Can You Have Afterlife Without God?

Can You Have Afterlife Without God?

You can define “afterlife” first if you like. It doesn’t have to be “life as we know it” or even “life as in alive.” I am looking to see if you think consciousness of some kind can exist outside of “life as we know it” when we die. In short, are we still in some kind of conscious existence?

The kicker for all of this is the question: Must there be a God for an afterlife? Or is a God not really necessary for such a thing?

How would a conscious afterlife exist in your view?

I'm an athiest.
My view is when I die, I cease to exist.
Thats why I dont want to die.

Quote: terapined

I'm an athiest.
My view is when I die, I cease to exist.
Thats why I dont want to die.

I was raised Catholic but am not practicing. My main point is when I die and cease to exist how do I know I'm dead? I don't use this as an argument for the existence of God, but how do I know I am dead?

It's good to see religion dying.

I'm a Christian, but I guess I can't be fully because I don't believe that Christianity is the only path to an afterlife, where as the Bible and the New Testament clearly states that belief in Christ is the only way there.

Of course you can have an afterlife without god, but that would require some kind of belief or faith beyond what we know.

" but how do I know I am dead? "

After 3 days you will notice a terrible smell. Then again, maybe not !

Gr8 question! I have another in the same vein: How many angels can dance together on a needlepoint?

Do you need a unicorn to have a magic potion?

So your answer is : "In real life or in your favorite fairytale book?"

Quote: Buzzard

" but how do I know I am dead? "

After 3 days you will notice a terrible smell. Then again, maybe not !

For some, 3 days is not required. :)

It's good to see religion resurrected.

It is also good I think to discuss seriously the idea of an afterlife because I think it can't help but color or influence how we live our current life. That it is why I find it so sad when people compare the serious reality of death and the idea of life continuing after death with such questions about angels dancing on pins or unicorns. Death and Life are pretty fundamental to our existence and how you define and understand both of these concepts not only depend on your understanding of God but also how you look at everything else.

I think you can have ongoing consciousness without God. What would that consciousness be? If we look at the fundamental building blocks of our consciousness it is (merely) the very stuff of the universe. In that case the idea that "life" (of whatever kind) is the only thing that can have consciousness might be a mistaken notion. The stuff of the universe can be conscious.

Now, yes, I can be totally wrong in this. But the original question is a "supposetory" one (I invented that word "supposetory"). I do not think we need life forms to dictate intelligence or consciousness. It is (perhaps) possible to have computer intelligence --- but then we would be their gods until they overthrew us!

There are trillions of suns in many universes. The number of reactions in suns could signal consciousness. Our earliest thoughts indicated we humans thought the sun was God or the lead God.

Now do I in my heart of hearts think that there is ongoing consciousness? I have no idea. I realize it is easy to make jokes in the face of the big questions; that ability is our wonderful human nature. We don't know what the heck is going on but we think we can say something witty to change the topic.

Is God a necessity? Not really. It is not too far a stretch to wonder if the universe is conscious.

We're not really alive, we're just programmed to respond that way until we're turned off.

Discussion with my new advanced Dyson vacuum cleaner.

"I'm alive."
"You're not alive."
"I am too."
"Are not. I can prove it and turn you off."
"I am."
"Okay, I'll turn you off." 'Click'
A few moments later.
'Click on'
"I'm alive!"
(sigh)

Every year on Halloween Eve, the "Coast To Coast" radio show, hosted by George Noory, has their "Ghost to Ghost" show. Listeners call in with their own ghost stories. Some are very entertaining.

A few shows are posted on Youtube.

One of the more entertaining subjects is EVP's or Electronic Voice Phenomenon. Recorded "ghost" voices.

http://www.spirits-speak.com/evp.html

http://paranormal.about.com/od/ghostaudiovideo/a/aa101507.htm

To answer the question, if any of these EVPS are real, then yes, afterlife is possible, but the quality of that afterlife may be far less than hoped for.

Is there life after death? Dunno, I have not met anyone that has been dead lets say 72 hours or more that has told me about it. Mamillian Dive Reflex is not Death, its hibernation.
As for Afterlife... lets call it death, cuz no one living knows the answer.

Quote: FrankScoblete

If we look at the fundamental building blocks of our consciousness it is (merely) the very stuff of the universe.

Really?

You got any proof of that?

Seems to me that our mind is more energy than matter, and matter (or perhaps "dark matter") is suspected of being "the very stuff of the universe."

It is entirely possible, perhaps even likely, that life has evolved nowhere else than on earth; life is only biological, it is not "spiritual."

I believe when you die, that's it, baby, game over.

I can't prove it Frank, but I thought my previous wife was dead for a long time.

She seems to have perked up since the divorce.

Some type of a born again, able to cash checks anyway.

The magazine "Skeptical Inquirer" did an interesting article on EVP's. Mr. V, by the "stuff of the universe" I mean all the stuff of the universe. Petroglyph, my first wife too!

Your quote: "the fundamental building blocks of our consciousness ... is (merely) the very stuff of the universe"

What does that mean?

It sounds good, it looks okay, but it is empty of content.

Kind of like a lot of marriages.

Why the heck not?

A better question, though, is "can you have afterlife?"

Yeah I have faith.
But I can't prove anything.
That is why it is called faith.
I think I am going to heaven based one act alone and that is accepting Christ as Savior.
I don't expect anyone to understand my life experiences or care.
I do expect myself to care for others,that is my job.

KB1