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Atheists what beliefs do you have of afterlife?

R

Riva

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You are born
You live
You die
Then it's all over

(1) Is that what you believe in Or do you believe there is more to it than that?

Also

(2) What purpose do you believe is there to life?
 

Aquarelle

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Well, I'm agnostic, so it's a little bit different for me. I don't believe in Hell, and I'm not sure I believe in the Christian conception of Heaven. I'm starting to lean more toward reincarnation, but I also think nothingness is a distinct possibility.

What, then, is the purpose of life? Well, at the most basic level, to procreate, I guess... carry on the species. But philosophically... to leave the world a better place than it was when you were born, even if in only a very small way. To love, to learn, to be happy and form emotional connections with people. (Very ironic, since this is one of the things I struggle the most with in my life... I daily form emotional attachment to people, but not reciprocated emotional connections. :p)
 

Fluffywolf

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You are born
You live
You die
Then it's all over

(1) Is that what you believe in Or do you believe there is more to it than that?

Also

(2) What purpose do you believe is there to life?

An atheist is someone that believes there is no afterlife. Someone that believes there must be more to it, but isn't sure what it is, is pretty much an undefined theist.

Then there is the agnost who simply does not want to conform to any belief, uncluding non-belief, meaning they simply have no opinion about it alltogether.

I'm an agnost, but if was forced to choose a religion that would most closely suit me, then I'd be a deist. Which essentially is quite close to agnosticism. The belief in an entity or god that created the universe with all its laws and rules, who no longer concerns itself with its own creation. But the fact is I'd like to leave the unanswerable questions unanswered. So, agnost!

The afterlife is of no concern to me. I live and will eventually die, this I know to be fairly certain. And I treat life as a gift in the meanwhile. If something comes after it, I'll see it when I get there. I'm definately in no rush to find out.
 

Red Herring

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1) Yes, that's pretty much it. However, if people remember you, the idea of yourself lives on and if you distance yourself a little from egocentrism you'll see the world continues without you anyway. You are only one of currently 7 billion. You matter to yourself and those who love you but are but a tiny speck in the grand scheme of things. So don't take yourself too seriously or think your life to be too important. You can make an impact that lasts beyond your little life. There are bigger, i.e. more important things in life than oneself.

2) That question sounds all wrong. What purpose? Why would/should it have one? Does it ít have to? If so, why?I say no.
 

Night

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While I'm not necessarily an atheist, I think I can offer some perspective.

For many atheists, death is a statement of inevitable biology. Biological systems necessary for life cease. Consciousness fades. Credits roll.. After then, who knows? The centerpiece of atheistic thought isn't that life after death is impossible, simply that the offered theological answers fall short.

As far as 'purpose' or existential meaning, I would ask why life necessarily requires purpose for it to have meaning? Isn't it enough to simply live? That's just my take. I'd anticipate that you'd encounter many answers, varying from things like family; work; self-improvement; living for the moment; seeking truth, etc.
 

tinker683

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(1) Is that what you believe in Or do you believe there is more to it than that?

The only honest answer I can say is that I don't know. So many different religions or spiritualities speak of an afterlife and what it entails. Maybe there is an afterlife of sorts, maybe we're reincarnated, maybe its something nobody knows.

What I do know is that I'm going to live my life according to my sense of empathy and my conscience and I will not be coerced or compelled to believe in some afterlife on fear tactics or threats of damnation, whatever form they may take on.



(2) What purpose do you believe is there to life?

I believe that human beings assign their own purpose to life, whatever that may be. I imagine the purposes we devote ourselves too know differ greatly than the Sumerians or the Mesopotamians of old.

I think it'd be nice to learn that some sort of all powerful being created us for some (hopefully benevolent) reason but until this entity deigns to tell me himself, I'm not inclined to believe it at this time. I've had my fill of idiot proxies or other shovel heads claiming to speak for this entity and as such I want it straight from the horses mouth, so to speak.
 

SoraMayhem

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My consciousness will end, yes, because my brain is no longer alive. It'll be exactly like before I was conceived - nothing.

I'm an absurdist existentialist, humanity and life has no inherent purpose; only the ones we create for ourselves. That doesn't make us meaningless.

I have a feeling that this thread is going to be an INTX party.

Defying expectations. :harhar:
 

Fluffywolf

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While I'm not necessarily an atheist, I think I can offer some perspective.

For many atheists, death is a statement of inevitable biology. Biological systems necessary for life cease. Consciousness fades. Credits roll.. After then, who knows? The centerpiece of atheistic thought isn't that life after death is impossible, simply that the offered theological answers fall short.

As far as 'purpose' or existential meaning, I would ask why life necessarily requires purpose for it to have meaning? Isn't it enough to simply live? That's just my take. I'd anticipate that you'd encounter many answers, varying from things like family; work; self-improvement; living for the moment; seeking truth, etc.

What you're describing is agnosticism, not atheïsm. Atheïsts truely do believe there is no theology. Agnosts are the ones that keep their options open, by not believing in anything that can't be answered.

On the scales of theology, you have atheists on one side, theists on the other and agnosts in the center.
 

Night

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What you're describing is agnosticism, not atheïsm. Atheïsts truely do believe there is no theology. Agnosts are the ones that keep their options open, by not believing in anything that can't be answered.

On the scales of theology, you have atheists on one side, theists on the other and agnosts in the center.

Yeah, you're actually right here. It's interesting how subtly personal evaluations can creep into formal thought. Thanks for the nod.
 

Kasper

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Worms and other critters that live in the ground must have sustenance, so the eco system revolves again.
 

Stanton Moore

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I believe that all matter contains consciousness, but not necessarily self awareness. Therefore my matter will return to the ‘resting state’ of matter/energy, which is its default state.
Will I be aware of it? Probably not, but I won’t be able to say until it happens.
From this I theorize that there is no heaven or hell, and no sky father. There is no ‘central government’ in heaven, no holy host, no judgement day; none of the accoutrements of Christianity or other monotheistic traditions. There may be consciousness that lives past the body, but probably not.
that's my best guess, which makes me an animist, more-or-less.
 

RaptorWizard

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Heaven can be accessed by galactic super civilizations at a supreme level of evolution by opening portals to the higher dimensions posited by M theory which is referred to by the religions as the Heavens. God is also real because he is an extraterrestrial possibly from another universe. So, from a scientific perspective, religion can be justified.
 

lauranna

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You are born
You live
You die
Then it's all over

(1) Is that what you believe in Or do you believe there is more to it than that?

Also

(2) What purpose do you believe is there to life?


1/ That is exactly what i believe.
2/I don't really think about the purpose of life. (Leave that to the NTs.) I'm not into overthinking things, just have fun and enjoy everything there is in life, because you never know when it will be gone.
 

Rasofy

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2/I don't really think about the purpose of life. (Leave that to the NTs.) I'm not into overthinking things, just have fun and enjoy everything there is in life, because you never know when it will be gone.
You actually have a purpose. :)
 

Qlip

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I'm not an Atheist, but I work off the same dataset as them people. I don't see any life after death, just nothing. I suppose in a strange way you can live on in the effects of your actions, but it's not the same as living consciousness.
 

Metamorphosis

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While I'm not necessarily an atheist, I think I can offer some perspective.

For many atheists, death is a statement of inevitable biology. Biological systems necessary for life cease. Consciousness fades. Credits roll.. After then, who knows? The centerpiece of atheistic thought isn't that life after death is impossible, simply that the offered theological answers fall short.

As far as 'purpose' or existential meaning, I would ask why life necessarily requires purpose for it to have meaning? Isn't it enough to simply live? That's just my take. I'd anticipate that you'd encounter many answers, varying from things like family; work; self-improvement; living for the moment; seeking truth, etc.

Basically this.
 

Rasofy

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You are born
You live
You die
Then it's all over

(1) Is that what you believe in Or do you believe there is more to it than that?
There's more. Then I become organic matter.
(2) What purpose do you believe is there to life?
Our genes' purpose is to survive and replicate, but most of us have a good amount of free will to go against this impulse and do whatever we want (some people are too dumb for that though). So there's no rigid purpose. Personally, I mostly want a life without big regrets.
 
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