Do you believe in life after Death?

[Spirit of Light]

How so? All he did was refer to the process known as "thinking".

How does that nail anything remotely close to "leaving the body"?

Because I agree with him

 

[Nakosis]

Superman ?
Batman ?
People also dream with open eyes.

Perhaps, its the effect of any such dream

No just a random person in random circumstances.

IMO, at times when I sleep or when I am completely unconscious, I believe the self-conscious I ceases to exist. When I wake up the conscious self gets recreated. All the memories, all of the neural pathways remain. When I awake, all of these connections are remade. Without the physical existence of the brain, there would be nothing to create consciousness.

The only example of death I have is going under anesthesia where the conscious self no longer exists. So I suspect this will be what death is like, ceasing to exist, which I do nightly but never waking up. This is not what I want. I'd be happy to be wrong but that is the reality of my experience. I've no reason to think there is anything else.

 

[McBell]

Okay, here I would like to give you an experiment.

Look at the picture of my avatar which is right in front of you. Close your eyes for a while. Still you can see same picture on the screen of your brain.

If you are your body, then who is viewing the picture on screen of your brain when your physical eyes are closed ?

So it is your claim that you "leave your body" whenever you close you eyes?

 

[McBell]

Because I agree with him

So you agree that you "leave your body" every time you close your eyes?

 

[Spirit of Light]

So you agree that you "leave your body" every time you close your eyes?

We are not even inside the body in the first place, but as human beings our consciousness are "locked" within this body. That in my understanding is why it feels like we are in the body. Our main entity is in a different dimensions or different realm

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Even with your feeble attempt to put some meaning to life with a completely subjective list, it still begs the question, "then what"?

I'm truly sorry that you feel that way. For what it's worth, I wasn't attempting "to put some meaning to life with a completely subjective list;" I was simply noting where I've found value.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

RE: post #77

Doesn't outweigh post # 72. Not by a long shot. At least in my opinion. How about yours?

 

[Sand Dancer]

I would like to think we are reincarnated, but of course, I don't claim that it for sure happens. No one knows for sure, IMO. I am immensely sad when anyone dies, especially when they are still young, so the idea of reincarnation gives me comfort.

 

[Trailblazer]

The brain.

It is the soul working through the brain.

 

[Trailblazer]

You may be right. She really can't define what she experiences, and I just call them 'energies' or 'entities'. She does say that it's not like talking to someone in person.

No, it would not be exactly like talking to a person who is living in this life. You might enjoy the following books. You can read Private Dowding online and it is a short book The Afterlife Revealed goes into more detail about what happens when we die and afterwards.

Private Dowding

The Afterlife Revealed

 

[Trailblazer]

Everything that she does (and she doesn't do it that often) helps a grieving family cope. It that's demonic, then so be it.

There is nothing demonic about it at all. This is just a superstitious Christian belief. Some Christians just do not want to face the fact that there is a spiritual beyond this world where all souls go after they die physically. They do not want to believe that because they want to believe that they will rise from their graves when Jesus returns and live on a new earth that is like a Garden of Eden. Imo, that is a complete fantasy, but they will have to wait till they die to realize that. What will happen when they realize that there is no such afterlife, only God knows.

Meanwhile, their belief helps them cope with suffering in this life and gives them hope for the future. I am just not so sure it is a good thing to have false hope. There is evidence that we go to a spiritual world after we die, but there is no evidence that anyone ever rose from the grave or ever will. That is not even what it says in the Bible. If the Bible is interpreted correctly, rising from the grave means rising from the grave of spiritual ignorance, it has nothing to do with a physical grave.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

We are not even inside the body in the first place, but as human beings our consciousness are "locked" within this body. That in my understanding is why it feels like we are in the body. Our main entity is in a different dimensions or different realm

How does the body "lock" a separate consciousness?

Shouldn't the two be able to exist without each other if the spirit doesn't depend on the body (living or dead) to survive?

 

[Spirit of Light]

How does the body "lock" a separate consciousness?

Shouldn't the two be able to exist without each other if the spirit doesn't depend on the body (living or dead) to survive?

I wish I could give a clear answer to this @Unveiled Artist but it's one of the mysteries I have still to fully understand. If I do realize it I will give a answer to it.

 

[Trailblazer]

I haven't seen any convincing evidence for any kind of afterlife/resurrection/rebirth. So I stick to the null hypothesis until new data is available.

There is evidence for an afterlife, but there is no evidence for a bodily resurrection or rebirth back into this life.

The Afterlife Revealed

 

[Trailblazer]

How does the body "lock" a separate consciousness?

Shouldn't the two be able to exist without each other if the spirit doesn't depend on the body (living or dead) to survive?

I believe that the soul can exist without the physical body after we die, but the body cannot exist without the soul, since the soul animates the physical body and allows it to function.

I believe that after we die the soul leaves the body and takes on a new form and we continue to function just as we did in this world. The only difference is that there is nothing material in the spiritual world and no time as we know it, because time is measured by the sun, so when there is no more sun, that kind of time no longer exists.

“The world beyond is as different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother. When the soul attaineth the Presence of God, it will assume the form that best befitteth its immortality and is worthy of its celestial habitation.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 157

“The answer to the third question is this, that in the other world the human reality doth not assume a physical form, rather doth it take on a heavenly form, made up of elements of that heavenly realm.” Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 194

Since it is the soul that is responsible for our thinking, after we die we will continue to think just as we do now only with a heightened consciousness. Our consciousness will be heightened because the physical body is an impediment that prevents full consciousness.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I wish I could give a clear answer to this @Unveiled Artist but it's one of the mysteries I have still to fully understand. If I do realize it I will give a answer to it.

But you'd have to have some idea in order to think about it and draw a conclusion in thought and words.

When you say something you believe, I'm sure there is a reasoning (a process) behind why and how you made that conclusion?

It kind of has an empty prerogative when you say something you believe but can't explain what it is you believe. The statement serves no purpose in conversation when it can't be expressed outside one's own thoughts and reflections.

I'm sure it's not based on a guess? or something you decide to believe just-because?

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I believe that the soul can exist without the physical body after we die, but the body cannot exist without the soul, since the soul animates the physical body and allows it to function.

I believe that after we die the soul leaves the body and takes on a new form and we continue to function just as we did in this world. The only difference is that there is nothing material in the spiritual world and no time as we know it, because time is measured by the sun, so when there is no more sun, that kind of time no longer exists.

“The world beyond is as different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother. When the soul attaineth the Presence of God, it will assume the form that best befitteth its immortality and is worthy of its celestial habitation.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 157

“The answer to the third question is this, that in the other world the human reality doth not assume a physical form, rather doth it take on a heavenly form, made up of elements of that heavenly realm.” Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 194

Since it is the soul that is responsible for our thinking, after we die we will continue to think just as we do now only with a heightened consciousness. Our consciousness will be heightened because the physical body is an impediment that prevents full consciousness.

Once the body dies, what is the nature of the soul?

In your words, what does consciousness mean to you?

 

[Deeje]

Really, Deeje?

Yes really. This is the Bible’s explanation of why we need to steer clear of any form of spiritism.
Deuteronomy 18:9-12 lists.....”divination, anyone practicing magic, anyone who looks for omens, a sorcerer, 11 anyone binding others with a spell, anyone who consults a spirit medium or a fortune-teller, or anyone who inquires of the dead”.
It’s very specific and these things are “detestable” to God..

It is apparent that most people have failed to discern the difference between what is “spiritual” and what is “spiritistic”.....these are opposites in fact. One is from God the other is from his adversary....a pretend ‘god’ who is powerful, but who gains his followers by deceiving them. The Bible says that he can transform himself into “an angel of light” so that those he can lead astray, don’t even know that they have been conned.

@BSM1 I emphasise that this is the Bible’s explanation for those who care what God says about these things.

The demons don’t get you in just by being wicked...they get you in by pretending to be good....their activities can appear to be beneficial. Unless you understand their MO, and their agenda (to lead people away from the true God).....they’ve gotcha.

 

[Heyo]

There is evidence for an afterlife, but there is no evidence for a bodily resurrection or rebirth back into this life.

The Afterlife Revealed

That sums up what I call "not convincing".

 

[Nakosis]

Okay, here I would like to give you an experiment.

Look at the picture of my avatar which is right in front of you. Close your eyes for a while. Still you can see same picture on the screen of your brain.

If you are your body, then who is viewing the picture on screen of your brain when your physical eyes are closed ?

Myself, I don't see as the body as much as a brain wearing a meatsuit.
The conscious self doesn't directly see your avatar. The brain creates an image representation of your avatar which gets presented to the conscious self. Since the memory of the image gets encoded into memory the brain can easily recreate the image using the same process it used to create the original image seen by the conscious self. The main difference is that we are aware that the image is coming from memory instead of external input.