What will you do in your "afterlife?"

firedragon said:

Nah. See, if you read carefully, I never said "Your theology" or that "You have a theology".

If you try to understand what I said it would not "boggle your mind". So rather than just trying to insult someone thinking a non-response is fuel to your yourself, try and respond.

You seem to have this idea that in this so called after life religions teach that they will have the same emotions of boredom as we do in this. Which theology did you understand that from?

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Well, I grew up in a world that was (at the time) mostly Christian. Now, every version of the Apostle's Creed that I have heard contains the words "the resurrection of the body and life everlasting." That certainly suggests that those who accept an afterlife of pure, timeless spirit are ignoring the basic tenets of their own theology.

Evangelicalhumanist said:

Well, I grew up in a world that was (at the time) mostly Christian. Now, every version of the Apostle's Creed that I have heard contains the words "the resurrection of the body and life everlasting." That certainly suggests that those who accept an afterlife of pure, timeless spirit are ignoring the basic tenets of their own theology.

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Well, we perhaps most of us still attending churches that read through scripture over time (a 'lectionary' cycle), then we know that both the resurrection of the dead will happen, but additionally on the other hand that once truly transformed, we will be 'like the angels' -- both of these just scriptures often read -- so it's both. But that new body after the transformation would it seems (we can guess) not be exactly like this one in all ways, but would be different in some key ways.

fantome profane said:

I recommend watching “The Good Place”. The last season deal with just this problem.

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Awesome show.

fantome profane said:

it seems to me that any existence, no matter how pleasant or interesting, extended infinitely would become an eternal hell.

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Reasonable and logical, but those are the wrong assumptions. We learn we should expect a transformation into a higher state of being and mind, or that's how it seems to me having read many things pretty carefully.

TagliatelliMonster said:

Awesome show.

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The Good Place was a fun show my family enjoyed and laughed a lot. It had not a bit to do with anything like we understand, but it was fun in and of itself.

Evangelicalhumanist said:

This is a thread directed, I think, principally at those who actually believe they will have a "life after death." And I make bold to presume that most of those types think that this will go on forever, and forever, and forever...and will never, ever end.

Now, as someone who knows a bit of what it's like to live in this life (for 73 years in just 3 weeks), I can't help but wonder what those after-life believers think it will be like.

I mean, I can read for several hours at a time, for example -- but then I've got to get up and do something else. I can listen to opera for quite a while, but then I need a change-up -- maybe a walk in the woods, or a little snogging with they honey (wink, wink).

A lot of the things I did decades ago, I never do any more, and if I get to live much longer (hey, I can dream, can't I?), I hope to do some things I've never done before.

But the thought of trying to fill up an actual eternity -- that utterly defeats me. I mean, Mark Twain, in his "Letters From the Earth," pokes fun at those who can barely stand an hour of worship once a week, and mostly move their mouths without singing much during the hymns, but seem to look forward to doing nothing but worshipping and singing hymns non-stop for unending eons. How can that be?

So, anyway, there's the question: you have all eternity, never-ever ending, and you're going to have to keep yourself interested and involved, yet there's nothing to do, nowhere to go, except worship; do you really look forward to it?

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I hope to be a God and create worlds. I know of no other afterlife that a religion promises so grand.

robocop (actually) said:

I hope to be a God and create worlds. I know of no other afterlife that a religion promises so grand.

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But it is impossible (for me) to understand on what basis you suppose such an unlikely (to say the very, very least) thing might come to pass.

robocop (actually) said:

I hope to be a God and create worlds. I know of no other afterlife that a religion promises so grand.

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I know of an afterlife that a religion promises that is so grand...

“O My servants! Sorrow not if, in these days and on this earthly plane, things contrary to your wishes have been ordained and manifested by God, for days of blissful joy, of heavenly delight, are assuredly in store for you. Worlds, holy and spiritually glorious, will be unveiled to your eyes.You are destined by Him, in this world and hereafter, to partake of their benefits, to share in their joys, and to obtain a portion of their sustaining grace. To each and every one of them you will, no doubt, attain.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 329

Evangelicalhumanist said:

But it is impossible (for me) to understand on what basis you suppose such an unlikely (to say the very, very least) thing might come to pass.

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I didn't think you could understand. I just answered the question.

Evangelicalhumanist said:

Well, I grew up in a world that was (at the time) mostly Christian. Now, every version of the Apostle's Creed that I have heard contains the words "the resurrection of the body and life everlasting." That certainly suggests that those who accept an afterlife of pure, timeless spirit are ignoring the basic tenets of their own theology.

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I understand. You should note that the apostles creed does not speak about humans dying, getting resurrected, and carrying on with the same human emotions of "boredom".

I hope you understand.

Twilight Hue said:

I wonder if the dead are afraid of one day becoming alive?

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lol...the dead know nothing. The opposite of life is not life. It's death. Just as we know gravity by its being here (happenstance), we know that death is not life.

Mock Turtle said:

What will I be doing in any afterlife? Well of course, compiling my 1001 questions to ask God, if such exists, and the first being - WHY?

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Why what?

Evangelicalhumanist said:

So, anyway, there's the question: you have all eternity, never-ever ending, and you're going to have to keep yourself interested and involved, yet there's nothing to do, nowhere to go, except worship; do you really look forward to it?

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If worship were like the act of seeing a totally beautiful captivating object, and the act was unchanging, then wouldn't time cease to exist?

Evangelicalhumanist said:

This is a thread directed, I think, principally at those who actually believe they will have a "life after death." And I make bold to presume that most of those types think that this will go on forever, and forever, and forever...and will never, ever end.

Now, as someone who knows a bit of what it's like to live in this life (for 73 years in just 3 weeks), I can't help but wonder what those after-life believers think it will be like.

I mean, I can read for several hours at a time, for example -- but then I've got to get up and do something else. I can listen to opera for quite a while, but then I need a change-up -- maybe a walk in the woods, or a little snogging with they honey (wink, wink).

A lot of the things I did decades ago, I never do any more, and if I get to live much longer (hey, I can dream, can't I?), I hope to do some things I've never done before.

But the thought of trying to fill up an actual eternity -- that utterly defeats me. I mean, Mark Twain, in his "Letters From the Earth," pokes fun at those who can barely stand an hour of worship once a week, and mostly move their mouths without singing much during the hymns, but seem to look forward to doing nothing but worshipping and singing hymns non-stop for unending eons. How can that be?

So, anyway, there's the question: you have all eternity, never-ever ending, and you're going to have to keep yourself interested and involved, yet there's nothing to do, nowhere to go, except worship; do you really look forward to it?

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For all eternity, I'll be careful not to offend loving God for fear that he will smite me and destroy all those around me (Noah's flood). I will hear God's love in the screams of water buffalo, eaten alive by hungry lions. I will talk about God's love with the millions of Jews who now reside in heaven, but last frequented NAZI torture camps and death camps. I'll talk about God's love as live Jews, with no anesthesia, had their tattoo's peeled off by NAZI knives to make lampshades.

We'll talk about original sin....the sin of being born....the sin created by Adam and passed down to us (though the bible says that sin doesn't pass down). We'll talk about the sin of bedding our neighbor's wives (10 commandments), and about God bedding Joseph's wife, Mary and producing son Jesus. We'll talk about the sin of murder, and the wars that were permitted to rage uncontrolled, and the many wars that were started by Christians (Crusades, and even the modern war in Iraq that had nothing to do with terrorism or the al Qaeda).

There isn't much to do except think and talk. If we really did have harps, and we each played a different tune, the cacophony would drive us over the edge (watch for falling angels). We'd have to hang up (or sell) our harps, rather than carrying them around). Our halos might chaff, and the constant glow would keep us up at night.

We could look for a lot of folks that we knew on earth, but if we see them in heaven, it would be very concerning. After cheating starving Africans of food (donated from good people), it would be shocking to meet Reverend Jim and Tammy Fay Bakker in heaven. It would make me question whether it is heaven at all, or perhaps it is hell?

Heaven may be a place that is harmful to bigots? God might appear before us, as a 40 foot giant, but if there is a label on God, we might find that he is Black. Imagine a life-long bigot who comes face to giant foot with Black God (squish). One's final revenge....sticking to the bottom of sandals as a gooey mess of human protoplasm.

Maybe the hoards of starved homeless people are going to meet us in heaven, and ask why....and close in tighter and tighter. We expect the guards of heaven to protect us, but what if their will to attack is stronger than the guard's will to defend?

Maybe we'll meet the builders of the California missions in heaven, and find out that they were scared into slavery by the thought of religion? Maybe through recognition of the problem, they will finally be freed of the curse?

Maybe in heaven we will finally have the time to read all of the scriptures (just as the master did in the TV series Roots, as Kunta Kinte was being tortured to lose his African identity and accept the name Toby? (Understand that we are not to be disturbed while we learn to be holy, and act very unholy).

YoursTrue said:

Why what?

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I think that is the next question or questions. Why did God (if responsible) create it all - especially all that stuff which we didn't know about until science showed us what is out there in space. Lots more question follow on from any answers - that we will never have most likely.

halbhh said:

Completely different.

Consider some suggestive things:
If you've ever experienced a 'peak moment' you know (from experience) it's not like the rest of your life.

Some people (not all!) have 'fallen in love' and experienced a sense of opening and wonder, where things are different than normal (again, not everyone has experienced this, but some will remember).

And a variety of other altered states of consciousness.

Together, they are suggestive -- well, conclusive, really -- that more is possible than merely what we already know.

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I'm afraid that the love thing (even love-at-first-sight) can be explained by our perceptions and reactions - having experienced such, and coming to a conclusion as to why and how it happened - such that anything similar could also be explained without resource to any altered state of consciousness.

YoursTrue said:

lol...the dead know nothing. The opposite of life is not life. It's death. Just as we know gravity by its being here (happenstance), we know that death is not life.

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It's just tongue in cheek.

One thing is certain. All of us will partake the truth of the matter , even while unaware of anything.

It's hard to define life, even death. Biological viruses seem to skirt that grey area and there's a philosophical question if we shrink ourselves down to the size of an atom, would we conclude on that level that life is nowhere to be found?

I tend to think life and death is multifaceted and dimensional. Not so black and white as people tend to think.

alypius said:

If worship were like the act of seeing a totally beautiful captivating object, and the act was unchanging, then wouldn't time cease to exist?

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No. Time continues, and worse, for your question, the mind's attention shifts, and there is nothing you can do to stop that.

Evangelicalhumanist said:

This is a thread directed, I think, principally at those who actually believe they will have a "life after death." And I make bold to presume that most of those types think that this will go on forever, and forever, and forever...and will never, ever end.

Now, as someone who knows a bit of what it's like to live in this life (for 73 years in just 3 weeks), I can't help but wonder what those after-life believers think it will be like.

I mean, I can read for several hours at a time, for example -- but then I've got to get up and do something else. I can listen to opera for quite a while, but then I need a change-up -- maybe a walk in the woods, or a little snogging with they honey (wink, wink).

A lot of the things I did decades ago, I never do any more, and if I get to live much longer (hey, I can dream, can't I?), I hope to do some things I've never done before.

But the thought of trying to fill up an actual eternity -- that utterly defeats me. I mean, Mark Twain, in his "Letters From the Earth," pokes fun at those who can barely stand an hour of worship once a week, and mostly move their mouths without singing much during the hymns, but seem to look forward to doing nothing but worshipping and singing hymns non-stop for unending eons. How can that be?

So, anyway, there's the question: you have all eternity, never-ever ending, and you're going to have to keep yourself interested and involved, yet there's nothing to do, nowhere to go, except worship; do you really look forward to it?

Click to expand...

Perhaps if there were an afterlife, a person's memory could get erased after awhile in order to enable a person's experiences to seem new and more interesting.

Mock Turtle said:

I think that is the next question or questions. Why did God (if responsible) create it all - especially all that stuff which we didn't know about until science showed us what is out there in space. Lots more question follow on from any answers - that we will never have most likely.

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I THINK the original Bible writers saw to a degree, the skies at night and during the day. But now that brings me to a question. The first few scriptures describe the earth as void, type of. Kind of looking like Mars or the moon, not that the Bible writers would scientifically know that (from exploration). Genesis 1:2 - (King James Version) "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." So I'm figuring the writer knew (or figured) that the firmament called the earth, the rocky mass or whatever it is, was similar to the moon, etc. But -- he didn't see the moon in a close-up photograph like we can.

Suave said:

Perhaps if there were an afterlife, a person's memory could get erased after awhile in order to enable a person's experiences to seem new and more interesting.

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Yup, you are on the right track. As an example, when I am happy, I don't remember painful incidents in particular. It's almost like they are forgotten. Except I figure at this point they'll come back into my brain again. Sigh. But the Bible says in the future we will not be sorrowful. Now isn't that nice? Revelation 21:1-5. I hope you will turn to that.