I think you have confused atheism with Empiricism... An atheist is anyone who does not believe in a form of God for any reason logical or otherwise. Atheism isn't an organized or defined body of thought it is simply a word which means lack of a belief in a God.
god n spirit or being worshipped as having supernatural power; object of worship, idol; (G-) (in monotheistic religions) the Supreme Being, creator and ruler of the universe, goddess n fem.
atheism [aith-ee-iz-zum] n belief that there is no God, atheist n, atheistic adj. - Collins English Dictionary, 2005, International Edition (pp. 34)
While that should probably extend to God/Gods it is otherwise the standard understanding of the word. Depending on the concept it is perfectly possible to be both an atheist and believe in some kind of hell or afterlife. The two are not mutually exclusive. Atheism is not a religion and has no organized views - it simply means you don't, for what ever reason, believe in God or Gods.
But God created heaven and hell, so it makes no sense for an atheist to believe in them. They just end up making their own shit up - which is just as crazy as what they don't believe in in the first place.
No one said it had to make sense... they are still an atheist if they don't make sense but don't believe in God.
That is only ONE concept of hell. Many religions have forms of hell as do a range of philosophies. Some say that this world is a form of hell or punishment. Others believe in a form of greater unconsciousness and when one rejoins one's greater self and realises how much pain you caused others who are effectively yourself then that eternal moment of suffering is hell. You could believe in that and be an atheist as that is not a belief in god but rather in a supernatural selfhood.
Most traditional atheists believe that once you die, thats it - you're dead, and this is your chance to live - so live. So meeting an atheist that believed in an afterlife took me aback. I still think its pretty retarded - but then again, I think that about every religion.
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If you can not sense or experiencc something withing the human perceptual framework then to an atheiest it can not exist.
If a person does not really believe in god but believes that the something that fits the concept of hell exists, they are an agnostic.
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Define what a god is.
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So you can still believe in a version of heaven, hell, afterlife, whatever.
News to me, too.
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- Collins English Dictionary, 2005, International Edition (pp. 34)
While that should probably extend to God/Gods it is otherwise the standard understanding of the word. Depending on the concept it is perfectly possible to be both an atheist and believe in some kind of hell or afterlife. The two are not mutually exclusive. Atheism is not a religion and has no organized views - it simply means you don't, for what ever reason, believe in God or Gods.
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They just end up making their own shit up - which is just as crazy as what they don't believe in in the first place.
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That is only ONE concept of hell. Many religions have forms of hell as do a range of philosophies. Some say that this world is a form of hell or punishment. Others believe in a form of greater unconsciousness and when one rejoins one's greater self and realises how much pain you caused others who are effectively yourself then that eternal moment of suffering is hell. You could believe in that and be an atheist as that is not a belief in god but rather in a supernatural selfhood.
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I still think its pretty retarded - but then again, I think that about every religion.
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