Atheists is there life after death

[bigjim36 252]

First of all let me say I'm a firm atheist. I do not believe in a god or Jesus or a heaven or hell. I do however believe in ghosts and yes I have seen one before you ask. I also don't believe in psychics and mediums just to be clear. So how many atheists are there that share my beliefs? 

[Resume 159]

You need an "I don't know" option.

[XenoFish 85,347]

You also need a "I don't care" option.

[Orphalesion 4,059]

Also consider that there are religions and philosophies that do not subscribe to the "God" idea and thus could be described as "Atheist"

[bigjim36 252]

26 minutes ago, Orphalesion said:

Also consider that there are religions and philosophies that do not subscribe to the "God" idea and thus could be described as "Atheist"

What religions don't believe in a god? 

[danydandan 13,375]

2 minutes ago, bigjim36 said:

What religions don't believe in a god? 

Loads, Scientology, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Ruism for examples.

[Grandpa Greenman 10,268]

I'm with Bigjim, I have seen a ghost.  So I don't know. I am open to the possibilities. 

 

[XenoFish 85,347]

2 minutes ago, Grandpa Greenman said:

I'm with Bigjim, I have seen a ghost.  So I don't know. I am open to the possibilities. 

 

I've seen a lot of 'ghost'. Though nothing convinced me they were real.

[Orphalesion 4,059]

20 minutes ago, bigjim36 said:

What religions don't believe in a god? 

Streams of Buddhism, some streams of Hinduism, Jainism, Neo-Platonics, Confucianism and Taoism,  versions of the Church of Lucifer, And apparently there are atheistic Quakers as well (hope somebody can confirm or deny that)...

Point is not every Religion does or needs to follow the God concept as it exists among the Abarahamic (and many other) religions. And that Atheist is not identical with Materialist.

Edited April 1, 2018 by Orphalesion

[Grandpa Greenman 10,268]

4 minutes ago, XenoFish said:

I've seen a lot of 'ghost'. Though nothing convinced me they were real.

I saw what I saw, maybe it was a bleed over from another dimension.   

[XenoFish 85,347]

Just now, Grandpa Greenman said:

I saw what I saw, maybe it was a bleed over from another dimension.   

I saw what I've seen my entire life. I still 'see them'. 

[Grandpa Greenman 10,268]

Just now, XenoFish said:

I saw what I've seen my entire life. I still 'see them'. 

What do you see?   

[danydandan 13,375]

2 minutes ago, Grandpa Greenman said:

What do you see?   

Them

[XenoFish 85,347]

Let's get back to the topic at hand. I shouldn't have opened my stupid mouth.

[danydandan 13,375]

Hinduism has reincarnation that can be viewed as life after death. Greeks had Hades king of the underworld. Norse had Valhalla, Folkvangr and some others. Egyptians had The Kingdom of the Dead. Many Pagan religions have an afterlife or reincarnation as part of their beliefs.  There are loads of Ahteist religions that have an afterlife most if not all are older than Christianity and Islam.

[Piney 46,609]

1 hour ago, Orphalesion said:

And apparently there are atheistic Quakers as well (hope somebody can confirm or deny that)...
 

Who me? 

Yes, there are.

[joc 13,133]

I don't believe in life after death.  It's absurd.  You die...you are dead.  Seriously...why on God's Grey Earth would we need a body...if we could live without one?  It is not just absurd...it is ridiculously absurd!

[Sherapy 22,491]

2 hours ago, joc said:

I don't believe in life after death.  It's absurd.  You die...you are dead.  Seriously...why on God's Grey Earth would we need a body...if we could live without one?  It is not just absurd...it is ridiculously absurd!

I am in your camp Joc, don't want an afterlife, I want nothingness. 

I don't believe in ghosts either. 

Edited April 2, 2018 by Sherapy

[Sherapy 22,491]

2 hours ago, Piney said:

Who me? 

Yes, there are.

Indeed, one respects the tradition of their family, yet have their own opinion/input on things. My middle son is a "Catholic" Athiest these days. 

 

Edited April 2, 2018 by Sherapy

[psyche101 32,706]

I think this is one of the best people to evaluate the question, Sean Carroll. 

The third point pertains directly to the thread title 

 

 

This one a bit longer but also addresses life after death and is really worth the watch if one is prepared to spend a little time. 

 

[GoodReality 396]

I would never claim to know as an agnostic. 

[crookedspiral 1,997]

2 hours ago, Sherapy said:

I am in your camp Joc, don't want an afterlife, I want nothingness.

What exactly is your most basic idea of 'nothing'? Because the way you put it, it still sounds like something.

Edited April 2, 2018 by Clockwork_Spirit

[crookedspiral 1,997]

8 hours ago, bigjim36 said:

First of all let me say I'm a firm atheist. I do not believe in a god or Jesus or a heaven or hell. I do however believe in ghosts and yes I have seen one before you ask. I also don't believe in psychics and mediums just to be clear. So how many atheists are there that share my beliefs? 

The problem is, most atheists are also materialists and reductionists and so obviously reject the possiblity of the continuation of human consciousness after physical death. In my opinion, such a possibility opens the door to the idea of a Higher Reality (God).

As a spiritual atheist, I'm not sure how you'd explain that.

Edited April 2, 2018 by Clockwork_Spirit

[psyche101 32,706]

2 minutes ago, Clockwork_Spirit said:

What is exactly is your most basic idea of 'nothing'? Because the way you put it, it still sounds like something.

Nothing is filled with virtual particles popping into and out of existence mlions of times a second. Is dark matter 'nothing'? 

Reductionism and bad interpretation is not helping your description of nothing. It just illustrates that you don't understand science. We have known for some time that what we perceive as nothing is not devoid of all things in existence. And it's been illustrated to you many times. Your arguing from deliberate ignorance. 

[Orphalesion 4,059]

32 minutes ago, Clockwork_Spirit said:

The problem is, most atheists are also materialists and reductionists and so obviously reject the possiblity of the continuation of human consciousness after physical death. In my opinion, such a possibility opens the door to the idea of a Higher Reality (God).

As a spiritual atheist, I'm not sure how you'd explain that.

Ask the Jainists. Ask the neo-platonics.

From what I have learned about Jainism (and that isn't very much just what I was able to read here and there) they consider the world eternal. it was never created and there is no creator. it's a cycle of self-creation and self-destruction and re-creation. And that is mirrored in the birth, life, death and rebirth of not just the human soul but the soul of all living creatures in the whole cosmos.

So no, the idea of an eternal soul and an existence beyond the death of the body does not automatically lead to the idea of God.
Just like the idea of God or Gods does not automatically, and not always, lead to the idea of an eternal soul or an afterlife. Consider that in earliest Egyptian beliefs only the Pharaoh had an afterlife, everybody else just died, it wasn't until later that Egyptian afterlife was extended to everyone.
Consider portions of modern Judaism that belief in the Abrahamic God but do not belief in an afterlife.