You’re right, that is a good point. I often forget that most Christians (and indeed most people) are not consequentialists.
I guess I should have said:
What if we, here at lesswrong, or elsewhere where consequentialists hang out, knew that heaven and hell were real and etc. etc.? THEN would our views be different?
There is a reason why most religions are not consequentialist and usually include strong prohibitions on suicide.
A society of consequentialists who fully believe in Christian heaven and hell would probably start by killing all (innocent) children and then commit suicide at the moment which maximizes their chances of getting into heaven. Thus after a single generation such a society would cease to exist.
I don’t think so. In particular, I can’t see why a literally believing Catholic would not arrest and prosecute these people for murder.
You’re right, that is a good point. I often forget that most Christians (and indeed most people) are not consequentialists.
I guess I should have said:
What if we, here at lesswrong, or elsewhere where consequentialists hang out, knew that heaven and hell were real and etc. etc.? THEN would our views be different?
There is a reason why most religions are not consequentialist and usually include strong prohibitions on suicide.
A society of consequentialists who fully believe in Christian heaven and hell would probably start by killing all (innocent) children and then commit suicide at the moment which maximizes their chances of getting into heaven. Thus after a single generation such a society would cease to exist.