Can an atheist believe in reincarnation?

Basically as the title asks. I ask this question in the religion thread because I don't think any one would have been willing to respond or would have taken my question seriously. But I'm legitimately curious as to what the Vine thinks, and I am not trolling.

Thank you,

Catlike

Sure, if reincarnation isn't facilitated by a higher power or being and instead has some kind of scientific or organic explanation. That's my gut reaction anyway. Not an expert.

I'm not an expert either, but that sounds a bit... incompatible.

@reactor: How so? I mean doesn't being an atheist just mean you don't believe in any kind of god? Genuinely asking.

@bumpyboo: Yes that's the definition.

Basically, yeah. In colloquial ways, it often has a broader application than that, ie; disbelief in anything in the supernatural or metaphysical avenues. I have a hard time imagining the concept of reincarnation not being linked to that, and thus I can't see how someone who is atheistic could believe that something physical of them survives immaterially only to come about in a new physical form.

But again, I'm by no means an expert on this, so I guarantee that I got a lot wrong here (EDIT: Just as an example, in the event that someone is an atheist but believes in ghosts, or something like that)

@reactor: that's kind of interesting. So I guess the real question then would be whether one can believe in the existence of a human soul and still be an atheist? And does the existence of a soul automatically imply some kind of divine presence or purpose?

And I thought I was gonna sleep tonight smh

I honestly hadn't thought much about this initially, but now I'm kinda curious too

Aren’t Buddhists atheists who believe in reincarnation?

Buddha was likely an atheist, so yes.

Well, he believed in "rebirth" which is somewhat different. Reincarnation is a Hindu doctrine, but it's also a New Age concept.

I'd say "sort of" to modern-day Buddhists.. They are warm when it come's to atheistic ideologies, but I would say they're not quite atheists. They still have traditions. But Buddha himself I'd say was mostly an atheist. But I'm not sure of any of this myself.

Agreed.

I'd say they're pretty close. But "rebirth" seems to have lot more mumbo jumbo when it comes to describing it (at least from what I can see from it's Wikipedia page) and seems to be associated more closely with Buddhism.

Can you explain the difference between reincarnation and rebirth for me?

Sure.

Reincarnation is the idea that your soul survives death, and is reborn as something or someone else, depending on your karma from all previous lifetimes.

Rebirth is the concept that what's left of you after death becomes a part of something else, but there is no soul, so "you" as an entity cease to exist.

You would have to acknowledge a “metaphysical order”. Once you cross that line it’s just a matter of your definition of a Theos.

Sure. There are atheist who believe in all sorts of supernatural stuff. My ex-boyfriend is an atheist but believes in ghosts. Literally the only requirement for being an atheist is not believing in god/gods.