Do you believe after death life?

[Sandra Jayne]

So Christians will be getting their brains back after they die?

To be fair if one believes a single creator created everything then creating a new body along with a brain will be easy. We humans tend to think if we don't understand how something could be done then it must be impossible but of course this is not true.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Incidently, Robert Browning said that 11 years before the bug bit Bahaollah. Bahaollah knew nothing of Physics, Geology or Mathematics. He was an uneducated Iranian who had nothing better to do. With that he was able to provide employment to two of his family members and successors. That is the bug which hits many Iranians as it used to hit the Jews in an earlier time (around and before Jesus' time).
"According to seminary expert, Mehdi Ghafari, more than 3,000 Mahdi claimants were in prison in Iran in 2012." - List of Mahdi claimants

 

[SeekingAllTruth]

That's true, but it all depends upon what heaven is like and since we have no way of knowing we'll just have to wait and see. I do NOT like the idea of living forever, and I think that is because I project what this life has been like onto the afterlife. But I think heaven will be a hell of a lot better than this life, which has been hell. Still, forever is a long time. The bright side is that we will never have to fear death anymore, we will only have to fear eternal life.

if you subscribe to the teachings of Swedenborg, Trailblazer, you know that a person is matched with their perfect soulmate--the other half of their spirit that there separated from when they were born and they are reunited and are eternally blissful with each other. You are looking at eternity from the perspective of a human that is capable of suffering boredom. No such thing exists in heaven according to Swedenborg.

 

[SeekingAllTruth]

Soul? Evidence?
If I do not get evidence, why should I believe?
How do you know that I will get any evidence after death and how will I be aware of it without a working brain?
Where I am headed is a cremation ground in our locality and later my ashes go to River Ganges (at Garh Mukteshwar, 100 km from Delhi, that will be my instruction to my son so that he does not have to go to Haridwar which is at more than double the distance from Delhi, 223 km). You will probably be heading to a cemetery in your city.
That is nice of you, but no one crosses over to anything after death, no river, no road; only the cortege crosses anything.

Ganges is a 5-star river. Ashes that stay there have nothing but good things to say about it.

 

[Windwalker]

To be fair if one believes a single creator created everything then creating a new body along with a brain will be easy. We humans tend to think if we don't understand how something could be done then it must be impossible but of course this is not true.

I just find the blending of modern philosophical reductionism (that mind and consciousness can be reduced down to brain - a very modern point of view), has found its way into Christian theology. The strange, blended reasoning goes, "If the mind and personality resided in the brain, then in order to be brought back just as we were in life, God must of necessity restore brain matter".

It's a bit absurd. For one thing, they used to believe the mind and the soul lived in the heart. And I think at other times, they imagined it lived in some other organ. That whole notion, blended together with a very literalistic reading of Christian theology, makes for some very strange imagery. That's all I'm saying.

Personally, tying Life and mind to matter as the source, really misses the point of spirituality altogether. It's clinging to "the things of this world". It's not about transcending this world, but bringing it with you so you don't have to leave it behind.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Ganges is a 5-star river. Ashes that stay there have nothing but good things to say about it.

Ganges is the Mother to us. Shiva's locks of hair locks made her many. The Mother nourishes us.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Personally, tying Life and mind to matter as the source, really misses the point of spirituality altogether. It's clinging to "the things of this world". It's not about transcending this world, but bringing it with you so you don't have to leave it behind.

Do not deny what is a fact and do not bring out a mystery from the hat. One can be a part of the world and spiritual too. Krishna said:

"But a person free from all attachment and aversion and able to control his senses through freedom within limits gets the reward."
(rāga-dveṣa-vimuktaih tu, viṣayān indriyaih caran;
ātma-vaśyair vidheya ātmā, prasādam adhigacchati.)
BhagawadGita 2.64

 

[Sandra Jayne]

I just find the blending of modern philosophical reductionism (that mind and consciousness can be reduced down to brain - a very modern point of view), has found its way into Christian theology. The strange, blended reasoning goes, "If the mind and personality resided in the brain, then in order to be brought back just as we were in life, God must of necessity restore brain matter".

It's a bit absurd. For one thing, they used to believe the mind and the soul lived in the heart. And I think at other times, they imagined it lived in some other organ. That whole notion, blended together with a very literalistic reading of Christian theology, makes for some very strange imagery. That's all I'm saying.

Personally, tying Life and mind to matter as the source, really misses the point of spirituality altogether. It's clinging to "the things of this world". It's not about transcending this world, but bringing it with you so you don't have to leave it behind.

I agree, the brain just allows our consciousness to 'function' I don't believe our consciousness is 'bound' to our physical state.
However, as the scriptures promise a physical resurrection (not all believe this) it makes sense that many think of eternal life in physical terms although bible teachings don't go beyond 1,000 yrs following the apocalypse so what next?

 

[1213]

That's the question who can answer?

I believe people have body and soul, and if person is righteous, his soul never dies.

These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Mat. 25:46

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I wouldn't expect any Atheist, Humanist, or Materialist to believe in an afterlife, but for others that might be less committed to a naturalistic view, you really should consider the evidence.

Even if one doesn't subscribe to any of the various religions teaching mankind's presence of an eternal soul, it's hard to ignore all of the testimonies affirming this. There's been several books written on the topic of life after death, with thousands of interviews conducted on subjects having biological near death experiences. Many of these accounts have been at least partially verified from doctors' details, making it highly unlikely, if not impossible, for all of them to be dismissed as folly.

YouTube has several interesting NDE accounts that I've just begun to watch and assess. Following, is the best I've found yet from an expert in the field who has authored an excellent book on the subject. You know, denying one's Creator or soul won't negate the reality, and so far the Christian perspective holds up true to the evidence for this reality, be it scientific empirical evidence for the creation, prophetic evidence for the Bible's authority, or NDE testimony evidence for the accounts of meeting Jesus in Heaven. Here's a 45 minute sermon on the subject for anyone wanting some insight on what lies ahead after our time here.

How can that be verified if christians don't take into consideration truth should have some objectivity to it. For example, a religious can believe he can fly because he has faith, but then when he jumps from the window, gravity pulls him down. So, faith has its limits.

Should belief be based on other people's testimonies (including biblical ones)?

Usually when someone denies something, they are familiar with the idea, truth, or fact, gave it some thought, and then choose to deny whatever it is. When someone isn't represented with the idea (has a personal experience in it) but just academic. If that idea was god, they wouldn't be denying god (because academics don't prove the supernatural), but the idea of a god based on definitions of other people's religions.

Ignorance (unknowing) of a god(s) would be a better term not denial. You have to know something exists (idea or not), rationalize and understand it to form some sort of acceptance or denial. Ignorance is not knowing the idea altogether. A lot of people don't even have an idea of what god is because they weren't presented with a "literal" definition of one.

 

[SeekingAllTruth]

How can that be verified if christians don't take into consideration truth should have some objectivity to it. For example, a religious can believe he can fly because he has faith, but then when he jumps from the window, gravity pulls him down. So, faith has its limits.

Exactly. Jesus said, "If you have faith just the size of a mustard seed, you can say to the mountain, "Be thrown into the sea" and it will happen." Obviously no one can do that therefore no one has faith, therefore nobody can get into heaven because everybody lacks faith. See what I mean about the gospels being contradictory?

 

[Windwalker]

Do not deny what is a fact and do not bring out a mystery from the hat. One can be a part of the world and spiritual too. Krishna said:

"But a person free from all attachment and aversion and able to control his senses through freedom within limits gets the reward."
(rāga-dveṣa-vimuktaih tu, viṣayān indriyaih caran;
ātma-vaśyair vidheya ātmā, prasādam adhigacchati.)
BhagawadGita 2.64

Absolutely. I fully agree. I practice that myself through Tai Chi, as well as other forms of meditation which open us to the nondual, where spirit and form are not two. That said however, do not overstate things as "facts" which are not scientifically provable as such. To say mind is "brain matter" is hardly a conclusion of science.

 

[Windwalker]

I agree, the brain just allows our consciousness to 'function' I don't believe our consciousness is 'bound' to our physical state.
However, as the scriptures promise a physical resurrection (not all believe this) it makes sense that many think of eternal life in physical terms although bible teachings don't go beyond 1,000 yrs following the apocalypse so what next?

Yes, we agree that mind and consciousness is more than body. As far as "physical resurrection" goes however, that I think is rooted in ones identity with the physical too much. I'd be alright with thinking of something in terms of a "spiritual body", or a "subtle body", by other terms, but not the gross, or biological body comprised of matter. I see resurrection as a metaphor for spiritual Awakening, not that you get to retain this biological set of clothes.

Rather than seeing ourselves as humans on a spiritual journey, I see it more as Spirit on a human journey. When that is done, that is done. We move on, unless we have to do the whole show over again to learn how to move on. Which is what the theme of reincarnation is all about (there is evidence early Christians likewise believed in reincarnation Flesh and Fire: Reincarnation and Universal Salvation in the Early Church ).

So I take this whole idea of getting to have this mortal flesh back, keeping it forever and ever, really misses the whole point of it. That strikes me as clinging to our self-identities, as opposed to surrender, which is what spiritual growth demands of us. It is egoic based, rather than Spirit based.

 

[Trailblazer]

if you subscribe to the teachings of Swedenborg, Trailblazer, you know that a person is matched with their perfect soulmate--the other half of their spirit that there separated from when they were born and they are reunited and are eternally blissful with each other.

I do not necessarily believe everything Swedenborg wrote the same way I believe everything Baha'u'llah wrote. Some of it is interesting and it might be true but since it was just one man's perspective and he was not a Messenger of God it is subject to human error. Moreover, what he experienced won't necessarily be what everyone else experiences since we are all very different. The same is true for NDE experiences.

As I recall there is nothing in the Baha'i Faith about soulmates but I decided to do a Google search on 'do Baha'is believe in soulmates' and I immediately found the answer in this Baha'iTeachings.org article, since that publication has answers to every subject imaginable. Below is an excerpt from that article:

"The benefit of friendships can become more profound and enduring, to the extent that those friendships expand in the spiritual realms of life.

In this world, much emphasis is placed on the marriage relationship which always has sexual, emotional, financial, and social dimensions to it as well as the central purpose of spiritual friendship. The Baha’i teachings say that a husband and wife who are deeply attuned to each other, sharing a worldview that includes the infinite and eternal, can look forward to traveling together forever. That happy condition would indeed be “light upon light,” meaning graced by a mutual understanding and companionship in both this world and the worlds to come.

The true marriage of Baha’is is this, that husband and wife should be united both physically and spiritually, that they may ever improve the spiritual life of each other, and may enjoy everlasting unity throughout all the worlds of God. This is Baha’i marriage. – Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 118.

But the emphasis is on the potential for ALL spiritual friendships to last forever, not one special or exclusive friendship. In fact, the term “soul mate” itself is not found in the Baha’i teachings. Instead, the teachings shift our attention from marital status to the spiritual status of all our relationships, calling us to appreciate the purpose and destiny of these blessed friendships to dissolve prejudices, heal wounds, restore vitality, remind us of life’s purpose, and help us all return to the Divine Friend.

Do Soulmates Exist?

You are looking at eternity from the perspective of a human that is capable of suffering boredom. No such thing exists in heaven according to Swedenborg.

I agree with Swedenborg on that because it makes sense when considered together with what Baha'u'llah wrote below. I mean do you think you would ever be bored in this life if you had the time and money to travel anywhere you wanted to travel in this world? How then could one ever be bored in the countless worlds of God?

“As to thy question concerning the worlds of God. Know thou of a truth that the worlds of God are countless in their number, and infinite in their range. None can reckon or comprehend them except God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise…..”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 151-152

“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.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 156

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Exactly. Jesus said, "If you have faith just the size of a mustard seed, you can say to the mountain, "Be thrown into the sea" and it will happen." Obviously no one can do that therefore no one has faith, therefore nobody can get into heaven because everybody lacks faith. See what I mean about the gospels being contradictory?

I don't understand the connection. If your faith worked in a literal way, you can put faith in flying from jumping from a window and your faith will carry you (if spirituality is not about science then one wouldn't need to test their faith-they can just jump).

Faith has its limits, by definition of the word. It's hope and trust but not strong enough to defy gravity.

 

[Trailblazer]

Exactly. Jesus said, "If you have faith just the size of a mustard seed, you can say to the mountain, "Be thrown into the sea" and it will happen." Obviously no one can do that therefore no one has faith, therefore nobody can get into heaven because everybody lacks faith. See what I mean about the gospels being contradictory?

But Jesus did not mean that literally, He meant it metaphorically. Obviously a mountain cannot be thrown into the sea just by us having faith.

 

[SeekingAllTruth]

But Jesus did not mean that literally, He meant it metaphorically. Obviously a mountain cannot be thrown into the sea just by us having faith.

Yes, Jesus didn't really mean you could literally throw a mountain into the sea. Jesus was commenting how little faith people have--little to the point of it being smaller than a mustard seed, which is almost microscopic.

 

[SeekingAllTruth]

I don't understand the connection. If your faith worked in a literal way, you can put faith in flying from jumping from a window and your faith will carry you (if spirituality is not about science then one wouldn't need to test their faith-they can just jump).

Faith has its limits, by definition of the word. It's hope and trust but not strong enough to defy gravity.

Well, Jesus didn't really get into explaining just exactly what he meant by all this, did he? That's why so many different interpretations try to explain just what he meant. The guys who wrote the gospel didn't anticipate such philosophy would cause such a hullabaloo.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Well, Jesus didn't really get into explaining just exactly what he meant by all this, did he? That's why so many different interpretations try to explain just what he meant. The guys who wrote the gospel didn't anticipate such philosophy would cause such a hullabaloo.

I think of it more instead of applying what people wrote near 2,000 years ago today, it's easier to find answers to what you can do now. Trying to interpret and apply cultural, literal, and symbolic understanding of people who didn't even speak our language is far but pushing it.

Though, my comment still stands, though. If faith is very strong then you could jump out the window and have faith that god would catch you. Is your faith strong enough for that or is there maybe "strong enough to move mountains" doesn't mean moving mountains then just as it does not now. The laws of physics are timeless.

 

[Aupmanyav]

To say mind is "brain matter" is hardly a conclusion of science.

With apologies, IMHO, mind is a "brain thing". No brain, no mind. Other than that, it is taking out a mystery from the hat. (laughing civilly, not boisterously)

Dear friend, mind without a brain or soul without a body, this is our ego only. We have become attached to our form and want something from the form to survive. Well, technically, the whole of what constitutes your form will survive for billions of years, nothing will ever be destroyed, other than your form and individuality. Why do you want to cling to individuality so strongly? It is a bondage, leave it and enjoy the real freedom.