the way of life for current and future generations. The important thing is to acknowledge that existence is far bigger than us and the limitations of our human consciousness. We, as humans in this life, are a small part of the world around us and have only been here for a fraction of the planet's existence. Even if there is no "afterlife" this would only be it for our personal human consciousness, it is not it for whole of existence that we and everything else are all a part of. The bottom line is that we shouldn't allow this life, the only thing anyone knows exists, to be wasted. Let's make the best of it and live it like it's the last.

What if you're wrong? (Pascal's Wager)

The common argument goes like this, "If one follows Christianity and it is wrong nothing happens when we die, but if it is right we get to go to heaven and avoid burning in hell. So why not just believe just in case?"

First off, belief is not something you can do based on policy. Either your mind is convinced or it is not and even if the Bible makes it clear that you can't just pretend to believe for the sakes of getting into heaven. With that being said Pascal's Wager serves absolutely no purpose but let's still tackle the "what if" scenario. There is much more to life and existence as whole than just our personal death and there is also a great deal of harm that comes from merely supporting Christianity. The point being, there is a lot to lose if one wastes their one chance at human existence by putting their life's focus on a false afterlife (Read the meaning of life below).

Life its self has no purpose, nor should it. Life is a window of time and an opportunity for us to do meaningful things and find a purpose. As Dan Barker put it, "there is indeed no purpose of life. There is purpose in life. If there were a purpose of life, then that would cheapen life and make us tools or slaves of someone else's purpose. Like a hammer that hangs on the garage wall waiting for someone to build something, if we humans were designed for a purpose then we would be subservient in the universe. Our value would not be in ourselves." As long as there are problems to be solved, hunger to lessen, illness to cure, pain to minimize or oppression to resist there is meaning in life. As long as there are goals to reach, knowledge to gain, beauty to create and appreciate, places to explore, love or dreams there is meaning in life. If you want meaning in your life then do something meaningful. The bottom line is that we are extremely privileged to be alive. The number of people who could be here in our place outnumbers the sand grains of the Sahara. If you think about all the different ways our genes could have been permuted you and I are extremely lucky and privileged to be alive. As humans we are extra fortunate because we possess a unique ability allowing us to make a significant impact on the world. Not only can we improve the lives of others around us but we can also make a positive impact which the planet, universe and future generations of life will be able to benefit from. We have an opportunity to help protect and improve the way of life. With all the opportunities out there, there is more meaning in life than one could possibly imagine. It is up to us to find our own purpose and make our own lives meaningful. It would be a shame to waste such a great opportunity. Remember, long before our personal human lives and consciousness the universe existed and even afterwards the whole of existence that we and everything else are all a part of will continue to be around.

At first glance it is difficult to find purpose in life without false promises of a dreamt up divine plan. In opposite it is very easy to feel you have a purpose and special meaning while taking a quick glance at the stories told in Christianity. But unlike the real world, taking a closer look at the Christian stories only belittles life. Christianity teaches us that this life, the only life we know for sure exists, is absolutely inferior to the life it claims is next for those who give this life to their teachings. In the major mono-theistic religions life is nothing more than a waiting room to earn our way into something better. Such a view point robs this life of all its true potential and beauty.

Morality did not just appear and has actually been around long before the Bible or man, as displayed in other animals, and it is ever changing over time. It comes down to our basic instincts for survival as all living creatures must rely on and nurture their family and piers to survive as a species. It is the classic "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" principle. There is kindness, honesty and generosity also in human nature. There are mutual benefits from working as a team, as social animals we worked out the way we want to live and that we don't want to be in a society where it is ok to steal or rape. Common moral grounds have been made and widely accepted without religious belief and we continue to change our views of what is right or wrong. 50 years ago most of us were racists, black people had to ride in the back of buses and gays were out casted by society. Nowadays it is common to see two men walking hand in hand down the street and all races are relatively respected on equal grounds. Some of us are behind or above the wave of moral standards but we are all far ahead of our biblical ancestors like Paul and Abraham. The change in our moral standards is driven by improved education and then expressed on the news, television, in speeches, novels and judicial reason.

Yes. Many Christians cannot understand how the human race can live a moral life without the belief of an all-powerful god that will be judging all our actions. If such a concept is hard for one to understand then that person really needs to take a look at their own sense of morality. Do they really think they themselves could not behave in a moral manner without a god overlooking them? If a person is only being moral because of a fear of punishment or a desire for an eternity in paradise then their actions are not moral ones but rather actions of fear or greed. In reality there is a great deal amount of people that do moral things for simply the sakes of being a good and moral person. Both Bill Gates and Brad Pitt have donated millions to those who need it the most regardless of the two's lack of belief in a personal god.

% of Non-Religious 12% America 44% Great Brittian 54% France 65% Japan 85% Sweden

It is commonly taught that we 'need' religion, that a society cannot manage without instructions from a celestial dictatorship. However, if we compare a primarily religious society like America to more secular nations we see the opposite. There is actually a higher rate of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, sexually transmitted disease infections, teen pregnancy, and abortions within religious based societies. Western European countries such as Sweden and Denmark are primarily secular, yet they have far lower crime rates, better social services for the disadvantaged and contribute more per capita to international aid than the US where the majority is religious.

The highest divorce rates occur in the most religious 'Bible Belt' states of America that includes Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama and Oklahoma as shown by statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Health. Massachusetts, home of same sex marriage, has the lowest divorce rate. Teen pregnancy, suicide and alcohol related traffic fatalities are also higher in states with larger religious populations. Even education level drops drastically when religion is involved. Today the higher the educational attainment, or the higher the scores earned on intelligence or achievement tests, the less likely are the individuals to be Christians. None of this is evidence to say Christians are worse as people but it does clearly prove that religion does not make you a better person, nor is it needed for society.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons as of 1997 atheists make up 12% of the US population yet only 0.209% of its prison population. That is 156 out of 74,731 criminals who do not deriver their morals from religious beliefs while the rest do. Catholics & Protestants make up 74.172% of that population. Out of convicted rapists, 57% admitted to reading pornography and 95% admitted to reading the Bible.