Afterlife

[Runewolf1973]

Friend Dream Angel,



Personally since the body and mind is nothing but *energy* it is neither created or destroyed but it changes form. Those who would agree that will agree with *evolution* and *reincarnation* which is the shorter version of evolution.

Love & rgds

Exactly right! Reincarnation is not some "supernatural" event like some would have it. It is just part of the natural cosmic flow. The transformation of energy and matter from one form to another. Evolution and reincarnation....both just words that symbolize change.

 

[Thesavorofpan]

Mark 9:43: And if thy hand offend theee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched. (This does not mean if you sin cut off your hand, it means if there something in your life thats making you sin you should get rid of it.) This is Jesus mentioning Hell see thats where you go if you sinned and since none of us is perfect we all sinned.
But if you follow God's word you get to go to Heaven and Praise God for Eternity.

 

[OmarKhayyam]

. . .
But if you follow God's word you get to go to Heaven and Praise God for Eternity.

Boring.

 

[Tiapan]

Given we turn to dust, smoke and worm fodder there is a remote chance we will be reincorporated in some other living organism from bacteria to plants to herbivores to carnivores and humans, but only by being "eaten".

The afterlife concept often cheapens our real lives (see suicide bombers). Does the cancer remission patient say "..its ok ill be in heaven shortly", or do they say "live every minute as if it is your last?"

However, I do actually believe in a semiphysical metaphoric after life, where I am part of the living beyond death yet not conscious of it. So what the hell am I talking about. It goes something like this.

I am the manifestation of my DNA, my sentience is a product of the complexity of my biological self. I am aware of the Universe and many of its wonders. My perception is governed by my genetics, biology and the physical environment, the culture and family I was brought up in, and the books I have read.

My current pleasant life is due to the hard work and thinking of my father and his father before him. I share half my DNA with my father and half with my mother, there is a bit of them always in me. Like wise, my children carry half my DNA. I may die and turn to dust, but half of me is literally carried beyond death through my children, I may therefore be considered "still there" in that sense, however my consciousness died with my original unique body. Although my children's consciousness may have been influenced by my teachings to them when I was alive.

If I treat my children well, safe home, good education, lots of love and support. Then their chances of leading a happy successful life are improved. Because I am part of them they have become my "Heaven". On the other hand if I treat my children with disrespect, treating them poorly, with physical and emotional violence, or desert or abuse them, then I am making their future pretty bleak, hence my "Hell" because I will in part, be there with them.

This is my way of replacing the religious concepts of death, afterlife, heaven and hell into a secular perspective.

Cheeers

 

[ragordon168]

Mark 9:43: And if thy hand offend theee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched. (This does not mean if you sin cut off your hand, it means if there something in your life thats making you sin you should get rid of it.) This is Jesus mentioning Hell see thats where you go if you sinned and since none of us is perfect we all sinned.
But if you follow God's word you get to go to Heaven and Praise God for Eternity.

i never really understood that. if u sin => you end up in hell, no trial to decide where you go like in ancient egyptian mythos just a 1 way ticket to fire and brimstone. and

if your christian you get to have a trial and your deeds are measured to decide your fate. if your not christian though, well then satans sharpened his pitchfork.

i.e the man who brought peace to the entire world without having to use violence, died and headed for heaven. what if he was an atheist, would he get told he's not on the list and sentanced to eternity in hell?

 

[Thesavorofpan]

i never really understood that. if u sin => you end up in hell, no trial to decide where you go like in ancient egyptian mythos just a 1 way ticket to fire and brimstone. and

if your christian you get to have a trial and your deeds are measured to decide your fate. if your not christian though, well then satans sharpened his pitchfork.

i.e the man who brought peace to the entire world without having to use violence, died and headed for heaven. what if he was an atheist, would he get told he's not on the list and sentanced to eternity in hell?

Oh there a trial God is judge/jury etc.... Well you had all the time in your life to obey God's word....

You can't bring peace to the entire world in the first place since people can't get along and yes he would go to hell because he still didn't obey God's law.

 

[Thesavorofpan]

Boring.

Then maybe is good that your not going there lol jk

 

[BruceDLimber]

Greetings!

I was just wondering everyones idea/perspective/belief on the afterlife - is there one? what does it consist of? or do our thoughts just perish.

Here's the Baha'i view. I quote from the Baha'i scriptures:

“Thou hast asked Me whether man, as apart from the Prophets of God and His chosen ones, will retain, after his physical death, the self-same individuality, personality, consciousness, and understanding that characterize his life in this world. If this should be the case, how is it, thou hast observed, that whereas such slight injuries to his mental faculties as fainting and severe illness deprive him of his understanding and consciousness, his death, which must involve the decomposition of his body and the dissolution of its elements, is powerless to destroy that understanding and extinguish that consciousness? How can any one imagine that man's consciousness and personality will be maintained, when the very instruments necessary to their existence and function will have completely disintegrated?

“Know thou that the soul of man is exalted above, and is independent of all infirmities of body or mind. That a sick person showeth signs of weakness is due to the hindrances that interpose themselves between his soul and his body, for the soul itself remaineth unaffected by any bodily ailments. Consider the light of the lamp. Though an external object may interfere with its radiance, the light itself continueth to shine with undiminished power. In like manner, every malady afflicting the body of man is an impediment that preventeth the soul from manifesting its inherent might and power. When it leaveth the body, however, it will evince such ascendancy, and reveal such influence as no force on earth can equal. Every pure, every refined and sanctified soul will be endowed with tremendous power, and shall rejoice with exceeding gladness.”

-- (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, pp. 153-154)


“And now concerning thy question whether human souls continue to be conscious one of another after their separation from the body. Know thou that the souls of the people of Baha, who have entered and been established within the Crimson Ark, shall associate and commune intimately one with another, and shall be so closely associated in their lives, their aspirations, their aims and strivings as to be even as one soul. They are indeed the ones who are well-informed, who are keen-sighted, and who are endued with understanding. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

“The people of Baha, who are the inmates of the Ark of God, are, one and all, well aware of one another's state and condition, and are united in the bonds of intimacy and fellowship. Such a state, however, must depend upon their faith and their conduct. They that are of the same grade and station are fully aware of one another's capacity, character, accomplishments and merits. They that are of a lower grade, however, are incapable of comprehending adequately the station, or of estimating the merits, of those that rank above them. Each shall receive his share from thy Lord. Blessed is the man that hath turned his face towards God, and walked steadfastly in His love, until his soul hath winged its flight unto God, the Sovereign Lord of all, the Most Powerful, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.

“The souls of the infidels, however, shall -- and to this I bear witness -- when breathing their last be made aware of the good things that have escaped them, and shall bemoan their plight, and shall humble themselves before God. They shall continue doing so after the separation of their souls from their bodies.

“It is clear and evident that all men shall, after their physical death, estimate the worth of their deeds, and realize all that their hands have wrought.”

-- (Baha'u'llah, Ibid., pp. 169-171)


“And now concerning thy question regarding the soul of man and its survival after death. Know thou of a truth that the soul, after its separation from the body, will continue to progress until it attaineth the presence of God, in a state and condition which neither the revolution of ages and centuries, nor the changes and chances of this world, can alter. It will endure as long as the Kingdom of God, His sovereignty, His dominion and power will endure. It will manifest the signs of God and His attributes, and will reveal His loving kindness and bounty. The movement of My Pen is stilled when it attempteth to befittingly describe the loftiness and glory of so exalted a station. The honor with which the Hand of Mercy will invest the soul is such as no tongue can adequately reveal, nor any other earthly agency describe. Blessed is the soul which, at the hour of its separation from the body, is sanctified from the vain imaginings of the peoples of the world. Such a soul liveth and moveth in accordance with the Will of its Creator, and entereth the all-highest Paradise. The Maids of Heaven, inmates of the loftiest mansions, will circle around it, and the Prophets of God and His chosen ones will seek its companionship. With them that soul will freely converse, and will recount unto them that which it hath been made to endure in the path of God, the Lord of all worlds. If any man be told that which hath been ordained for such a soul in the worlds of God, the Lord of the throne on high and of earth below, his whole being will instantly blaze out in his great longing to attain that most exalted, that sanctified and resplendent station.... The nature of the soul after death can never be described, nor is it meet and permissible to reveal its whole character to the eyes of men. The Prophets and Messengers of God have been sent down for the sole purpose of guiding mankind to the straight Path of Truth. The purpose underlying Their revelation hath been to educate all men, that they may, at the hour of death, ascend, in the utmost purity and sanctity and with absolute detachment, to the throne of the Most High.”

-- (Baha'u'llah, Ibid., pp. 155-157)

It should be noted that one's condition in the Next Life is determined by oneself, depending on whether or not one has gained the spiritual virtues which it's part of our purpose to acquire in this life. Success in this places one spiritually near to God (the definition of Heaven); failure to do so makes one spiritually remote (hell).

But our scriptures also assert that even for those in the worst sort of circumstances in the Next Life, God will aid them eventually to draw near to Him, eventually attaining Heaven!

(Please note that all this is true for anyone, not just Baha'is!)

Best!

Bruce

 

[OmarKhayyam]

Then maybe is good that your not going there lol jk

Indeed it is good. I would have it no other way.

 

[YmirGF]

I was just wondering everyones idea/perspective/belief on the afterlife - is there one?

If you compare the average human animal to a walnut you could say that upon physical death that the shell remains, but the nut has flown.
Rather than saying "after" life, I prefer to think of it as a fairly radical shift in viewpoint and perception. Consciousness simply keeps growing.

what does it consist of?

That, my friend, is entirely up to you. Whatever you expect, is precisely what you will encounter -- at first, at least. From there, well, you will understand fairly rapidly.

or do our thoughts just perish.

If you believe they will, for a time, indeed they will. The individual has far more control over the process than is generally imagined.

I am looking for everybodies answer so whether you are muslim, christian, pagan etc etc feel free.

The only thing I would tell people is to forget everything you have been told. Forget the angels, forget god, forget rebirth, forget it all. Nothing you can imagine will compare to what you will encounter, though you can get "glimpses" of this state prior to the event itself. The thing to understand is that those "glimpses" will be colored by your existing belief structures, so I wouldn't get too excited about them either.

I guess the main difference between my vision of the so-called "after-death" experience and that of what others will tell you is that in my variant the individual has nothing to be greatly concerned about. Don't worry, it'll be like coming home after an extended vacation and everyone you knew will be delighted to see you. "Death" is just the flip-side of "life".