[ThinkDifferent]

Something not tangible to an individual atheist's material senses doesn't count, even if that "something" moves millions of other people to live a certain way and do things which are not necessarily in their self-interest.

Is avoiding hell not in one's self-interest?

[hellbender]

Not if you're an atheist and "see no evidence" of Hell, as they "see no evidence" of God.

[thomaswest]

Re 99: Is avoiding hell not in one's self-interest?

Avoiding monsters under the bed is often accomplished for children via a goodnight kiss.

Avoiding other imaginary terrors can be achieved via learning about how the natural world actually works--it does so without ghosts, demons, spirits, gods, faeries, prayers, rituals, etc.

Whether the Universe can work without Pixies, I am not so sure. Pixies are a good explanation for why airplanes do not fall out of the sky. Who needs all this aerodynamics nonsense?

[steve-b]

Is avoiding hell not in one's self-interest?

If one does not believe that hell exists, then there's no issue of self-interest involved.

It's like one of those spam e-mails telling you to click on a link to avoid having your eBay account suspended. If you don't think that the guy who sent he e-mail is really from eBay security, you have no interest in following the directions.