Most Religions Believe In An Afterlife

[Pawpatrol]

oh ,I have seen in the Bible that the soul can die

I don't refer to the Bible as evidence.

 

[Copernicus]

The things you read are just claims by others. It matters not if you write bare beliefs down or not. They remain bare beliefs.
Writing them down doesn't magically make them more credibly.

Now put on your logic cap.
How would anyone know anything about God if those Messengers of God did not make claims about God?

Whether or not those claims were made by real Messengers of God is what needs to be determined.
That can never be proven but there is strong evidence for it.

Let's adjust your logic cap, which seems to have fallen askew. If God does not exist, then none of them are "Messengers of God", just people making false claims. And, if God does exist, then that doesn't necessarily make them messengers of the real God. So we don't need to prove that they are NOT messengers of God. We do need to prove first that

(1) God exists.

and then

(2) they are bona fide messengers of the real God.

 

[Trailblazer]

I don't refer to the Bible as evidence.

Neither do I.

 

[ppp]

I don't refer to the Bible as evidence.

Nor any analogous text.

 

[Bharat Jhunjhunwala]

Anything that comes and goes is impermanent. Who or what is it that is observing this soul coming and going?

The sole itself sees itself coming and going only with a little bit of meditation.

 

[Bharat Jhunjhunwala]

We all view things differently, but the solution I see is that the soul will continue to progress in the spiritual world. It is not as if the spiritual world is a static place. I believe we will be progressing just as we do here. Eventually that soul will attain the presence of God, but it will take longer than if it had progressed further while living in this world, and that is why it is so important to try to progress in this world, as I believe most scriptures say.

“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.”

Bahá'í Reference Library - Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Pages 155-158

I have read Baha'i writing many, many years ago. I do not recollect them now, but it seems that if the soul continues to progress after death, then there has to be some knowledge about how it progresses, what are the circumstances, etc. We do not know anything about it. So, what we do know from the Hindu scriptures is that the soul comes back to this earth and then progresses. So, all I can say is that there is no evidence that there is progress in the soul after death.

 

[Bharat Jhunjhunwala]

You still end up with this idea that there is some enormous, but finite, number of souls to go around, and they are all shifting from body to body. Most of those would not be human bodies, since there are more animals than the human kind. And then you have the issue of which life forms get souls and which do not. What happens when the Earth goes through a mass extinction event, as it has several times in the past? And do single cell organisms get souls, or do the bodies have to be multi-cell? What about plants? When organisms reproduce by means of fission, do they split their souls off into new souls? I could go on, but I think you understand where I'm going with this. The idea of souls pairing with life forms is not well thought out. Like the concept of life after death, it is a palliative for mortal beings who would rather not believe that their existence in the cosmos is only temporary.

I believe that single-cell organisms also have souls. I am not sure but even inanimate objects may have souls, but I am not sure about that. So, when there was a mass extinction, some of the souls may have gone into single-cell organisms, or some may have gone to the sky, waiting for some womb of either animal or plant to descend into.

 

[SalixIncendium]

The sole itself sees itself coming and going only with a little bit of meditation.

Sees itself with what apparatus? The eye cannot gaze upon itself.

 

[Trailblazer]

I have read Baha'i writing many, many years ago. I do not recollect them now, but it seems that if the soul continues to progress after death, then there has to be some knowledge about how it progresses, what are the circumstances, etc. We do not know anything about it.

Baha'is believe that the soul continues to progress after death. Although but we do not know exactly how it progresses, the Baha'i Writings say that the soul progresses by the prayers of people who pray for that individual and by the mercy of God, rather than the way the soul progresses in this life, which is by our free will choices and the ensuing actions.

So we do know something about how the soul progresses in the next life, although we really cannot know what the spiritual world will be like for any soul.

So, what we do know from the Hindu scriptures is that the soul comes back to this earth and then progresses. So, all I can say is that there is no evidence that there is progress in the soul after death.

With all due respect, I do not believe that the Hindu scriptures are reliable since the Hindu texts were composed orally, then memorized and transmitted orally, from one generation to the next, for more than a millennium before they were written down into manuscripts. That is one reason I do not believe in reincarnation and the other reason is that is not a Baha'i teaching. I am very glad of that since I would never want to come back to this world, which is a dark and narrow place, especially compared to the spiritual world.

 

[Trailblazer]

Sees itself with what apparatus? The eye cannot gaze upon itself.

I do not believe that the soul sees with the physical eyes. I believe it sees with the mind and heart.

 

[Copernicus]

I believe that single-cell organisms also have souls. I am not sure but even inanimate objects may have souls, but I am not sure about that. So, when there was a mass extinction, some of the souls may have gone into single-cell organisms, or some may have gone to the sky, waiting for some womb of either animal or plant to descend into.

Animism is considered something of a precursor to religious belief. I believe that it has to do with the way we form our first concept of cause and effect. We will our body to move, and it moves. So it is easy to understand observed external events of cause and effect as carried out by the same kind of volitional forces. As our species evolved, that kind of reasoning led us to explain all sorts of natural events in terms of spiritual beings such as the will of gods. Science tends to provide alternative explanations that many of us find more satisfying.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I do not believe that the soul sees with the physical eyes. I believe it sees with the mind and heart.

The last sentence was a metaphor.

 

[Eli G]

Given the contradictory teachings across various religions, the only way to uncover the truth is by examining the written word of God. Jesus emphasized this by stating, "the scripture cannot be nullified" (John 10:35). He frequently referenced the Hebrew Scriptures to impart profound truths like the resurrection, exclusive worship to his Father, and the love owed to one's neighbor.

One example of these contradictory religious teachings is their beliefs about what happens after death. Some religions claim the soul ascends to heaven or descends to hell, others suggest reincarnation until one attains a "god level," others claim that the unseen "living remnants" of the deceased linger in the surroundings affecting the living either positively or negatively until some enigmatic occurrence befalls them, while yet others teach that the person enters a dreamless sleep-like state.

Given that not all these viewpoints can be true due to their inherent contradictions, the only viable solution is to turn to the same source of information Jesus did. This source, inspired by God and penned by various individuals from different social backgrounds and eras, was orchestrated by the Creator to document His thoughts for humanity.

Since God cannot contradict Himself, any message conflicting with this divinely inspired Scripture is not genuinely from God.

What do the Scriptures teach about that?

Psalms 146:3 Do not put YOUR trust in nobles,
Nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs.
4 His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground;
In that day his thoughts do perish.

Job 14:10 But a man dies and lies powerless; When a human expires, where is he?
... 17:11 My days are finished; My plans, the desires of my heart, have been shattered.

Eccl. 9:5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all, nor do they have any more reward, because all memory of them is forgotten. (...) 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might, for there is no work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the Grave, where you are going.

Is. 38:18 For the Grave cannot glorify you, Death cannot praise you. Those who go down into the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.

 

[Bharat Jhunjhunwala]

Sees itself with what apparatus? The eye cannot gaze upon itself.

The eye cannot look at itself, but the mind can see how it works on its own.

 

[Bharat Jhunjhunwala]

Baha'is believe that the soul continues to progress after death. Although but we do not know exactly how it progresses, the Baha'i Writings say that the soul progresses by the prayers of people who pray for that individual and by the mercy of God, rather than the way the soul progresses in this life, which is by our free will choices and the ensuing actions.

So we do know something about how the soul progresses in the next life, although we really cannot know what the spiritual world will be like for any soul.

With all due respect, I do not believe that the Hindu scriptures are reliable since the Hindu texts were composed orally, then memorized and transmitted orally, from one generation to the next, for more than a millennium before they were written down into manuscripts. That is one reason I do not believe in reincarnation and the other reason is that is not a Baha'i teaching. I am very glad of that since I would never want to come back to this world, which is a dark and narrow place, especially compared to the spiritual world.

The spiritual world wants the material world to progress. The division between the spiritual and material does not hold.

 

[SalixIncendium]

The eye cannot look at itself, but the mind can see how it works on its own.

Sure. But we're not talking about the mind. We are talking about a soul.

 

[Trailblazer]

The spiritual world wants the material world to progress.

Yes, I definitely believe that is the case.

“Let not your hearts be perturbed, O people, when the glory of My Presence is withdrawn, and the ocean of My utterance is stilled. In My presence amongst you there is a wisdom, and in My absence there is yet another, inscrutable to all but God, the Incomparable, the All-Knowing. Verily, We behold you from Our realm of glory, and shall aid whosoever will arise for the triumph of Our Cause with the hosts of the Concourse on high and a company of Our favored angels.”

Bahá'í Reference Library - Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Pages 139-140

The division between the spiritual and material does not hold.

I never said that there is a division between the material and spiritual worlds. I do not believe there is.

“Your questions, however, can be answered only briefly, since there is no time for a detailed reply. The answer to the first question: the souls of the children of the Kingdom, after their separation from the body, ascend unto the realm of everlasting life. But if ye ask as to the place, know ye that the world of existence is a single world, although its stations are various and distinct.”

Bahá'í Reference Library - Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Pages 193-196

“Those who have passed on through death, have a sphere of their own. It is not removed from ours; their work, the work of the Kingdom, is ours; but it is sanctified from what we call ‘time and place.’ Time with us is measured by the sun. When there is no more sunrise, and no more sunset, that kind of time does not exist for man. Those who have ascended have different attributes from those who are still on earth, yet there is no real separation.”

Bahá'í Reference Library - ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, Pages 95-97

 

[Bharat Jhunjhunwala]

Sure. But we're not talking about the mind. We are talking about a soul.

Yes, but we can reach the soul only through our minds. So, by tuning the mind inward, we can understand and grasp the soul.

 

[Bharat Jhunjhunwala]

Yes, I definitely believe that is the case.

“Let not your hearts be perturbed, O people, when the glory of My Presence is withdrawn, and the ocean of My utterance is stilled. In My presence amongst you there is a wisdom, and in My absence there is yet another, inscrutable to all but God, the Incomparable, the All-Knowing. Verily, We behold you from Our realm of glory, and shall aid whosoever will arise for the triumph of Our Cause with the hosts of the Concourse on high and a company of Our favored angels.”

Bahá'í Reference Library - Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Pages 139-140

I never said that there is a division between the material and spiritual worlds. I do not believe there is.

“Your questions, however, can be answered only briefly, since there is no time for a detailed reply. The answer to the first question: the souls of the children of the Kingdom, after their separation from the body, ascend unto the realm of everlasting life. But if ye ask as to the place, know ye that the world of existence is a single world, although its stations are various and distinct.”

Bahá'í Reference Library - Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Pages 193-196

“Those who have passed on through death, have a sphere of their own. It is not removed from ours; their work, the work of the Kingdom, is ours; but it is sanctified from what we call ‘time and place.’ Time with us is measured by the sun. When there is no more sunrise, and no more sunset, that kind of time does not exist for man. Those who have ascended have different attributes from those who are still on earth, yet there is no real separation.”

Bahá'í Reference Library - ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, Pages 95-97

This is not the place where one can get into a critique of the Baha'i thinking. But I am clear that there is no everlasting life after death. There has to be a method of how the soul continues to progress beyond death. So, one possibility is that the soul realizes itself after death, but then it does not have the instruments of mind to be able to do so. So, the only solution is for the soul to take a rebirth and then move towards higher evolution.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Yes, but we can reach the soul only through our minds. So, by tuning the mind inward, we can understand and grasp the soul.

Why do you need to reach this soul? Is it something that is separate from you that you must reach out and grasp to understand?

Could this "soul" perhaps be something the body/mind complex is ignorant of as a result of attachment and desire to that which appears in transactional reality?