To interact with this page you must login.
Signup
philosophy
understand
You want to know whether a person can be an atheist even if they believe in souls.
If your definition of souls is to believe in the afterlife, then you are not really an atheist, as atheists don't believe in life after death. Any self proclaimed atheist who believes in the afterlife is agnostic.
Someone explain to me how it is possible to believe in the afterlife but not believe in God? The answer is, you can't. Real atheists don't believe in the afterlife.
So when I said that if by soul you mean consciousness with personality and memories then yes, I was making a lot of sense.
How about this one?
Athiests do not believe in the afterlife.
It is acceptable to have a contradicting opinion of the definition that Quora has given, that's why I asked the question to seek all opinions, but when you base your argument on (what I believe to be) factually incorrect information, then I reserve the right to challenge that information.
In the details I've already said that it is possible to believe in the afterlife and not believe in a divine power, deity or grand designer (why wouldn't it be they are two different things so it is natural to think that the belief in one doesn't affect the belief in the other).
Some people think this is incorrect and do believe they are connected, as do you, but you're saying that is not true by saying things that I don't think explain anything. For example you also say ' Any self proclaimed atheist who believes in the afterlife is agnostic.'. Agnostic means some thing very different, so how does that add weight to your argument?
If you believe that you're an athiest and still believe in the afterlife, you are not truly an athiest, you are agnostic.
An athiest who can pick and choose (you) what religious stuff you want to believe in, and still call yourself an athiest, is just silliness.
You disregard all religion as untrue, yet still want to believe in the afterlife? Does that make any sense to continue calling yourself an athiest?
There is actually no reason the two have to go together. Some one who doesn't believe in a god or gods may indeed also believe that the earth is flat. They are still an atheist. A very confused atheist, but an atheist.
I guess someone could believe that they will become a ghost after they die, but still not believe in god\s. (I am not trying to be argumentative. I just wanted to explain.)
Is someone an atheist if they don't believe in a god but they do believe in a soul?
By god I mean any form of higher power, deities.
By soul there is an implication that this would involve an 'after life' in some form (possibly reincarnation).
To add some context:
In the description for 'atheism,' Atheism is nothing more than a simple disbelief in supernatural deities. It's not a philosophy or religion Atheism
In his response to this question Joshua Engel says "the atheist does believe that all suffering ends, at death.", which would suggest to me
How are atheists able to process or deal with or tolerate the horrors of life (such as people being tortured or children being forced into prostitution)?
All the atheists that respond here seem to have consensus that there is nothing left once you die What do atheists believe happens to the energy of a human being once you die?
In this thread there seems to be mixed views, some saying that atheism is solely about not believing in a god/gods or any form of higher power, yet some people seem to doubt that a 'real' atheist would believe in these things. Can atheists believe in spirits?
Barry Hampe says here that most atheists don't believe in an afterlife. A person's beliefs about life after death often contradict another's. Does it follow that someone has to be wrong?
I don't want to draw a conclusion to my own question or make to many assumptions about how people have answered these questions but it seems to me that some 'atheists' have broadened their definition of atheism, to something more than "disbelief in supernatural deities".
By soul there is an implication that this would involve an 'after life' in some form (possibly reincarnation).
To add some context:
In the description for 'atheism,' Atheism is nothing more than a simple disbelief in supernatural deities. It's not a philosophy or religion Atheism
In his response to this question Joshua Engel says "the atheist does believe that all suffering ends, at death.", which would suggest to me
How are atheists able to process or deal with or tolerate the horrors of life (such as people being tortured or children being forced into prostitution)?
All the atheists that respond here seem to have consensus that there is nothing left once you die What do atheists believe happens to the energy of a human being once you die?
In this thread there seems to be mixed views, some saying that atheism is solely about not believing in a god/gods or any form of higher power, yet some people seem to doubt that a 'real' atheist would believe in these things. Can atheists believe in spirits?
Barry Hampe says here that most atheists don't believe in an afterlife. A person's beliefs about life after death often contradict another's. Does it follow that someone has to be wrong?
I don't want to draw a conclusion to my own question or make to many assumptions about how people have answered these questions but it seems to me that some 'atheists' have broadened their definition of atheism, to something more than "disbelief in supernatural deities".
philosophyunderstand
tynamite
Tatiana
This is not really an answer to the question, I am not debating whether these things are true. Thank you for taking the time to reply.
tynamite
Me
This is an adequate answer to your question.You want to know whether a person can be an atheist even if they believe in souls.
If your definition of souls is to believe in the afterlife, then you are not really an atheist, as atheists don't believe in life after death. Any self proclaimed atheist who believes in the afterlife is agnostic.
Someone explain to me how it is possible to believe in the afterlife but not believe in God? The answer is, you can't. Real atheists don't believe in the afterlife.
So when I said that if by soul you mean consciousness with personality and memories then yes, I was making a lot of sense.
tynamite
Tatiana
This assertions are all factually incorrect.
tynamite
How about this one?Athiests do not believe in the afterlife.
tynamite
Tatiana
Well that is an answer but by itself has little value. If you read all the other answers (especially ones in the details) I cite reasons for the ambiguity.It is acceptable to have a contradicting opinion of the definition that Quora has given, that's why I asked the question to seek all opinions, but when you base your argument on (what I believe to be) factually incorrect information, then I reserve the right to challenge that information.
In the details I've already said that it is possible to believe in the afterlife and not believe in a divine power, deity or grand designer (why wouldn't it be they are two different things so it is natural to think that the belief in one doesn't affect the belief in the other).
Some people think this is incorrect and do believe they are connected, as do you, but you're saying that is not true by saying things that I don't think explain anything. For example you also say ' Any self proclaimed atheist who believes in the afterlife is agnostic.'. Agnostic means some thing very different, so how does that add weight to your argument?
tynamite
Me
The whole point of being an athiest, is to only believe in things that there's evidence for, and not believe in holy books (the Bible) that has flaws (the Earth is flat). It is the flaws in religion that lead most athiests to become athiests, as they usually start out religious.If you believe that you're an athiest and still believe in the afterlife, you are not truly an athiest, you are agnostic.
An athiest who can pick and choose (you) what religious stuff you want to believe in, and still call yourself an athiest, is just silliness.
You disregard all religion as untrue, yet still want to believe in the afterlife? Does that make any sense to continue calling yourself an athiest?
tynamite
Tatiana
OK well if you don't want to look up the definition of 'agnostic' then there is no point continuing the conversation
tynamite
Me
An agnostic is someone who is not sure whether or not God exists. I am fully aware of that. However, there is no word for people who believe in the afterlife but not God, but seeing as you think how what you think, you are more closer to that than being an athiest. I can't call you a half-athiest so I call you agnostic.
tynamite
Mary
I think that sometimes atheism gets the "only believing in things there is evidence for" added to it as a definition. As you said, many atheists either do believe that or use the lack of evidence in discussions about atheism.There is actually no reason the two have to go together. Some one who doesn't believe in a god or gods may indeed also believe that the earth is flat. They are still an atheist. A very confused atheist, but an atheist.
I guess someone could believe that they will become a ghost after they die, but still not believe in god\s. (I am not trying to be argumentative. I just wanted to explain.)
tynamite
Me
Then you'll just have to see what happens at the end of the 2011 comment thread, won't you?
tynamite
Eric
So your answer is quintessentially that of a "materialist" in the philosophical sense.
tynamite
Me
I don't understand.
If by soul, you mean something that will float up to heaven after we die, then no. If you don't believe in God, then you pretty much don't believe in the afterlife.