I have a few atheist friends that believe in souls. I don't quite understand this.
So, if you are an atheist that believes in souls, What do you think they are? Are they a material object, or something more...?
2007-06-08 14:27:05 · 24 answers · asked by J 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I understand athiests can believe in something other than no god, but what do they think the nature of a soul is? what do they define souls as?
2007-06-08 14:32:32 · update #1
An atheist does not necessarily have to reject souls as well, though their arguments against the existence of a divine force would also lead to the rejection of souls. Not all of them take it this far because they don't all question their beliefs... just like theists!
The truly logical ones are actually agnostics and don't declare one thing or the other certain. I only say logical - this doesn't mean anything else.
To the person who said Buddhism is atheistic, you are wrong. Buddhism rejects all these matters of certainty and calls into question EVERYTHING that we say "is." Even reincarnation is questioned. This is not to say that no Buddhists believe in reincarnation, but by virtue of Buddhist beliefs themselves, reincarnation must be questioned. For these people, it doesn't matter either way. We should focus on getting out of suffering and helping others out of it as well.
2007-06-08 14:41:50 · answer #1 · answered by Skye 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
An atheist doesn't believe in religion, however, being an atheist doesn't necessarily mean that one is a stoic beholder of science either. As with many "religions", there are many shades of gray for atheists as well. You can be a complete moron who thinks the sun revolves around the Earth (which, I'm sadly to say, 30% of the U.S does) and still not believe in god or allah or what-have-you. So, in the best sense of the word, an atheist is merely someone who, though may not explicitly be anti-religion, is someone that doesn't believe in religion. They can technically believe that Uwe Boll is the greatest director in the world, or that we are all children of the corn, born in hayfields in a remote corner of the wastelands of Serbia, and still be atheists.
Note: There is no such thing as a "soul" in the mythical sense. However, in some instances, certain kinds of "aura" can be detected by scientific instruments, however, we wouldn't actually use the world "aura".
2007-06-08 21:37:50 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Can you imagine having a soul and the afterlife is like the movie "Beetlejuice?"
No, there is no soul such as taught by religious people. And no personal god. I am not sure of what your atheistic friends believe in.
2007-06-08 21:38:58 · answer #3 · answered by Lionheart ® 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm an atheist who is also a student of Buddhism, but I don't believe in anything supernatural, including souls. I don't even believe that free will has any true meaning.
2007-06-08 21:37:38 · answer #4 · answered by NHBaritone 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
With a name like I have, you'd think that this Atheist believes in soul. That's not what my name means.
2007-06-08 21:34:33 · answer #5 · answered by S K 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Atheism doesn't necessarily imply a lack of belief in the supernatural; it simply means "no god"; Buddhism is an entire atheist religion which believes in reincarnation and an afterlife.
Please don't confuse atheism with a disbelief in the supernatural. While lmany atheists do not believe in such, that is by no means all of them.
2007-06-08 21:34:26 · answer #6 · answered by Deirdre H 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The concept of soul, as defined by Aristotle, is the life in a living creature. So anything, plant, fish, bird, mammal, that is alive has a soul under this definition. I can accept this concept of a soul. Is it some nebulous thing that floats up to heaven at death? No, its not separate, but part of the whole. Its not a ghost in a machine.
2007-06-08 21:32:54 · answer #7 · answered by in a handbasket 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Maybe they are confusing soul with self. I believe each person is as individual as their fingerprint. I think they may mean that to them a soul is the essence of a person, their spirit, their drive to thrive, be a better person, (or not).
Perhaps you can believe that we are all made of energy (which we are) and that a certain energy we posses continues on after our physical bodies cease to function.
2007-06-08 21:37:29 · answer #8 · answered by crct2004 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The concept of the soul is a Religious invention. We are part of the circle of life and we are not better than the rest of the living things.
The only soul to me: Soul Train!
2007-06-08 21:31:09 · answer #9 · answered by Lost. at. Sea. 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't believe in souls. I don't know any atheists that do. But hey, I don't know every atheist, and you're just going to have to ask your friends to explain that one.
2007-06-08 21:35:25 · answer #10 · answered by eri 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋