NationStates Jolt Archive

I'm sure I could dig around these threads and find my answer, but I'm just gonna make it easy on myself and ask:

What does an atheist believe happens to them after they die? Please don't think I'm criticizing or judging. I am seriously very curious! Thanks. :)

I'd imagine most of them believe that you just rot in the ground after you die.

Unless you're cremated.

Or mummified.

Then again, I don't claim to be a spokesperson for atheists. Hell, I'm not even atheist (secular humanist/agnostic, if anyone cares at all, which they dont').

I care. What exactly does that mean? I'm full of questions, as you can see. LOL :)

WARNING: part of this post may be irrelevant


also agnostic
but because of that I basically operate under the assumption that there is no god...
So I believe that when I die, most of my body will be donated to science/medicine...hopefully my skeleton will be donated to a science class, the rest will be burnt to ashes, and whatever it was that made me alive will simply cease to exist (except in other creatures)

Oh, and hopefully by that time I will have a conscious computer copy of myself that will live forever.

What does what mean?

i am an atheist

when i die

i die

its over

thats it

it is the same as what i was before i was conceived.

nothing.

I'd imagine most of them believe that you just rot in the ground after you die.

Unless you're cremated.

Or mummified.

Or Jeremy Bentham.

Sorry. What does secular humanistic/agnostic mean? And what is the difference between atheist and agnostic?

Aside from that, if an atheist believes that death is the absolute end.....talk about living in the real world! I personally believe in an afterlife. The reason I've asked this question is because I was in a conversation earlier regarding how much we rely on our beliefs of heaven/afterlife/hell etc to determine the course of our lives here. I didn't realize how much of my own life is spent living in fear of going somewhere "bad"; and working my ass off hoping I'll end up somewhere "real good".

So, I got a little disturbed by the thought of what I would do without these motivational right vs wrong factors. Someone told me an atheist believes there is no afterlife; and I wondered what the hell I would do without MY belief in it. I suffer intense periodic anxiety due to my perfectionism....and for a moment I wondered if a lot of my perfectionism is due to my need to get to that higher place. I wondered if a lot of the pressure would be taken off if I believed in nothing.

Blah. Just a bunch of thoughts. Thanks anyway.

atheist- believes that there is no higher being at all.
agnostic- neither accepts the existence of any deity, nor rejects the possibility of it.

Sorry. What does secular humanistic/agnostic mean? And what is the difference between atheist and agnostic?

Aside from that, if an atheist believes that death is the absolute end.....talk about living in the real world! I personally believe in an afterlife. The reason I've asked this question is because I was in a conversation earlier regarding how much we rely on our beliefs of heaven/afterlife/hell etc to determine the course of our lives here. I didn't realize how much of my own life is spent living in fear of going somewhere "bad"; and working my ass off hoping I'll end up somewhere "real good".

So, I got a little disturbed by the thought of what I would do without these motivational right vs wrong factors. Someone told me an atheist believes there is no afterlife; and I wondered what the hell I would do without MY belief in it. I suffer intense periodic anxiety due to my perfectionism....and for a moment I wondered if a lot of my perfectionism is due to my need to get to that higher place. I wondered if a lot of the pressure would be taken off if I believed in nothing.

Blah. Just a bunch of thoughts. Thanks anyway.
I'm the same way, but I base it off of something I know exists...life
I work hard and act morally so that I will have a good life

I'm agnostic and talking about religion gives me a headache. :(

Jeremy Bentham gives me a headache too.

I'm going home.

It means living for the joy of life, not for the hope and fear of an afterlife.

Like Sliders, I'm an agnostic, but lead my life based on the assumption that there is no god. I do this because, even if there is a god, I certainly don't think I'm one to say how he/she/it wants me to live. However, I don't think a person need be motivated by a belief in the afterlife to be a good person. I try to be a good person (and I know this sounds corny as a motherfucker) because I believe if I can positively effect other people's lives, and they can do the same in turn to yet more people, then maybe, by the time I die, the world will be a somewhat better place to live in. Then, I'll die, and I will be no more. I believe that it is most likely that my consciousness will end completely, although, being an agnostic, I'm not going to rule out the possibility that some deity will want to reward me for trying to be a good person, or to punish me for not believing in it (and for all those times I've been a dick).

Ah.

Well, secular humanism is, according to The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, an outlook or philosophy that advocates human rather than religious values. I would come up with my own definition, but I'm lazy. Go here (http://www.beliefnet.com/story/80/story_8040_1.html) more information. Or don't.

"Agnostic" refers to a person who thinks that it's impossible to know whether or not there are any sort of gods. Or that it's not important. That is, "We do not and/or cannot know, and it's really not that important."

The difference between an atheist and an agnostic is that, while an atheist believes that there is no god whatsoever, an agnostic thinks it's impossible to know.

EDIT: And I see that others have already answered that.

Sorry. What does secular humanistic/agnostic mean? And what is the difference between atheist and agnostic?

Aside from that, if an atheist believes that death is the absolute end.....talk about living in the real world! I personally believe in an afterlife. The reason I've asked this question is because I was in a conversation earlier regarding how much we rely on our beliefs of heaven/afterlife/hell etc to determine the course of our lives here. I didn't realize how much of my own life is spent living in fear of going somewhere "bad"; and working my ass off hoping I'll end up somewhere "real good".

So, I got a little disturbed by the thought of what I would do without these motivational right vs wrong factors. Someone told me an atheist believes there is no afterlife; and I wondered what the hell I would do without MY belief in it. I suffer intense periodic anxiety due to my perfectionism....and for a moment I wondered if a lot of my perfectionism is due to my need to get to that higher place. I wondered if a lot of the pressure would be taken off if I believed in nothing.

Blah. Just a bunch of thoughts. Thanks anyway.

im thinkin', as an atheist, that if you take some time to read the gospels, and try not to think about all the crap youve been taught but just focus on what jesus said, youll come to a better religious belief than just "whatever it takes not to go to hell"

unless of course youre not christian. in which case talking to a spiritual advisor could help you refocus your belief into something more useful to your life

atheist- believes that there is no higher being at all.
agnostic- neither accepts the existence of any deity, nor rejects the possibility of it.


Depends upon your definitions.

a - without. theist - belief in god.

Without a belief in God is not the same as having a belief in no God. It is mainly various theistic groups who have attempted to redefine the word, to cause hatred and division with a "they're against us and want to hurt us" crap.

Agnostic - One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God (or not). Breaks into "Hard" (always impossible) and "Soft" (currently impossible) agnosticism.

Athiesm and agnosticism are not mutually exclusive.

I'm sure I could dig around these threads and find my answer, but I'm just gonna make it easy on myself and ask:

What does an atheist believe happens to them after they die? Please don't think I'm criticizing or judging. I am seriously very curious! Thanks. :)

An athiest would generally not have any beliefs on the issue. Note that this is generally, because there are some religions that have beliefs in an afterlife as such (such as resurection) without having any beliefs in higher or supernatural powers, or gods.

You need to be careful that you do not look at the issue from a purely Judeo-Christian perspective.

I am an atheist, but I do not speak for all of them.

I do not believe in an afterlife. When I die, I don't think I will go to a heaven or a hell because I believe in neither. I don't become "nothing" when I die because matter can be neither created nor destroyed using conventional methods. I'll either go to the worms, the incinerator, or be picked apart by med students and then incinerated. Regardless, I'll be dead so I don't worry about what happens to my body... except necrophiles...*shiver*

Just because I denounce an afterlife doesn't mean that I think I can do whatever I want while I'm alive. Why be a pain in the rear when I don't have to be? If we're all here on Earth, we might as well enjoy it, on condition that we hurt as few people as possible in the pursuit of that which makes us happy. Let's just try to get along when we're alive, you know?

It does scare me at times that after I die, I will only "exist" in somebody's memory, that all of my time and effort while alive ends up not amounting to much. However, that is what has happened to billions before me and I should be no different.

... and I totally agree with Roachsylvania's statements above... except I don't know if he's "been a dick" before. Perhaps I'm an optimistic atheist. I guess I'm a secular humanist too... and I guess I'm rambling and need to shut up.


Queen Anastasia, thank you for going into this topic with an open mind. I hate it when religious people start a topic like this with, "You godless infidels, you're going to the version of hell I believe in because you don't think what I do."

WARNING: part of this post may be irrelevant


also agnostic
but because of that I basically operate under the assumption that there is no god...
So I believe that when I die, most of my body will be donated to science/medicine...hopefully my skeleton will be donated to a science class, the rest will be burnt to ashes, and whatever it was that made me alive will simply cease to exist (except in other creatures)

Oh, and hopefully by that time I will have a conscious computer copy of myself that will live forever.

I'm hoping on that one too, allthough it won't happen. but simulating my brain with a computer would be the perfect solutions to my mortality.

alive, alive, alive, alive, alive, dead.

that's it.

When I die, the neurons in my brain will no longer have the blood/eletricity that the rest of body provides. Hence, I will stop thinking, feeling, and being aware of the world. After that, the neurons will start rotting, along with the organs. Before they reach any actual state of decay, I plan on being cremated (for no reason other than to discourage necrophiles - although, knowing my luck, then my ashes will end up being used in some sort of 'ash fetish').

Sure, I know too much science for my own good. But I don't think the hope of an afterlife is any way to run your current life. If you aren't a good person for the *sake* of being a good person, well then, you ain't getting in to any heaven I'm aware of. The bible doesn't say "Follow a few of the easier rules and then pick up your ticket at the door". It says "Care about other humans, for they are just like you". Except women... and... coloured people........ and....... um, any other minority they chose to exclude (kind of like the Greek 'democracy', where everyone was allowed to vote provided they weren't under 18, a slave, or a woman :rolleyes:)... But still, basically, if there *is* an afterlife, you only get in if you practice what you preach :p.

*I* on the other hand, get to have dis-connected neurons and cremation no matter what sort of person I am. I think I actually get the better deal here (eternal happiness? Sounds like a recipe for boredom to me... and who get to defines the 'happiness' anyway?)

When I die I will cease to exist, so I suppose nothing will happen to me: there won't be a me for anything to happen to. Oh, how will the universe cope without me?! :)

I am an atheist because I do not fear making an end. I don't need the security blanket of an afterlife. However purely from a scientific view when I die I the energy flowing within me will not cease so much as it will move on to some other conductor. Hopefully that energy will be without thought thus allowing me to be 'dead' as it were. My body is going into the incinderator and then is suppose to be scattered everywhere. Please let it be scatter instead of kept and used for naughty things!!!

I'm hoping on that one too, allthough it won't happen. but simulating my brain with a computer would be the perfect solutions to my mortality.
It's supposed to happen by like....2029 or so...
But we'll see
Doesn't look like they're on the right track yet (but I do plan on contributing to that)

die? i can't speak for other atheists or agnostics, but i plan to live forever. so far so good.

I guess there are as many beliefs as there are atheists, really.

Most atheists seem to believe that when you die, you die... and that's it.

Atheists don't believe in god... that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with their post-mortem beliefs, but it does suggest they probably don't believe in the judeo-christian or muslim afterlife models...

I suspect you probably get cooler for a while, then go kinda mouldy and liquid. After a while, I guess there's pretty much nothing left, but by then you're way past caring.

I would like to believe that there is some kind of collective mind after-life, like the Gaia theory so common in Japanese culture - but, I fear I am doomed to go fuzzy, and have bugs in me.

I'm sure I could dig around these threads and find my answer, but I'm just gonna make it easy on myself and ask:

What does an atheist believe happens to them after they die? Please don't think I'm criticizing or judging. I am seriously very curious! Thanks. :)

Nothing, just disappear. Gone forever.

WARNING: part of this post may be irrelevant


also agnostic
but because of that I basically operate under the assumption that there is no god...
So I believe that when I die, most of my body will be donated to science/medicine...hopefully my skeleton will be donated to a science class, the rest will be burnt to ashes, and whatever it was that made me alive will simply cease to exist (except in other creatures)

Oh, and hopefully by that time I will have a conscious computer copy of myself that will live forever.

Does this count as a living will? :)


People have been pretty intelligent so far. I don't know what happens after I physically die. Speculation might be fun, but devoting too much time to such speculation will likely be fruitless. So we'll see. In the meantime, live a life that makes you happy. Being selfish is okay, as long as you think long-term. Being selfish but myopic often results in hurting yourself a lot in the long run. If you keep thinking critically and act decisively, you'll live happily most of the time.

You know what would be cool? If, as your conciousness approaches its end limit, its perception of time is warped. Then your last moments would seem to you like they last forever. Your conciousness can never actually realize "Game Over." so you just constantly get closer to that point without reaching it. Then you could be like the protagonist in American Beauty and just be in a state of reflection for what seems like an eternity to you. But while that would be cool, there's no real reason to suspect it's true. Carry on.

I'm sure I could dig around these threads and find my answer, but I'm just gonna make it easy on myself and ask:

What does an atheist believe happens to them after they die? Please don't think I'm criticizing or judging. I am seriously very curious! Thanks. :)
I believe it's a dreamless sleep from which you never wake. Nothing happens. You just cease to exist.

There is absolutely no reason to believe there is any sign of any other theory being true. I definitely don't believe an eternal life of any kind is possible.

I believe it's a dreamless sleep from which you never wake. Nothing happens. You just cease to exist.

There is absolutely no reason to believe there is any sign of any other theory being true. I definitely don't believe an eternal life of any kind is possible.

Thats what i think, wouldnt eternal life of any sort get extremely boring anyway?

Thats what i think, wouldnt eternal life of any sort get extremely boring anyway?
Yeah, same deal with immortality here. It'd be frightfully boring and get really old after a while (no pun intended :p)