non theists: Please talk me through this.?

Question

OK, so I have given up my beleif in a creator of the universe. I no longer the the Bible as the truth.( just a fariy tale made to control the masses) I have decided that praying is quite a stupid idea.(so now I do thiings instead)
My problem is that I can not get past the beleif that we have souls and that we just might live on(at least our energy) after death.(mainly to help people who are alive).
Do any of you out there have any links to research dealing with human energy?
How can I get past this beleif? I have seen and heard many a spirit in my lifetime. At least I think.

Answer 1

Maybe you don't need to get past this belief.

My guess is that you have a pretty unshakable belief in the reality of your own consciousness. This may or may not be entirely dependent on the workings of the neurones in your brain, and may or may not cease to exist in any form after neuronal death, but it is not something that we can explain or comprehend as an entity simply by applying our current understanding of neurophysiology. Perhaps we will one day. Perhaps in order to do that we will have to make a significant shift in the current paradigms of science. Such shifts are not unprecedented in the history of science, though.

But unless and until this happens, we have a gap.

Where there are gaps there's uncertainty. I like uncertainty - it's okay. It's better than clutching on to false "certainties" out of fear.

I like to do a kind of reverse Pascal's wager. I run on the assumption that life from birth to death is all there is, and you have to make the most of it. If your consciousness continues in some form after death, you won't lose anything by having lived your life to the full. I can't imagine what such a disembodied consciousness could be like, or how you could possibly prepare for it , even if it does exist. And conversely, it'd be a shame to waste your time preparing for an afterlife that never eventuates.

Answer 2

You say you now do things instead . That's very good but I know
you can only do in the present; so where is the conflict ?
Just what bearing could death possibly have over life ?
May be if you could see how much there is in the here and now you would never find the time for fantasizing about the assumed
here after . So if you say hereafter I will live in the present which I know exists, learn from the past which is the present already accounted for and look to the future which is merely the present
before it has been made complete then you should have your priorities set to realize we really only have the present to deal with and only once at that for death is really death contrary to the false promises designed to fool people into submission rather than using ones reason, heart and will to choose what is right and will help make this life worth the effort so we can enjoy the fruits of a labor without guilt for those to come as well as those who are presently here. After death you won't even have consciousness to bother you but the coming generations may remember or appreciate your life as their glowing past .
the parts that you were taught of souls and afterlife are merely a crutch empowering a religious system to control you by stripping away your real free will to determine what you can see best by using your own intelligence to know an honorable life if you are like myself and many others . As the philosopher once said enlightenment is found by free thinking through determination and courage to think outside being told what to think by others dominating your mind . please excuse my paraphrasing and I hope I may have been some help in this extremely limitted venue.
peaceout and enjoy the life

Answer 3

Well, first of all, a non-theist is generally called an atheist. That's the definition anyway.

Here's why I don't think we have souls that live on, at least beyond the memories of our children. (1) When people suffer brain damage, their personalities change. If the soul exists beyond the body, how do you explain that? (2) Along the same vain, once the mind is deprived of oxygen, you can't tell there was a person there. (3) If our souls live on, where is the evidence for it? (4) Do animals souls live on? Dogs? Mice? Fruit flies? Those are a lot of souls.

Hard-wired in us is the idea that our consciousness is separate from our body. Duality, if you will. But, as much as we like to think that way, I don't see any evidence to support it. Maybe there's a biological reason for that kind of reasoning. Richard Dawkins touches lightly on it in The God Delusion.

Ultimately, I think coming to accept that there is no afterlife is life-affirming. We're here. We aren't just passing through, so we're going to make the most of it. The human spirit will live on, and when your dead, you literally won't be able to care.

Something else that might help is Julia Sweeney's "Letting Go of God" CD. I highly recommend it for anyone who is experiencing a journey that departs from theism.

Answer 4

Sounds like you need some soul searching yourself. Not that your wrong, you just sound confused. I don't blame your doubt of the Bible, after all if it is the most correct book on earth and holds all the answers of how to get to God, then how come there are different religions preaching that it says different things, and why is there so many changes and versions. I also don't blame you for thinking praying is silly, sometimes I feel like I'm just talking to myself also.

First you need to find what you feel is right for you, from what I get from your question, it sounds like your very confused and may need help. You can't get past the idea that we have a soul and that always lives on. If you truly believe that then you must believe there is a God behind that. other wise you might need to believe that at death you don't exist.

If you can't get past that, but still have problems with religions, then look around and see what people are offering, maybe something will make sense and feel good to you. I'm sorry I can't tell you where or how to go, but please do whatever you feel is right and don't let anyone steer you the wrong way.

Answer 5

First of all, if your not totally sure you feel this way, don't say it! If you are sure, I have something for you that helps you maintain and retain the faith that hopefully you still have some of! It's not a direct answer to your question, but it tells you beyond a reasonable doubt that there is a God and that he makes hinself seen 1000's of times a day! If I prove this by this answer alone, you must find the faith and believe forever!

To have a baby, you need two things! The sperm and the egg! What is sperm made of and where does it come from? For years the greatest scientists all over the world tried to figure this out! Still today, they are no closer than what they were 2000 years ago! They don't know what it is made out of nor what or where it comes from! They only know the result...NOTHING MORE! Do I need to spell it out for you??? GOD himself, everyday all over the world, one miracle after another! Like he said, "Blessed are they who have not seen and yet still believe!"

Answer 6

Hi

You can believe in the potential of there being souls/spirits/ether without being a "set" religion :o)

I'm an open minded skeptic lol I do find the books by Robert Monroe interesting. He did work finding out about out of body experiences. Perhaps you could look into that? Lots of stuff on the net about it.

There's also a book called Astral Dynamics you may want to read.

Good luck!

Answer 7

Nobody actually prevents you from believing there's more to being a human than being simply a bag of chemicals. Where I personally draw the line is asserting that there's a kingdom of heaven, a god that created everything (when, in fact, all evidence is that man has 'felt' that this spirit has existed since time immemorial BUT has no evidence that it existed before man. I.e. the spirit seems to be a work of man - you simply can't prove otherwise). Such implications as heaven or hell or judging god are simply not indicated by facts.

I like my religion like I like my government, lean.

Answer 8

Check out the book The Celestine Prophesy by James Redfield.
It changed my whole approach to living!
It is not a book about religion, it has impacted many people and there are groups on the Internet who have been brought together by way of this book.

Again, it is not a book about religion, it has a way of being very personal in different ways for anyone reading it.

By the way, I am Christian and reading this book, while not at all about religion was part of what I needed to find my way.

Answer 9

Imagine, if you will, finding a basket of grapes. Thinking that they would make a perfect snack, you reach into the basket, only to find that many are soured, old, bruised, and in every other respect, not to your liking.

However, by carefully and quietly sifting through the basket, you soon discover that there are grapes that have not been damaged. Even, if after carefully going through the entire basket, you find only a handful of grapes, do they not taste sweet, and fulfill the hunger you had?

From every basket, take what you will. The rest are for those who will come after you.

Answer 10

The best unsuitable factor is looking your self a "Non-theist" - it is regularly "atheist" or "agnostic". Look at it this fashion. There are three chances: a million. God's truly - good then he must be joyful that you are running in a church and serving to his fans two. God's now not truly - then it isn't important besides, you could as good get the unfastened foods three. Some different god is truly - good then you're fairly potentially screwed. Damn, did not feel that via. Pull out! Pull out!