Do you believe in the afterlife?

[Calthrina950]

The question is as in the title. Since my father's death last week, my stepmother has "talked" with him at intervals. She believes that one's dead relatives come back to you after their deaths, and that they are with you, protecting you and watching over you. And she believes that you can have conversations with the dead. I'm uncertain about all of this.

Do you believe in the afterlife? How do you envision it looking like? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

[afleitch]

The question is as in the title. Since my father's death last week, my stepmother has "talked" with him at intervals. She believes that one's dead relatives come back to you after their deaths, and that they are with you, protecting you and watching over you. And she believes that you can have conversations with the dead. I'm uncertain about all of this.

Do you believe in the afterlife? How do you envision it looking like? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

I don't. But I can't speak for anyone else. If your stepmother finds comfort in this, then it's real for her. Even if it isn't for you. And you aren't 'losing out' if you aren't getting the same comfort she is perceiving.

My dead friend appears in my dreams. It hurts me because it wakes me up, but I know it's my brain processing her loss.

I don't believe in an afterlife. I don't see it as justice, or fair or part of the grand trajectory of the universe  Rationality has little to do with it. There's a great deal of 'gut' in my belief. And it's comforting.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

In the Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran traditions, it is very common to pray for intercession through a deceased loved one, especially saints. I can produce no evidence for an afterlife, though I have experienced enough things, mostly in my childhood/adolescent years, to believe that there are portals through which the dead might contact us - the good, and the bad.

I try not to seriously envision experiencing the afterlife because I believe it's beyond human comprehension. But I do believe in it.

[Big Abraham]

I wish I did.

[If my soul was made of stone]

I don't believe in any spirit that exists independently of a physical form, even that of divine beings. When life leaves the body, or the body ceases to be, the spirit is extinguished with it. The only afterlife is that of the remains, whether serving as sustenance for the next generation of living beings or cooped up to rot unceremoniously in a cramped coffin. We are all equal in death in the eyes of the Great Mother, though whether or not you choose to give yourself back to Her may impact how She passes Her final judgment on you.

[Samof94]

No, I don’t.

[Calthrina950]

I don't believe in any spirit that exists independently of a physical form, even that of divine beings. When life leaves the body, or the body ceases to be, the spirit is extinguished with it. The only afterlife is that of the remains, whether serving as sustenance for the next generation of living beings or cooped up to rot unceremoniously in a cramped coffin. We are all equal in death in the eyes of the Great Mother, though whether or not you choose to give yourself back to Her may impact how She passes Her final judgment on you.

What religious tradition do you adhere to? I believe you said that you're not a Christian.

[HillGoose]

yes, interesting thing is that I'm not even sure if I believe in god, but i am sure that i am predestined to spend eternity in unimaginable suffering and torment

[If my soul was made of stone]

I don't believe in any spirit that exists independently of a physical form, even that of divine beings. When life leaves the body, or the body ceases to be, the spirit is extinguished with it. The only afterlife is that of the remains, whether serving as sustenance for the next generation of living beings or cooped up to rot unceremoniously in a cramped coffin. We are all equal in death in the eyes of the Great Mother, though whether or not you choose to give yourself back to Her may impact how She passes Her final judgment on you.

What religious tradition do you adhere to? I believe you said that you're not a Christian.

I'm what you'd call an eclectic pagan, following a path that I've assembled from aspects of various traditions of classical antiquity and what little we know of what came before. I don't care for most contemporary neopagan traditions for various reasons that I've elaborated on here before, though I suppose you could consider me a distant, less transphobic cousin of the Dianic lineage by virtue of my belief in a single, syncretic Great Goddess, and adherence to a moral philosophy in part derived from the Wiccan tradition.

[Calthrina950]

I don't believe in any spirit that exists independently of a physical form, even that of divine beings. When life leaves the body, or the body ceases to be, the spirit is extinguished with it. The only afterlife is that of the remains, whether serving as sustenance for the next generation of living beings or cooped up to rot unceremoniously in a cramped coffin. We are all equal in death in the eyes of the Great Mother, though whether or not you choose to give yourself back to Her may impact how She passes Her final judgment on you.

What religious tradition do you adhere to? I believe you said that you're not a Christian.

I'm what you'd call an eclectic pagan, following a path that I've assembled from aspects of various traditions of classical antiquity and what little we know of what came before. I don't care for most contemporary neopagan traditions for various reasons that I've elaborated on here before, though I suppose you could consider me a distant, less transphobic cousin of the Dianic lineage by virtue of my belief in a single, syncretic Great Goddess, and adherence to a moral philosophy in part derived from the Wiccan tradition.

A very interesting religion that you profess. I personally am of the view that everyone finds their own explanations of the Universe. I've never been particularly religious myself, and I haven't been inside a church in five or six years. But I do believe that there is a higher power, and I've thought about it more as I've been grappling with my father's death.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I don't believe in any spirit that exists independently of a physical form, even that of divine beings. When life leaves the body, or the body ceases to be, the spirit is extinguished with it. The only afterlife is that of the remains, whether serving as sustenance for the next generation of living beings or cooped up to rot unceremoniously in a cramped coffin. We are all equal in death in the eyes of the Great Mother, though whether or not you choose to give yourself back to Her may impact how She passes Her final judgment on you.

With respect, why does the final judgment matter if it is inconsequential?

[If my soul was made of stone]

I don't believe in any spirit that exists independently of a physical form, even that of divine beings. When life leaves the body, or the body ceases to be, the spirit is extinguished with it. The only afterlife is that of the remains, whether serving as sustenance for the next generation of living beings or cooped up to rot unceremoniously in a cramped coffin. We are all equal in death in the eyes of the Great Mother, though whether or not you choose to give yourself back to Her may impact how She passes Her final judgment on you.

With respect, why does the final judgment matter if it is inconsequential?

We may not be around to witness it, but it holds consequences for what life may proceed from our remains, and above all else for the Great One who makes that judgment about us and the whole of our species: the one who is suffering at our hands and deliberating on how to reclaim Her position of honor among men.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

I don't believe in any spirit that exists independently of a physical form, even that of divine beings. When life leaves the body, or the body ceases to be, the spirit is extinguished with it. The only afterlife is that of the remains, whether serving as sustenance for the next generation of living beings or cooped up to rot unceremoniously in a cramped coffin. We are all equal in death in the eyes of the Great Mother, though whether or not you choose to give yourself back to Her may impact how She passes Her final judgment on you.

With respect, why does the final judgment matter if it is inconsequential?

We may not be around to witness it, but it holds consequences for what life may proceed from our remains, and above all else for the Great One who makes that judgment about us and the whole of our species: the one who is suffering at our hands and deliberating on how to reclaim Her position of honor among men.

This is quite similar to the answer a Buddhist with a very stringent interpretation of anatman would give to an analogous question. jao

To answer the thread question myself, I find a personal God much easier to believe in than an immortal soul, but this suits me just fine because a personal God Who is omnipresent would by definition have us all permanently alive in His frame of reference. Take the Slaughterhouse-five "still very much alive in the past" line and combine it with the Ronald Knox tree limericks and you have the "philosophical" (as opposed to faith-based) answer I've arrived at for this question. It might be small comfort to those of us with a very high view of our own subjecthood, but there are far worse fates than perpetually sleeping soundly under the eye of a loving parent.

[Ferguson97]

I wish I did.

[RINO Tom]

I do believe in some type of "survival of consciousness," yes.  I find Dr. Robert Lanza's theories on Biocentricism and the implications it would have for this particularly interesting.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

We don't know what the Astral plane is, we only know it when we go to sleep but is it like Earthly life no it's not

[Mr. Smith]

I do.

If I didn't, I probably would have left The Church a long time ago.  Not really expecting or necessarily hoping for THE big place like many of my creed self-righteously seem to head for and expect, but it is reality enough with everything I've seen.

[Kingpoleon]

This is quite similar to the answer a Buddhist with a very stringent interpretation of anatman would give to an analogous question. jao

To answer the thread question myself, I find a personal God much easier to believe in than an immortal soul, but this suits me just fine because a personal God Who is omnipresent would by definition have us all permanently alive in His frame of reference. Take the Slaughterhouse-five "still very much alive in the past" line and combine it with the Ronald Knox tree limericks and you have the "philosophical" (as opposed to faith-based) answer I've arrived at for this question. It might be small comfort to those of us with a very high view of our own subjecthood, but there are far worse fates than perpetually sleeping soundly under the eye of a loving parent.

Are you familiar with or sympathetic to N. T. Wright’s anti-soul campaign?

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

The purpose of the Afterlife wasnt supposed to be long term, Jesus Disciples believed he was coming back, right away, that's why Catholicsm was created before Protestant, the Pope is still to this this day supposed to be a stand in for Christ return

But, there hasn't been any Rapture yet, so the belief in Heaven and He'll is used as a way to codify the living of their deceased loved ones as well as Reincarnated but they're all theories we won't know until we're dead

Revelations says the afterlife begins after Rapture not when you die

It's called Nirvana because we don't know exactly what the Astral plane is but it's not a life living on Earth

[Sir Mohamed]

I don't want to rule it 100% out since we don't know for sure; I highly doubt there's something like an afterlife. That would require our being more than a physical presence. I believe there's just nothing after death.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

This is quite similar to the answer a Buddhist with a very stringent interpretation of anatman would give to an analogous question. jao

To answer the thread question myself, I find a personal God much easier to believe in than an immortal soul, but this suits me just fine because a personal God Who is omnipresent would by definition have us all permanently alive in His frame of reference. Take the Slaughterhouse-five "still very much alive in the past" line and combine it with the Ronald Knox tree limericks and you have the "philosophical" (as opposed to faith-based) answer I've arrived at for this question. It might be small comfort to those of us with a very high view of our own subjecthood, but there are far worse fates than perpetually sleeping soundly under the eye of a loving parent.

Are you familiar with or sympathetic to N. T. Wright’s anti-soul campaign?

I am not. Since my original post didn't make this quite clear, I should specify that this isn't actually my belief necessarily, just a worst-case scenario if the God of, say, Whitehead's philosophical system exists but the rest of Christian orthodoxy isn't accurate.

[Donerail]

This is quite similar to the answer a Buddhist with a very stringent interpretation of anatman would give to an analogous question. jao

To answer the thread question myself, I find a personal God much easier to believe in than an immortal soul, but this suits me just fine because a personal God Who is omnipresent would by definition have us all permanently alive in His frame of reference. Take the Slaughterhouse-five "still very much alive in the past" line and combine it with the Ronald Knox tree limericks and you have the "philosophical" (as opposed to faith-based) answer I've arrived at for this question. It might be small comfort to those of us with a very high view of our own subjecthood, but there are far worse fates than perpetually sleeping soundly under the eye of a loving parent.

Are you familiar with or sympathetic to N. T. Wright’s anti-soul campaign?

I get not liking kids movies but I thought it was cute and the soundtrack was excellent. Jamie Foxx was good.

[Biden his time]

Yes. This life is but a test for the akhirah.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Yes. This life is but a test for the akhirah.

You it's called Nirvana and Buddhist but the point of the Afterlife wasnt indefinitely, Disciples believed Jesus was coming back that's why Catholicsm was created before Protestant and Pope in all Christianity, Muslim and Jusisn is looked up to he is supposed to be the stand in for Christ return to Utopia.

Jehovah witnesses say there is not any afterlife and so does Revelation it's the Astral plane or Nirvana wait for Rapture or Reincarnation


If there was a Hell Lucifer or Loki wouldn't be influencing us he would be Sulfer like in Thor Ragnarok


Here is the Legal definition of Death

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses


Death is not a ghost or a living soul it is the state of no consciousness

But there is some form of self that survives death but can it be the Astral plane or reincarnated but there is no Heaven or Hell until Judgement day

[Biden his time]

Yes. This life is but a test for the akhirah.

You it's called Nirvana and Buddhist but the point of the Afterlife wasnt indefinitely, Disciples believed Jesus was coming back that's why Catholicsm was created before Protestant and Pope in all Christianity, Muslim and Jusisn is looked up to he is supposed to be the stand in for Christ return to Utopia.

Jehovah witnesses say there is not any afterlife and so does Revelation it's the Astral plane or Nirvana wait for Rapture or Reincarnation


If there was a Hell Lucifer or Loki wouldn't be influencing us he would be Sulfer like in Thor Ragnarok


Here is the Legal definition of Death

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses


Death is not a ghost or a living soul it is the state of no consciousness

But there is some form of self that survives death but can it be the Astral plane or reincarnated but there is no Heaven or Hell until Judgement day

I'm partial to Batman vs. Superman personally.