Do you believe in an afterlife?

[stvdv]

The poll is open for everyone to answer, regardless of religious beliefs or the lack thereof.

If you answered yes, please explain why you believe in an afterlife. If you answered no, please explain why you don't believe in an afterlife. If you answered "unsure," then please explain why you are unsure.

I voted: No
Why (short): I see only 1 Consciousness, not individual consciousness for each human, animal etc.

My personal view (long):
God, Consciousness or Atma incarnates
A human is also an incarnation of Consciousness

IF all what we do is 'gone' after we die THEN each incarnation would be similar

This obviously is not the case (we see evolution (not a recurring same world). So our thoughts, words and deeds are saved somewhere ('pushed onto a stack') and added ('polled from the stack') 'later on' to a new incarnation of this Consciousness

From 'emotional' human POV, it might seem fair that a 'bad' Putin gets his share with him in a new incarnation, but this is not how I see it, as I see only 1 Consciousness that incarnates, not all different souls

Note: Consciousness I use here is how Advaita Masters describe Consciousness

God and Love
Which God are you talking about? What is God? Is he not the very light by which you ask the question? ‘I am’ itself is God. The seeking itself is God. In seeking you discover that you are neither the body nor mind, and the love of the self in you is for the self in all. The two are one. The consciousness in you and the consciousness in me, apparently two, really one, seek unity and that is love

noun: afterlife; noun: after-life

1. (in some religions) life after death.
   "most Christians believe in an afterlife"
2. the later part of a person's life.
   "they spent much of their afterlife trying to forget the fire"

@stvdvRF

 

[blü 2]

Now why does that conjure up De Rerum Natura by Lucretius in my mind?

Well, Lucretius liked Epicurus, and Epicurus was a materialist, so we materialists may have some sense of the bridge there.

 

[F1fan]

I like the idea of an afterlife, I just don't see it being likely. I find the whole idea greedy at some level, as if our conscious life is not enough and inadequate.

 

[rational experiences]

Humans don't own a human life after.

 

[Aupmanyav]

"Do you believe in an afterlife?": IMHO, a weird idea. No Proof of God or soul. Shows only our fear of death.
Sure, what constitutes our body undergoes chemical recycling, our molecules becoming part of millions of living and non-living things.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

I answered Yes, but at a future time.

At Acts of the Apostles 24:15, Paul said “there is going to be…”; at John 5:28-29, Jesus said “all those in the Memorial tombs will hear…” And then in the next chapter (John 6), he said about 3 different times, “I will resurrect him in the Last Day.”
Martha stated this, in John 11.

 

[rational experiences]

I believe in an afterlife in one of two destinations; eternal life with the Source/Creator of life or eternal separation. I believe this because God has provided the information through His divine revelation to in the biblical scriptures. Otherwise, without such information being given, humans just make up all kinds of imaginary ideas on the subject.

Eternal life isn't after life.

It's before life.

We get to be the part a human was released from that had never left nor changed.

 

[paarsurrey]

After life is optimistic and positive, why not to believe in it, please?
Right?

Regards

Thank you friend @Mock Turtle

for being optimistic and rating my post as optimistic, please.

Regards

 

[RestlessSoul]

That which I call “I” is only the ego. Not only do I expect my ego to die with my body, I consider it an impediment in life to recognition of, and communion with, that which is universal and eternal in all of nature. Separation is an illusion, and the ego will do everything in it’s power to preserve that illusion until death.

 

[LuisDantas]

No, I most certainly do not believe in what is usually called an "afterlife".

After life, there is death. And there are the lives of those who survived us.

The idea that somehow it might be otherwise always struck me as rather weird.

Even if given the choice somehow, I doubt that I would want to even experience a brief period with afterlives. They are not only unlikely, but also highly undesirable. The ability to die and open the way for renewal is quite indispensable.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

I voted 'Yes' because of the many fields of Afterlife Evidence.

I wanted to tell you that I appreciate you posting this link in my thread, George. I think it's very insightful. I especially like the articles about mediums, physical mediumship, and reincarnation. Do you have other similar resources on the afterlife like this one?

 

[George-ananda]

I wanted to tell you that I appreciate you posting this link in my thread, George. I think it's very insightful. I especially like the articles about mediums, physical mediumship, and reincarnation. Do you have other similar resources on the afterlife like this one?

Thanks. It does my heart good to know my posts and links get attention. I also sent you another interesting link in a PM yesterday. I hope it's interesting too.

 

[Truthseeker]

“In my Father’s house there are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

The Bible might be full of allegory, metaphor and myth, but I’m inclined to believe in the Christ of the Gospels. Was he the Son of God? Maybe. If there is a God, aren’t we all his children? Still, though. “I am the way, the truth and the life”. That’s not this life he’s talking about, here in Caesar’s world. That’s the life of the world to come.

This may sound contradictory, but the life of the world to come is also in this world, in my opinion. The life of the spirit can be found while we are living here. Real life is being close to God, and having the love of God.

6. O SON OF BEING!
Thy Paradise is My love; thy heavenly home, reunion with Me. Enter therein and tarry not. This is that which hath been destined for thee in Our kingdom above and Our exalted dominion.
(Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

 

[Aupmanyav]

Kingdom above? Where?

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Thanks. It does my heart good to know my posts and links get attention. I also sent you another interesting link in a PM yesterday. I hope it's interesting too.

I've been reading the link you sent to me yesterday, and I think it's interesting too.

 

[Truthseeker]

The poll is open for everyone to answer, regardless of religious beliefs or the lack thereof.

If you answered yes, please explain why you believe in an afterlife. If you answered no, please explain why you don't believe in an afterlife. If you answered "unsure," then please explain why you are unsure. I decided to post my thread in the Religions Q&A forum rather than in the Religious Debates forum because I'm more interested in a civil discussion than in a vigorous debate on the subject. As always, please be respectful towards the members that you don't agree with. Thank you, in advance, for your response.

Sgt. Pepper

Yes, the Baha'i Faith teaches there is life after death. Most religions do. NDE seems to offer some empirical evidence of life after death, though there is disputes about that. NDE among those who don't believe is considered to be only a physiological effect of a lack of oxygen in the brain causing hallucinations, and a "high". I can respect that. There have been experiments that show that kind of thing.

 

[George-ananda]

I've been reading the link you sent to me yesterday, and I think it's interesting too.

On any subject that interests me, I become an internet explorer. The things I've found....

 

[Truthseeker]

No. I think mind-body dualism has been disproven by neuroscience and psychiatry, and I think we understand where concepts like "wakefulness," "awareness," and "metacognition" are generated in the brain as well as what chemicals or damage can disrupt them. I think the scientific evidence clearly points to our minds and self-awareness being a physical phenomenon contained within our nervous systems.

As such, when those nervous systems are destroyed, the mind is destroyed with it. Nothing we could call "us" survives bodily death.

I don't believe in mind-body dualism either, as they are not separate, but act as one. Our brain can be damaged, and we can have neurological conditions we just have to work with as best we can. For instance I'm on the autism spectrum somwhere. However, when I die, autism has no more effect on me. I do believe in the evidence you talk of.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

On any subject that interests me, I become an internet explorer. The things I've found....

I'm usually the same way, but my time is often limited by the demands of my life and my passion for investigating the paranormal. And when it comes to investigating the paranormal, I would rather be out in the field than exploring the subject on the internet. But, to be honest, I could investigate the paranormal wherever I am because of my connection to the spirit world. I do, however, take the time to step away from it for awhile, and I don't pursue the connection. I can't turn it off completely, of course, but I set boundaries. It can be overwhelming sometimes, especially in certain locations like popular restaurants or busy stores, hospitals, and nursing homes.

 

[Truthseeker]

I voted No. Death is the permanent end of an individual life. Is the concept an Abrahamic one?

Not really. Most Hindus believe in reincarnation, which of course involves for them their atman going to a new body. In Shinto, I believe they believe their ancestors continue in some form, but I'm not sure about that. The indigenous peoples of America believed as a whole that their ancestors live on. I'm sure there are others.