SpirosD wrote:
My question is, which God are we talking about?
Because many cultures in the world believe in another forms of God, like Buddhist, Shintoist, Taoist, Indus...
Buddhism is actually, for many adherents, an atheistic religion.
Furthermore, you could make a Buddhist argument for rejecting an afterlife: the yearning to continue living, beyond your grave, is a desire for something you cannot be certain you can have (and which, to many of us, flies in the face of reason), which produces suffering. Do away with this desire, so you do away with suffering.
Virtually all Taoist sects take no stance at all on gods. In fact, you can theoretically be both a devout Southern Baptist and a Taoist: it says nothing in the Bible about following a way of thinking and way of life that is directed at the pursuit of inner tranquility, and you could even practice religious prayer in the pursuit of it. However, you can also be both an atheist and a Taoist.
Shinto is an odd religion. Although they have an overwhelming number of gods and innumerable shrines, belief is not
necessarily important in Shinto. Respect is, but belief isn't. Many Japanese honor Shinto shrines even though they have various motives for the practice, not all of which include literal belief. For many, it's a way of feeling a sense of connection with their past, and it's a way of honoring their ancestors. This is valuable without supernatural spirits.
But to your point, yes, I agree. In fact, let me give you my own unique version of this idea:
What if only atheists are saved in Heaven? If you examine the actual behavior of atheists, we are predominant in those countries that do the most for the poor, and we are very consistent in being lawful, peaceful individuals. Many of us have extremely high concern for the welfare of the planet. The majority of us are antiwar. Is it possible that atheists could be God's chosen people?
Interesting question, I think.