A few questions for the atheists here?

Question

What happens to us when we die?

Where does our consciousness/spirit (or whatever you believe) go?

What is stopping you from doing stupid/wrongful things (sex with whoever, drunkinest, etc.)?

Were you ever religious?
If so, why are you not anymore? (Saying "education" is not a real answer because education is defined as: the act or process of imparting or acquiring particular knowledge or skills, as for a profession)

(I'm not making fun of anyone or being a smart one, I just want to know what you think)

Answer 1

What happens to us when we die? - grave unless you are cremated

Where does our consciousness/spirit (or whatever you believe) go? - what are you talking about/

What is stopping you from doing stupid/wrongful things (sex with whoever, drunkinest, etc.)? - morals

Were you ever religious? - yes
If so, why are you not anymore? (Saying "education" is not a real answer because education is defined as: the act or process of imparting or acquiring particular knowledge or skills, as for a profession)

But surely, it's education. I learned from experience and research that there's no God.

(I'm not making fun of anyone or being a smart one, I just want to know what you think)

I accept your explanation.

Answer 2

1. I believe consciousness is completely contained in our brains, and that therefore consciousness ends when the brain dies.

2. I don't believe in souls/spirits. Our consciousness ends when we die.

3. Empathy and a strong sense of justice & fairplay, along with a realization that self-destructive behavior is, well, self-destructive.

4. I was raised Mormon, but I began to seriously question it when I was 12, and had decided it was wrong but the time I was 16. It took a few more years to decide that all religions were wrong. I'm pretty thoroughly convinced that the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) is just the myths of the Hebrews. The evidence for this claim is much stronger than the claim that it is a divine work. And I see no evidence for anything supernatural.

Answer 3

1. What happens to us when we die?

Nothing... our heart stops and then, there is nothing. There doesn't HAVE to be more to our lives. Just because you want there to be doesn't mean there is.

2. Where does our consciousness/spirit go?

I don't believe in a spirit. But our consciousness is part of our being alive so when we die, it dies, too.

3. What is stopping you from doing stupid/wrongful things (sex with whoever, drunkinest, etc.)?

I don't know about you, but I've got a conscience even if I don't believe in god. I have an awareness of right and wrong. One does not need religion or god to have morals and ethics. I'm sorry that you need the bible and god in order to make good choices, but I don't.

4. Were you ever religious? If so, why are you not anymore?

Yes, I was... I was raised Lutheran. No one at the churches we attended could ever answer my questions about the bible and god other than "have faith," which just wasn't good enough for me. I wanted answers about the inconsistencies of the bible... why is magic evil but everything in the bible IS magic. People raising from the dead (zombies, anyone?), drinking "blood", creating fish and wine from relatively nothing, walking on water... it all smack of magic, which the religious supposedly eschew. It made no sense. So I read the bible, attended bible studies, took religious classes in college, read other religious texts and found the bible stories were told way before the bible was written in other cultures... same stories, different names. Smacked of plagerism to me. There is more, but that's the gist. I came to the conclusion by myself.

Answer 4

"What happens to us when we die?" The obvious seems to escape those that think infantile god fantasies real. YOU DIE...DUH!!!!!

"Where does our consciousness/spirit (or whatever you believe) go?" No such thing as Spirit. Consciousness is an emergent property of the brain and it dies along with you.

"What is stopping you from doing stupid/wrongful things (sex with whoever, drunkinest, etc.)" Nothing wrong with having sex or getting drunk.

"Were you ever religious?" Hell no, never been that stupid.

Answer 5

> What happens to us when we die?

People are sad.

> Where does our consciousness/spirit
> (or whatever you believe) go?

It lives on in the people who knew you.

> What is stopping you from doing
> stupid/wrongful things (sex with
> whoever, drunkinest, etc.)?

Natural selection.

> Were you ever religious?

I was raised a Christian.

> If so, why are you not anymore?

I was an atheist by the time I was in my late teens. Just too ridiculous.

Answer 6

1. Our consciousness basically ceases to exist, though of course our body continually exists and it's material decomposes (or is preserved or burned or whatever may happen to it).

2. Personally, I think that saying that without belief in God and heaven our lives has no meaning and we have no reason to be moral is like saying that without belief in Santa and getting presents, Christmas has no meaning and we have no reason to be good. Should we not be good "for goodness's sake?" We should all find our own meaning and we should all be moral; not because of anticipation of reward or punishment (what are we, dogs?), but because it's simply the right thing to do.

3. No, I was never really religious in any significant way.

Answer 7

1) "The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out..."

2) No one has definitively proven that there is consciousness apart from the brain.

3) A rational consideration of the equal dignity of others (and their opinion) helps me to behave ethically. In other words, the Golden Rule.

4) I was raised Catholic, still have connections, at least with the people. I slowly came to the realization that theologians were blowing smoke and that the existence of God was irrelevant to a meaningful and useful life.

Answer 8

What happens to us when we die?
We decompose. Our consciousness is nothing more than an electro-chemical reaction in our brains. Once the light goes out we expire. I know it's romantic and reassuring to think that death isn't the end of us, but given the evidence for its existence how can you see the afterlife as anything but wishful thinking?

What is stopping me from performing anti-social acts?
Well, as long as no one else is physically or emotionally harmed there is nothing wrong with drinking or anonymous sex. I think it's enough to act in a self-preserving manner as long as you show respect towards others.

Was I ever religious?
No I was not. I was curious and bounced around different spiritual philosophies but I was never indoctrinated with one religion in particular.

Answer 9

i'm agnostic, but what the hell

the "spirit" could go any number of places. Atheists believe it doesn't exist in the first place. Do you remember what it felt like before you were born? of course not, so it would feel the same after your brain shuts down as before your brain formed.

as far as bad behavior, the law obviously. Prison wouldn't be any fun, so avoid it. Actions have consequences. You'd be surprised how often long-term self-interest and christian morality are aligned about what to do (One area i will always give Jesus and the Bible's writers credit for, their general morality is quite positive.)

and i have never remembered being convinced God existed, more just hopefully curious. And i haven't been swayed to this day.

Answer 10

1 & 2. I don't know and I rather not focus on death at the moment.
3. Nothing really.
4. I used to be a christian. For about 8 years. But I left because all I saw was war in that path. Everyday I see christians fighting amongst themselves. One religion against another. I just want peace and honestly I don't think religion is the answer.