Your Vision of the Afterlife

DogDoc · Post by **DogDoc** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 8:57 pm

Serious question here, so no flames, please. I'm interested in knowing what your personal views or visions are of what happens to you after you die. I am not interested in this turning into a religion flame war thread, just your simple belief. Do you believe there's an afterlife? If so, what do you imagine it to be? Lounging around on clouds like the popular notion? Or do you thing once you die that's it? A celestial dirt nap.

I've been thinking a lot about this lately since I recently learned my oldest brother has been diagnosed with metastatic brain cancer that started in his liver. Looks like he'll have 3 months tops. Coming to terms with his mortality has made me face mine and I don't like it. Especially since I believe that once you're dead you're dead. Like in a deep sleep without dreaming.

Thoughts?

Jesse, Bad Boy · Post by **Jesse, Bad Boy** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 9:07 pm

Death is death. Once you die, that's it, kaput. No fancy afterlife. No torturous underworld. Just non-existance.

Backglass · Post by **Backglass** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 9:31 pm

DogDoc wrote:I'm interested in knowing what your personal views or visions are of what happens to you after you die

Your corpse decomposes in the ground, or your ashes sit in an urn. Anything else is wishful thinking & fantasy.

Sorry to hear about your brother.

supercram · Post by **supercram** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 10:16 pm

Matter can never be created nor destroyed. It can only transmute. We become energy and that energy is absorbed back into the universe in one way or another.

On some level, your brother is made of atoms from stars, and when he passes he'll become rain, and plants and all sorts of things. That ain't too bad.

jay_a2j · Post by **jay_a2j** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 10:59 pm

For Christians..... "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord"

For non-believers...... "after this is the judgement"

HoustonNutt · Post by **HoustonNutt** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:29 pm

jay_a2j wrote:For Christians..... "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord"

For non-believers...... "after this is the judgement"

For jay_a2j... f*ck off.

jay_a2j · Post by **jay_a2j** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 12:31 am

HoustonNutt wrote:
jay_a2j wrote:For Christians..... "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord"

For non-believers...... "after this is the judgement"

For jay_a2j... f*ck off.

wow, struck a nerve.

Genghis Khant · Post by **Genghis Khant** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 1:16 am

Here are two passages from a book by Deng Ming-Dao which make a lot of sense to me.

Death

We give death metaphors. We cloak it in meaning and make up stories about what will happen to us, but we don't really know. When a person dies, we cannot see beyond the corpse. We speculate on reincarnation or talk in terms of eternity. But death is opaque to us, a mystery. In its realm, time ceases to have meaning. All laws of physics become irrelevant. Death is the opposite of time.

What dies? Is anything actually destroyed? Certainly not the body, which falls into its constituent parts of water and chemicals. That is mere transformation, not destruction. What of the mind? Does it cease to function, or does it make a transition to another existence? We don't know for sure, and few can come up with anything conclusive.

What dies? Nothing of the person dies in the sense that the constituent parts are totally blasted from all existence. What dies is merely the identity, the identification of a collection of parts that we called a person. Each one of us is a role, like some shaman wearing layers of robes with innumerable fetishes of meaning. Only the clothes and decorations fall. What dies is only our human meaning. There is still someone naked underneath. Once we understand who that someone is, death no longer bothers us. Nor does time.

Dying

What do we do when those we care deeply about are dying, while we go on living and working? We might be tempted to indulge in our own feeling of injustice, sadness, or fear, but we should think first of those who are dying. We have a responsibility to be with them.

Don't let others die lonely. No matter how ironic your living may compare with their dying, act for them as they can no longer act. If they reach out for some way to cope with their impending end, you need not have flowery words. Merely being with them, perhaps reaching out to hold hands, is eloquence enough. Death may be near, but any amount of time before it comes is precious.

Life's moments are not cheapened by death. Just to observe and affirm is good. After all, death waits for all of us. Only the value we place on each minute determines the quality of life. If we can embrace that, then no one's life is ruined by death.

MeDeFe · Post by **MeDeFe** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:36 am

I'll wait and see, it's futile to speculate. I just hope they have good music if there actually is something. I mean, an eternity of people praising some god would drive me mad after two weeks. At most! I wonder if one could start a Black Metal band in heaven...

Stopper · Post by **Stopper** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:40 am

Ever had a general anaesthetic? I have, twice, and I've always assumed death would be pretty much like that - you are not aware of the precise moment you are knocked out, and the period of anaesthesia is one of complete oblivion (no sense of time, no dreaming.)

Difference is, you won't come round again.

Kupo666 · Post by **Kupo666** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:17 am

Death only affects the body- whatever the mind thinks, and the soul believes, will happen. If you believe in heaven, you'll go there. If you believe in hell, you'll go there. If you believe in nothingness, that's what will happen.

Phobia · Post by **Phobia** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:25 am

i like supercrams idea of the energy going back into the universe, very unusual (reminds of final fantasy 7 actually...). speaking of which, i also like kupo's idea of the after life is what you believe in.

seeing as im so confused on what to believe in, ill just wait and enjoy life to the full until my time comes

sorry to hear about your brother dogdoc

boogiesadda · Post by **boogiesadda** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:42 am

I believe that we are all energy and we just ride in the body until it wears out like your car. What happens after that I dont know I've never been there. But I can say you are more than welcome to ask for pictures of mine from my house where we can hear talking and kids playing and all sorts of things and we are the only ones there until we take pictures and you can see orbs of energy wherever we heard the sounds. my youngest talks to them and you can see him reaching more than once. Friendly so far hope it stays that way. Have I seen god? NO Have I heard God? NO Have I seen and heard this crazy shit in my house? YES so I guess that is what happens when you die until I see proof of the other

Backglass · Post by **Backglass** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:00 am

boogiesadda wrote:Have I seen god? NO Have I heard God? NO Have I seen and heard this crazy shit in my house? YES

Sounds like you have succesfully avoided the brainwashing, unlike others.

Good for you for thinking on your own.

jay_a2j wrote:wow, struck a nerve.

Is that really what you think? Your "damnation thumping" has about as much effect on normal people as the crazy guy on his soapbox in Times Square calling everyone a sinner who walks by. They tell him to f*ck off too. :lol:

Relative of yours?

edmundomcpot · Post by **edmundomcpot** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:13 am

I like to beleive when you die you have access to heaven, but you can stay on earth if you want to.

Ghosts are real, theirs no doubt in my mind. Which obviously points to an afterlife. I personally have never seen a ghost but my mum has.. everytime it appeared something happened to her family i.e my uncle crashed his car. When my gran died a light crossed the room and the ghost was never seen again. My mum did some reseach and it turned out the house was built on a old monastry burying ground.

dezzy26 · Post by **dezzy26** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 10:22 am

First off i,m very sorry to hear about your brother.

Ultimately all we are is animals its the circle of life thing.

I also believe though that a person lives forever in the hearts and minds of friends and loved ones.

Keep your brothers memory alive when the time comes and he will always be with you.

jay_a2j · Post by **jay_a2j** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 11:47 am

Backglass wrote:
jay_a2j wrote:wow, struck a nerve.

Is that really what you think? Your "damnation thumping" has about as much effect on normal people as the crazy guy on his soapbox in Times Square calling everyone a sinner who walks by. They tell him to f*ck off too.

Relative of yours?

Its not "damnation thumping" its reality. You are all relatives... created by God. And this is why I care.

jay_a2j · Post by **jay_a2j** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 11:51 am

edmundomcpot wrote:I like to beleive when you die you have access to heaven, but you can stay on earth if you want to.

Ghosts are real, theirs no doubt in my mind. Which obviously points to an afterlife. I personally have never seen a ghost but my mum has.. everytime it appeared something happened to her family i.e my uncle crashed his car. When my gran died a light crossed the room and the ghost was never seen again. My mum did some reseach and it turned out the house was built on a old monastry burying ground.

Ghosts do not exist, at least as they appear. They are in fact evil spirits or demons. A persons spirit does not hang around the Earth after death. They either go to be with God or are separated from Him.

edmundomcpot · Post by **edmundomcpot** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 12:46 pm

jay_a2j wrote:
edmundomcpot wrote:I like to beleive when you die you have access to heaven, but you can stay on earth if you want to.

Ghosts are real, theirs no doubt in my mind. Which obviously points to an afterlife. I personally have never seen a ghost but my mum has.. everytime it appeared something happened to her family i.e my uncle crashed his car. When my gran died a light crossed the room and the ghost was never seen again. My mum did some reseach and it turned out the house was built on a old monastry burying ground.

Ghosts do not exist, at least as they appear. They are in fact evil spirits or demons. A persons spirit does not hang around the Earth after death. They either go to be with God or are separated from Him.

so how would you explain what my mum saw... he harmed no-one so cant of been evil. even so she refuses to enter the house because she is still so scared from what she saw and felt from her childhood

al12 · Post by **al12** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 2:22 pm

Don't you think that they could try and decive you?

UCAbears · Post by **UCAbears** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 2:40 pm

heres ya something to think about.

Ok I am a christian and I do beileve in a hell and a heaven.because the bible says so. But I cant help to think about a theory I have come up with.What if every new born baby is the life of one who has just died? Ok like if we could have the count of how many people have died and then the number of how many babies are born in the world... I wonder what it will come out to? will the people who die who didnt beileve and give his life to god be thrown into the flames of hell? And will the people who gave their hearts and souls to god become another child to spend their life learning and worshiping god over again? I thought it was a very wierd theory and It just makes you think even more.

edmundomcpot · Post by **edmundomcpot** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 3:00 pm

reincarnation..is something i'd love to believe in ...but i really doubt it happens

a thought i had ages ago..if your reincarnated when do realise, and at what point do you forget. Is that the real reason you cant remember the first year of your life

UCAbears · Post by **UCAbears** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 3:03 pm

Well what I was saying was that when u die u come back just like u are now... but u cant remember anything so u dont know anything... so its like your best friend could be your grandfather :shock:

edmundomcpot · Post by **edmundomcpot** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 3:09 pm

so... if your good in this life youll come back again but forget all this life... i'd rather be bad and be able to look back on my life and remember it

UCAbears · Post by **UCAbears** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 3:11 pm

no if u gave your life to god then you would come back and worship him again..

Your Vision of the Afterlife

Your Vision of the Afterlife

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