nakedpastor: We Both Go Down Together

It’s fascinating to see the progression of David Hayward’s cartoons. His belief system certainly seems to be evolving. Looking at this one, it seems as though he’s questioning the existence of an afterlife, since both the dead believer and the dead atheist have ended up in the same place: the cemetery.

Umm…R.I.P. for atheists-?? Doesn’t “Rest In Peace” mean that one’s soul [god willing] will have eternal rest in heaven-?

It’s like the joke, “What do you call alternative medicine that works?: Medicine.” This is, “What’s the difference between a dead atheist and a dead believer? Nothing.” ; )

The phrase or initialism is commonly found on the grave of Catholics,
as it is derived from their burial service  in which the following
prayer is said: 

 (May his soul and the souls of all the departed faithful by
God’s
mercy rest in peace).

“Rest in peace” is a prayer that the
deceased may rest peacefully, not in torment, while awaiting Judgment
Day.  Catholics believe that the soul is parted from the body upon death, but that the soul and
the body will be reunited on Judgement Day. 

We don’t have the language appropriate to discuss non-existence. We don’t even have the experience of non-existence to help with the imagining of non-existence. But what I am able to say, is that if I don’t exist, I won’t be there to rest, sleep, dream, or care about the pros and cons of not existing, so I’m not worried.