"In order to communicate itself in an intelligent way, science requires faith. Physics, math, biology, chemistry - no
matter which scientific system you name, you are talking about an essentially faith-based system."

Hogwash, Cotton. Following this logic nothing is knowable.

Mathematics is all theory and x + x = 2x only if we agree it does. Anyone can test this theory and no matter what they substitute for x will get the same result. As far as can be "known", it is true under all circumstances. An electron will contain the same charge regardless of what atom it belongs to, and tests will confirm this also. All the sciences are built upon such logic.

Sheesh, the enlightenment was centuries ago. Can we move on?

I greatly enjoyed Brett's article and believe it contains a great deal of truth and sensitivity. Alone among animals, we have a cerebral cortex that enables us to reflect on the past and imagine the future. Therein lies the answer to many facets of human nature and behaviour. Among these is the death anxiety that Brett identified. The cerebral cortex has also given us language, for example, with all its implications. This brain structure is an amazing quirk of evolution that has had many spinoffs. Once we as a species could start thinking about the finality of death, the theories emerged that would comfort us in our fear. The notion of an afterlife exactly matches human fears. Also, the time the bible was being constructed (over many centuries) was a time of great ignorance, when magicial thinking abounded. As Bertrand Russell said, its stories were written or told by peasants who didn't understand the mechanics of rainfall. Of course they resorted to the supernatural to explain just about everything. Russell also said that the belief system of Christianity belongs to the infancy of human reason, which is a concise summing up. Human belief systems come and go. Some belief systems of ancient times lasted longer than Christianity has persisted so far. Their adherents were just as committed and sure of themselves and eventually their passions were spent and something else rose up to replace it. It will be the same with Christianity. There seems to be a deep-seated need to believe in something. I would rather people valued the here and now and worked harder at making our evanescent time on Earth happy and peaceful. That would be a far higher morality than believers in the supernatural would have us follow.

Pelican,

If we trace the origins of Christianity to Judaism then your argument doesn’t hold water. Ancient Judaism had no developed theology of life after death and such ideas played no role in either reward/punishment for good/bad behaviour or as a personal destination for believers:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheol

Israel understood its moral obligations to God as covenant.

Runner,

I accept that Paul believed in life after death, but I still argue that this did not feature greatly, if at all, in Jesus’ teaching. Paul was struggling with his community’s mistaken expectation of an imminent return of Jesus. When members of the community started to die off, and Jesus’ return still didn’t happen, they evolved a theology of being reunited with Christ after death. Paul was a Pharisee, and by the first century some Jews, including Pharisees, did believe in an afterlife. It was natural for Paul to incorporate this in his theology and his explanation for Jesus’ delayed return.

Pericles,

Yes, most Christians believe in life after death, and I’m in a minority. However, most mainstream (Catholic, Anglican, Uniting) churchgoers would recognise that “eternal life” is not, or not mainly, about an afterlife. This site gives an orthodox explanation of how eternal life is understood in John – not ruling out a future dimension, but concerned mainly with the present:

http://www.theopedia.com/Eternal_life

I also dispute the contention that attaining heaven and avoiding hell is the main motivation for Christians who do believe in an afterlife.

My intention in addressing the disagreements within Christianity was not to be patronising but to answer the points you made about how atheists view those disagreements. I understand that theological differences may be of little interest to non-believers. But when non-believers make generalisations about what Christians believe that are true only of only some Christians, those of us that don’t fit the generalisation are entitled to point that out.

Dear Rhian,

I know that there are different beliefs among Christians who believe in an afterlife. In Christian beliefs is the afterlife limited to humans. It would seem that someone who lives to a 100 would not want to be resurrected at that age. What age body does one get in the afterlife or is a person a disembodied spirit? I admit that I don't believe in any of it, but I would like to know more about the conditions of an afterlife for those who do believe.

Jews had no afterlife? you mean they rejected the thousands of years of all that pyramidical history etc right where they reckon the world started? Crickey every so called 'civilisation' had an afterlife. What they didn't have is exactly what christians and others don't have still.. ' proof' no one has came back to tell em, unless you go down to madam with the rose tattoo, or that nitwit on tv with an audience of other nitwits having passed over esp type messages through the main nitwit.
You can't reason with a christian because they aren't capable of reasoning whilst having all that mumbo jumbo beliefs in their noggin. Jonestown was so normal of christians, the christians that dissagree could be classed as skeptochristian I reckon, just believing in things as far as they want to go but not ' all the way' jonesy had the right idea but couldn't get enough to come to the party. Primates must have territory and family so competition will always be part of life for us, so keep competing and let me know when you're done eh? And anyone who doesn't think they are a monkey has the brains of a monkey I reckon.
C'mon people get back to the bus ad being rejected! You were all envoirenmental experts the other day when it was global warming... Paint the damn bus I say!

Rhian
You stated that my argument does not hold water (re afterlife) but then go onto say that most Christians believe in an afterlife.

My understanding was based on discussions with religious friends and from reading about various religious beliefs. I must admit I have not done much reading about Judaism. That will be next on my list when I get the time.

Apologies if I was generalising but I have not met any religious people (mainly Christians) who do not believe in either an afterlife or reincarnation (Buddhists for example).