I met an atheist today that believes in reeincarnation?

Question

I don't get how that works. Reeincarnation would have to involve an intelligent being that would direct the souls back for another journey. It doesn't make scientific sense to say that the soul floats in the air until some new baby is born and then it goes into the baby. That would make the soul intelligent...It's like meeting an atheist that believes there is a heaven and hell, but no God. How can there be a heaven without a God. There would have to be an intelligent being to create such a thing. Can anyone explain?

Answer 1

Atheists that believe in reincarnation probably take the statement "matter can neither be created or destroyed" in a spiritual way and more seriously than they probably should.

Anyway, if that's the case, how is what you described (floating in the air until some new baby is born) any less radical than YOUR crazy religious beliefs?

Answer 2

A disbelief in God has no relevance to a belief in reincarnation. The belief in reincarnation has to do with a so-called "being", or an "entity" - not someone or something that's "created" by a "designer" God but a being or entity that may or may not have some existence apart from a body - and this being taking on other bodies. There is no logical connection between a belief in a God that created humanity and a belief that whatever is "alive" in humanity, that which make an individual an "individual" - an awareness of awareness unit - or might inspire that entity to have multiple lives. If this current life we have was not created or caused or designed by a God, then the possibilities of other lives equally not created, designed or caused by a God is just as likely as this one, don't you think?

Answer 3

I have an explanation for reincarnation in which it might happen without the intervention of a deity: Forget the concept of a soul (as that seems to have a religious connotation) and consider instead consciousness. Have you ever seriously in a nontheistic context wondered exactly why you are you; why you have awareness in your particular body? Of course, it is intrinsically connected with genetics and your brain, but perhaps consciousness itself (one's egoism, perhaps) can exist in a disembodied or unmanifest state until becoming extant again within a human being. Such an event might occur via chance without the benefit of assignment by a supreme being. Unlike heaven and hell, consciousness does not necessarily require a creator. Therefore, an atheist could recognize reincarnation as a possible method by which the cosmos operates without having by extrapolation then to accept the theory of "intelligent design" (believe in god).

Answer 4

I don't think a Deity of some sort needs to be an operator to plug souls into bodies. I am sure that people can believe in an immortal soul without a Deity in control of it. There are different religions that do not require belief in a Deity, but they acknowledge the soul, or a oneness in the universe. Buddhism, for example, does not have a God, but there is reincarnation and an eternal soul. Buddha is not a God, but he just lead the way.

Answer 5

Probably he is believing in Buddhism. In Buddhism, they separate the world into 6 Level, and all creatures in different level has it's characteristic, which is:

Hungry Ghost - the character of greed
Hell - the character of anger
Animal - the Character of ignorant
Heaven - the character of arrogant
Human - the character of suspecting
Evil - the character of jealousy

Buddhist believe that when a person dead, his soul will have to choose which level he wanna be, and his favorite will always affected by his Karma. The final target of Buddhism is to be freed from reincarnation and out of this six form of life.

So reincarnation is more like a soul recycle system that donnot need anyone to control and operate. It all depend on what you did in your living time which decide what kind of Karma you will have. No God; heaven and hell is just another type of life form.

Hope this help.

Answer 6

Please find out more and report back. I think there must be some misunderstanding there.
It might be Buddhist atheist which is a bit of a special case or maybe Taoist.
These are actually more like Deists or Stoics.
They might believe in a creative force but it is void and formless with no need for it to be intelligent.
Stoicism holds that there is a universal animating fire and that when we die then we go back to being formless raw material and this universal fire of life quickens the raw material that we were into life and matter again.( a bit more complicated but that is the basics) That is I suppose a form of reincarnation.
That makes it not a God in their opinion but a type of general energy field.
I really would like to know more about this persons ideas.

Answer 7

No such thing. There is No reincarnation any place in God's Word. Such a shame, they truly miss the Wisdom Of God, and His Wonderful Works. All they need to do is Read His word, Believe it, and accept it. Will Change their entire Destiny. (Does Not Cost One Penny To Believe, And Gain Heaven.) If They Only knew, Satan HAS THEM BLINDED!

Answer 8

Reincarnation requires no intelligent force behind it. In fact, in can be quite the opposite. Science teaches us that energy cannot be destroyed (except perhaps some decay that takes away an infinitesimal amount), so reincarnation is completely within the realm of possibilities. However, I don't believe that we are reincarnated into any particular form. Consider this scenario: when you die, it is possible that your potential and kinetic energy are converted randomly into another form. This is possible through our knowledge and understanding of the Law of Conservation of Energy. No higher power needs to be involved. I am not saying I agree with this, but is a possibility that cannot be ruled out.

Answer 9

Sorry I wrote so much:

Well, I don’t believe in reincarnation, but I don’t really think your line of thinking is logical either. Why would there have to be a god for there to be reincarnation? Hypothetically, it could just be consciousness randomly coming into a vessel. Technically, I don’t see that it would be mandatory for a god to exist if there was a heaven either. Heaven could just be like a separate place. If it’s necessary for there to be a god of heaven, it would have to be necessary for there to be a god because of this universe alone (which I really don’t think it is). Personally, I don’t think you’ve thought this out enough.

By the way, if you are a theist, you have absolutely no right to pull out the “It doesn't make scientific sense” argument. Sorry.

Answer 10

It doesn't make scientific sense for an intelligent being to direct souls back either, handsome. What is this thinking that if there was a god, that we could understand it with our little brains? Can the pollen and dust inside your mattress understand the decisions you make? Maybe this atheist understands that matter and energy exist inside a fixed system in unchanging amounts (That does make scientific sense sweetheart).