An Atheistic Afterlife?

Question

An atheist with an afterlife seems in many peoples eyes to be an oxymoron. Yet ruling out the god hypothesis doesn’t necessarily mean that everything monotheists associate with their god must be ruled out also.

Through a series of ingenious experiments, Albert Einstein demonstrated how time is relative to the observer as opposed to absolute, as was previously considered the case. Yet it was already known that coma patients were capable of living out entire lifetimes in the space of just a few months or even weeks with the same phenomenon being associated to a lesser extent with dreams. Meanwhile, on another continent, Sigmund Freud was developing his ‘psychodynamic theory’ and explaining how unconscious defence mechanisms were capable of shielding people from painful events. One of the most painful, yet inevitable, events of all is seen by many as being death itself.

Would it not be logical to assume that just before the moment of death our unconscious would protect us from this horrible transition from living organism to meat? Some say that just before the moment of their supposed demise that their entire life flashed before their eyes in the blink of an eye. Is this even possible?
Well according to Einstein, yes, it is. Were our unconscious to force us into a coma-like state just before the end, then it is theoretically possible that we may live out every possible scenario that our brain can create before waking up either involuntarily or having fully satisfied every desire imaginable, if at all. This naturally induced state could be regarded as being the equivalent of a religious afterlife, yet doesn’t require the belief in a supernatural presence.

Anyone have any input to this? Just curious.

Answer 1

Nice theory, but in order for any of this to happen, your brain has to be able to function to be able to actually release the DHT into your bloodstream so you can see these so called images. Those in comas, or those that have their lives flash before their eyes before death experience an instant release to help ease them into death or vegetative sleep, thus it would cease at moment of death.

Answer 2

There are two problems with what you propose here:

First, death is not a horrible transition from living organism to meat. You are incorporating a subjective blackness to a natural, usually painless event. Even people who have suffered from terrible illnesses typically pass quietly.

Second, Einstein isn't relevant here because most often there is no frame of reference for the dying person at all. Freud isn't relevant here because, again, death is not a painful event that our mind would try to sheild against. Research shows that the coma patient (just as the life-flashes-in-a-moment reports) 'mental lives' were most related to dreams. Our brain reaches different activity states just as when we have that long, vivid dream that actually lasts but a few seconds just before we wake. The difference in the case here is that the dream-like mental events fissle into a micro-moment of random electric charges and then there is no activity and no waking. And, one more time; no pain.

Being an atheist doesn't rule out an afterlife, being a scientist does.

Answer 3

No - it would NOT 'be logical to assume that just before the moment of death our unconscious would protect us from this horrible transition from living organism to meat'.

By what possible mechanism would such a thing evolve? Possessing it would provide no survival advantage to the host, so there is no pressure for it to arise.

Your idea is based entirely, it seems to me, on what would be nice, rather than what could or is likely to happen. This is religious magical thinking, and you should try to avoid it.

The only thing evolution has come up with for animals in extreme peril and imminent death is what we call 'panic': a random series of highly energetic actions that typically continues as long as strength lasts. Once in a blue moon, this random behaviour will save the emperilled life.

Sorry, but the universe and evolution have no interest in making death easy on people. We're designed to find it horrible, so we'll avoid it with all our might.

CD

Answer 4

No it is not "logical to assume" simply because we have no evidence that things actually happen in the way you describe.
Einstein does say time is relative to the observer, but this is because of the effects of gravity, speed and other physical forces. Nothing to to with the working of your brain.
This also does not meet the standard definition of the afterlife as you are still alive. Its more like a dream.

Answer 5

What you have achieved is posit an "instant" afterlife. the full lifetime (and commerce situations? i did no longer relatively comprehend that area) flashes till now our eyes in simple terms till now our information ceases to exist, if i'm following you wisely. i think that has its makes use of if it makes ones dying extra convenient, yet undecided i might evaluate it an afterlife, in keeping with se. Whoa, I in simple terms study your "further information". completely uncalled for. you're able to nicely be a deist and an clever individual, yet you have very destructive manners. positioned down the crack pipe and take your Prozac, dipshyt!! advantages on your adventure!

Answer 6

If you don't believe in Heaven you are destined to be reincarnated as a shoe. There is much evidence to support this;

1. There are more shoes than people, i.e. every person needs at least two shoes and usually owns many more. This explains where all the dead non-believers have gone since the dawn of man.

2. There are less people than shoes.

3. In Heaven you don't need shoes.

4. SHOES!

Answer 7

You are incorrectly using Einstein relative time theories to the brain.

Einstein says that time is relative to your enegery and that a person flying at close to the speed of light would experiene different time to an observer. If both people are at the same level of energy (ie next to each other), then thier time would be the same.

Answer 8

Why do you believe what another human being who only has the potential to use nomore than 10% of his brain has said.
Why is it hard to believe what yout lord has said?
This is what really happens:

1. It is a well-known reality that everyone has to taste death. Allah Ta'ala says in the Holy Quran: "Every soul shall have the taste of death". (3:185)

2. The time of death is fixed for everyone. Every single person's age is fixed. It cannot increase from its fixed time nor can it decrease. Nothing can save one from death. Wherever you are, death will find you out, even if you are in towers built up high. When the time of death comes, nothing can delay it.

3. When a person’s life is ending, The Angel of Death(alaihis salaam) comes to extract the dying person's soul.

4. The person dying looks to his left and right and sees Angels everywhere. The Angels of Mercy come to a Muslim and for the Kaafirs, the Angels of Punishment appear. At this time, even the Kaafirs believe the truth about Islam, but their faith at this time is not counted. This is because faith is the name of believing the Message of Allah Ta'ala and his beloved Messenger (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) without seeing proof. At this time one sees the Angels and then believes and this is therefore, not accepted as a Muslim.

5. A Muslim's soul is taken out with ease and is then taken with respect by the Angels of Mercy.

6. A Kaafir's soul is taken out with great pain and the Angels of Punishment take it with disgrace.

7. After death, the soul does not go into another body and is then reborn, but it stays in the world of "Barzakh" till the Day of Judgement. "Barzakh" means the interval between death and resurrection.

8. To believe in reincarnation - that the soul goes into another human body, or into an animal's body, or into trees or plants, etc. is wrong and is Kufr.

Answer 9

Many Buddhists, and followers of certain Hindu sects are atheists, and they believe in an afterlife. People can believe in an afterlife or immortal soul without believing in "god". That may have been how religion started.

Answer 10

The brain can do some weird things at a very fast speed, but when the brain ceases functioning all thought ceases. This is not an afterlife.