Atheists reject the idea of eternal life as a religious concept that ascribes meaning to existence through future or supernatural rewards.

Atheism and the Finite: Embracing a Material Existence

Atheists reject the idea of eternal life as a religious concept that ascribes meaning to existence through future or supernatural rewards. In their worldview, there is no belief in the immortality of the soul or the continuation of existence after physical death, leading to the understanding that life is confined to a single earthly reality. As a result, atheism tends to view death as final, and the focus in life is on achieving material and practical goals here and now.

For example, one source states: "And what does atheism claim?

No God, no soul, no eternity, and therefore, believe it, man, an eternal death awaits you! What horror, what pessimism, what despair—a chill runs down the spine at these dreadful words: man, an eternal death awaits you. And I won’t even mention those, let’s say, rather strange justifications that are provided. This single assertion makes the human soul shudder. – No, spare me such belief."
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Another opinion is presented, according to which atheism can be characterized as a "doctrine of death" because it rejects religious notions of the afterlife, leading to the interpretation of death as an ordinary and final event in human life:
"In an encyclical it is stated that atheism can be recognized altogether as the 'ideology of death,' since it denies religious concepts of the afterlife. The materialistic way of thinking, in all its variants, implies accepting death as the ultimate cessation of human existence. The overall conclusion: for both materialism and atheism, death is an ordinary affair, so mundane and trivial..."
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Finally, one text emphasizes that for the atheist, life is solely aimed at the attainment of material values, as there is no prospect of further spiritual rewards or the continuation of existence:
"The question comes down to what? To very simple things. And each of them, if pursued logically in life, demands corresponding results. If I live only once—you understand what follows from that. Different things may result. Therefore, for the atheist, life is aimed at achieving material, not spiritual, values."
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Thus, the provided materials reveal that in the atheistic worldview, the concept of eternal life does not play a central role. Instead, atheists focus on the uniqueness of earthly existence and attribute all value to the reality that can be directly observed and altered here and now.

Supporting citation(s):
"And what does atheism claim? No God, no soul, no eternity, and therefore, believe it, man, an eternal death awaits you! What horror, what pessimism, what despair—a chill runs down the spine at these dreadful words: man, an eternal death awaits you. And I won’t even mention those, let’s say, rather strange justifications that are provided. This single assertion makes the human soul shudder. – No, spare me such belief." (source: link txt)

"In an encyclical it is stated that atheism can be recognized altogether as the 'ideology of death,' since it denies religious concepts of the afterlife. The materialistic way of thinking, in all its variants, implies accepting death as the ultimate cessation of human existence. The overall conclusion: for both materialism and atheism, death is an ordinary affair, so mundane and trivial..." (source: link txt)

"The question comes down to what? To very simple things. And each of them, if pursued logically in life, demands corresponding results. If I live only once—you understand what follows from that. Different things may result. Therefore, for the atheist, life is aimed at achieving material, not spiritual, values." (source: link txt)