Is there life after death? Of any kind? What do you really think?

[NoSavingByTheBell]

I don't want to speak for other people but I always felt that every single person's wish would be to live forever in either the physical sense here on Earth or after death in some kind of way whether it's reincarnation in another physical sense or whether it's in some spiritual way.

I mean there is not even any evidence that we have a soul or a spirit. If you think about all the chickens and cows and sheep and horses that have been slaughtered and eaten and all you have at the end is a pile of bones it makes you think that that is all that will happen to us as well.

I had a friend who did not seem to care at all about the possibility that after he died he would simply rot like a piece of rotten meat that we throw out when it starts to stink. He very emphatically said that he does not want to have any kind of existence after this life whether that be physical or spiritual or some other kind of way

I was born into a Roman Catholic family which really was a bit over the top and always trying to make you feel guilty for every little thing and basically the narrative was always that you were a bad kid and that they were such great parents and that they did not understand how a kid could be so bad and you always felt like you were getting scolded for such trivial and sometimes invalid reasons. You would get physical punishment for things that they interpreted wrongly and to actually did not do

I don't know how much of this came from Roman Catholicism in general in terms of their general belief that if you are humble and humiliated and realize you are nothing then you shall inherit the earth but they took it to the extreme so I don't know if it was just their mental illness or if there's also some cause and effect there what the Roman Catholic belief system.

In any case I believe it's both and for what it's worth when I was 15 or 16 I rejected both Roman Catholicism and Christianity not because I did not believe in a possible afterlife or that we had a soul but because I did not see any reason to believe in the dogma and indoctrination that a man was the Son of the creator of the universe. In that sense we are all sons and daughters of the creator of the universe. So basically I found organized religion to be a closed system

Yet I continue to hold out hope that there is some life after this in some way, although I now think of it in a non-religious way

Do any of you believe in life after death of any kind whatsoever?

[mambob]

It sounds like you've had a complex journey with beliefs about life after death, influenced by your upbringing in a Roman Catholic family and subsequent questioning of organized religion. Your reflections touch on several profound existential questions that many people grapple with.

Beliefs about life after death vary widely among individuals and cultures. Some people adhere to religious teachings that promise an afterlife, whether it's reincarnation, heaven, or another spiritual existence. Others, like your friend, may hold a more materialistic view, believing that death is the end of consciousness and existence.

Your rejection of organized religion doesn't necessarily negate the possibility of life after death in some form. Many people embrace spiritual or philosophical perspectives that allow for the continuation of consciousness or existence beyond physical death, albeit in a non-traditional or non-religious context.

The concept of a soul or spirit, and its fate after death, is deeply personal and often shaped by personal experiences, cultural influences, and philosophical beliefs. Some find comfort in the idea of continuity beyond death, while others find meaning in focusing on the present life and the impact they can have during their time on Earth.

Ultimately, beliefs about life after death are profoundly individualistic and can evolve over time based on personal reflection and experiences. It's important to explore these ideas with openness and respect for differing viewpoints, recognizing that each person's perspective is shaped by their unique journey and understanding of the world.

[NoSavingByTheBell]

It sounds like you've had a complex journey with beliefs about life after death, influenced by your upbringing in a Roman Catholic family and subsequent questioning of organized religion. Your reflections touch on several profound existential questions that many people grapple with.

Beliefs about life after death vary widely among individuals and cultures. Some people adhere to religious teachings that promise an afterlife, whether it's reincarnation, heaven, or another spiritual existence. Others, like your friend, may hold a more materialistic view, believing that death is the end of consciousness and existence.

Your rejection of organized religion doesn't necessarily negate the possibility of life after death in some form. Many people embrace spiritual or philosophical perspectives that allow for the continuation of consciousness or existence beyond physical death, albeit in a non-traditional or non-religious context.

The concept of a soul or spirit, and its fate after death, is deeply personal and often shaped by personal experiences, cultural influences, and philosophical beliefs. Some find comfort in the idea of continuity beyond death, while others find meaning in focusing on the present life and the impact they can have during their time on Earth.

Ultimately, beliefs about life after death are profoundly individualistic and can evolve over time based on personal reflection and experiences. It's important to explore these ideas with openness and respect for differing viewpoints, recognizing that each person's perspective is shaped by their unique journey and understanding of the world.

Very insightful points appreciate the observations. Yes it's important to explore. Differing viewpoints are what makes the world go round. Totally agree.

Are you a new member ?

[TIC]

i look at life like a theme park. i'm here for the experience. the life you are living is probably someone else's idea of how life should be lived. i've never seen any rule book from whatever created this place in my opinion & have never consented to any of this current society & anyone telling you they know why we are here is lying. it's like we've been given a game board & all the pieces & we've made up our own game but no one really knows what the real game is or how it should really be played. anyone trying to tell you they know what happens after we die is lying. the truth is no one i've ever known really knows

[NoSavingByTheBell]

i look at life like a theme park. i'm here for the experience. the life you are living is probably someone else's idea of how life should be lived. i've never seen any rule book from whatever created this place in my opinion & have never consented to any of this current society & anyone telling you they know why we are here is lying. it's like we've been given a game board & all the pieces & we've made up our own game but no one really knows what the real game is or how it should really be played. anyone trying to tell you they know what happens after we die is lying. the truth is no one i've ever known really knows

Yes totally agree it is a complete unknown. Most people I know would like there to be something after this. Would you like there to be something after this? The idea of there being nothing after this is a little bit or very mind blowing and disturbing although the argument goes like this, if there is nothing after this then you will certainly not know that there is nothing after this

[Beanz]

Most of the problems in the world can be attributed to this incredibly delusional and narcissistic idea. It's a perfect excuse never to change. God will sort it out, God told me to do it, My god is better than your God, God told me in a book what to think and so I don't have to obey any moral code except the one someone insisted was made by our God. Ego and an unhealthy attachment to it.

Imagine everyone believing we only have this life to use in helping others and in which to try and make the world a better place. No disassociating oneself from responsibilities we all share and leaving it to God. No more thinking you can do morally reprehensible things because God will forgive you for it.

Most monotheistic religions promote the ideas of an incredibly vengeful and petty God who is still intent on punishing the descendants of Adam and Eve because the first couple, who did not even have the knowledge of Good and bad, used their God-given free will to eat from a tree they were told would impart that knowledge.

Know your place says Christianity and it's sick idea of inherited sin. Beat the women, beat the kids , punish and kill the heathens. It is all about power and status and has nothing to do with love.

Opinions may differ

[Spicoli]

You'd have to think we would have obvious signs of a physical nature. Is that pigeon who craps on you every other morning a previous enemy from the after life, or just a rat bird with a vendetta, a big appetite and quality aim? But the subject is a head scratcher. While I do not subscribe to an eternal divine world beyond ours or believe in a single almighty God and individual life after death as it were but I do think the spirit may have a transference possible. Maybe that's reincarnation. I really don't know nor can anyone. Clearly we are very mortal husks on a temporary travel. If ever there was an absolute granter of life and decider of death, I'd imagine some restriction would be put on the abuses we display. Does everyone actually get a second crack at this island of misfit toys called life. Seems highly unlikely. Then again ever notice how many pigeons there actually are. For the record my car gets shit on every single day, like clock work

[NoSavingByTheBell]

Beanz and Spicoli great posts and a lot to say about it. First I totally agree this idea of inheriting the original sin of Adam and Eve is really sick and I know that I was beaten with a belt several times a year from the age of seven until about 14 and that doesn't count smacks in the face and stuff like that and most of the time it was because some kind of sick idea I was told that kids should be humbled and kids should know their place and kids should obey otherwise they are sinners. That is a real sick point of view and does a lot of emotional damage which definitely affects you later on in life. People talk about getting over things or processing things, well you can put them in perspective and all, but if they did some kind of trauma then that is very tough to stop it from affecting your reactions. It's a life work which never ends. I've heard it referred to as reconnecting with your authentic self. After being treated as a child as if you had no sovereignty or no human rights or after being made to feel as if you didn't even have the right to exist or your feelings didn't count, you have to learn how to undermine your own feelings and thoughts and beliefs in order to not get punished all the time or demonized. This was largely the way of thinking not only in my family but in all of the families in our neighborhoods that went to the same Roman Catholic Church with the same Roman Catholic thinking. Emotional masochism really.
And for the other points, who knows about those pigeons? The transfer of spirits or the cycling of spirits through other life forms seems easier for me to grasp then the idea that there is some kind of supreme judgmental being who will either send us to heaven or hell eternally. Or then they came up with the thing called purgatory which is sort of in between heaven and hell. The whole thing got very pedantic and man-made. So yeah it's tough to believe in a judgmental supreme being who is going to either reward us or punish us, and it seems very suspiciously like something parents would say or even something that Santa Claus would say, that if you are naughty or nice you will either get a nice treat or you will get coal in your stocking.

I do hope and pray although I don't know what God to pray to, but I do hope and pray that there is an afterlife because the idea of everything just vanishing completely and utterly is very unnerving to say the least.

[TIC]

i look at life like a theme park. i'm here for the experience. the life you are living is probably someone else's idea of how life should be lived. i've never seen any rule book from whatever created this place in my opinion & have never consented to any of this current society & anyone telling you they know why we are here is lying. it's like we've been given a game board & all the pieces & we've made up our own game but no one really knows what the real game is or how it should really be played. anyone trying to tell you they know what happens after we die is lying. the truth is no one i've ever known really knows

Yes totally agree it is a complete unknown. Most people I know would like there to be something after this. Would you like there to be something after this? The idea of there being nothing after this is a little bit or very mind blowing and disturbing although the argument goes like this, if there is nothing after this then you will certainly not know that there is nothing after this

i think that people thinking about what happens after death stems from their insecurities. there could be something after this. i think the consciousness is separate from the physical brain & body. ghost in the machine kind of thing. when i dream it can seem like i'm in other places so who knows?

[NoSavingByTheBell]

i look at life like a theme park. i'm here for the experience. the life you are living is probably someone else's idea of how life should be lived. i've never seen any rule book from whatever created this place in my opinion & have never consented to any of this current society & anyone telling you they know why we are here is lying. it's like we've been given a game board & all the pieces & we've made up our own game but no one really knows what the real game is or how it should really be played. anyone trying to tell you they know what happens after we die is lying. the truth is no one i've ever known really knows

Yes totally agree it is a complete unknown. Most people I know would like there to be something after this. Would you like there to be something after this? The idea of there being nothing after this is a little bit or very mind blowing and disturbing although the argument goes like this, if there is nothing after this then you will certainly not know that there is nothing after this

i think that people thinking about what happens after death stems from their insecurities. there could be something after this. i think the consciousness is separate from the physical brain & body. ghost in the machine kind of thing. when i dream it can seem like i'm in other places so who knows?

Totally agree it comes from insecurities and fear. Fear of death. Fear of ceasing to exist. Fear of the unknown.