Do atheists put flowers on graves?

[Spiderman]

If the truth is confirmed by the heavens and the Earth, will you confirm these things?

1) Why Elijah and Moses?

Matthew 22:31-32

'And concerning the rising again of the dead, did ye not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not a God of dead men, but of living.'

2) What benefit does Abraham have with the dead in Hades?

3) Is a thing confirmed by two or three witnesses? Let's find another one or two. What does it mean to 'possess a familiar spirit'?

4) Does the power of God need avenging? Abel is a precedent. Jesus is another precedent.

Ive heard it all before. You are like so many christians, cherry picking and taking scripture out of context.

Scripture is full of confusing parables, hyperbole, poetry, symbolism, and verses that can only be properly understood if you know the time, language, and culture of the people being addressed.

Scripture says many things that are the opposite of what it says elsewhere, leading people to opposite oppinions. Pretty stupid and destructive if you ask me!

Christians incessantly quote Scripture, and use it to argue, waste time, and get nowhere.

Hence, you can stop now!

You are wasting your time and mine! I've heard it all before, seen the damage scripture does, the confusion it causes, and the many contradictions it contains!

So, im quite done wasting time in fruitless arguments about an ancient text that contradicts itself and tells me to pluck out my eyes and call no man father.

Quite stupid, toxic, misleading stuff imo!

 

[Spiderman]

*Blinks*

You have a poll about atheists, and the only answers are yes or no. Unless the question is specifically around belief in God, that makes it automatically wrong.

I have a picture of my first dog in my house to remember him by. I don't think he had a soul, and nor do I believe in doggy heaven, but I miss him, and remember him fondly.

The poll is not about atheists

 

[Father Heathen]

@Father Heathen,
The question makes perfect sense,
As someone who keeps shrines for the dead, and loves cemeteries (sometimes taking the bus to other cities to visit them), knows that the money for flowers and transportation , and the time it takes is a sacrifice.... once you get to the cemetery, it can be difficult to find the grave you are searching for as well.

So, had I no faith that the dead continue living and be contacted, i would not bother with such traditions, or make such a sacrifice or pilgrimage, pay such respects and homage to the dead etc.

So, all things considered, the question makes perfect sense!

Commemoration of the dead is done out of honor and respect for their memory and legacy, and nothing to do with contacting their ghosts. So no, the question still makes no sense.

 

[Father Heathen]

True. But, this should be questionable for anyone. What does the dead do with honor, or respect, or love, or remembrance?

It's more for the living's sake rather than for moldering bones.

 

[Spiderman]

Commemoration of the dead is done out of honor and respect for their memory and legacy, and nothing to do with contacting their ghosts. So no, the question still makes no sense.

It makes perfect sense, because those traditions are a huge part of my life, and I'd not indulge in them, had I no faith in their spirits still living.

Were I atheist, would I spend money on flowers, spend time and money on transportation to a cemetery, search for the correct tombstone, place flowers there, talk, and pay respects to them? No!

Id find it a pointless waste of time and money...hence, would not do it....so, a perfectly reasonable question!

 

[Father Heathen]

It makes perfect sense, because those traditions are a huge part of my life, and I'd not indulge in them, had I no faith in their spirits still living.

Different people have different rituals that are done for different reasons, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Were I atheist, would I spend money on flowers, spend time and money on transportation to a cemetery, search for the correct tombstone, place flowers there, talk, and pay respects to them? No!

Id find it a pointless waste of time and money...hence, would not do it....so, a perfectly reasonable question!

Why wouldn't the respect, honor, and memory of the dead, especially of those they loved in life, be important to atheists? Also, people's legacies live on, with or without ghosts.

 

[Spiderman]

Commemoration of the dead is done out of honor and respect for their memory and legacy, and nothing to do with contacting their ghosts. So no, the question still makes no sense.

Ever seen forest Gump? He talks to Jenny at her grave while shedding tears?

That is a fairly common practice to take place some time in a person's life...it is a practice that obviously indicates the person engaging in it has some degree of faith that the dead live on in some way or form, and can be contacted.

Otherwise, quite a pointless tradition.

 

[ChristineM]

Obviously, some atheists do...but I don't exactly understand their reasoning behind it.

Putting flowers on, or decorating a grave, honoring the dead, paying respects to them, or even buying a nice costly tombstone for a deceased loved one, sounds more like something a person does who believes the soul of the deceased recipient of such honors or offerings, still lives on in some way or form, or benefits in some way from it...

If you are an atheist, have you ever put flowers on someone's grave, honored or paid respects to the dead, help purchase them a costly tombstone, or talked to them after their death? Were you an atheist at the time of this practice/tradition?

If you are a theist, do you ever decorate graves, leave flowers, honor, pay respects to, talk to the dead etc.?

I've spent all-nighters at cemeteries. They are one of my favorite places to visit! But in my atheist moments, didn't find any reason to do so...
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People die whether they are religious or not.
An atheist will respect the dead, not the religious dogma.

 

[BilliardsBall]

Obviously, some atheists do...but I don't exactly understand their reasoning behind it.

Putting flowers on, or decorating a grave, honoring the dead, paying respects to them, or even buying a nice costly tombstone for a deceased loved one, sounds more like something a person does who believes the soul of the deceased recipient of such honors or offerings, still lives on in some way or form, or benefits in some way from it...

If you are an atheist, have you ever put flowers on someone's grave, honored or paid respects to the dead, help purchase them a costly tombstone, or talked to them after their death? Were you an atheist at the time of this practice/tradition?

If you are a theist, do you ever decorate graves, leave flowers, honor, pay respects to, talk to the dead etc.?

I've spent all-nighters at cemeteries. They are one of my favorite places to visit! But in my atheist moments, didn't find any reason to do so...
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Most people have this on their grave markers:

NAME
DOB
DOD

Nothing between. A cemetery is a great place to think about making your life count.

The Bible is a great place to learn how to make your life count AND your afterlife.

 

[Sleeppy]

It's more for the living's sake rather than for moldering bones.

That's what I would say, as well.

 

[Sleeppy]

Ive heard it all before. You are like so many christians, cherry picking and taking scripture out of context.

Scripture is full of confusing parables, hyperbole, poetry, symbolism, and verses that can only be properly understood if you know the time, language, and culture of the people being addressed.

Scripture says many things that are the opposite of what it says elsewhere, leading people to opposite oppinions. Pretty stupid and destructive if you ask me!

Christians incessantly quote Scripture, and use it to argue, waste time, and get nowhere.

Hence, you can stop now!

You are wasting your time and mine! I've heard it all before, seen the damage scripture does, the confusion it causes, and the many contradictions it contains!

So, im quite done wasting time in fruitless arguments about an ancient text that contradicts itself and tells me to pluck out my eyes and call no man father.

Quite stupid, toxic, misleading stuff imo!

Which is why cherry-picking serves a purpose. You want to validate what you are reading, i.e. separate what is readily verifiable or true, from what is contradictory or contrary to what is observable.

 

[jonathan180iq]

If you are an atheist, have you ever put flowers on someone's grave, honored or paid respects to the dead, help purchase them a costly tombstone, or talked to them after their death? Were you an atheist at the time of this practice/tradition?

For mother's day this year my siblings and I took my mom over to the cemetery where her parents and grand parents are buried and we cleaned the areas around the headstones, reset one that had fallen over, cleaned the faces of the stones themselves, and left a few decorative items. We shared stories about the people buried there, talked about how we wanted to be disposed of after our deaths, and overall had a great time. It was a familial afternoon where we shared an experience together and helped to prolong the memory of those that came before us... There was no woo involved in doing any of those things. It was just a family gathering.

 

[Spiderman]

Different people have different rituals that are done for different reasons, and there's nothing wrong with that.



Why wouldn't the respect, honor, and memory of the dead, especially of those they loved in life, be important to atheists? Also, people's legacies live on, with or without ghosts.

Ghosts isn't usually what people who venerate the dead think of heavenly beings.

Shinto shrines enshrine and house "Divinities" (Kami), and people that have had Marian apparitions or messages from Saints, don't think of it as seeing "ghosts", though I don't mind thinking of them as such...most visionairies and seers don't see it that way.

 

[SomeRandom]

It wouldn't...As I said in the OP,
"Obviously, some atheists do..."

It's just, I don't quite understand the reasoning or motive behind it...

If a person doesn't believe that the soul of the deceased loved one goes on living after death...why visit their grave, talk to them, or leave flowers?

Yes, atheists sometimes do that, and I'm glad they do, but fail to understand the reasoning behind it...It makes a lot of sense to indulge in such a practice or tradition, if a person believes the dead spirits go on living after they leave their body behind.

A lot of people (with no religion) go to graves to talk to the person buried there, or they talk to the person at their funeral or wake, as if the spirit of the deceased still lives on and can hear them. Rightfully so!

Which makes me wonder, perhaps atheists are more open to the possibility that the dead go on living and can be contacted, then one would initially think?

People are social creatures. They tend to develop bonds with others close to them (whatever the context.) As such, when these people die, the living tend to miss them. And thus engage in rituals relatively universal to our species, such as visiting their grave site for comfort or speaking to them.
You've literally just expressed surprise that atheists experience grief. Like dude, what? Seriously?

 

[blü 2]

Obviously, some atheists do...but I don't exactly understand their reasoning behind it.

There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember. And there is pansies, that’s for thoughts.​

Thus Ophelia put it, in Hamlet IV.5, as you recall.

Symbols of remembrance ─ think, for example, of the Flanders poppy (UK and France) for a nation's war dead, and the floral wreaths on cenotaphs and memorials.

 

[Spiderman]

People are social creatures. They tend to develop bonds with others close to them (whatever the context.) As such, when these people die, the living tend to miss them. And thus engage in rituals relatively universal to our species, such as visiting their grave site for comfort or speaking to them.
You've literally just expressed surprise that atheists experience grief. Like dude, what? Seriously?

Experiencing grief is one thing.

Honoring the dead, paying respects, buying an expensive tombstone, visiting graves, leaving flowers, burning candles and incense, holding vigils, are practices i find very meaningful and rewarding to engage in...many do.

Were i an atheist, I'd see it as a waste of time and money, and not engage in such traditions. Hence, the reason for the question.

As stated in the OP, I know some atheists do this, just fail to understand the motive for it.

 

[HonestJoe]

Obviously, some atheists do...but I don't exactly understand their reasoning behind it.

Putting flowers on, or decorating a grave, honoring the dead, paying respects to them, or even buying a nice costly tombstone for a deceased loved one, sounds more like something a person does who believes the soul of the deceased recipient of such honors or offerings, still lives on in some way or form, or benefits in some way from it...

I’m not convinced it makes any more sense to focus attention on the physical grave on the basis of the belief that the person’s spirit leaves the body on death to go elsewhere. Most funerary behaviours have always been about the living not the dead. Leaving flowers on graves isn’t about any benefit for the deceased but making the living feel a bit better about the death.

Humans have never been very rational, especially in areas like this. It’s the downside of our intelligence, imagination and curiosity.

 

[`mud]

It's simply called love and remembrance.
Be one be atheist or theist or in between,
whether scattered or buried, the respect remains.
A simple rose will do, or a bouquet of orchids,
the thought and love is all that counts.

 

[Spiderman]

Even as an atheist kid who hated Religion, after Grandma and my mom's second husband died (hit by a truck), I often felt like they were watching me, causing me to feel guilty about masturbating in the basement, and so I threw my adult magazines in the wood stove!

 

[Spiderman]

Even as an atheist kid who hated Religion, after Grandma and my mom's second husband died (hit by a truck), I often felt like they were watching me, causing me to feel guilty about masturbating in the basement, and so I threw my adult magazines in the wood stove!

Makes me wonder if some atheists get such feelings, concerns, or convictions on occasion?