As an atheist, how do you feel about dead people, specifically, bluntly, dead bodies, including, ultimately, your own?

[LogDog75]

9. I am an atheist

I believe a body should be treated with respect. That is, it shouldn't be mistreated or desecrated because someone didn't like the person.

Persons who donate their body for study, organ donations, etc.. should have their bodies treated with respect and according to their wishes if their wishes were made known.

Burials and cremations serve dual purposes. First, it's a way to dispose of the body in a respectful manner. Second, they serve as a way for the living come to terms with the loss of a loved one, friend, or acquaintance. Burials and visits to a grave allows people to maintain a connection, often emotional, to someone who has died. A cremation helps sever the connection to the one who has died and allow them to accept their death.

I am an atheist and I've had parents, siblings, friends, and acquaintances who've died. Family members were cremated and other buried but I've accepted their deaths and I'm able to move on. I believe everyone goes through a period of mourning based upon how close and emotionally connected they are to the person. The closer they're connected the longer the mourning period is and vice versa.