Life After Death but Without God

[PsychoticEpisode]

Everytime I listen to afterlife stories I'll bet that 99% of them contain references to a soul, spirit, God and Heaven.

How many of you would just be comfortable with an afterlife where none of that exists? Can you be an atheist and harbor a belief in the afterlife?

[Norsefire]

Heaven is preferable to me, but I'd be happy with any peaceful afterlife; I certainly prefer that over nothingness or hell

[KennyJC]

Heaven is preferable to me, but I'd be happy with any peaceful afterlife; I certainly prefer that over nothingness or hell

You didn't mind nothingness before you were born

[Norsefire]

You didn't mind nothingness before you were born

For all I know, I was a conscious being before I was born, and now one, and again one after I die.

[KennyJC]

For all I know, I was a conscious being before I was born, and now one, and again one after I die.

No, you weren't.

A completely different brain is an entirely different consciousness. And even if this really was fantasy land, if you have no recollection of it, what is the point? It might as well be someone else.

I hate to state the obvious, but sometimes you really miss it.

[Norsefire]

No, you weren't.

A completely different brain is an entirely different consciousness. And even if this really was fantasy land, if you have no recollection of it, what is the point? It might as well be someone else.

I hate to state the obvious, but sometimes you really miss it.

Technically, yes, a different consciousness, but it still means I may have been "conscious" before and will be after.

[KennyJC]

Technically, yes, a different consciousness, but it still means I may have been "conscious" before and will be after.

Well then that means I could be you!

Wait, I was joking there... I know you're the type that may take that seriously

[Enmos]

How many of you would just be comfortable with an afterlife where none of that exists?

Depends on what that afterlife looks like..

Can you be an atheist and harbor a belief in the afterlife?

Sure, all that is required to be called an atheist is that you don't believe in any god.
But at the same time I don't think many atheists do believe in an afterlife.

[Myles]

"How sweet is mortal sovreignty, think some.
Others how sweet the paradise to come.
Ah !. take the cash in hand and waive the rest.
How brave the music of a distant drum."

Quoted from memory. Omar Khayam/ Fitzgerald translation

[Michael]

Life after death? Then it's not really death is it?

[PsychoticEpisode]

Imagine Earth as the hereafter.

Let's say we are all on Earth after dying in another life. Let's also say that when we died we took our strongest belief or something that predisposes us to believing, with us.

If in your previous life you fervently believed in God then you should be spending most of your time in this life on Earth looking for Him, and that is exactly what we have here. You might have been told, like here on Earth, that when you died you were heading to heaven to meet up with God. If so then where is He? Sort of like dying, going to an afterlife to be with God and finding out He isn't there.

What am I getting at? I haven't a fucking clue because the idea just popped into my head. Earth could be a type of heaven & we are living the afterlife. Maybe I can start a new religion with this, or has someone else already beat me to the punch?

[Norsefire]

Imagine Earth as the hereafter.

Let's say we are all on Earth after dying in another life. Let's also say that when we died we took our strongest belief or something that predisposes us to believing, with us.

If in your previous life you fervently believed in God then you should be spending most of your time in this life on Earth looking for Him, and that is exactly what we have here. You might have been told, like here on Earth, that when you died you were heading to heaven to meet up with God. If so then where is He? Sort of like dying, going to an afterlife to be with God and finding out He isn't there.

What am I getting at? I haven't a fucking clue because the idea just popped into my head. Earth could be a type of heaven & we are living the afterlife. Maybe I can start a new religion with this, or has someone else already beat me to the punch?

I suppose that's possible, but there is no way of knowing. For all we know, our "souls" live on layers, i.e, different lives, leading up to a meeting with "god" and Earth is just one of those layers

[Michael]

For all YOU guys know - I AM GOD.

OR - perhaps God was a mortal, has died, and this is Her Heaven?

[PsychoticEpisode]

I suppose that's possible, but there is no way of knowing. For all we know, our "souls" live on layers, i.e, different lives, leading up to a meeting with "god" and Earth is just one of those layers

There is the same amount of proof for Earth being a heaven as there is for God.

No way of knowing, huh? How many times have you heard that response when you argue in defense of God's existence? Perhaps if Earth was a heaven then the purpose is to shed the impossible task of finding a God that isn't there and then admitting it.

Imagine once again if that were true and those of us who couldn't rid themselves of the belief in God are destined to move on to another heaven where events occur that will try to persuade you to deny forever God's existence. Again, exactly what happens here. The reward for denial is to move onto a higher plane. IOW atheists have the inside track for Nirvana.

Shit, this religion is starting to sound good.

[lightgigantic]

Everytime I listen to afterlife stories I'll bet that 99% of them contain references to a soul, spirit, God and Heaven.

How many of you would just be comfortable with an afterlife where none of that exists? Can you be an atheist and harbor a belief in the afterlife?

to me this raises serioous questions about why one would insist on a life after death without god

It's not clear where the advantage lies.

[Michael]

why do need need a God? Why not a Goddess? Or two Gods? Or many?

[Norsefire]

It's absolutely foolish to give an identity and detail and etc to the concept of a creator. How in the world can we ever know a thing about said creator?

No, the wisest choice is to leave it at the most basic concept: a creator. Specifying anything is foolish because there is no logic behind it.

[Steve100]

I don't think it's going to happen. But I would be comfortable with it so long as it was on par with heaven.

[Myles]

to me this raises serioous questions about why one would insist on a life after death without god

It's not clear where the advantage lies.

It's clear to me. One wouldn't have to waste precious drinking time praying and praising,

[Enmos]

Artists usually want to express something when they make an artwork.
What did God want to express with the universe ?