To Atheists, I Have a Question

reply to post by wisefoolishness


I am an Atheist, and I believe when we die, that's it. We completely cease to exist. I honestly believe that religion was created as a way to scare people into behaving a certain way, and the idea of an afterlife was created to give people a way to cope with the loss of loved ones. Humans are so arrogant that they can't deal with the possibility of everything not being centered around us. We are very insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and in order to make people feel more important, they need something further to believe in.

reply to post by wisefoolishness


Im not an atheist but I dont believe in religion, I only beleive in god because religions were invented by humans, and also because of this it does not surprise me that there are many atheist people around so I dont understand what is what you find strange in that. They just belive in what they see and in what we can understand scientifically and the main purpose of human race is procreation.

[edit on 26-11-2007 by ren784]

Originally posted by ren784
reply to post by wisefoolishness

 

Im not an atheist but I dont believe in religion, I only beleive in god because religions were invented by humans, and also because of this it does not surprise me that there are many atheist people around so I dont understand what is what you find strange in that. They just belive in what they see and in what we can understand scientifically and the main purpose of human race is procreation. "No after life no God no Satan You make your own life then you #´n Die"
[edit on 26-11-2007 by ren784]

"No after life no God no Satan You make your own life then you #´n Die"

Originally posted by DeadFlagBlues
I think the death of an Atheist is more romantic than the death of a believer. We believe in nothing, therefore, our last moments looking up will be the most important of our entire existence. I would like to stay technical in saying we die just like every other being on the planet, but even the most stout of Atheists don't really know, now do we?

First of all, I agree that an atheist's death is more romantic, more adventurous. Even more brave. Second, I heartily agree that no, we don't know.

Too many people are self-righteous, arrogant, and narrow-minded about this subject. People have their beliefs and state them as fact. Spiritual, Christian, pagan, atheist alike. People just spread their own dogma without giving any thought to acceptance.

As I said, the only truth regarding post-death is that we know nothing about it. And it's rather pitiful to watch people arguing about it. We don't know, we can't know; just live your life and stop trying to convince people you're right.

[edit on 27-11-2007 by Heron]

If you stop thinking about an answer and just worry about the present, you'll be better off.

Religion began to give people some sense of control of the unknown in their lives...then some really evil people found that they could use it to control everyone else. They modified it and twisted it into questions that could never be answered or conflicting information to confuse people.

You can never have control if you depend on someone who has a vested interest in controlling you.

Wake up and smell NOW.

reply to post by drakeman


im certainly not stressing myself over it. i was curious, and if i have a question like this i come to ATS for an answer, because i know i can always get an honest opinion.

I do not deny the existance of a Higher being. call it God, Ahlla, Vishnu, Buddah, the universe its self, or whatever.

I feel there is some higher plane of existance, inter-dimentional or higher frequency, orwhatever it might be.

What "I do not", believe in is a religion that gets down on it's knees & prayes to this divinity for "whatever reasons".

If there is a god, I am sure He/She/It, never menat for humaity to worhip & form factions that would fight over whos religion was the true one.

One should be able believe in a higher being & not have to follow a set religious path.

God dose not want you wasting your time in a church, praying, on your knees, when you could be using that tme to do some actuall good out in the real world.

Religions that tell people if they don't become christians or muslims or whatever, they will not go to heaven, are full of themselves. What religion you are hase no bearing on the type of person you are & its the type of person you are that dictaes where you go..!!!

This world would be a much nicer place to live if there was no religion at all...!!

That dosen't mean however that you cant believe in a higher being.

I'm sure some Religious fanatics waould call me a heretic for saying such a thing, but facts are facts...

Most wars that have ever started have had some religion as the driving force behind them...

[edit on 11/29/2007 by Ironclad]

So If we are nothing but a pack of cells and neurons?

If we can prove where in the brain joy is made

If we know that part of our brain lights up when we figure out a math equation

If we understand that 1+1=2

But we also understand that we are eternal
(what makes up a cell, which makes up that, etc)

Where does the universe stop?

If when we pray part of our brains light up, then how can we tell which part of the brain is accurate and which part is not. We can truly say that human beings defy the law of natural science in many ways. We are not subjected to shear physics. We seek Self_Actualization and well-being. Why then do we seek the well-being for others, over ourselves sometimes? Why do we become intrigued with the unknown, and why can't we understand that we don't understand..... Honestly which parts of our brain would be right? How could we know whether Atheism or Religion was responsible for our exsistent if you follow the atheistic idea of a Brain Scan?.. You cannot, it leads to nihilism. However we live in reality, and thankfully we have rules to know why 1+1=2, we have objective truths. That no one can argue, but Atheism vs. Dualism proves wrong. WE HAVE A SOUL!! and if any of you people that believe a third of the bull# on here, cannot look into after death experiences, where drugs, and oxygen depravation has been ruled out, where people saw the divine and ascension. Then your blind!!. Aliens are less provable then the soul... anyone want to refute it go ahead..



FRANKLY!!!!!

I believe that there is good and evil.. FACT
I believe that humanity has the autonomous realm for the world we live in.
We think within our boundries given to us by something else.
I believe that when you try to look into a two-way mirror you only come up with more questions than answers when it comes to humanity

The more and more I realize neuro-science the more and more I realize there is a creator, and there is evil as well as good.

I also understand that as mere mortals we can only support the capicty for what we know within our envirement, and the natural physics given to us, that we can observe. Newton which was said by many to be the father of the enlightenment came to the conclusion that through his studies, there had to be an intelligent being responsible for the universe. Of course what did he know, but I'm just saying, do the research, read what Descarte wrote, we have the knowledge to believe. Just think about it. I agree it's not easy..

[edit on 29-11-2007 by Johnnydmb23]

there is a point in the sexual orgasm where for just an instant the mind is completely clear of thought, for just one tiny billionth of a second there is nothingness and its bliss, i believe i will return to nothingness that life is one large climatic event and all i hope for when i reach my moment of clarity is that its met with a smile and without regret

Apology of Socrates, by Plato

Let us reflect in another way, and we shall see that there is great reason to hope that death is a good, for one of two things: - either death is a state of nothingness and utter unconsciousness, or, as men say, there is a change and migration of the soul from this world to another. Now if you suppose that there is no consciousness, but a sleep like the sleep of him who is undisturbed even by the sight of dreams, death will be an unspeakable gain. For if a person were to select the night in which his sleep was undisturbed even by dreams, and were to compare with this the other days and nights of his life, and then were to tell us how many days and nights he had passed in the course of his life better and more pleasantly than this one, I think that any man, I will not say a private man, but even the great king, will not find many such days or nights, when compared with the others. Now if death is like this, I say that to die is gain; for eternity is then only a single night. But if death is the journey to another place, and there, as men say, all the dead are, what good, O my friends and judges, can be greater than this? If indeed when the pilgrim arrives in the world below, he is delivered from the professors of justice in this world, and finds the true judges who are said to give judgment there, Minos and Rhadamanthus and Aeacus and Triptolemus, and other sons of God who were righteous in their own life, that pilgrimage will be worth making. What would not a man give if he might converse with Orpheus and Musaeus and Hesiod and Homer? Nay, if this be true, let me die again and again. I, too, shall have a wonderful interest in a place where I can converse with Palamedes, and Ajax the son of Telamon, and other heroes of old, who have suffered death through an unjust judgment; and there will be no small pleasure, as I think, in comparing my own sufferings with theirs. Above all, I shall be able to continue my search into true and false knowledge; as in this world, so also in that; I shall find out who is wise, and who pretends to be wise, and is not. What would not a man give, O judges, to be able to examine the leader of the great Trojan expedition; or Odysseus or Sisyphus, or numberless others, men and women too! What infinite delight would there be in conversing with them and asking them questions! For in that world they do not put a man to death for this; certainly not. For besides being happier in that world than in this, they will be immortal, if what is said is true.

Wherefore, O judges, be of good cheer about death, and know this of a truth - that no evil can happen to a good man, either in life or after death. He and his are not neglected by the gods; nor has my own approaching end happened by mere chance. But I see clearly that to die and be released was better for me; and therefore the oracle gave no sign. For which reason also, I am not angry with my accusers, or my condemners; they have done me no harm, although neither of them meant to do me any good; and for this I may gently blame them.

Still I have a favor to ask of them. When my sons are grown up, I would ask you, O my friends, to punish them; and I would have you trouble them, as I have troubled you, if they seem to care about riches, or anything, more than about virtue; or if they pretend to be something when they are really nothing, - then reprove them, as I have reproved you, for not caring about that for which they ought to care, and thinking that they are something when they are really nothing. And if you do this, I and my sons will have received justice at your hands.

The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways - I to die, and you to live. Which is better God only knows.

I have posted in this thread previously, and from reading what other poster's have stated, "This is a very logical and Honestly opinionated thread for all to be proud of."
There are so many good preception's of what may or may not be, the main thing is that is a civil and courteous posted group of ATSer's. Though we will never have the absolute's of this quiery, there are definately Knowledgable inquiries and statements to what may lay beyond "Our" life's realities from the here and now.

Just wanted put my 2 cents worth in for the great opinion's and honesty involved with such a troubling and contrevversial topic.......

reply to post by Allred5923


and i couldnt agree more. i asked for no controversy when i first started this thread, and i have to say, i did not expect that to happen. thanks to all those who have tossed in their opinions, and have done so in a civil manner.

Originally posted by Johnnydmb23
I believe that there is good and evil.. FACT

Good and evil are a matter of opinion, not fact. What do you consider evil? Murder? What about murdering someone who has murdered millions of others? What if your child was kidnapped, raped, beaten, etc. Would murdering their assailants be evil? What about theft? Is theft evil? What if your children are starving to death and you steal food for them? Does that make you evil?

Good and evil are relative, not facts.

Like many ppl here I have put alot of thought in on this...

The best answer I can come up with for is there a God(s)
I dont know..
If there was.. were they an alien life form?
probably...
Is any one religion more right than the other?
I hope not.. lol

The body is an amazing machine.. If you think about it, your body
is like a super efficient and low emissions machine. INSANELY
complex and adaptable.. not only humans but ALL life.. right down
to cells and atoms..

Now does that mean that someone had to create these complex
machines? and we get to trade up to a newer version" when
this one finally breaks?

Still.. the best answer I can come up with is.....
I dont know...

Is Human kind and earth different than all the rest?
Just knowing how HUGE the visible universe is and knowing how
many Suns there are (not stars.. suns, just like our own) with
planets etc. etc.... Earth and earth like planets might not be
a dime a dozen in the universe.. but...


Does religion make you feel like they are Santa Clause for Grown-ups?..
Yes.....
you defiantly dont want to make the Pope's naughty list. :-D

Originally posted by Rigel
A rock does not give rock.

Plant give plants.

Animal gives conscience.

Human gives soul.

[edit on 23-11-2007 by Rigel]

WRONG

James Brown gives soul.

[edit on 11-12-2007 by davebgimp]

Ashes to ashes,,,,,,,,
........Dust to dust....
unless you are buried at sea and then you are food.
Death..... is final and that's it really.


Cremation for me folks & ashes cast to wind. Back to mother earth from whence we came.

what do you believe happens after you die?

I would be dead. My body would rot. Isn't that obvious?

We rot in the ground. Or get cremated. Or whatever.

Basically, what happens to us when we die is whatever you observe happening to our corpse.

reply to post by Heron


Agreed completely.

I used to have my rounds with the religious and it ended in the same fashion every single time. It boiled down to common sense for me and faith for them. I wasn't okay with that for a long time. Now, I have great respect for the religious that don't act like they know, as I have the same for atheists who have the same respect for the unknown. I do know that my body will rot, burn, or become fish food, though none of us know what happens after we die, because it simply can't be proven in any realm but the physical.

This discussion beyond that is P O I N T L E S S.

reply to post by wisefoolishness


What are you... are you an atheist, a deist, or a theist, or what...

For those who do not believe in a soul, let me ask this..

1. where do dreams come from, and why do we see sky, and earth, and so on in them?
2. Why are dreams three dimensional? If it's all in the head, how is it we perceive space and time?
3. When you daydream about, say... a hot date, or an exciting sports event, whatever, how can it exist seeing you have never seen it or heard it before, or even experienced it before, yet in your mind (I'll call it the soul), there it is.
4. Where does morality come from? How do we know what is right or wrong? If two people disagree, who is right?

I believe there is a soul and that it does not die when your body does.

[edit on 21-12-2007 by Fromabove]

[edit on 21-12-2007 by Fromabove]