Atheism and Afterlife

[Syphros]

After reading this article it reinforced my Humanist Ignostic position to the point where 'death anxiety' is troubling me.

The is no proof for the existence of God so therefore God in a supernatural sense cannot exist. You cannot disprove the existence of flying pigs so the no proof for God not existing argument is thrown out the window.

Earth is a reflection of the universe. It is perfect and indiscriminate, it creates and destroys without consequence. The false concepts of Good and Evil (merely cultural insights designated hundreds maybe thousands of years ago with a sprinkle of human conscience) balance to reflect this perfection.

Therefore God is the universe or doesn't exist at all. I personally hope that the true definition of God exists within the realms of the universe.

Can an afterlife be possible without the presence of a supernatural God?

Do dreams and out-of-body experiences prove this? Does your own belief in the afterlife dictate the type of 'conscious continuation' you experience? Are we doomed to an eternal unconscious existence?

 

[Falvlun]

Can an afterlife be possible without the presence of a supernatural God?

I believe it to be possible... just not probable.

There could be a natural mechanism in which we keep coming back-- like reincarnation. Or there could be a natural part of us, akin to the soul, that remains after death.

I am not hopeful for either scenario, but would be ecstatic to find out reincarnation was a viable option.

Do dreams and out-of-body experiences prove this?

I'm very skeptical of out of body experiences. I think they are likely just the rapid, random firings of a dying brain. As for dreams, it seems as if those have been well documented as a needed aspect of the living brain. I don't see any connection with an afterlife. What sort of connection were you thinking of?

Does your own belief in the afterlife dictate the type of 'conscious continuation' you experience?

Doubt it. If that were the case, then why wouldn't our own belief in what our life should be dictate what our life is now? Why am I not on a secluded island sipping a Pina Colada?

Are we doomed to an eternal unconscious existence?

I wouldn't quite say "doomed", but yes, this does seem to be the most plausible explanation. Think of it this way: Though it may sound scary to be non-existent as a very much existent being, when it actually occurs, "you" won't be around to be scared about it anymore.

 

[BucephalusBB]

The is no proof for the existence of God so therefore God in a supernatural sense cannot exist.

your word "cannot" destroyed the logical thought here..

You cannot disprove the existence of flying pigs so the no proof for God not existing argument is thrown out the window.

God is a wide concept. I do not think you can compare it with such a concreet thing as a flying pig.

Earth is a reflection of the universe.

It is perfect and indiscriminate, it creates and destroys without consequence.

The word perfect without an attribute means nothing when talking about planets.

The false concepts of Good and Evil (merely cultural insights designated hundreds maybe thousands of years ago with a sprinkle of human conscience) balance to reflect this perfection.

Ehr, what?

Can an afterlife be possible without the presence of a supernatural God?

Afterlife needs to be defined first. A legacy is also seen as afterlife to some.
Also, some people disagree with our concept of time. Without that, afterlife gets a new meaning.
Plus, does a God need to exist in order for souls to exist?

Do dreams and out-of-body experiences prove this? Does your own belief in the afterlife dictate the type of 'conscious continuation' you experience? Are we doomed to an eternal unconscious existence?

Perception is too much based upon chemicals, moments, processes etc to be any proof to me.

 

[BucephalusBB]

Though it may sound scary to be non-existent...

I actually never thought it was scary. Sometimes I have trouble understanding people who do think it's scary.

 

[Falvlun]

I actually never thought it was scary. Sometimes I have trouble understanding people who do think it's scary.

I admit that I do. Just the thought of... not being. It's creepy. And about as logical as a child being scared of the monsters under the bed. I know.

 

[kai]

i don't believe in any afterlife , i believe there's no dress rehearsals not practise runs, you just get one life to live and then you expire. and it doesn't bother me in the slightest because i believe i wont know a thing about it.

 

[BucephalusBB]

I admit that I do. Just the thought of... not being. It's creepy.

Most of your sleepingtime goes without knowing you exist you know..

And about as logical as a child being scared of the monsters under the bed. I know.

Ok.. I'll admit that this is not true. Because a moment that you will no longer exist will come (Well, most likelly). Monsters under your bed are probably fake.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

The is no proof for the existence of God so therefore God in a supernatural sense cannot exist.

This is a non sequitur, Syphros, and certainly not something Rabbi Wine would assert.

 

[Falvlun]

Most of your sleepingtime goes without knowing you exist you know..

I don't know if sleeping is a good enough analogy, since, afterall, there are dreams (to break up the monotony) and you wake up eventually.

But I agree that the transition from existence to non-existence would be much like falling asleep.

Ok.. I'll admit that this is not true. Because a moment that you will no longer exist will come (Well, most likelly). Monsters under your bed are probably fake.

True. What I meant was that it was illogical to fear it, since there really won't be a "you" around to miss being alive, or to be bored, or to feel pain, or whatever. There's nothing to be afraid of.

 

[CarlinKnew]

After reading this article it reinforced my Humanist Ignostic position to the point where 'death anxiety' is troubling me.

Death is nothing to be anxious about -- dying, sure, but not death.

Can an afterlife be possible without the presence of a supernatural God?

No. When your brain decomposes or suffers irreparable damage you're gone for good. It would take a supernatural act to bring you back.

 

[BucephalusBB]

I don't know if sleeping is a good enough analogy, since, afterall, there are dreams (to break up the monotony) and you wake up eventually.

And between dreams, where is your conciousness? It does not matter how long you are in a state of non-existance as time is no longer relevant.

But I agree that the transition from existence to non-existence would be much like falling asleep.

I wasn't talking about the transition.

 

[Syphros]

There could be a natural mechanism in which we keep coming back-- like reincarnation. Or there could be a natural part of us, akin to the soul, that remains after death.

I am not hopeful for either scenario, but would be ecstatic to find out reincarnation was a viable option.

I would choose an afterlife of solitude over reincarnation. That's only my earthly opinion.

I'm very skeptical of out of body experiences. I think they are likely just the rapid, random firings of a dying brain. As for dreams, it seems as if those have been well documented as a needed aspect of the living brain. I don't see any connection with an afterlife. What sort of connection were you thinking of?

Experiences seem to follow similar themes, peoples traditional view of death, e.g. tunnel and light.

I have a theory that consciousness lives on in a non-materialistic form after death, a bit like a soul. Spiritual existence can only be proved by spirits. Imagination capacity is surely not beneficial at all, so why did we evolve with it.

If that were the case, then why wouldn't our own belief in what our life should be dictate what our life is now? Why am I not on a secluded island sipping a Pina Colada?

As above if the consciousness lives on then you would dream situations until your materialistic appetite is satisfied. You can dream that situation when you are alive but dreams are hit and miss.

I wouldn't quite say "doomed", but yes, this does seem to be the most plausible explanation. Think of it this way: Though it may sound scary to be non-existent as a very much existent being, when it actually occurs, "you" won't be around to be scared about it anymore.

Perhaps, disconnection from materialism is not a burden at all. Unconscious existence maybe a great release, although you would never know it...

 

[OmarKhayyam]

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

-- William Shakespeare

 

[averageJOE]

I don't think there is an "afterlife". My simple belief is that after we die the energy that is in our bodies is released back into the universe and is randomly used where ever it is needed. So I guess it's fair for me to say that after death there is just nothing.

 

[YmirGF]

Can an afterlife be possible without the presence of a supernatural God?

In my strange reality, it does exist and god is not a necessary ingredient.

Do dreams and out-of-body experiences prove this?

That is exactly where I got my silly ideas from. When you perceive yourself as being fully conscious, nay - more conscious that you are normally - whilst standing outside your resting body - it does tend to pound the point home.

Does your own belief in the afterlife dictate the type of 'conscious continuation' you experience?

My thinking has its basis in our perception of "time" being somewhat unrealistic. With a modified view of time, there is no beginning and there is no end, as there is only now.

Are we doomed to an eternal unconscious existence?

Well, I see everything as being in a state of becoming - becoming more of what, in some respects, one already is, but on a conscious level. In a way, it is like peeling layers off on onion, but don't go too crazy with the analogy as those layers are simply are of your own construction.

 

[logician]

One wonders that if there is an afterlife that is such a great place, why people go to great pains just to stay alive, and look at death with great sadness rather than great joy.

I believe by definition when you die you are dead, that is the way of evolution and the cycle of "life".

 

[Buttons*]

One wonders that if there is an afterlife that is such a great place, why people go to great pains just to stay alive, and look at death with great sadness rather than great joy.

I believe by definition when you die you are dead, that is the way of evolution and the cycle of "life".

Not everyone looks at death with sadness... it's probably more the selfish part of us that is afraid of our own mortality that does it. But it's true that some cultures praise death. It's natural to mourn, though.

 

[Nepenthe]

The is no proof for the existence of God so therefore God in a supernatural sense cannot exist. You cannot disprove the existence of flying pigs so the no proof for God not existing argument is thrown out the window.

I'm not sure any of that follows. It's up to the claimant for theism to support their position, not the non-theist. But that's been tackled in so many threads already.

Earth is a reflection of the universe. It is perfect and indiscriminate, it creates and destroys without consequence. The false concepts of Good and Evil (merely cultural insights designated hundreds maybe thousands of years ago with a sprinkle of human conscience) balance to reflect this perfection.

I haven't a clue as to what this means.

Therefore God is the universe or doesn't exist at all. I personally hope that the true definition of God exists within the realms of the universe.

Is this a form of pantheism/deism you're leaning towards?

Can an afterlife be possible without the presence of a supernatural God?

Probably. An afterlife could certainly be argued from a position of ignorance; that is, with the abject lack of any evidence all manner of pseudoscientific explanations can be presented.

Do dreams and out-of-body experiences prove this?

Not at all. EBOs point towards physiological trauma in the brain, and dreams are electrochemical processes that don't do much to support any kind of mind/body dualism.

Does your own belief in the afterlife dictate the type of 'conscious continuation' you experience? Are we doomed to an eternal unconscious existence?

Doomed or not, there is nothing particularly convincing about afterlife claims. I see no mechanism by which any semblance of a consciousness could survive after death. The mind is dependent on the brain, the two may be indistinguishable; you will be as nonexistant at death as you were before conception. Nothing to fear in that. As an atheist who doesn't believe in "life after death", death will be the end of my existence. I think this is a good enough reason to make the most of life in the geological blink of an eye that I'll be here.

 

[logician]

Not everyone looks at death with sadness... it's probably more the selfish part of us that is afraid of our own mortality that does it. But it's true that some cultures praise death. It's natural to mourn, though.

This still does not explain the fact that literally billions of dollars is spent to keep terminally ill patients alive a few more months(the soundness of this from a healthcare perspective is another subject). Why so much effort to avoid death, if eternal bliss is the outcome?

 

[Storm]

The is no proof for the existence of God so therefore God in a supernatural sense cannot exist. You cannot disprove the existence of flying pigs so the no proof for God not existing argument is thrown out the window.

As others have mentioned, your reasoning here is flawed.

Can an afterlife be possible without the presence of a supernatural God?

Sure it can. It's a weird and wonderful universe.

Do dreams and out-of-body experiences prove this?

Proof is for math and liquor.

Does your own belief in the afterlife dictate the type of 'conscious continuation' you experience? Are we doomed to an eternal unconscious existence?

Not sure whay you mean by the first question, but I don't believe that what survives will really be me. It will remember having been me, though.