First let me point out that I am an atheist. I had a couple of specific ghost encounters when I was younger, which caused me to believe in ghosts. I am not certain exactly what a ghost is, but to me, they exist in some form. Are there other atheists out there who believe as I do? People often ask me how it is possible for me to believe in ghosts and yet be an atheist. How does this work for you and your beliefs?
2007-05-30
09:16:46
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29 answers
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asked by
Kyleontheweb
5
in
Society & Culture
➔ Religion & Spirituality
I understand that ghosts are not god, but most people relate ghosts to being the souls of the dead which linger on the earth. That tends to indicate a tie into religion or theism of some sort, does it not?
2007-05-30
09:23:06 ·
update #1
I like what some of you are saying about how a ghost, or even a spirit could exist without the existence of a god. Most of the people who question me on this belief obviously don't see it that way, but I am glad to see that some of you feel this is possible. I do not claim to know what a ghost is for certain, or to know what a spirit is if they do exist, but it is interesting to see some other perspectives on this idea.
2007-05-30
09:27:18 ·
update #2
Atheism is the belief that there is no god (incidentally this is different from not believing in a god. Similarly an agnostic isn't merely someone who doesn't know--an agnostic believes there is insufficient evidence to decide, which is a definite decision as opposed to being indecisive). Animism is the belief in souls. One can believe in the existence of souls without believing in intelligent design, just as one can believe in the existence of life without believing in the existence of intelligent design.
There are many, many sorts of beliefs and believers in the world. Either the belief in souls or no god could occur in many, many different ways. (Pick up a Mage: the Ascension book some time if you want to see how many different ways someone can view the universe.)
And of course, one can believe in ghosts without believing they are souls. Some people believe they're impressions or sensory phenomena unrelated to souls or intelligence, like recordings of something that happened long ago. I'm sure there are other similar beliefs.
2007-05-30 09:52:14
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answer #1
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answered by Shaun 3
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Atheists don't necessarily reject all supernatural phenomena. It's possible to believe that there are unexplained things out there without bringing a deity into the equation. Actually, atheists can believe in pretty much anything, just as long as they don't believe in a god or gods. Granted, most atheists reject ghosts and all supernatural topics as well, but it's not a requirement.
I believe in ghosts, but I also believe that there's a natural, scientific explanation for them. I don't doubt that some people really do experience strange things, but I strongly suspect that eventually science will someday be able to figure out what's really going on there.
2007-05-30 09:25:25
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answer #2
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answered by . 7
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Not believing in a god isn't the same as not believing in ghosts i am an atheist and sort of believe in ghosts but that has nothing to do with any god, a ghost is just a spirit.
2007-05-30 09:21:56
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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I think there might be something going on, but I doubt it has anything to do with a human soul or consciousness living on after death.
Simply put an atheist does not believe in god. Only a narrow minded individual would think that a soul could only exist as a product of god.
2007-05-30 09:21:02
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answer #4
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answered by Dark-River 6
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I'm an atheist, but I don't believe in ghosts. I do understand how people can think there are ghosts. The brain is a huge pattern recognition machine geared towards spotting faces. It's an advantage to know if someone is hiding in the bushes.
But it often gets false positives and can turn glints of light into human faces and creaks into human voices. That's how people can see faces in the clouds or a Messiah on a grilled cheese sandwich. Also your memory of the event after the fact can be faulty. The brain tends to fill in details according to how you want to believe them.
2007-05-30 09:19:33
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answer #5
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answered by nondescript 7
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I thought an atheist did not believe in heaven and hell, God and satan, etc but believed that the self was the highest power. it would stand to reason that if ghosts are real and they haven't moved on to nothingness, but their consciousness remains behind. I personally believe in God, but I answer this only because I don't think religion has anything to do with ghosts. The bible talks about angels, demons, heaven, hell, reawakening the dead, but it doesn't have anything I know of about ghosts
2007-05-30 09:25:16
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answer #6
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answered by carpathian mage 3
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from what I understand with my studies in the paranormal
a ghost is simply residual energy
a left over lingering energy left on the atmosphere
not unlike the feeling you get when you walk in a room
if this energy is strong enough , it can be not only felt but seen
so it isnt contradictory to experience ghosts and still be atheist
spirit on the other hand are different , and to believe in a conscious energy that lives on after death may require some belief in a creator of sorts
I believe in both due to experiences with both
2007-05-30 09:22:27
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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Yeah, I saw a ghost once too. That still doesn't mean that I believe in them. It was a weird night all the way around and we were looking for them as a joke. So my imagination got a little ahead of me. No big deal.
2007-05-30 09:24:37
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answer #8
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answered by Anonymous
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I don't believe in ghosts, but I know a few atheists who do take the position, based off their own personal experiences. Atheism, by definition, means no belief in deity. It doesn't necessarily imply no belief in any other sort of metaphysical things.
2007-05-30 09:22:21
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answer #9
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answered by Anonymous
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Atheists do not believe in a god - ghosts are not gods or sent, or controlled or anything else by a god so they are A OK to believe in if that is where you are at!
2007-05-30 09:21:17
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answer #10
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answered by Anonymous
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