The Afterlife

[gambit]

Ah, the afterlife. One of the most debated issues since the beginning of time. What happens when we die? Do our 'souls' leave our bodies for some extra plane of existence to live with other souls? If so, what kind of existence is it? Many religions suggest that we move on to some kind of kingdom that our God's rule over and we live there in eternal bliss a.k.a. Heaven. Perhaps it's exactly like our current lives, just on a higher level? A second life, as it were. Does that mean it can roll on to a third life, and so on? Is it an unending chain? Does it end at our first lives...or maybe the second?

Maybe you believe we will all be reincarnated? Do you think it is as if our soul's leave our bodies on the point of death and then 'possess' another newborn, memories erased but perhaps there is still some imprint of our past lives. If this is true, I wonder if we could 'unlock' those past lives and retain the qualities of our old selves?

Perhaps we simply die and our 'souls' fade away and simply disappear into darkness, wiped out for all time, never to return.

Depending on what you choose, it can also lead to the existence of the supernatural although it should be saved for another conversation, I must go on. IF ghosts and spirits do exist, are they souls that didn't make the journey to the next plane of existence? If so, why? Can they not make it with their own power or is there something that remains undone on this plane? Perhaps if one dies in such a terrible and fearful way, it does not ascend but lives out it's last moments for the rest of eternity?

Personally, I believe our souls will move on to another plane of existence, I have no clue if there would be some form of society but I'm thinking it will be a type of humongous 'community' or even a chain of 'communities'. I believe the human spirit can so powerful and directed that it can choose to remain on this plane and that once the choice is made, the 'door' to the next plane is 'closed'.

Your thoughts?

[Dayman]

I honestly can't say with any accuracy what will happen except that I don't know, but I have a feeling it will be like a deep sleep - you aren't aware of it.

[Gwendylyn]

I prefer the womb analogy. I don't remember what it was like before I was born, so I don't think I'm going to remember what it is like after I die.

[Ummagumma]

When you are dead, you are dead. That's it. There is no reason to suggest otherwise beyond fairytale and folklore.

[gambit]

When you are dead, you are dead. That's it. There is no reason to suggest otherwise beyond fairytale and folklore.

Well there's no reason to talk about many things, I'm not asking for proof..just speculation.

[Code_Knight]

When you are dead, you are dead. That's it. There is no reason to suggest otherwise beyond fairytale and folklore.

Thats holy depressing...........

I believe there is a heaven and a hell, just makes more sense to me.

[johnny5000]

Thats holy depressing...........

I believe there is a heaven and a hell, just makes more sense to me.

It's a lot less depressing than the idea of burning in hell forever

One of my friends was officially dead for a few minutes before being revived. His experience was no heaven or hell, just nothingness.

[Code_Knight]

It's a lot less depressing than the idea of burning in hell forever

One of my friends was officially dead for a few minutes before being revived. His experience was no heaven or hell, just nothingness.

Maybe your friend wasn't ready to see either yet, not exactly a good reason to take god out of your life.

Anyway I much like the idea of living in paradise with god in heaven then burning in hell, or just not existing.

[beranas]

My great aunt was brain dead for 2 minutes before she came back to life. She was awake and able to communicate for ten minutes before she lost consciousness. She was then brain dead for 1 minute and 24 seconds before she awoke momentarily and then died forever. There wasn't any chemical reactions "going on up there" she was legally brain dead.

Secondly, this thread is speculation. If I wish to speculate on the nature of God and afterlife I shall do so using my intellect. The point of speculation on matters of God and heaven is that every answer is basically unsupported due to a lack of evidence from God or heaven. So when I say "they're content on being dead. So God grants them their wish." I am speculating, not offering words of illumination from the divine master himself.

What I meant is that an atheist is an atheist because of his disbelief in religion. He is choosing to disregard the teachings of that particular group for whatever reason; personal logic, lack of agreement amongst related denominations, scandal in the clergy, humanism, whatever. The atheist then devotes himself to another cause such as: the pursuit of happiness, wealth, earthly pleasure, drinking in the moments that make up his life, human love, love of nature. Suffice it to say, he fills himself up with the wonders of this world, believing that there is nothing else but this. If he truly wanted there to be happiness in the afterlife, if he truly wished that there could be more to existence than this mortal suit affected only by chemical reactions and nervous stimulus, he would devout himself to seeking out that paradise, whether that be by moral standards, religious exploration or rationally discerning the nature of God and Heaven. But he doesn't, and that is why he is an atheist. Because he is choosing not to base his life on the expectation of another one and achieves his reward here, on earth. And God realizes this and grants him oblivion.

[Pontifex Maximus]

I believe in an afterlife. I have no idea what it will be though.

[Chaigidel]

I do not think that there is any afterlife of any sort.

[Simetrical]

As I've elsewhere remarked, there's no reason to fret about the details of the afterlife, if you believe in one. Assuming you believe God punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous after death, you don't really need to know more. You just have to make sure you're righteous and you'll be fine. Further speculation might be diverting, but it's not of any utility.

[Tankbuster]

There is no reason to assume an after-life of any sort.

No need for it as well, in my opinion.

[gambit]

As I've elsewhere remarked, there's no reason to fret about the details of the afterlife, if you believe in one. Assuming you believe God punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous after death, you don't really need to know more. You just have to make sure you're righteous and you'll be fine. Further speculation might be diverting, but it's not of any utility.

While true, theres nothing fretting (not sure about the wording) about talking of it. This is a forum after all. I agree with the making sure you're righteous idea.

[Serious Spamurai]

Whatever the afterlife is really like, my guess is that I'm gonna be a long time dead before I see it.

[Ruin]

Well there's no reason to talk about many things, I'm not asking for proof..just speculation.

This is equally a productive exercise as speculating about the nature of anti-suns (massive balls of gas which transform helium into hydrogen) or wondering what would happen if someone was born without valves in their veins... or if gravity reversed.

Speculation on things which have no reason to be speculated on, having no proof or really, no defining reason to be thought of at all, may be fun, but inevitably pointless and impossible to conclude other then "It won't happen".

For example, I think anti-suns will be a purplish-blue in colour, and suck light away from the area around them.
If someone was born without valves they would have massive bruised hands and feet and have to spend most their lives lying down...
If gravity reversed, for need of a better phase, we'd all be ****ed.

Just because I have answers doesn't make it any less meaningless, and any person knowing anything about physics, biology or physics respectively will happily point out all of those are impossible, and it is ridiculous even thinking about them. I just have a far too vivid imagination.

[gambit]

This is equally a productive exercise as speculating about the nature of anti-suns (massive balls of gas which transform helium into hydrogen) or wondering what would happen if someone was born without valves in their veins... or if gravity reversed.

Speculation on things which have no reason to be speculated on, having no proof or really, no defining reason to be thought of at all, may be fun, but inevitably pointless and impossible to conclude other then "It won't happen".

For example, I think anti-suns will be a purplish-blue in colour, and suck light away from the area around them.
If someone was born without valves they would have massive bruised hands and feet and have to spend most their lives lying down...
If gravity reversed, for need of a better phase, we'd all be ****ed.

Just because I have answers doesn't make it any less meaningless, and any person knowing anything about physics, biology or physics respectively will happily point out all of those are impossible, and it is ridiculous even thinking about them. I just have a far too vivid imagination.

There's no reason to be like that though. And you can't relate it to fields like physics or biology because those are fields with physical evidence, something like the supernatural and the afterlife can only be proved once we reached the afterlife, if there is one. Technically there IS a very good reason to speculate since we all know we ARE going to die and since there is no evidence proving there is or isn't an afterlife, it's 50-50 it's on it's existence or lack of. We can assume there isn't because we have no contact with the dead (except spritualists, and they've been proved wrong many times, and religions where the dead come to life..and religion is a whole-nother issue) but in the end, it's open to discussion.

Considering there is no physical evidence for or against the afterlife, I believe any debate and discussion falls to reason, logic and the imagination which I'm pretty sure everyone on this forum has some form of.

[Ruin]

There's no reason to be like that though. And you can't relate it to fields like physics or biology because those are fields with physical evidence, something like the supernatural and the afterlife can only be proved once we reached the afterlife, if there is one.

You can quite simply say that these things only exist in an alternate dimension, so can't be proven until you reach it. And then you can sit happily on your laurels. No. Simply explaining away beliefs by adding "oh but you can't see it at all/yet" applies to invisible friends as well as the supernatural, and is equally as unimportant.

Technically there IS a very good reason to speculate since we all know we ARE going to die and since there is no evidence proving there is or isn't an afterlife, it's 50-50 it's on it's existence or lack of.

Actually no. There is no evidence of anti-suns as of yet, or lack of evidence of them, but that doesn't make it 50/50. Equally I can say that there are in fact people created who are impossible to come across using our senses (eg, ghosts) and just because there is no evidence against it does not make it any more likely.

We can assume there isn't because we have no contact with the dead (except spritualists, and they've been proved wrong many times, and religions where the dead come to life..and religion is a whole-nother issue) but in the end, it's open to discussion.

Open discussion yes, importance/relevance/belief in? No

Considering there is no physical evidence for or against the afterlife, I believe any debate and discussion falls to reason, logic and the imagination which I'm pretty sure everyone on this forum has some form of.

Reason and logic are irrelevant when it comes to something which cannot be experienced in any way. Imagination produces imaginary images... it's its nature. This may as well be in the Arts, an area for such flights of fancy.

[Code_Knight]

Truly this is a subject on ones belief system, not what they "know" to be real. Unless someone here has died and come back to life, then no one knows. To say you know otherwise would be ignorant. I'm not saying that you can't believe something, but to talk like you know what is going to happen is just..........just.............dumb.

[Ummagumma]

Truly this is a subject on ones belief system, not what they "know" to be real. Unless someone here has died and come back to life, then no one knows. To say you know otherwise would be ignorant. I'm not saying that you can't believe something, but to talk like you know what is going to happen is just..........just.............dumb.

That argument stretches towards the 'Just because you have never seen a tree spontaneously levitate, it does not mean you "know" they can't, It's just that no-one has seen it to "know".'
Why is the lack of an afterlife depressing? I cherish my time here - in a way I consider any 'after' only serves to demean life. Life is here, it is now and it is real - not some precursor stage..