Atheists: Those of you who believe that an afterlife would be possible, it just doesn't need a god...?

Question

Then what or who would control it?

I'm trying to understand different views in atheism.

Answer 1

why would there need to be someone in control???

Answer 2

Athiests don't believe in Heaven or Hell, so afterlife is not a question or concern, unless they belief in ghosts. There's never been any speculation that ghosts have a leader, and many describe ghosts as caught between life and heaven..sort of in neither place, in which case they would not have a leader.

Atheists just do not believe in God, however each individual is going to have their own set of values.

There's a lot of us (and I'm not an athiest, I'm more of an agnostic Jew) that really have no concern as to whether or not there is an afterlife. Quite frankly, living my current life is challenging enough. I am an honest, loving and giving person. I try to use my gifts (whether they came from God or were just the luck of nature) to better the lives of those around me.

What I won't do is sweat a judgement day. IF that is going to happen, it is LOGICAL that how I have lived my life is what I will be judged on.

So many Christians think that praying and declaring themselves "good Christians" will get them through those pearly gates, despite being hypocritical and judgemental. So many of their own leaders are caught being mortal - fornicating, committing adultury, abusing children, engaging in homosexual acts (which I don't think is wrong..but Christianity sure does), beating their wives and children, cheating on their taxes, etc.

They do all these sins, and yet hold themselves up as examples of how to behave to be saved, as if preaching one thing, and doing another is going to get you into heaven.

I have never met a devout person, whom I've had a chance to really get to know, who isn't hiding something, who isn't basically living a two-faced lie. And yet they sit in judgement (which is in itself a sin) against those that do not share their church, instead of looking inside themselves to determine how to be a better person.

The hypocrisy is rediculous.

And no..I'm not judging you, but hoping some logic helps open your thinking to logic. Because if it does, I've done something good for you and I truly want all people to be happy.

Answer 3

And here I was contemplating the possibility that the existence of God would not necessarily imply the existence of an afterlife. You've gone and switched things around on me...although I would tend to wonder: if there is no God, would there not also be no souls? And if no souls, then with what could we experience a sans-God afterlife?

Answer 4

A correction to one of the answers above - Buddhism is NOT atheist. It states that god is reachable through putting aside worldly concerns. In it's later forms people called it godless as the worship of anything is seen as attachment. You don't worship god you try to listen for it by getting rid of anything that might distract form it's voice.

There are gods and devils in Buddhism and they are just as real as any other gods or devils or what ever spirits people want to give belief in.

Atheists don't belive in an afterlife. What you do here and now is all that is left of you after you die.

"The only true immortality is in the memories of those we leave behind."

Answer 5

My opinion....if an "afterlife" of some sort were to exist, it has nothing to do with religion or deities. Maybe energy or something of a person can continue, at least for a time, and is still very connected to here and not any "heaven". So WERE something of that nature to actually exist, nothing needs to be in control of it.

Answer 6

There doesn't really have to be a person or being to be in control. Why can't it just be. Maybe life in all of it's manifestations and dimensions is God. Have you heard the saying "The kingdom of Heaven is here on Earth if Man would but perceive." Thomas Aquinas I believe.

Answer 7

If we posit that there is no god, then the question of "who would control it" seems most likely to be the person who has died. Their experiences, desires, memories, passions, may all direct them into a suitable alternate reality upon death, or a specific kind of reincarnation (human, animal, plant, here, some other planet, etc).

What might control it? Anything from proximity to quantum mechanics.

Science hasn't really tackled the death experience yet.

Answer 8

I don't believe in an afterlife through much the same reason that I don't believe in God. However, I suppose there are those atheists that do...but I doubt there are many of them.

Answer 9

There is no 'control' necessary. "Control' is couching the question in a Christian context. There is a certain amount of consciousness that exists after someone dies, but it is not recognizable as any 'soul' or 'individual' and it is not controlled by anyone.

Answer 10

Buddhism is an atheist philosophy and many Buddhist believe in reincarnation.

Answer 11

You amaze me.

Atheists don't believe in God, so there is no after life to speak of.

When we die, lights out, end of story, thanks for playing.

The heaven and hell stuff is just built up to scare people into being "good".

What Christians don't understand is that there are LOTS of people who don't need somebody to tell them how to behave...we do it automatically out of a sense of good citizenship.