Are you still atheist if you believe in a afterlife?

Im atheist but I cant understant the concept of not existing. I think the thought of not existing is just in the mind. To me I feel nature always finds its way. I think all things within the universe is recycled. It rules out god cause then something would have had to create god and so on.

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Permalink Reply by LeeLah on March 15, 2010 at 8:24am
Okay I googled oculi aperti and got more latin. :) Please explain, thanks
Permalink Reply by Glenn Sogge on March 15, 2010 at 8:39am
Me, too, 'cause I was checking to see if my proposed conjecture is true. 'Oculi' comes from the same root as 'ocular' -- eye. 'Aperti' comes from the same root as 'aperture' -- opening. (Which comes from which is probably the other way around.) So, my guess is that it means 'with open eyes'. In other words, staring into the abyss (if that's the way your psychology grows) or having a truly open eyes/mind about our reality (if your psychology grows differently.)

Just my two cents ...
Permalink Reply by BradHAWK on March 16, 2010 at 4:07am
Exactly. Seeing it as it is rather than as we wish.

I get the impression that even naturalistic people tend to frame their existential beliefs in a way that feels comfortable to them, rather than simply acknowledging an aversion to what is. (That may be a false impression as I haven't discussed it explicitly.)

Interestingly, I don't know of a religion who's postmortem belief is not at least potentially desirable to it's believers (there's often a "Hell", but not for me).

In fact, I've often thought of "religion" as a system with 3 primary functions (for primitive societies):

1. transmitting practical information.
2. enforcing social/behavioral practices (actually part of '1').
3. explaining (excusing) the inexplicable.

But I think I might at to that:

4. popularizing death.
Permalink Reply by Glenn Sogge on March 15, 2010 at 8:57am
And how's that working for you? :-)
Permalink Reply by Glenn Sogge on March 15, 2010 at 9:11am
Well, keep your eyes open ... you'll figure it out.
Permalink Reply by Howard S. Dunn on March 17, 2010 at 12:42am
While I once thought as you did - I realized what I wasn't doing was thinking. Scarcity is what makes something valuable. The idea of living forever gives me the frikkin heebee jeebees - or, at least, it would if I could begin to imagine a way for it to happen.

And, as I said before - would you resemble who you are or have been for very long? It's clearly true that the body ceases to function. And, btw - if you live forever without a body or brain - then why have one now?
Permalink Reply by Stephen Turner on March 17, 2010 at 12:45am
That's probably the best way of looking at it...we just have an impossible time trying to conceive of what it is to NOT be--like trying to "remember" those 13-odd billion years preceding our own existences. It's a really tough thing to wrap one's head around. And I think that's the thing many doubting theists/borderline atheists have the hardest time with in terms of being honest with themselves about their doubts. But as you say, once the moment of our death occurs, we won't know or be around to care anyway. So there is some weird consolation in that realization.
Permalink Reply by Neeven Soodyall on March 17, 2010 at 5:43am
Nicely put.
Permalink Reply by Roy The Infidel on March 15, 2010 at 4:57am
Afterlife, nah.

Cloning, yes. And my clone doesn't have to be my exact copy - identity, personality-wise. But, he is genetically a copy of me. And, he shall know where he came from - discover the former self that was I who once walked on this lonely planet. Now, that's more exciting.

Of course, he can continue my Nexus account if he wants to. :) To be cloned is to be born again.
Permalink Reply by Roy The Infidel on March 15, 2010 at 5:30am
His Maker is the geneticist. If he calls him god, is another story. :D
Permalink Reply by Howard S. Dunn on March 15, 2010 at 10:18am
That's exactly like saying your identical twin (if you had one - a natural clone) is somehow you.
Permalink Reply by Roy The Infidel on March 15, 2010 at 8:33pm
The birth of a delayed identical twin. Is somehow me - genetically he shares my DNA. But, he possesses his own identity and personality owing to the different environment and stimuli he will live in and experience. He shall be, no less a biological extension of my original self which is a good start.

Assuming human cloning can be done successfully, this identical twin concept IMO, is just the soft launch. Absent the technology to create the perfect clone. research will continue to attain this goal of designing a faithful copy of the original self - identity, individual consciousness, and personality included.

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