Ask Lemmy

Regardless of how much you look forward to what comes after and how certain you feel about it, no one is going to want to go through the pain that comes with dying.

If the pain aversion wasn't enough for most folks to not consider it, suicide in many faiths is considered a pretty big nono.

They don't believe in that bullshit any more than you do.

If they really believed that Big Brother is always watching them and will pass judgment when the time comes their behavior would be completely different, they might even be tempted to actually read that book they claim is his word. Alas...

you’d think so, wouldn’t you? it’s crossed my mind about a thousand times over the years.

Some good answers here, and some interesting ones. But here's (I think) a key perspective mostly missed:

In Christian thinking, life is good. Messed up, but good. Heaven is a vague term for where God is, and the End Game is us being alive again on Earth - either this earth, healed and fixed; or a completely new earth/world from scratch, depending on who you ask.

So even though we hope for something better, living now is good. And even though the real problem of death is solved, death is still bad per se.

That's not quite the whole picture, and those who grow closest to Jesus are often both very glad to be alive - for loving/helping others even more than for themselves - and looking forward to "going to heaven" where they can be in the undiminished presence of God.

Paul in the Bible put it:

For me to live is Christ and to die is gain

I.e. to carry on living is to do Chris's work; but to die is gain for me personally.

And which I prefer I do not know... I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is much better. But to stay on in the flesh is necessary for your sake.

Religion has always been a compromise on logic. It's whatever in fairy land.

Yes. At the same time some aren't that sure or scared of death. And the rules are that detailed that lots of people have committed some kind of offense and can't expect to go to heaven for sure.

Also the bible has implemented some additional rules so you can't take a shortcut to heaven... Suicide won't do it because (surprise) it's a sin... And generally speaking god is just testing you with this life. That's kinda the only thing why it matters and why you would want to behave and live it like he intended.

Also there is martyrs, suicide cults etc taking that shortcut straight to heaven.

Roughly the rules are interpreted as if you spend your life in the service of somebody else or society you go to heaven. Of course, those in power see themselves as serving society because they give guidance. If you do things going against that, so disobey the leaders, you go to hell. It's how they tried to keep the populace in line. The rest is window dressing.