For Athiests Only!?

Question

Please first understand, I'm not attacking Athiests at all. I'm just curiusn their way of life.

So could you guys please tell me your basic beliefs?
What do you guys live for if you don't believe in God and no Heaven?
Do you believe in a life after? or you lived before?
These are just a few questions, if you could just tell me your way of life.
And serious answers only please! Thanks to you all!!

First off, thanks to everyone who answered my question seriously! I'm not trying to be ignorant, I just want to know how you guys live life. I'm not scared of death, even if my belief was there was no Heaven or afterlife, because I believe we have one mortal life to sthings up for your future after life. Thank you everyone and I continue to look forward to the answers thta people continue to give. Thanks again!!!

Answer 1

We basically live the way you do. We work, play, love, vote, sleep, waste time, and worry about money.

My basic beliefs are that there is a natural existence, and that while we are only scratching the surface in understanding the natural universe, there is no such thing as anything "supernatural."

I live for things that matter to me: Friends, work, art, happiness, love, improving the world. I embrace the fact that I am a human being who wants to have things I love that are uniquely mine, and that human beings are also social creatures who need to interact peaceably with one another.

I do not believe in an afterlife, although I readily admit I don't know. I just cannot imagine how, when so much of human functioning & consciousness can change with injuries, illnesses or other changes in the brain, how any sort of "self" can endure outside of our biological bodies.

After I left Christianity, I studied Buddhism, and although I don't believe in Karma or Reincarnation, I do find the meditative practice and the focus on living in the present useful.

^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^

Answer 2

Basic beliefs: The basic beliefs of an atheist vary from person to person. The only common belief that we share is that we do not believe that god(s) or deities. Since the beliefs vary from person to person, I will answer your questions based on my personal beliefs.

What do I live for if I don't believe in God or Heaven?: Life is a precious thing, even if there is no grand, significant, ultimate 'meaning' or 'purpose'. I believe everyone on this earth has can find some sort of purpose in their life. This purpose could be a passion such as making music or helping people. The betterment of mankind and generations after ours should be a major goal for any individual, in my opinion. I think that pondering the ultimate meaning or purpose for our lives is a waste of time. We have this life and should enjoy it and make the best of it as much as we can.

Afterlife: I believe that all living things may have what is referred to as a soul or 'life force'. My idea of what a 'soul' is, is probably different than the Christian idea of a soul. I am unsure about what I believe happens after death because it is impossible to know or fathom.

Reincarnation/Past lives: I consider it an posibility (an unlikely possibility, but a possibility nonetheless) to have had past lives. I look at it this way: Energy is neither lost nor destroyed, merely transfered from one party to the next. This we know as a fact. Therefore our 'soul', 'life force', or 'energy' may be transfered to another party after leaving our physical bodies. This is not a strong belief that I hold because, as I mentioned before, it is impossible to know or fathom the afterlife (or pre-life). This is simply an idea that I enjoy entertaining.

Have a good afternoon!

Answer 3

My basic beliefs about what? I believe that humans are capable of helping one another and the planet if we choose to do that. I believe that empathy is the key for a peaceful society. I believe that my dog has more personality than a lot of humans I've met. I believe in all sorts of things.

I live for life, and the possibility that my existence may make this place better for the other creatures on it now and in the future.

I don't believe that consciousness exists after the death of the physical body, so no afterlife in any conventional way. I don't believe in reincarnation, either. I think that our energy goes back out, into the ground we're buried in or the fire that cremates us, etc.

As for my way of life? I'm a writer, I work from home, I'm going to start working on my Master's degree. I have a dog, I'm good friends with my mother, I do volunteer work with children with emotional handicaps. I like Mexican food. I'm just a normal person who happens to not believe that any god/s exist.

Have a good day!

Answer 4

Collectively, our only basic belief is that there is no god. We all have seperate beliefs, apart from the one above. For example, I believe eating meat is wrong, but not all other atheists do.

I live for myself. If each year the earth has existed was represented by 1cm on a line, that line would be 50,000km long ... and we can have, at most, 1m of that or .001km. I'd like to make the most of my 100cm.

I believe this is my one shot at life - I don't think I existed before now and I won't exist for yeons after my death.

Answer 5

Atheism is not a set of beliefs. It’s the opposite. Every individual is different. For me, I refer to myself as an atheist because I don’t believe in a supernatural being (or beings). I only put my belief in things that can be scientifically proven. My way of life? It’s no different from anyone else’s, other than I don’t look to a higher power for guidance, help, or answers to my questions. I don’t long for the time that I will be reunited with dead loved ones. I just love people to the best of my ability while I’m here. I don’t look to be rewarded or punished for my earthly deeds – the consequences of my actions - today in this lifetime - are the reward/punishment. I believe human beings have the ability to make the world a better place and I’m going to do my part for as long I’m here, without the intervention of a supernatural being. Jeez, I could on but hopefully this is a good synopsis.

Answer 6

Since your questions seem sincere, I'll take a shot.

First, you should note that I call myself a deistic agnostic. That means, to me, that I do not know if there is a deity or not but choose to live my life as though there is not one since I see no reason to live otherwise. Furthermore, I see no reason to believe there was no creator deity (nor do I see any real reason to believe there was one) and I am certain that it is not possible to know by any method since the concept of what happened "before" the beginning of the universe is a nonsensical concept to me. Having said that, since I don't see evidence either way and don't believe I will, I accept the notion that there could have been. Hence "deistic"

I know that's a lot but frankly that gets me to my answer. It's not really appropriate to lump atheists into a single bunch. For example, I'm atheistic with regard to a personal god. Many atheists are actually atheistic agnostics meaning they are practically atheists but they feel there is not enough "evidence" to make a decision for themselves either way.

The basic binding nature of atheists is simple: They do not believe in any sort of deity. That's it. It's that simple. In all other respects atheists aren't "bound" by any particular dogma or belief. Many choose atheism as their "belief" (more of a philosophy) due to what they believe to be an inevitable consequence of rational thought. Others have grown up atheists and reject the notion of god out of enculturization. Many are educated and education has been found to be inversely correlated with a belief in god but there are many educated theists and many uneducated atheists.

I can't speak for other atheists but I personally am agnostic about an afterlife. Just because I reject the notion of a personal god does not automatically mean that I reject the notion of a soul. Many atheists do reject the notion of "soul" but I allow for the possibility. The only thing I reject out of hand is the notion that there exist phenomena which do not have an unintelligent mechanism behind them. In other words, I might believe in a soul but if I did there would be, in my opinion, a set of laws that govern its existence and nature that could be understood through an appropriate methodology (perhaps not physical or scientific).

That's a lot of info and a lot of it is only my personal belief. However, that's really the point. It's not your fault but you need to understand that atheism is simply a philosophy about a particular aspect of the human experience. Since there is no "church of atheism" or any other organized atheistic human institution (unlike organized religions) there is little else that binds those who disbelieve.

Answer 7

I do not believe in the supernatural. I may not understand much about the natural order of things, but I don't feel any particular need to fill in the gaps with supernatural explanations.

I live for myself and my family.

I do not believe in an afterlife, nor do I think that I lived before (at least not as some sort of whole entity or soul, but the bits and pieces of me, like water, lived in other beings previously, as I am currently made up of stuff I have eaten)

Answer 8

Atheist=lack of belief in deities. That's all we have in common. I personally am a Pagan atheist. I revere nature and celebrate the passage of seasons, but I don't believe in any deities.

I live for my family, friends, pets, and the happy chemicals in my brain. I don't believe in any after-life, which means I'm extra motivated to enjoy this one and make the most of my time here. I don't believe in reincarnation or previous lives, but I could be wrong and I'm ok with that. I'm a perfectly normal person with a job and a family and plenty of activities. And I have no need or use for a deity. (But if I did, I'd totally go with Ma'at or Hermes. They're really my favorites!)

Answer 9

I believe that we should treat others as we want to be treated and act with honesty and integrity. I don't believe people will be rewarded with eternal bliss for doing this but feel there is ample reward right now in the esteem and affection of one's fellows and oneself.
If I screw up, I have to seek forgiveness from whomever I wronged and myself (that's often more difficult.)

I live for life today, gaining knowledge, taking part in daily experiences and small joys, overcoming my trials. It doesn't sound like a lot when put up next to the idea of heaven but I'm happy with it.

Answer 10

My basic beliefs are that personal liberty is of utmost importance and that you should treat people with the same basic respect that you'd like to be treated with.
I live for life. I live for my family. I live for the fun of it.
No afterlife, no before life.