Life after Death

This is kind of on the same lines as Maize's recent post regarding afterlife.

According to your faith or belief will there be an afterlife, and if so, what will it be like? What will you be doing in your life after death?

Todd said:

This is kind of on the same lines as Maize's recent post regarding afterlife.

According to your faith or belief will there be an afterlife, and if so, what will it be like? What will you be doing in your life after death?

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Yes, there will be an afterlife; I don't know what it will be like, but I hope that I will be reunited with those who I have loved, who have died before me. I don't know what I will be doing in my life after death - nor do I believe that there is any point in thinking about that, because the only thoughts I could have would be pure conjecture.

My task in the 'here and now' is to lead a life devoted to trying as best I can to follow the example and teachings of Jesus Christ.

If by doing so, I can teach by example, that will be a wonderful achievement.

My religion tends to be rather vaugue about the afterlife, since a lot of the things that others believe are reserved for after death happen we percieve as happening while we're alive in this existence.

My interpretation is that one is given a resting time, where one's soul can meditate on the lessons learned in the previous life and 'hang out' with the souls that they wish to. I imagine, for instance, visiting some friends in the Summerlands and then dropping by Heaven for a chat with some other friends. I might be a guardian spirit for awhile, or someone's spirit guide.

If I choose to be reincarnated, I will then decide what lesson I need to learn and what form/ time/ and place would be best to do so in.
best to learn it in.

Todd said:

According to your faith or belief will there be an afterlife, and if so, what will it be like? What will you be doing in your life after death?

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Buddhism postulates, rather than an afterlife, another life, very similar to this one.

In my belief, when one dies, one either repays negative karma by reliving every experience from the eyes of the person you harmed, or you pass onto Summerland, which I have always envisioned as a copy of earth, only much better, and no bad things happen.
If the soul has not learned all of life's lessons, it reincarnates to learn. If it succedded in learning all lessons (which takes many, many life times), then the soul is reunited with the god and goddess after death.

I don't worry about the afterlife. I'm not afraid of death. Nor am I so greedy as to long for immortality. I am happy being human, being alive. That is enough for me. If I have the option to choose reincarnation, I won't take it. I'd prefer to watch.

I'll find out when I get there... I just want to try to be a good person today because that is the right way to live. I have as much responcibility to others as I do to myself.

wa:do

I do not quite agree with my Church about the afterlife, ( One reason I call myself a C of E heretic)
I believe when we die we (our souls) return to God. we no longer are individual. Our lives and memories are known to God and may or may not have an expression of self.
From this It follows I do not believe in the resurrection of the body. Though this is in no way denying or limiting Gods power in this matter, Just that I do not believe it to be necessary or likely.

Terry
___________________________________________-
Amen! Truly I say to you: Gather in my name. I am with you.

I'm not sure. I guess I picture it more as a returning to God where I may or may not retain my individual self awareness. More of a spiritual than physical returning . I'm not sure that makes sense.

It would be nice to hang out and party with friends all the time after you die, but I am not counting on it.

when i die, my body will return to the Living Force, and my soul to the Unifying Force. The self will be erased, and my blank spirit will be reused for something else. There is no death, there is the Force.

Life after death does not interest me nearly so much as the challenge of living a good life before death. I figure that life after death, if there is such a thing, is best left until then.

Sunstone said:

Life after death does not interest me nearly so much as the challenge of living a good life before death. I figure that life after death, if there is such a thing, is best left until then.

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Ah, isn't that existentialism ?

michel said:

Ah, isn't that existentialism ?

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I don't know whether it is or isn't, Michel. I've come to my beliefs about this much more through my experience than through my readings in philosophies.

When I die I will experience whatever my thoughts lead me too, if I think I will be reuinted with God I will, if I will stay to watch the physical world to comfort my beloved ones I will, if I want to reunite with other people from my previous lifes I will. All of my previous lives will be known to me. I have no idea what kind of form I will be in. Some kind of metaphysical, force, or energy, that is beyond my comprehension as of now. I don't tend to stay on what will happen to me after I die, I just take it in faith that it will be wonderful, I think that some secrets are better left alone then to be worried over agin and again.

After death? Your heart is weighed in Judgement. Truly wicked people will no longer exist. Souls that pass through judgement move on to the other world. It's like this one, but better.. no pain, suffering, etc. Souls may also choose to reincarnate after resting, to learn more, or enjoy this world again.
What will I be doing there, if I make it? All you can eat buffet with all of my friends.

Todd said:

According to your faith or belief will there be an afterlife, and if so, what will it be like? What will you be doing in your life after death?

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According to my faith there will definitely be an afterlife (just as there was a "beforelife" -- but that's way, way off topic). While we Latter-day Saints believe in both Heaven and Hell, we believe that the vast majority of human beings will end up in Heaven. It would probably be accurate to say that we believe in the biggest Heaven and the littlest Hell of any Christian denomination.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul spoke of the resurrection. He explained it this way, "There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead."

Just as the sun, moon and stars differ in glory, in the resurrection, we will each receive a degree of glory in accordance with our worthiness. Matthew 16:27 states that "...the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shallreward every man according to his works." Consequently, we reject the idea that everyone who is received into Heaven will spend eternity in exactly the conditions.

The LDS concept of Heaven is one wherein there are three different "degrees of glory" or "kingdoms." The "third Heaven" is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:2. If there is a third "Heaven," surely there must also be a first and a second Heaven as well. I won't go into the difference between them now, as that would make this post far too long.

Briefly, however, we believe that the Celestial Kingdom is the highest degree of glory an individual can attain. This is where God the Father resides. It goes without saying that this kingdom is where all faithful, practicing Mormons hope to end up. Those who do, will have the potential to be exalted, to receive the fulness of God's glory. They will live in the presence of God and their loved ones forever. Most significantly, they will be given the opportunity and privilege of growing and progressing spiritually througout eternity. Their possibilities for achievement will be literally limitless.

Scott1 said:

Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they "see him as he is," face to face.

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I have two questions for you, Scott:

1. Would you explain what you mean by "dying in God's grace and friendship"? If you were to die today, do you believe that would apply to you? Do you believe that it is possible for a non-Catholic to die in this state?

2. When you say that these people will see God "face to face," I'm assuming that you are referring to the second person in the Trinity as opposed to the first. Am I correct?

Thanks for the info!

Kathryn

It seems evident to me that what we experience as consciousness, thoughts, and feelings depend on our physical brain and nervous system. When the brain dies and decays into an empty void in a skull, it seems clear to me that one longer experiences those things. I think death is basically a dreamless, eternal sleep.