[shadowcomplex]

I was wondering if any athiests around here have considered this concept, no god ,no jesus, no allah, no budda, just a life after this one with none of the current relgions are relevent, i know alot of athiests preach that life cant exist after brain death but life has always come before the brain

[phutyle]

If there was any evidence for such an afterlife, I'd consider it. But I haven't seen any worth consdidering yet.

Originally Posted by shadowcomplex

I know alot of athiests preach that life cant exist after brain death but life has always come before the brain

I have no idea what this means. Do you mean that there are organisms alive that have no brains? No person, let alone atheist, I know "preaches" that having a brain is a prerequisite for life. But it has been demonstrated that a complex organism like a turtle, or a cat or a person doesn't stay alive very long after the brain ceases to function. Some of the individual cells in the body in question might survive a little longer.

[Dave!]

Nobody says that life can't exist without the brain, but rather that consciousness can't exist without the brain.

[Kivaro]

Ah, no Ted.

[GarIT]

We only think and feel emotion because of chemical reactions in the brain, when the chemicals are gone the feeling is gone. There is nothing that could go onto another life.

[kylith]

I couldn't completely write off the possibility of an afterlife sans deity. However, OP, try this experiment: close your eyes, reach out with your conciousness and communicate with another person. Doesn't work, does it? Since your conciousness can't acquire any extra abilities when you're dead if it does continue after death then there'll be just your conciousness, in your body, in your grave; hearing nothing, seeing nothing, doing nothing. Forever and ever and ever.

I'll take oblivion, thanks.

[WoundedRhino]

As an agnostic I'd like to believe there's some sort of afterlife, though pretty much admit that it's because the thought of being dead terrifies me so I'm clinging on to the hope that death is not the end. I reckon that's the reason a lot of people flock toward religion - fear of death.

[Sarky]

Wishful thinking, really. And any time spent worrying about it is time you could have been spending having fun in the only life you know for certain exists.

If there is an afterlife, I suspect it would be filled with regret.

[Zombrex]

I hope there is an after life (perhaps a super advance civilization some how takes brain scans of people just as they die or something) but I see no evidence for this.

As such I'm not going to assume there is an after live my life as anything other than the only one I've got (ie shame to waste it). Some of the things religious people do because they think this life is just a temporary stop gap are nuts.

[phutyle]

Originally Posted by WoundedRhino

As an agnostic I'd like to believe there's some sort of afterlife, though pretty much admit that it's because the thought of being dead terrifies me so I'm clinging on to the hope that death is not the end.

Were you terrified of before you were born?

I can understand being afraid of the act of dying - it often involves suffering of some sort. And I can understand fearing for the people you leave behind - how will your family get on financially and emotionally without you. But an afterlife wouldn't change these things. If there is an afterlife, you still suffer to get there, and you still leave people behind.

I don't see anything to fear from simply not existing. I already did it for 13 and a bit billlion years, and I didn't mind at all.

[Dymo]

Well I didn't exist for millions of years, so when I die I expect I will return to that existence.

[Kivaro]

Originally Posted by Dymo

Well I didn't exist for millions of years, so when I die I expect I will return to that existence.

........ return to that non-existence.

I am still confused on how rational human beings can believe that when the physiology of the body is destroyed (by death), that somehow a consciousness still exists.

Of course a lot of people would like to continue to exist in a nirvana-type state, but we're dead, people, DEAD.
Chemistry ends, the synaptic nerves stop firing, we decay.

If we accept it, then we may get more enjoyment out of the blink of time on this planet that we are so lucky to have.

[WoundedRhino]

Originally Posted by phutyle

Were you terrified of before you were born?

I can understand being afraid of the act of dying - it often involves suffering of some sort. And I can understand fearing for the people you leave behind - how will your family get on financially and emotionally without you. But an afterlife wouldn't change these things. If there is an afterlife, you still suffer to get there, and you still leave people behind.

I don't see anything to fear from simply not existing. I already did it for 13 and a bit billlion years, and I didn't mind at all.

True, but during those 13 and a bit billion years, you'd never experienced existence so you didn't know what you were missing! It's not the act of dying that frightens me. It's the not existing part. I like existing

[GarIT]

Originally Posted by WoundedRhino

True, but during those 13 and a bit billion years, you'd never experienced existence so you didn't know what you were missing! It's not the act of dying that frightens me. It's the not existing part. I like existing

I think everyone would agree but that isn't a sufficient reason for some people to make up ideas about what would happen next that have no basis.

A lot of people in the world today are exploited, they are told live how we want give us money and donations and in the end you wont be gone forever when you die.

[swampgas]

Originally Posted by WoundedRhino

It's not the act of dying that frightens me. It's the not existing part. I like existing

You exist right now - make the most of it!

Carpe Diem makes more sense the older I get.