Hi R*****,

Technically speaking I don't have any religious beliefs because I don't believe anything.  I only strongly suspect things based on the evidence at hand.  As long as you keep an open mind to things, the avenue for learning is there.  As soon as believe in something, you have closed your mind and you are trapped living a possible untruth.  I recommend that you always try to detect what you are picking up from others as truths and to question everything (at least in your own mind).  You are doomed when you succumb to faith.

The best analogy of dying that I can think of is that it is like unplugging an old computer for the last time and discarding the parts.  The life spirit of your body (mainly your brain) stops functioning not unlike the software running on a computer.  There is nothing more peaceful than knowing that this is how after-death will be like.  There may be a short period of discomfort while you are dying.  This can be compared to the short period of time while the computer is losing its power.  This could be extended in certain cases for instance if you have been a longtime smoker. 

So, no, I don't believe in any form of there being a spirit world of gods, devils, or angels.  You just have ask yourself a lot of questions of how such a thing would work in order to describe it and you will see that the whole idea falls apart.  There are so many possible scenarios that the imagination can come up with but none has convinced me with any evidence of being true. 

I hope I have answered your questions.

Darwin Bedford
www.atheists.net