Can one be an atheist and believe in an afterlife?

[Thunderbird is the word]

There are some theists that don't believe in or have a conception of an afterlife so conversely could one be an Atheist and believe that consciousness continuing after death is theoretically possible? I mean if we can exist at all without a god and what we know about the universe as a whole is so limited perhaps there could be some sort of organic transfer of your consciousness.

[they don't love you like i love you]

Short answer: no. Since atheism is a complete rejection of anything supernatural.

[Alcon]

Short answer: no. Since atheism is a complete rejection of anything supernatural.

No, dude.  Theism is a belief in god(s); atheism is the absence of theism.  Atheism is not the "complete rejection" (whatever that means) of anything supernatural.  Atheism isn't necessarily the complete rejection of anything, besides the complete rejection of theism (definitionally).

[Penelope]

Can one believe in an afterlife without believing in a deity? Yes.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

I don't see why not. I ground my openness to an afterlife in the multiverse theory. If there are universes out there with laws of physics that we can't even comprehend, who's to say we don't "sink" into one of these universes after we die in this one?

I mean, there's no way to really know. And with this example, it's more about science than some kind of fantastical religion.

[anvi]

Sure.  Lots of Buddhists believe in rebirth even when they might be agnostic or atheist regarding the existence of a divine being.  Incidentally, they also tend to think of karma and rebirth as a natural and not a supernatural process.

[Famous Mortimer]

Yeah, lots of Buddhists and even some Hindus reject gods but believe in reincarnation.

Strictly speaking, that is atheism.

[ElectionsGuy]

I've never seen any that do, but theoretically yes. However, since atheists rely on science more that anything, there's nothing to prove an afterlife.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

I've never seen any that do, but theoretically yes. However, since atheists rely on science more that anything, there's nothing to prove an afterlife.

You're thinking of metaphysical naturalists, which not all atheists are.

[The Mikado]

Short answer: no. Since atheism is a complete rejection of anything supernatural.

No, dude.  Theism is a belief in god(s); atheism is the absence of theism.  Atheism is not the "complete rejection" (whatever that means) of anything supernatural.  Atheism isn't necessarily the complete rejection of anything, besides the complete rejection of theism (definitionally).

An atheist can believe in witchcraft, ghosts, magic, etc. There isn't an atheist Pope who will atheist-excommunicate them for doing so.

[Crumpets]

I have a friend who is atheist and believes in the afterlife, although he is reluctant to give details on what the nature of an afterlife would be, only that it wouldn't be a heaven vs. hell scenario.

[Blue3]

Short answer: no. Since atheism is a complete rejection of anything supernatural.

Not all atheists are the "I only believe in what science has proven" types.

You could not believe in a God, but believe an individual's identity can survive death in a phenomenon not yet proven by science.

[muon2]

Short answer: no. Since atheism is a complete rejection of anything supernatural.

Not all atheists are the "I only believe in what science has proven" types.

You could not believe in a God, but believe an individual's identity can survive death in a phenomenon not yet proven by science.

I would contend that such a person is fooling themselves if they say they are atheist. They are rejecting a traditional notion of God, yet constructing a worldview that contains the core elements of a religion inhabited by divine beings.  Divine does not have to be omnipotent or omnipresent. So that person might be accepting divine beings that are just the post-mortal identities of people. That seems theist to me, just not monotheist.

[Alcon]

Short answer: no. Since atheism is a complete rejection of anything supernatural.

Not all atheists are the "I only believe in what science has proven" types.

You could not believe in a God, but believe an individual's identity can survive death in a phenomenon not yet proven by science.

I would contend that such a person is fooling themselves if they say they are atheist. They are rejecting a traditional notion of God, yet constructing a worldview that contains the core elements of a religion inhabited by divine beings.  Divine does not have to be omnipotent or omnipresent. So that person might be accepting divine beings that are just the post-mortal identities of people. That seems theist to me, just not monotheist.

In what sense is that theistic?  It's asserting metaphysical phenomena.  I think most people associate the term God (and theism) with some entity with some sort of non-ministerial powers over creation, not merely metaphysical phenomena that tend to go along with most theistic accounts.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Short answer: no. Since atheism is a complete rejection of anything supernatural.

No, dude.  Theism is a belief in god(s); atheism is the absence of theism.  Atheism is not the "complete rejection" (whatever that means) of anything supernatural.  Atheism isn't necessarily the complete rejection of anything, besides the complete rejection of theism (definitionally).

An atheist can believe in witchcraft, ghosts, magic, etc. There isn't an atheist Pope who will atheist-excommunicate them for doing so.

I get the impression that Richard Dawkins would like to be the atheist pope if there were such a thing.

[Figueira]

Of course they can. By definition, atheists can believe in anything except god(s).

[Slander and/or Libel]

Short answer: no. Since atheism is a complete rejection of anything supernatural.

No, dude.  Theism is a belief in god(s); atheism is the absence of theism.  Atheism is not the "complete rejection" (whatever that means) of anything supernatural.  Atheism isn't necessarily the complete rejection of anything, besides the complete rejection of theism (definitionally).

In my days when I actually cared about these things, I'd soften the definition of atheism to not include the "complete rejection" of anything. It's entirely possible to live without a belief in God without having consciously rejected any and all conceptions of God. "Complete rejection" starts to edge into strong atheism territory, where you don't just disbelieve, but actively assert that there is no God.

[/]

No, at least in a practical sense.

[angus]

Can one be an atheist and believe in an afterlife?

Of course.  In fact, many do.  Moreover, as I understand it, mono- and polytheists didn't invent the concept of the hereafter.  Atheists did.  Though there's some argument on that point.  Many claim that the concept was invented by polytheists, but all we really have to go on is crude paintings on rocks and caves, so it's far from certain.

In any case, the lines are kinda fuzzy.  Hindus are technically poly, but many of them shove it all up to Sree Rama as an ultimate deity, so they are rather mono, as polytheists go.  Similarly, Roman Catholics are technically mono, but have you ever witnessed Extreme Unction?  It's all like, "Saint Francis and Saint Benedict, pray for him.  Saint Mary and Saint Joseph, pray for him."  Even in a run-of-the-mill penance, one is expected to appeal to the Holy Mother.  And of course there's the Christ:  Three persons, one God, is the official line, but it's rather a subtle and tenuous claim on exact monotheism, at least compared the Muslim, Protestant, and Jewish varieties.  And of course, the Buddha never postulated the existence of any god or gods--and thus Buddhism is often classified as an a- rather than a poly- or monotheistic religion--yet most Buddhists have a thorough grounding in the school of re-incarnation.  Then again, many Buddhists, especially in the Far East, have a whole host of gods, starting, usually, with a city god or village god, so it's probably not actually good form to classify the group of religions known collectively as Buddhism as atheistic.  Given your username, which hints at that flavor of Buddhism that advocates direct enlightenment through meditation, I expect you probably should already know this.  

But you don't even have to look there to find atheistic versions of afterlives.  The Dao, as well as most strains of animism and ancestor worship, are all decidedly atheistic religions, yet all of them have a profound conception of the hereafter.  And there are plenty of regular, garden-variety, trailer-trash, white Americans, the kind who'd probably be Libertarian if they ever bothered to register to vote, who have absolutely no taste for organized religion, but who are quick to make mention of the ghosts that have invaded their homes, and quite certain of Mama's presence during their latest drunken encounter with the oiuja board.  

short attention span theater version:  I don't think you should conflate metaphysics with religion.  We can examine one independently of the other.  Moreover, even adherents of proper atheistic religions often have some ultimate reality involving life after carnal death.  I've also known of irreligious sorts of people who, from time to time, venture to dabble in questions of metaphysics, completely devoid of religious observation.  

[dead0man]

I don't see why not.

That....people believe in some weird* sh**t, this wouldn't even make the top 100.



*weird as in, inconsistent, illogical, insane, contradictory....some people are just goofballs.