How can an atheist believe in an after-life?

Question

But not in God? How could this after-life exist without God?

Answer 1

I don't know any atheists who believe in an afterlife.

How many atheists think that there is an afterlife?

Answer 2

Not that I subscribe to the idea of an after life, but there are a number of theories.

1 - Life has evolved from mindless single cell organisms to complex animals that operated on instinct alone and then

finally into humanity, creatures that are fully self-aware. Part of this self awareness is the existence of an 'I' or a "Me" often referred to as 'the self'. These people often believe that 'the self' evolved and exists outside of the physical body and that the 'spirit', 'essence' or what theists call the 'soul' never dies but lives on after death.

2 - There are those that believe that the 'spiritual world' is just another dimension and that the 'self' as described above, goes to that dimension when the body dies. These people believe that it this place that people who have died and returned to the living have described.

3 - There are those atheists that subscribe to Zen Buddhist cosmology and believe in rebirth...not to be confused with reincarnation. This theory states that the 'self' does not exist in terms of a soul or spirit but rather we have a "consciousness" or "life force" that is like the flame on a candle. The flame, while appearing to be a single constant object, it is not. A flame is a small explosion of gases followed by another small explosion followed by anther and anther and so on. The flame is not real single or constant at all. Likewise, if at the last moment of the candles existence, the wick of another candle is placed into the 'dying' flame, the flame appears to jump to the new candle, even though that is NOT the case. Zen Buddhism, and in fact most Mahayana Buddhism, believes the same about our "consciousness." When we die, our bodies break down into their base components. The water evaporates or is absorbed into the environment to rejoin the global water table. Our bodies become food for insects and bacteria and eventual feed the land around us and our "consciousness" get reused in a like fashion. At least until we 'evolve' spiritually enough to reach what they term 'enlightenment.' At that point we no longer need a body to exist and we stop the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth and just exist. (as a note: Many forms of Zen Buddhism are Non-theistic, meaning that god has no part of their cosmology or belief system at all. In that respect, many Buddhists can be classified as atheists.)

4 - I have even talked to one atheist that believes that 'god' is NOT a god in the tradition sense at all. His explanation was that, like No. 1 above, life evolved over billions of years from single cell life to what we call humans. This took place about 130 thousand years ago. Then, after many more thousands of years, our 'spiritual self' or 'consciousness' evolved to a point where a body wasn't necessary. This first 'evolved' being tried to communicate with humanity to explain this to them, but only those close to this evolution were able to commune with him, and then only through dreams, feelings and limited ideas. These people, Moses, Buddha, Mohammad, Leutze, Jesus, etc... These individuals then took these feelings and incomplete ideas created religions around them and the rest of humanity followed them in the foolishness.  And thus, the 'evolved human' was misinterpreted as some form of 'god' and in time other evolved beings were misunderstood to be 'gods, demigods, angels, demons, deities and so forth. But, as this person explained it, they are not gods or god like, just then next evolution of man. And just as a chimp has no chance of understanding, classifying or be equal to a human, we can not understand, classify or be equal to the next stage of existence. (Although I find this VERY creative and ripe for a fine novel, I find this idea about as realistic as the notion of an actual god.)

And there you have it. I am sure there are other ideas, but these are the ideas I have read about or heard described to me.

~~

Answer 3

This atheist does NOT believe in an afterlife.

I can't think of an atheist that does.

Answer 4

they don't.

Answer 5

People can believe in the afterlife without being religious because GOD IS NOT REAL. He didn't create the afterlife because there isn't one. Plus if there is an afterlife, then who's to say that it didn't create itself? Why did someone have to create these things and not just...be?

Answer 6

They don't think there is an afterlife...pretty simple.

Answer 7

Easy, cos I don't believe in a god, doesn't mean I don't believe in anything

Answer 8

Who accused me of believing in an after-life? I want names!

Answer 9

I don't think that any do. Some might believe in reincarnation, but I doubt it.

Answer 10

Laws of Conservation = energy cannot be created nor destroyed, only altered.

No god in the equation. Doesn't need one. A simple scientific law, and we are eternal. Without any divine fingerprints.

Answer 11

Is it really that difficult for you to imagine that people believe differently than you do? This never fails to astonish me.

Answer 12

Atheists don't believe in anything....They don't have the sense to. So, how can we expect them to bellieve in the things what we do that make sense? ....Weirdos.

God Bless You Lara

-Cindy

Answer 13

Buddhists do not believe in any deity yet they believe in reincarnation (a life after this one)...

Not believing in a deity does not mean one can not believe in the existence of an after-life,  it's simply not the same after-life you picture with a deity...  

Answer 14

6 billion people 6 billion opinions.

One thing is for sure "if you don't stand for something you will fall for anything".

If one suffers through life without absolutes to guide them that one is sure to get lost.

Answer 15

An afterlife concept can exist perfectly fine as it's own thing, with no deity connected to it. Like saying the concept of time can exist just fine without earth.

What if it turns out an afterlife is real, but it's just part of earth still, you just become invisible...?

Answer 16

Atheists don't believe in any thing like that.

Answer 17

There are no hard and fast rules for Atheists, no set dogmas we all must follow.  If you can somehow come up with a way to believe in an afterlife without believe in gods, go for it.  I am sure some Atheists believe in ghosts.  It's possible.  I myself think it might be possible for John Edwards to speak to the dead, but I don't know for sure.  So I am agnostic when it comes to that!  But I still believe with my whole heart that god does not exist.