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Comment by Pete Robson on December 20, 2012 at 10:40pm

My mother died last year, and naturally I seemed to feel that she was elsewhere, just not here. The enormity of losing someone is such that to feel the need for the belief that in some way you will meet up again, is totally understandable. I felt that, but I never saw any God  in that argument.

But as you come to terms with it, you return to a sense of reality and acceptance. And you understand where the need for the belief in an afterlife came from, but that it was just a temporary thing, a craving due to such a loss.

To realise that doesnt invalidate the process, it just shows you understand it.

Comment by GOD'aye on December 18, 2012 at 7:57pm

Frankly, I wonder if she was truly an atheist in the first place, because a true atheist usually dismisses those notions completely, though even Richard Dawkins has claimed agnostic leanings, I know many agnostics that return to faith in such traumatic events, because they haven't completely dismissed the notions of god. Many that call themselves atheists are like Richard, with agnostic leanings and concepts, such as spiritual existences.  My genuine atheist friends know full well that such tragedies won't dent their lack of belief in a God, because they consider such loss as part and parcel of living and accept others, their family and their own deaths as unavoidable.  My wife lost both her parents quite suddenly, she was traumatized, but didn't consider once wanting to meet them in a spiritual world, it actually hardened her atheism.  True atheists grieve like all others, though they don't have any notions of seeing their departed loved ones again.  Agnostics still hold such wishes and hopes, convincing them that such wishes and hopes can be fulfilled will nearly always bring agnostics back to religion, likely they will never leave while those hopes are maintained by their religion.  I don't see much hope there! 

Comment by Randall Smith on December 18, 2012 at 7:34am

Briefly, to answer your last question, who knows? My sister was "brought back to life" after a horse kick to the chest (cardiac arrest) 5 years ago. She gave credit to god, of course. She has forever wavered back and forth on whether to believe or not. Who knows where she's at now?

Comment by Ben Anderson on December 17, 2012 at 11:10pm

Like a lot of people your friend needed a sense of security to get her through her hard time. She needs a sense of purpose and belonging to justify her existence. I think underneath she realises that the notion of a higher being is absurd and that one day she will get back to normal inside her head. The fear of death pushes people towards Theism to make themselves feel better about the supposed afterlife, thus thinking that her mother is up in the heaven that man has made her feel better. This is kind of good in a short term sense but in the long term she will fear hell and god which is not good. Amen(lol)

Comment by Napoleon Bonaparte on December 17, 2012 at 3:39pm

Your friend has suffered a traumatic event and is seemingly depressed and irrational. With help and over time she may recover from her loss and find happiness again.

Comment by Future on December 17, 2012 at 3:05pm

We are all terminal.  It seems like the atheist, or even the pantheist mindset is infinitely more comfortable.  The same thing that is in store for us is in store for every single human ever born.  No worries about the good place vs. the bad place, or nervousness over judgement.  I think that anyone who went from the title of atheist to theist was never an atheist to begin with.  Barring a truly divine experience, it's a door that swings one way, imo ... and there are no truly divine experiences.

Comment by Glen Rosenberg on December 17, 2012 at 2:55pm

Hi BB, My guess is that your friend cannot come to terms with the notion of her mom's death. So the fantasy of its continuation sustains her. To many variable to make an educated guess whether she will return to being an atheist.