I like a lot of Christians are ingorant to the way Atheists believe. It is well know that Christians live by Faith and believe in the eternal life with our Father in Heaven, once the body dies and the soul and spirit seperate from the mortal body. But what do Atheists believe happens upon death of the mortal body? What happens to their soul and spirit?
2007-06-28 06:12:13 · 42 answers · asked by sparkplug 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I don't think most Atheists believe in a soul or spirit. There are exceptions, many nature worshippers believe in the soul and the spirit. Many others believe in reincarnation as a method of purifying the soul into a perfect state.
Most Atheists believe that the soul and spirit do not exist, and that when people die, they just die. Their bodies stop undergoing metabolic reactions, the organs stop, and the body slowly decomposes.
2007-06-28 06:17:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I don't know that there is a soul or spirit that survives. I'll find out soon enough.
It brings up an interesting point, though. If there is a human spirit that is eventually, even if temporarily, able to live independently, how did such a thing evolve? Following that line of questioning logically, the existence of such a thing seems unlikely in the extreme, but I'd love to hear any science-based speculation on this point.
2007-06-28 06:21:59 · answer #2 · answered by nightserf 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I personally don't believe that either exists. If it did, then think of all the people who are brain-dead or suffer from maladies such as Parkinsons disease, Dimentia, Schizophrenia, Alzheimers, and PTSD. All of those people were normal functioning humans before their disorders affected them, afterwards, they are completely different. If the soul is who you really are and is unchanging, those people must either not exist, or are trapped within their bodies in unending torture until they die. Also, a person's thoughts and awareness can be drastically altered by the introduction of certain chemicals or trauma to the brain. I'm not going to get too deep into it, but if you'd like more information on this and other phenomena, you can check out "The God Part of the Brain" by Matthew Alper. Even if you still choose to believe, it will give you great insight into how your brain functions.
2007-06-28 06:22:16 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is no soul or spirit. When you die, the molecules that make you return to the earth. That's it. No afterlife. No judgment. No playing harps on a cloud wearing white robes. No burning in hell for all eternity. Death is just like before you were born. You have no senses and no brain for which the senses to communicate with. Death is the end.
2007-06-28 06:48:09 · answer #4 · answered by Chris J 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The end of life is just that, an end.
There is nothing after death, just death, and your physical body decays back into the earth.
That is why life is so important, and doing everything one can to make society a better place for the future is paramount.
Religious people tend to focus on an unproven theory of eternal life, and as a result can justify doing terrible things to people on earth. IE suicide bombers, crusades, inquisitions etc...
Unfortunately you can get a clear sense of exactly how self centered this docrine is when you ask them how they will feel about thier family and friends burning in hell, while they are whooping it up in heaven.
I personally couldn't enjoy paradise knowing my kids were being tortured by the God I was partying with.
2007-06-28 06:17:46 · answer #5 · answered by ɹɐǝɟsuɐs Blessed Cheese Maker 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The soul and spirit are religious concepts. There's never been any evidence to support them, any more than a god. So if you accept that we don't believe in god, also accept that many of us don't believe in a soul or spirit either, as it goes along with the whole god and life after death thing.
I think when we die, that's it. So make the most of this life and don't waste it assuming you'll get another.
2007-06-28 06:15:43 · answer #6 · answered by eri 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Have you ever seen a soul or spirit ? Do you know anyone who has ? Do you know what a soul looks like ? The size, color, smell, feel. ? Just exactly do you know about a "soul" ?Yep, I know the answer - - - the same amount as anyone else, nothing. Why is it so hard to believe that there's no such thing ?
2007-06-28 06:19:30 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
What soul or spirit? Show some evidence that one exists before I have to try to explain what happens to it.
The electrical energy in your brain gets converted to heat. The chemical energy in your brain gets broken down into heat and lower energy chemicals. The energy used to create physiological changes in your brain has already partially been converted to heat. The process of decay randomizes any energy left and breaks it down to lower forms of stored energy plus heat.
All the electrical, chemical and physiological activity that goes on in your brain that make it 'you' will end up in lower levels of stored energy and heat. There is no evidence that any organised form of energy is released by the human body when it dies.
P.S. the 21 grams stuff is made up. If it was 21g converted to energy that would be about 2 Penta joules. That's the output of the Hoover dam for 11 days.
2007-06-28 06:30:25 · answer #8 · answered by Simon T 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well first it depends on if you have a soul or spirit
But I am going to have to say I agree with what Plato thought. When the body dies the spirit/soul dies with it.
2007-06-28 06:16:21 · answer #9 · answered by John C 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The body dies, as does the mind. There is no soul. No spirit. Death is the end of consciousness.
2007-06-28 06:15:47 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋