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Why do many ‘nones’ believe in an afterlife?


markdohle

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(RNS) Since atheist blogger Martin Hughes left Christianity, he hasn’t missed believing in God or in hell.

But he does miss heaven.

“I wish that there was one to go to, and that’s the truth,” Hughes wrote in a blog post, adding that his view is probably not “atheistically correct.” In Hughes’ version of heaven, he would “understand everything.” There would be “deep, rich happiness that feels like Mom’s sweet potato pie on Thanksgiving.”

Continue  http://religionnews.com/2016/07/15/why-do-many-nones-believe-in-life-after-death/

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Being an "atheist" simply means holding no beliefs in a god, that doesn't mean that said person therefore doesn't or can't hold a concept of an afterlife.

Don't forget that the idea of an afterlife is not exclusively owned by religion, many people have their own concepts of the afterlife that has nothing to do with judgement by some deity.

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I agree, just thought this was interesting.  People often have a simple idea about atheist, when in face, each is different.  Some atheist however would say that you can't be an atheist if you believe in an afterlife.  They get caught up with the word "supernatural".

 

Peace
mark

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I believe in the possibility of many things, however I think that for the most part people get it wrong. Since we never fully know anything. I think that's the difference between spirituality and religion. Spirituality is intuitive, while religion is a structured approach to belief, trying to reproduce someone else's results. 

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Nones aren't necessarily atheist, atheism doest necessarily carry on to complete rejection of supernatural. 

 A lot of what's counted as none are people who don't hold to mainstream religions but still have some form of supernatural beliefs. 

 Belief in ghosts has been increasing in Britain over time. 

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Some part of me thinks that atheist is to deny the 'spiritual truth' as claimed by so many different faiths. Since absolutely no one knows for certain the existence or non-existence of any higher power. For the most part all spiritual 'truths' are subjective. Nothing wrong with live a positive life, one that is constructive and peaceful. It seem awful arrogant for a god if it exist to deny good people a positive place of rest, then to destroy them out of lacking faith. I think it's the idea of god and how it's portrayed that bothers a lot of people. 

When it comes to the supernatural, there is always the possibility that it's a not as yet understood phenomenon.

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13 hours ago, XenoFish said:

I believe in the possibility of many things, however I think that for the most part people get it wrong. Since we never fully know anything. I think that's the difference between spirituality and religion. Spirituality is intuitive, while religion is a structured approach to belief, trying to reproduce someone else's results. 

Interesting take on religion.  When religion is by itself it can be dangerous, rigid and lifeless. Spirituality/religion go together.  Spirituality by itself, which is rare (for most people pick and choose from different path/traditions), tends to be shallow from my experience.....I am sure there are exceptions however.  No two people are alike in how they live our their religious/spiritual life.  No matter, there is always a death to self, to narrow ways of being that we are called to grow out of.....

 

Peace
Mark

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13 hours ago, shadowsot said:

Nones aren't necessarily atheist, atheism doest necessarily carry on to complete rejection of supernatural. 

 A lot of what's counted as none are people who don't hold to mainstream religions but still have some form of supernatural beliefs. 

 Belief in ghosts has been increasing in Britain over time. 

I agree, well said.

 

peace
mark

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6 minutes ago, markdohle said:

Interesting take on religion.  When religion is by itself it can be dangerous, rigid and lifeless. Spirituality/religion go together.  Spirituality by itself, which is rare (for most people pick and choose from different path/traditions), tends to be shallow from my experience.....I am sure there are exceptions however.  No two people are alike in how they live our their religious/spiritual life.  No matter, there is always a death to self, to narrow ways of being that we are called to grow out of.....

 

Peace
Mark

That's the thing, which I'm an apatheist about god and religion, I find that I'm in my own way spiritual. I feel that if I do my best, be my best, and whatever kindness I can perform I should do so willingly. Not out of any forced expectations or fear. As for death, I've met it twice and saw nothing. It was like a dreamless sleep. Still I can not be 100% that there is not more going on. For me it's 99% and that 1% of I don't know. I'd rather die with a clear conscious that one of guilt, but that's just me.

I often associate spiritual needs with emotional ones. Prayer might just be a means of easing the mind from stress and worry, to let go or as a way of making a firm decision about something. If you think about this religion is a structured approach to emotional self-help, while spirituality is a free style method.

Even looking at magick from this light I can see why I enjoyed it so much. It was an emotional release. The rituals being placebos that caused a change in my consciousness that had beneficial effects.

http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2013/03/religion-spirituality.aspx

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There is some kind of after life were we die is there angles and all that atuff who knows but there is an after life

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16 hours ago, coolguy said:

There is some kind of after life were we die is there angles and all that atuff who knows but there is an after life

You don't know that for certain, you believe that an afterlife exist. Never confuse belief for fact.

 

I don't think that being an atheist precludes one from believing in an afterlife, though I've certainly never met an atheist that believed in one. The only qualifying factor for being an atheist is a lack of belief in a deity or higher power. Afterlives are not necessarily tied to a deity. I'd definitely give someone an odd look if they claimed to be an atheist while also believing in an afterlife, but I don't think they're entirely antithetical.

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On 7/17/2016 at 9:14 PM, coolguy said:

There is some kind of after life were we die is there angles and all that atuff who knows but there is an after life

How long you get to keep your spirit's existence after death is another story, and interesting to say, the NT talks about the destruction of the soul (in hell or "outer darkness"). Canonical-based Christianity absolutely does NOT say that the soul is automatically eternal. I would not have bothered with anything Christian if I had not experienced this awful reality called "outer darkness" and its horrifying consequences. Of the many "holy" books I've read, it is uncanny the canonical gospels are the only ancient texts that describe this "outer darkness" reality -- spot on.

True, there is another, more important reason why I'm a "Christian" (at least the nonjudgmental, loving and "mystical" kind but grounded in extensive research).

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Believers in the after life are not " nones".   to quote a old song  "you can,t have one without the other" if you believe  in the afterlife  you  must believe in some form of God,because someone or something must be running the show.                                    

 

  Fullywired

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22 minutes ago, fullywired said:

Believers in the after life are not " nones".   to quote a old song  "you can,t have one without the other" if you believe  in the afterlife  you  must believe in some form of God,because someone or something must be running the show.                                    

 

  Fullywired

Not really. You can have ancestor worship, believing the spirits of your amcestors influence your life, without a god or gods. 

 You can believe in ghosts, like a lot do in England, without a deity of some fashion. 

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On ‎7‎/‎16‎/‎2016 at 4:00 PM, markdohle said:

(RNS) Since atheist blogger Martin Hughes left Christianity, he hasn’t missed believing in God or in hell.

But he does miss heaven.

“I wish that there was one to go to, and that’s the truth,” Hughes wrote in a blog post, adding that his view is probably not “atheistically correct.” In Hughes’ version of heaven, he would “understand everything.” There would be “deep, rich happiness that feels like Mom’s sweet potato pie on Thanksgiving.”

Continue  http://religionnews.com/2016/07/15/why-do-many-nones-believe-in-life-after-death/

hughs would partially correct.  we will know everything.

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From my theological discussions with Atheists, like Psyche101 on these forums, they usually feel that it is evidence that drives them to be atheist, which would seem to also eliminate belief in the supernatural and an afterlife.

However I do agree that technically atheist only means a disbelief in god(s), which technically would not prevent other beliefs. Many say Buddhists count as Atheist, because they believe all the gods are illusion. Also beliefs like Scientology, where the belief is that aliens are behind the supernatural would count as atheist.

Polls in the UK and the US have shown that even many non-religious people still believe in ghosts, which should qualify as afterlife, I would think. 

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On 23/07/2016 at 2:56 AM, shadowsot said:

Not really. You can have ancestor worship, believing the spirits of your amcestors influence your life, without a god or gods. 

 You can believe in ghosts, like a lot do in England, without a deity of some fashion. 

i think that those who say they don't believe in god  yet believe in an afterlife are just trying to have a foot in both camps.

they just can''t accept that death is the end, nothing else ,just eternal darkness until our sun runs out ofn fuel and consumes the earth and everythng on earth, under earth, returns to space  and helps to form other stars

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55 minutes ago, fullywired said:

i think that those who say they don't believe in god  yet believe in an afterlife are just trying to have a foot in both camps.

they just can''t accept that death is the end, nothing else ,just eternal darkness until our sun runs out ofn fuel and consumes the earth and everythng on earth, under earth, returns to space  and helps to form other stars

Ashes to ashes... (interstellar) Dust to dust...

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On 7/22/2016 at 9:31 PM, fullywired said:

Believers in the after life are not " nones".   to quote a old song  "you can,t have one without the other" if you believe  in the afterlife  you  must believe in some form of God,because someone or something must be running the show.                                   

 

  Fullywired

Your logic does not follow. An afterlife could be just ultra-natural, as this life is natural with no God needed in either. 

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 25/07/2016 at 6:06 AM, davros of skaro said:

Your logic does not follow. An afterlife could be just ultra-natural, as this life is natural with no God needed in either. 

I don't think logic can be applied  to the idea of an afterlife,wishful thinking maybe but not logic

                                    fullywired

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8 minutes ago, fullywired said:

I don't think logic can be applied  to the idea of an afterlife,wishful thinking maybe but not logic

                                    fullywired

If there's an afterlife? It does not mean the concept of a God, or Gods is true. Such ideas are creations of this life, and may have no basis in what we do not know.

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Why? Self-preservation.

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Believe it or not, not all atheists are rational creatures. Sure, most default to this position after critically evaluating the inherent flaws of religion. However, some were never religious to begin with and grew up in households which believed UFOs were our alien overlords or they could have grew up in a New Age hippy family believing 'we're all one consciousness, dude'.

Admittedly, there are a plethora of possibilities for an afterlife e.g. quantum consciousness, immaterial souls, simulation theory, eternal recurrence and dozens of other philisophical arguments. However, most atheists will be nihilistic materialists who believe mind = brain and that we live in a meaningless, deterministic universe. I myself would be happy with any afterlife; however, I'm also at peace with eternal oblivion as that means no more pain, suffering or having to strive to pay bills. Either way, most atheists will be satisfied with what happens at death.

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  • 3 weeks later...

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