Does a belief that we go on in spirit after we die require a belief in a god being?

My answer is "no". I believe we continue to exist after we die in a spiritual form, but I don't believe in a being god.

To me, it's a mystery.

a reply to: droid56

I agree totally . Religions do not hold the patent for an afterlife .

I have the exact same feeling. We go on no matter what as something, somewhere. But as far as a god is concerned? I don't know, I haven't seen anything that would make me say yes yet. Do I think that there could be powerful entities out there? Yes, most definitely.

a reply to: droid56

Everyone has a different definition for it, but for those who are agnostic I like to say things cannot disappear entirely. Your cells just become a part of something else, just as each of us is made from star dust. We rent the vehicles we are in as they were once something else and will be something else.

a reply to: droid56

Then explain the source of spirit. To simply state that you believe something without providing a logical explanation for why you believe it is absurdity.

How could there be an afterlife and a soul, if there is no God? The former intrinsically implies the latter. Either we live in a strictly materialist universe in which there is no such thing as the soul or the afterlife, or we live in a created universe. You can't have it both ways, and if you think you can, you should at least delineate your conclusions.

Man always seems to want someone to tell them what to do.

It is interesting that if you have studied comparative theology and looking at the major modern religions, the core beliefs are much the same.

It is man who adds the concepts of hell, fire and damnation in an effort to control the masses with fear!

I am more than willing to wait until I die and find out what it is all about.

All people have currently is a belief system. Your beliefs are dependent on who your parents are and where you were born. I can't see that as a good way to 'believe'.

P

a reply to: pheonix358

The OP has nothing to do with religion. It's a purely philosophical question.

a reply to: DeadSeraph

To simply state that you believe something without providing a logical explanation for why you believe it is absurdity.

Really . And religion is just crammed full of logic .

a reply to: droid56

I'm with the OP on this one!

I consider that the belief that the spirit/soul goes on after death is a far cry from the need for a god. I rather prefer to think that it requires a redefinition of our understanding of what the spirit/soul actually is, if in fact it exists.

Perhaps all life forms have an equivalent of a spirit/soul. It could very well be that the only reason for life is the medium by which the spirit/soul is carried throughout whatever it is that this reality is.

Oops, I think I went a bit chicken and egg, ah well, who knows?

originally posted by: hutch622
a reply to: DeadSeraph

To simply state that you believe something without providing a logical explanation for why you believe it is absurdity.

Really . And religion is just crammed full of logic .

Again, what does the OP or my reply have to do with religion?

originally posted by: DeadSeraph
a reply to: droid56

Either we live in a strictly materialist universe in which there is no such thing as the soul or the afterlife, or we live in a created universe. You can't have it both ways, and if you think you can, you should at least delineate your conclusions.

I think there is a such thing as a soul and afterlife. The Universe is there whether it is crated by someone or not

a reply to: gmoneystunt

Ok. Then where does the soul come from? Perhaps we should further define what the "soul" is? Is it eternal? Does it survive after death? If so, where did it come from?

There's nothing stopping you from believing in whatever you wish. The afterlife is all sorts of open possibilities thanks to there being 0 evidence whatsoever.

To me, they are all fabrications. I used to make them myself. For a long time, I was a big fan of Michael Newton
www.amazon.com... and pretty much catered to that theory.

Don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't believe in. Religious leaders have been making those up for years.
If you want to believe we all reincarnate as peaches in the next world, go for it.

What I can tell you is, don't stop thinking about it. Don't just accept one thing without learning more and re-examining those beliefs from time to time.

a reply to: DeadSeraph

Where it originates from is different for everyone. It can be usually external between life and death but not exclusively. It can survive after death.

originally posted by: gmoneystunt
a reply to: DeadSeraph

Where it originates from is different for everyone. It can be usually external between life and death but not exclusively. It can survive after death.

This is an absurd proposition. If we commonly assume that the soul exists, as the OP suggests, then we must account for it's origins. To claim it's "subjective" is special pleading, and completely ignoring the subject.

The OP suggests that there can be a soul and an afterlife without God. I am asking how, and from whence the soul originated, yet all I have seen so far are juvenile attacks on "religion", and no serious attempts to account for how this could be?

a reply to: DeadSeraph

God can exist but it doesn't mean we can provide its origin either. Without its knowledge of origin can we say it really exists. I am guessing you do not believe in reincarnation or the afterlife. I appreciate your opinion and I have an honest question have you had a chance to look into past life regression hypnosis?

a reply to: DeadSeraph

What does the OP or my reply have to do with religion?

Once again really .

How could there be an afterlife and a soul, if there is no God?

No religion there .

From Wiki .

Religion (from O.Fr. religion "religious community," from L. religionem (nom. religio) "respect for what is sacred, reverence for the gods,

Your beliefs require nothing. You're speculating like all the rest of us. Your beliefs are your own that need justifying only to yourself. If you need someone to validate your faith, then it's not your own faith.

a reply to: gmoneystunt

But the OP specifically states that they believe an afterlife is possible without God. That is the subject. Yes, I personally believe in an afterlife, and I am on the fence about reincarnation. But my personal beliefs aren't the subject of the thread.

The OP states that there can be an afterlife and a soul without God. I would like someone, anyone, to tell me how that is possible (without making juvenile attempts to link the issue to religion).