What happens after death for an atheist?

What happens after death for an Atheist. I mean, to all you atheists, can you imagine your current mind just...............gone? Nothing? Emptiness? Is there supposedly anything for you after death? No more life to live, no more influence in the world, not knowing what is happening in the world? Just................gone! If so, what is the purpose of your lives? To have fun? To make things better for generations to come? Is it to spend one-sixth of your life on the toilet? Is it to see the world? Huh? It can't be to learn everything you can, because once you're dead it's of no influence to you. There is no you. There would be no anything as far as you'd be concerned.
So seriously, I just want to know what an Atheist honestly expects after he/she dies. I don't want to know what happens to your body, I want to know what happens to your personality. What is it? Huh?

Okay, this topic grew very fast. It has been very revealing of some peoples perspectives on religions and the effects they have. I would like to have rejoined the conversation earlier but my computer went blitzo again. Alot of the following is to Gary because he asked very specific questions with what seemed to be a sincere motive. Finding truth.
So here is the answer to your questions, Gary.LDS people like me believe that there is a life that everyone goes to after their death before they recieve judgement and are "sorted" into their respective kingdoms. We call them kingdoms. The life is called the spirit world and is beautiful in and of itself. Kind of like a 'rest stop'. At judgement day, people will be judged according to their works and deeds. Those who followed God's commandments and were baptized, and did all they could to spread the gospel here will go to the Celestial Kingdom, or 'heaven'. It is a wonderful place where you can live with your earthly family forever and become a God yourself and someday raise your own spiritual children in their own lives much like us here now. Those who had the chance of hearing the gospel, but flatly denied it, yet still remained decent people will go to the Terrestrial Kingdom. It is not as great and glorious as the Celestial, but it is still a wonderful paradise to live in. Those people of earth who killed wrongfully(or when it was not out of defense) will be sent to the Telestial Kingdom. It too is actually a paradise. Joseph Smith said of the Telestial Kingdom, that even though it is the lowest of the three Kingdoms of Glory, if a man could gaze on it for just a very small moment, and then return to this life, he would kill himself just to get there. Now, there are some very few people in the world who will go to a fourth Kingdom called Outer Darkness. They will only go there if they recieve full witness of the reality of God(visions and so forth..) and then deny it to themselves and others.
About praising God forever, remember that God is our spiritual father. I imagine that those of us who live to become God's like him will speak to him openly and often as a friend and counsilor.
People can learn in the spirit world, and if they become Gods they will know everything. You could learn about anything I imagine.
Joseph Smith said that if a man were to learn things that another man would not here on earth, he will have so much the advantage in the life to come. I do not know for certain what that intails, but perhaps it will help us become like God faster? Hmmmmmm... I think I answered two or three of your questions with that one answer.
People do not speak the same language in heaven, although I'm sure they still could speak the ones they speak here if they wanted to. People will know "heavenese" as their remembrance of their lives before earth come back to them.
Because we all are striving to become God's, living in heaven will not be useless as you said. As I mentioned, we could oneday have worlds of our own and spiritual children of our own.
The reason we are here on earth is to get a physical body while at the same time proving that we are humble and obedient enough to follow God and listen to the guidance of his holy spirit. The reason it is hard for you and many others to see evidence of a God is because your minds are not humble enough to really sincerely try. It says in the scriptures that all things around us testify of God. It might take a while and some serious praying for help if you're interested in trying, but eventually you can see the hand of providence all around you. Next time you look at something, like say the fossil record, and you see where different animals arrived on the scene, instead of saying to yourself, "wow, I wonder what caused that thing to evolve," say to yourself, "Wow! How interesting that God placed that on earth when he did. I wonder what purpose it served in preparing the earth for his children." Remember that this is not a poisoness ritual I'm asking you to do, and remeber that praying won't bite. It's just an experiment I want you to try if you want to know for yourself. As Jesus says in the NT, "If any man well do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." I also council you to try to obey atleast the ten commandments during this experiment. Evil is bound in the presence of the spirit, but the spirit is not bound in the presence of evil. It CHOOSES to leave. So to have the spirit, I recommend you try to live righteously, pray often for help and guidance, and try to change your mindset when looking at the world around you.This message has been edited by LDSdude, 02-06-2005 23:17 AM

To the people here that advocated their beliefs that religion is a decietful waste of time for average people, I say........... Those people will live more hapilly than you will because they will not carry a constant hate in their hearts, and when they die, if there is no after-life, their lives will have been spent better and happier than yours, and if there is an after-life, you're really out of luck. Give it up and let people live their lives the way they want to. (and start thinking about the boy scout motto: be prepared.) (;

Since the memory of this thread is running up, I'll try to be brief...Lizard, thanks for your views, I appreciate them, and even though you don't seem to care about God, I'm glad you try to put the facts on the table rather than just blindly attack someone who doesn't believe as you do.
Brian, yes, I believe that "nonsense", and DHA, here are some scriptures.
1 corinthians 15:40-42 - Kingdoms of glory
2 corinthians 12:2 - More on the subjectAnd now that we have taken a few off the top of my head from the one and only Bible, Let's do some from MY doctrine.D&C 76:70 - Glorified bodies
D&C 78:7 - Eyewitness of kingdom
D&C 88:...well basically the whole thing talks of Celestial Glory.
D&C 101:65 - Recieving Celestial glory
D&C 137:1 - More eyewitness of kingdomAlma 11:37 - No unclean thing may enter
2 Nephi 28:19 - Devils Kingdom
Alma 41:4 - Unrighteous inherit devils kingdom
D&C 131:1 - Three degrees of gloryYou may notice that alot more information on this topic is found in The Doctrine and Covenants than BOM. Many truths have been revealed through modern revealation since the BOM was written by the ancient inhabitants of the american continents. But yes, you can find lots of key doctrines of the LDS church in the BOM (which actually is NOT the most sacred work of the church). (;
And about raising children in a 'brainwashed' environment, maybe you should first look at the curriculum being taught in public schools before you attack what children learn in their own home. Talk about biased.
Most of you have agued that there is no proof of an afterlife. There is no proof of evolution either. But there is evidence of creation all around.
Alot of you have fallen back on saying childesh comments that make me lower my expectations of your debating skills.
If you call it all a fantasy, than you have nothing else to say.

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A Day unto God is thousands of years to man. 6 Godly Days of creation does not undermine the fossil record.
The fossil record, however, clearly undermines evolution. (Any questions should be asked, and every answer will be given)

(quote)While we both may agree that the theist is using a method by which the probability of being right is vanishingly low(/quote)Really? Is that so? The fact that evolution is in control in schools, government and society is a product of false advertising to which the only remedy is for all scientists who proclaim evolution to show their proof. When the call is made without any reasonable objective results in hand to analyze, and when the response is so quiet as to show that there is no proof, and when the agenda seeking conceptionalists open up to explaining both the facts and faults of the theory, as they currently teach every other scientific theory without an involvement to the realizing of the existence of a divinity, then, in that solemn moment, both sides of the lines will equalize and strengthen within themselves to create a 'two-party' scientific community whereas the reality of the theory will become a matter subject only to the undeniable scientific evidence presented rather than the mechanism of continuous unyeilding strife of keeping the theory taught as fact to the youth of the soon to power generation of objective minds in this democratic republic.If you can't prove that there is a supreme being watching over us, is it not understandable that the power within him is not evidenced boldly to our mortal senses, but is withdrawn for the purpose to see if you could ever find the truth and accept it so as to show unto Him your willingness and desire to follow his precepts and always obey him that you may be rewarded in the life to come? There is a reason that you don't find God's name etched on a mountain side, nor do you find his fingerprints on the bark of a tree.
But he did leave evidence of his work. Homogenous structures within the bones of animals show the same creator used the same style of creation throughout all of his work. Bacterial flagelums on the back of many types of single-celled organisms show the inability of natural forces to create perfect, irreducibly complex molecular machines. The inability of amino acids to contruct themselves through chemical reactions into working protiens without the DNA and RNA patterns of instructive creation shows how man's theory of evolution is self-destroying from the beginning of the origin of species. The Periodic Table of the Elements is a jigsaw puzzle of organization and intelligent designing. The perfect recycling systems that occur so harmoniously and effiecently in nature, such as the carbon cycle, water cycle, and nitrogen cycle, each and every one of the earths species fitting into the system as an important role player in keeping the systems moving, are extremely improbable actions. It is as improbable as putting the many different gears, screws and springs of a clock at many separate ends of the universe and then all of them coming together to form the clock and start ticking with no outside forces acting on it.
The evidence is in front of your nose. Stop looking at Darwin and start looking at the ground you stand on. (;

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A Day unto God is thousands of years to man. 6 Godly Days of creation does not undermine the fossil record.
The fossil record, however, clearly undermines evolution. (Any questions should be asked, and every answer will be given)

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(quote)While we both may agree that the theist is using a method by which the probability of being right is vanishingly low(/quote)
Really? Is that so?--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Yes, because 'faith' is also known as 'guessing', and guessing don't work too good.
______________________________________________________________________You need to erase the idea that man is "guessing" about what is beyond this life. This is a view that shows little scientific reasoning. You are on the outside looking in, and because you are ignorant and unwilling to look for answers, you won't even try looking at things from the inside. You have the idea branded into your brain that evolution MUST be true, and anyone who even scientifically questions it MUST be crazy. You can keep that idealism if you want, but until you actually LOOK for answers instead of choosing them, most of what you say will be scientifically biased and unacceptable.quote:
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Evolution is in control of nothing. It's a theory.
However, rational human beings are, for the most part, in control of schools. (I'll withold judgment on government, and society controls itself.) You seem to take issue with this, and seem to want equal time for the whackos.
______________________________________________________________________You sure you want to publisize that statement? Kids in schools are taught evolution as an unquestionable fact, and that is due to un-rationable people who simply don't like religion. Did you know that Darwin was religious? Did you know that he was agianst the removal of God from schools? People who control school curriculum don't neccesarily believe or what to believe in evolution. Many just are against kids learning about a God. The society statement is incorrect. Society does not control itself. Certain individuals control society. Don't misjudge me, I'm not a conspiracy guy or anything, but most people care about what's on TV tonight more than what is being printed in textbooks and being written by scientists.quote:
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Anyway, the evidence supporting evolution is readily available. I suggest you take a look at it, instead of getting your information from Fundies who are trying to buy their way into heaven by getting converts.
______________________________________________________________________Once again you clearly portray your biased views of good, whole-hearted people who believe in different things than you do. I have read many texts about the ToE and unlike you, have studied in depth the arguments against the theory.quote:
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You're speculating as to the motives of this hypothetical being-in-hiding. You've also just implied that it's not omniscient, as an omniscient being wouldn't need to wait to know anything.
______________________________________________________________________Did you ever see that movie, Minority Report? When they punished the criminals for crimes they hadn't committed, becuase they knew the criminals were gonna do it soon anyway? Did you ever see that one? Did it seem at all wrong to you when you watched it that these people had not yet done what they were being punished for? Hmmm? If not, your probably a lawyer or an executive producer, but if you did, then would it seem right for God to send you to Hell without giving you a chance to prove yourself? No. The action, and then the reaction.
And no speculation required, this is LDS church doctrine.quote:
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Stop looking at Darwin and start looking at the ground you stand on. (;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------I have. All I see are natural processes, plus the deficiencies in your reasoning.
______________________________________________________________________And all I see is a biased person who looks at everything through his own broken telescope instead of using anybody elses's. );

Is wandering off topic such a bad thing? I mean everything in this big planet is somehow connected, so isn't it likely that it's always going to happen one way or another? I mean unless it is eating up memory somehow, it's kind of interesting to watch where discussions can go!It's all up to you dude! (;