Athiests' views on afterlife

[Meesheltx]

How many believe in it? and why?

I am completely without a founded opinion on this topic. I just flat out don't have a clue.

As a child and even an early teenager, I always thought (but never shared with anyone) that when we die, we become a part of what i can only describe as a committee of guardian angels for a particular person. Its funny that i can actually remember thinking this as young as 5 yrs old. I didn't actually connect dying and becoming a part of that when i was that young, but i thought there was such a committee for me and I would always try to do good things or analyze everything that happened and try to figure out what my committe was telling me...

There must be many different views on the afterlife...i'm just curious to hear everyone's theories...

 

[mr.guy]

I've always had a hard time facing the fact that i won't have the opportunity to say: "So. Now i'm dead."

 

[Darkdale]

I've always had a hard time facing the fact that i won't have the opportunity to say: "So. Now i'm dead."

I know three things...

1. If there is an afterlife... cool.
2. If there isn't an afterlife... hmm ok.
3. I don't know if there will or not, but I believe in something.

 

[robtex]

From this atheist point of view no afterlife.

1) I reject the theory of heaven or blissful plane of existance based on the notion that none has been found or theorized geographically

2) I reject the theory of the human soul or spirt based on

a) doctors inablity to uncover one
b) lack of proposition of composed substance
c) lack of measurablity making it unevidencable.

3) I realize that no one has returned from the dead which would seem like a natural by product of an afterlife

4) From our observable existance our body dissolves and rots when we die. Without believing in a soul I see what is left permanently destroyed

5) I see the sum of our mental and spirtual existance to be inside of our brain. brain activty stops upon death. It than slowly rots away

6) other afterlife notions like reincarnation and spirtual resdistrubtion into the universe are contingent upon a spirtual energy or soul which i reject. the atoms that composed me at my death may still exist but without them being together and with my brain not working i say that is no longer me

 

[Radar]

I am a atheist leaning agnostic so I believe there is no afterlife only this one. We only get one shot at life so we should make the best life we can for our families, friends, ourselves, with respect of those around us.

 

[JerryL]

I rather hope there is one, I think, but I don't believe my hope will come to fruition.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

My view of the afterlife:

 

[Meesheltx]

Radar, you say that you are athiest and therefore you don't believe in afterlife. Do these two things have to go hand in hand? I didn't think there were really any rules as to what constitues athiesm except the belief that there is no God. I'm not being sarcastic, I am really unsure.

Has anyone ever considered that afterlife could be just memories. Like, you live in in peoples memories. Even when you are forgotten, the affects that you made on the world and its people will be affecting things for eternity. I do not think that a person could realize after death that they were dead, but I think that in a way, their "spirit" lives on through other people.

 

[Engyo]

For Buddhists, the afterlife is very much like this one, and the one after that, and the one after that, .......... It still all depends on what you do and the choices you make.

 

[mr.guy]

I rather hope there is one, I think, but I don't believe my hope will come to fruition.

Would be a rather nice surprise though, wouldn't it?

 

[Radar]

Radar, you say that you are athiest and therefore you don't believe in afterlife. Do these two things have to go hand in hand? I didn't think there were really any rules as to what constitues athiesm except the belief that there is no God. I'm not being sarcastic, I am really unsure.

Has anyone ever considered that afterlife could be just memories. Like, you live in in peoples memories. Even when you are forgotten, the affects that you made on the world and its people will be affecting things for eternity. I do not think that a person could realize after death that they were dead, but I think that in a way, their "spirit" lives on through other people.

I meant to say I am agnostic leaning towards atheism. So I don't know if there is an afterlife but if I had to choose I would say no there isn't one.

I like your idea about the memories but I will do you one better. I believe that my children are my immortality. I or my blood will live on forever. It is like energy. You can't destroy it. It may disipate but it never goes way. So therefore no matter how many generations past after me there is still a little me living through my children, and my children's children and so forth and so on. So my everlasting life is not found in another world or place. It is not in any heaven or hell. It through my offspring and will always live no matter how minuscule.

 

[lilithu]

How many different views of an afterlife can an atheist have? I don't mean that in a condescending way; just logically it seems to me that as an atheist, one would either believe there is no afterlife or one would believe the afterlife conists of rebirth in this world following some sort of natural law. Anything else would require the kind of unfounded speculation that an atheist specifically rejects. In fact, even rebirth requires speculation about this unobserved natural law (ie - karma).

 

[pandamonk]

I like your idea about the memories but I will do you one better. I believe that my children are my immortality. I or my blood will live on forever. It is like energy. You can't destroy it. It may disipate but it never goes way. So therefore no matter how many generations past after me there is still a little me living through my children, and my children's children and so forth and so on. So my everlasting life is not found in another world or place. It is not in any heaven or hell. It through my offspring and will always live no matter how minuscule.

But if you're family suddenly turns religious, there is a possiblity that your blood wont live on(belief that sex is sinful)

 

[Radar]

But if you're family suddenly turns religious, there is a possiblity that your blood wont live on(belief that sex is sinful)

I don't know of any religion that states you can't marry and have children. Now they may be gay but even then there is a possibilty that they can or will have children. Now something could happen where my children would not reach maturity and have children. But I have siblings so part of me will live on.

 

[Merlin]

I believe there is no afterlife only this one.

Many people are dying to find the answer this question.

 

[Radar]

Many people are dying to find the answer this question.

That's Funny :biglaugh:

 

[MdmSzdWhtGuy]

LOL, that is funny Merlin.

I would like to think there is a happy afterlife, but I have seen no evidence that there is. Fraid all we got is what we can see, hear and feel folks.

And by the way, proud to see so many fellow Texans on the board.

B.