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Do you believe in life after Death?

Do you believe in life after death?

  • Yes, life after death starts immediately after death, and only Soul continues to live on.

    Votes: 7 16.7%
  • Yes, life after death starts at the end of world, when we get resurrected

    Votes: 4 9.5%
  • Yes, we will be reincarnated

    Votes: 7 16.7%
  • No, death is the end

    Votes: 14 33.3%
  • Other, please explain

    Votes: 10 23.8%

  • Total voters
    42

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
Oh dear.....I don't know where to start with this......

You are not familiar with the Bible at all are you? You only have what Baha'i teaches you.....that is sad because you have no idea how much contradiction there is between what Baha'i's believe and what Jesus Christ taught.
There is absolutely NO contradiction whatsoever. There are differences, since Baha'ullah brought a NEW Revelation, but there are absolutely NO contradictions, because God does not contradict Himself.
Well, you believe you have....but how do you know, if you have never studied the Bible in its entirety? You have no idea what Christ taught.....do you?...only what bits you have been fed......

From my perspective, that means that Baha'i does not have a leg to stand on.
From my perspective, it does not matter if I ever read one page of the Bible because the Dispensation of Baha’u’llah unconditionally abrogates all the Dispensations that have gone before it, including the Bible Dispensation.

Dispensation
  1. the divine ordering of the affairs of the world.
  2. an appointment, arrangement, or favor, as by God.
  3. a divinely appointed order or age:
e.g. the old Mosaic, or Jewish, dispensation; the new gospel, or Christian, dispensation.

Definition of dispensation | Dictionary.com

The Bible has not been abrogated, but the Dispensation of Jesus has been abrogated....

That means by an arrangement of God the divine ordering of the affairs of the world is now according to the Revelation of Baha'u'llah, not according to the Bible.

From my perspective, Baha’u’llah was the Return of Christ, the Messiah, and the Promised One of all the religions, so whatever He wrote supersedes all that has been written before. Thus all the Books of the former Dispensations can only be fully understood by referring the Revelation of Baha’u’llah.

“They that valiantly labor in quest of God, will, when once they have renounced all else but Him, be so attached and wedded unto that City, that a moment’s separation from it would to them be unthinkable. They will hearken unto infallible proofs from the Hyacinth of that assembly, and will receive the surest testimonies from the beauty of its Rose, and the melody of its Nightingale. Once in about a thousand years shall this City be renewed and readorned….

That City is none other than the Word of God revealed in every age and dispensation. In the days of Moses it was the Pentateuch; in the days of Jesus, the Gospel; in the days of Muḥammad, the Messenger of God, the Qur’án; in this day, the Bayán; and in the Dispensation of Him Whom God will make manifest, His own Book—the Book unto which all the Books of former Dispensations must needs be referred, the Book that standeth amongst them all transcendent and supreme.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 269-27
 

Hockeycowboy

Witness for Jehovah
Premium Member
In your words, what does consciousness mean to you?

Consciousness means that we will retain the ability to think.
Genesis 3:19,
Ecclesiastes 9:5 & Psalms 146:3-4 indicates otherwise.

Also, recall Jesus' words about Lazarus (and to Martha) in John 11.

Really, how can the dead be resurrected, i.e, be brought back to life, in the future (John 6:44), if they're already living? IOW, belief in an immortal spirit / soul is at odds with the Bible's teaching of the future Resurrection. The Bible does not teach both.

This belief in an immediate afterlife, though, is found in almost every culture. To me and others, it's evidence of the accuracy of Revelation 12:9...."the Devil...is misleading / deceiving the entire inhabited Earth"!

It doesn't say "most"; it says "entire"!
That would include myself, in some fashion or another.

So, popular teachings & beliefs, those commonly found in all parts of the globe, are suspect.
And it's not for nothing that the Bible warns us that "Satan keeps transforming himself into an angel of light."
-- 2 Corinthians 11:14; cf. 1 John 5:19

I wish you the best, my cousin.
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
There is absolutely NO contradiction whatsoever. There are differences, since Baha'ullah brought a NEW Revelation, but there are absolutely NO contradictions, because God does not contradict Himself.

The Bible does not contradict itself at all but nothing that Baha'i's believe comes from the Bible, otherwise the Bible would back up what Baha'ullah wrote.....it does not. He has taken little snippits and written them into scripture.....to make it appear that he is supporting Jesus, but nothing could be further from the truth.

From my perspective, it does not matter if I ever read one page of the Bible because the Dispensation of Baha’u’llah unconditionally abrogates all the Dispensations that have gone before it, including the Bible Dispensation.

Oh OK......I see....this gives Baha'i's permission to cancel out everything that Moses, the prophets and Jesus taught...unless they agree with what Baha'ullah said.

Say no more....how on earth would the truth ever penetrate a closed mind......? (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

Paul's words need to be said here......
Galatians 1:7-9..."Not that there is another good news; but there are certain ones who are causing you trouble and wanting to distort the good news about the Christ. 8 However, even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to you as good news something beyond the good news we declared to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, I now say again, Whoever is declaring to you as good news something beyond what you accepted, let him be accursed."

There is no other 'dispensation'.....just what Jesus and his apostles preached....."accursed" is a pretty strong word....
 

McBell

Resident Sourpuss
Translation has to offer meaning that is valid to the reader......
With you so far...

archaic English adds nothing to a 21st century reader....
Ah..
So you know this because you have asked all the 21st century readers, right?
Or is this merely a bold empty claim?

in fact it just makes the whole thing confusing.
Confusing for whom?
Or are you claiming to speak for all 21st century readers...again?
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
With you so far...


Ah..
So you know this because you have asked all the 21st century readers, right?
Or is this merely a bold empty claim?

Let me run a couple by you......

Genesis 25:29....
"And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:"

Do you know, without looking it up what "sod pottage" means?

Mark 10:14...
"But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."
Is this saying that little children have to suffer to come to Jesus?

Exodus 25:38...
"And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold."
I give up...what are "snuffledishes"?


Daniel 3:5...

"That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:"
These must be musical instruments...but what?

Confusing for whom?

Any English speaking person I would imagine....:shrug:

Or are you claiming to speak for all 21st century readers...again?

I can speak for myself and anyone who wants to look these up.....:facepalm:
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
The Bible does not contradict itself at all but nothing that Baha'i's believe comes from the Bible,
Of course nothing that the Baha'is believe comes from the Bible, it comes from the Writings of Baha'u'llah. :rolleyes:
otherwise the Bible would back up what Baha'u'llah wrote.....it does not.
How could the Bible back up what Baha'u'llah wrote when Baha'u'llah had not written it yet. :rolleyes:
Do you have any logical abilities? Do you ever bother to think or are you so mired in the Bible that you have lost your ability to think?

Baha'u'llah does not need the Bible to back Him up, He has God to back Him up. :D
He has taken little snippits and written them into scripture.....to make it appear that he is supporting Jesus, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Nothing could be closer to the truth,. Baha'u'llah testified of Jesus and glorified Jesus, just as Jesus said he the Comforter and Spirit of truth would do (Baha'ullah) would do.

John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13-14 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.


Referring to Jesus as the Son of man, Baha'u'llah wrote:

“Know thou that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Its evidences, as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee. The deepest wisdom which the sages have uttered, the profoundest learning which any mind hath unfolded, the arts which the ablest hands have produced, page 86 the influence exerted by the most potent of rulers, are but manifestations of the quickening power released by His transcendent, His all-pervasive, and resplendent Spirit.

We testify thatwhen He came into the world, He shed the splendor of His glory upon all created things. Through Him the leper recovered from the leprosy of perversity and ignorance. Through Him, the unchaste and wayward were healed. Through His power, born of Almighty God, the eyes of the blind were opened, and the soul of the sinner sanctified.

Leprosy may be interpreted as any veil that interveneth between man and the recognition of the Lord, his God. Whoso alloweth himself to be shut out from Him is indeed a leper, who shall not be remembered in the Kingdom of God, the Mighty, the All-Praised. We bear witness that through the power of the Word of God every leper was cleansed, every sickness was healed, every human infirmity was banished. He it is Who purified the world. Blessed is the man who, with a face beaming with light, hath turned towards Him.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 85-86

Paul's words need to be said here......
Galatians 1:7-9..."Not that there is another good news; but there are certain ones who are causing you trouble and wanting to distort the good news about the Christ. 8 However, even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to you as good news something beyond the good news we declared to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, I now say again, Whoever is declaring to you as good news something beyond what you accepted, let him be accursed."

There is no other 'dispensation'.....just what Jesus and his apostles preached....."accursed" is a pretty strong word....
Logic is not your forte is it?

The Bible was written that way because there was no one else during the Dispensation of Jesus, but time marches on and then along came Muhammad and then along came the Bab and then Baha'u'llah... The Dispensation of Jesus is over. That is my belief but you are free to believe whatever you want to believe.

Galatians 1:8-9 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

You cannot even interpret your own Bible. The Baha'i Faith is not "another gospel." there is only ONE gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Those verses are Paul saying that nobody should preach a gospel message that would try to replace or add to what Jesus wrote... Baha'u'llah did no such thing. He received His Own Revelation from God.

So you see, I do know a lot of the Bible and I know how to interpret it.
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
Now that is interesting......since the Bible tells us exactly what to expect in the life to come....where it is and what we will be doing there....I'm surprised that Baha’u’llah didn't tell you this....? How could he not know when Jesus did?
Excuse me? o_O

The Bible does no such thing. Because of your distorted interpretation of the Bible you believe you will live forever on earth in a new Garden of Eden...

Funny thing but most Christians believe they are going to heaven, so something must be wrong with your interpretation of the Bible. The many mansions are in heaven, not on earth. Every Christian knows that.

What does the term "mansion" mean in John 14:2?

by Matt Slick

John 14:2 says in the King James Version, "In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." In the NASB it says, "In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you." The word for "mansion" is μονή, monay. It means a dwelling, an abode.

Jesus is not telling us that heaven has compartments or that we will have little places in which to live. In the ancient culture, a father's house was where the extended family lived. Rooms were often added on as the family grew through birth and marriage. What Jesus was doing was using the present day illustration of a loving, tight, family community. So, Christ is saying that He is preparing a place for us in heaven where we will dwell with God in close communion with Him and that there is room in heaven for all whom God calls to salvation.

Please note that some commentators have alluded to the "mansions" as our future resurrected bodies that we will possess at the resurrection and accompanying our entrance into heaven. This seems possible, but the context of the verses does not necessitate that opinion.

What does the term "mansion" mean in John 14:2? | CARM.org

I am sure you can cherry pick some verses from the Old Testament and slap them together to try to make a case for your Garden of Eden on earth you are so looking forward to but please quote me anything Jesus said about bodies rising from graves or living on earth forever in a new Garden or Eden.

I can hardly wait. :rolleyes:
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
And you base this belief on what? This is nothing like Jesus described.
Jesus did not describe anything except the "many mansions" in heaven, as I just said in my last post.
Do Baha'i's have any idea why God made us to be material creatures on a material earth in the first place?
So people could live out their physical lives on earth, that's why.
What was wrong with the world as God made it? Life at the beginning was ideal in every way....so what went wrong that we ended up like this?
God gave us free will and humans messed up the earth, that is what happened.
God already had millions of spirit creatures to reside in the heavens with him, long before the earth was even created.....so is this like like a 'training ground' for the next life? If so where will I find this stated in the Bible?
If you looked hard enough you would realize it is in the Bible. Jesus taught us how to live a moral of and build our character and that is our preparation for the afterlife. Of course it is more clearly stated by Baha'u'llah but the message is the same.
Its not the planet that is the problem...its the people who live on it. The Bible says that God will remove the wicked and leave the faithful right here, to return to what he purposed in the beginning.
That is true, the people are the problem. Jesus said that the wheat will be separated from the chaff and the faithful will remain, but if you read the Bible you will see that in the future everyone will be the faithful and there will be no more wicked people, because everyone will believe in God.

Jeremiah 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Isaiah 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.


“The Day is approaching when God will render the hosts of Truth victorious, and He will purge the whole earth in such wise that within the compass of His knowledge not a single soul shall remain unless he truly believeth in God, worshippeth none other God but Him, boweth down by day and by night in His adoration, and is reckoned among such as are well assured.” Selections From the Writings of the Báb, pp. 153-154

In the wheat and chaff verses Jesus was referring to what would happen on earth to living people and future generations of living people; Jesus was not talking about people who died rising from graves and living on earth forever.
You are a Landlady...right? What do you do if your tenants trash your house? Do you burn it down and build another one? Or do you evict the bad tenants, clean it up, repair the damage and invite new, better tenants in to take care of your property? Would you give the bad tenants a good reference so that they could go and trash someone else's house? Or would you do all in your power to make sure they never did that again?
The mess needs to be cleaned up but God is not coming swooping down to do any cleanup because God did not make the mess. God entrusted humans to clean up their own mess and Baha'u'llah revealed what we will need to do the cleaning and rebuilding. It is all there in the Revelation of Baha'u'llah, but it is not in the Bible because it was not time to do the cleanup and rebuilding back when the Bible was written.
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
Really, how can the dead be resurrected, i.e, be brought back to life, in the future (John 6:44), if they're already living? IOW, belief in an immortal spirit / soul is at odds with the Bible's teaching of the future Resurrection. The Bible does not teach both.
I do not believe the Bible teaches that dead bodies will rise from their graves. I believe that reference in the Bible to the dead rising from graves mean the spiritually dead rising from the graves of ignorance of God.

I do not believe that dead bodies are ever brought back to life. I agree with the following quote written by a Christian who described what takes place after the death of the body. It is really very simple.

421. When the body is no longer able to perform the bodily functions in the natural world that correspond to the spirit’s thoughts and affections, which the spirit has from the spiritual world, man is said to die. This takes place when the respiration of the lungs and the beatings of the heart cease. But the man does not die; he is merely separated from the bodily part that was of use to him in the world, while the man himself continues to live. It is said that the man himself continues to live since man is not a man because of his body but because of his spirit, for it is the spirit that thinks in man, and thought with affection is what constitutes man. Evidently, then, the death of man is merely his passing from one world into another. And this is why in the Word in its internal sense “death” signifies resurrection and continuation of life. Heaven and Hell, p. 351

What that quote says is congruent with this verse:

Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
So in the act of determination we are using our own judgment then.

And in our own judgment, which is subjective, we must find undeniable truth there or scrap the whole book.
We have to use our own judgment because that is all we have. We cannot rely upon other people's opinions.
I still think that a holy book must pass objective tests to confirm it as real and true to life. Somewhere along the way it must take the reader to a point of irrefutable truth. If it can't then there can be no responsibility nor accountability to that book.
There are no objective tests but we can come to the point where we believe it is the irrefutable truth..
 

McBell

Resident Sourpuss
Let me run a couple by you......

Genesis 25:29....
"And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:"

Do you know, without looking it up what "sod pottage" means?

Mark 10:14...
"But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."
Is this saying that little children have to suffer to come to Jesus?

Exodus 25:38...
"And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold."
I give up...what are "snuffledishes"?


Daniel 3:5...

"That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:"
These must be musical instruments...but what?



Any English speaking person I would imagine....:shrug:



I can speak for myself and anyone who wants to look these up.....:facepalm:
Running tail tucked is most convenient.
Though not the least bit impressive.
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
The Bible was written that way because there was no one else during the Dispensation of Jesus, but time marches on and then along came Muhammad and then along came the Bab and then Baha'u'llah... The Dispensation of Jesus is over. That is my belief but you are free to believe whatever you want to believe.

Strange, but we were not told to expect anyone else after Jesus......not Muhammad, not the Bab and not Baha'u'llah...they are your prophets, not mine....and nothing whatever to do with Jesus.

The Bible does no such thing. Because of your distorted interpretation of the Bible you believe you will live forever on earth in a new Garden of Eden...

Funny thing but most Christians believe they are going to heaven, so something must be wrong with your interpretation of the Bible. The many mansions are in heaven, not on earth. Every Christian knows that.

What does the term "mansion" mean in John 14:2?

LOL....and the Bible confirms that "many" claiming Jesus as their "Lord" will also be rejected on the day of judgment. (Matthew 7:21-23) You see God designed humans to live on earth...and he designed the earth for humans to take care of....it was their assignment. They were to "fill the earth and subdue it". There is no mention of any other place for humans to live...nor was there any natural cause of death. Adam was not given a soul, but "became" one when God started him breathing.

The ancient Jews had no prospect of going to heaven, they believed in the resurrection to life here on earth under God's kingdom. It wasn't until Christ came that his disciples were offered the opportunity of becoming "kings and priests" in what was revealed to be a heavenly Kingdom. (Revelation 20:6) All of the first Christians were of that group....all entertained a resurrection to heaven, but the pre-Christian servants of God had no such hope. They were not taken into the "new covenant" inaugurated by Jesus on the night before his death.

Hebrews 11:13 speaks of all those faithful ones who lived before Moses led the Jews out of slavery in Egypt....before Israel took possession of the Promised Land. He mentions Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah. He speaks of Isaac and Jacob as well as Moses...none of whom made it into the Promised Land.
He said....
"In faith all of these died, although they did not receive the fulfillment of the promises; but they saw them from a distance and welcomed them and publicly declared that they were strangers and temporary residents in the land."

Job was also a pre-Christian servant of God, but he had no notions about going to heaven either. He believed in the resurrection

Job 14:13-15...At the height of his suffering he prayed....
"O that in the Grave you would conceal me,
That you would hide me until your anger passes by,
That you would set a time limit for me and remember me!


14 If a man dies, can he live again?
I will wait all the days of my compulsory service
Until my relief comes.
15 You will call, and I will answer you.
You will long for the work of your hands."


John 14:2 says in the King James Version, "In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." In the NASB it says, "In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you." The word for "mansion" is μονή, monay. It means a dwelling, an abode.

So where are the "mansions" or more correctly, "dwelling places"? They are in heaven, but not all of Christ's disciples will go there....these places are reserved for "the chosen ones"....those who have a "heavenly calling" (Hebrews 3:1) This means that the "abodes" are reserved for a certain body of humans who were chosen to assist Jesus Christ in the administration of his Kingdom....a heavenly government with earthly subjects.

It is Jesus himself who tells us....Revelation 21:2-4....
"I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

This is the promise....Christ and his "bride" will bring their rulership to the earth....over "mankind". He will rule over God's people on earth with all the things that caused pain suffering and death, removed forever.

God will then guide mankind back into reconciliation by means of the Kingdom, restoring his relationship with humans like Adam originally had with with his Father before his eviction. What God starts, he finishes. (Isaiah 55:11)

Jesus is not telling us that heaven has compartments or that we will have little places in which to live. In the ancient culture, a father's house was where the extended family lived. Rooms were often added on as the family grew through birth and marriage. What Jesus was doing was using the present day illustration of a loving, tight, family community. So, Christ is saying that He is preparing a place for us in heaven where we will dwell with God in close communion with Him and that there is room in heaven for all whom God calls to salvation.

It was never God's intention to take any humans to heaven.....in fact God had to anoint them with holy spirit to override their natural inclination to stay right here on earth with their loved ones.

Please note that some commentators have alluded to the "mansions" as our future resurrected bodies that we will possess at the resurrection and accompanying our entrance into heaven. This seems possible, but the context of the verses does not necessitate that opinion.

"Some commentators"? Really? Where do you get the idea that all humans are going to heaven? That was never God's purpose. Where in Genesis will I find any mention of humans going to heaven?

I am sure you can cherry pick some verses from the Old Testament and slap them together to try to make a case for your Garden of Eden on earth you are so looking forward to but please quote me anything Jesus said about bodies rising from graves or living on earth forever in a new Garden or Eden.

No need to cherry pick.....its quoted above in Revelation 21:2-4.
And if you want a reference to the resurrection its in John 5:28-29....
"Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment."

Like Lazarus, (John 11:11-14) Jesus calls the dead from their graves because they are all still in them....they haven't gone anywhere. Since their graves are here on earth, this is where they come back to....where God put them in the first place.

No point in continuing with this Trailblazer....you believe whatever you wish and we will all see at the end of the day what God will do.......its not up to you or I.....God will do what he has purposed.
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
Running tail tucked is most convenient.
Though not the least bit impressive.
confused0007.gif
What???? You asked a question... I answered it.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Consciousness means that we will retain the ability to think.

After death?

Consciousness "goes" when we are unconscious, anesthesia, coma, etc. So, the nature of consciousness must be different definition in order to refer to it after the brain and body dies.
 
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Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Genesis 3:19,
Ecclesiastes 9:5 & Psalms 146:3-4 indicates otherwise.

Also, recall Jesus' words about Lazarus (and to Martha) in John 11.

Really, how can the dead be resurrected, i.e, be brought back to life, in the future (John 6:44), if they're already living? IOW, belief in an immortal spirit / soul is at odds with the Bible's teaching of the future Resurrection. The Bible does not teach both.

This belief in an immediate afterlife, though, is found in almost every culture. To me and others, it's evidence of the accuracy of Revelation 12:9...."the Devil...is misleading / deceiving the entire inhabited Earth"!

It doesn't say "most"; it says "entire"!
That would include myself, in some fashion or another.

So, popular teachings & beliefs, those commonly found in all parts of the globe, are suspect.
And it's not for nothing that the Bible warns us that "Satan keeps transforming himself into an angel of light."
-- 2 Corinthians 11:14; cf. 1 John 5:19

I wish you the best, my cousin.

Well, to me our energy stays but no soul, consciousness, heaven, and all of that. Satans, angels, gods, etc etc sounds all fiction. @Trailbrazer did say she's not christian and doesn't use the bible as her source of authority (least not that I've been reading). I think my thing is if it's beyond religious truth, there should be more support to validate this belief. If it's just religious, it pretty much only applies to those who believe in that truth. (Kind of like quoting laws inside a country you don't live in)
 

Hermit Philosopher

Selflessly here for you
Explanation please :)


Dear chinu,

Life is defined as any system capable of performing functions such as eating, metabolizing, excreting, breathing, moving, growing, reproducing, and responding to external stimuli.” - Physiological definition, Britannica.

And if - as is my faith - your person is the sum of a body, an ego (collection of memories of the experience of being, limited by a body and its 5 senses, resulting in a sense of ”self”) and an element of the divine (say ...a soul/core); only the latter is eternal. Because your physical body disintegrates and returns to earth so that its experience of being (your ego) ceases.

But the divine element in us that I believe in ...it goes back to/ reunites with source and still exists, though ceases to be individual and “ours”. And, in terms of above physiological definition, is not “alive”.

Humbly
Hermit
 

Daemon Sophic

Avatar in flux
Do you? If yes, what kind of life after death? Physical body? Only Soul? Reincarnation? Others?


How do you feel about the fact that you or your loved ones die some day? Feel sad? Indifference? Happy?

Share what your scriptures says about death. I share from Bahaullah:


O SON OF THE SUPREME! I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendor. Why dost thou veil thyself therefrom?

- Hidden Words of Bahaullah
I hope for, but I don’t really believe in it.

If there is one, then clearly it involves a memory wipe, or physical removal from Earth such that nobody who has ever died in the history of humanity has ever demonstrated that they were reincarnated or resurrected; religious mythological stories aside.

I would be extremely sad about the death of loved ones, but I’m mature enough to recognise and accept the inevitability of it, which (slightly) tempers the sadness.
 

chinu

chinu
Dear chinu,

Life is defined as any system capable of performing functions such as eating, metabolizing, excreting, breathing, moving, growing, reproducing, and responding to external stimuli.” - Physiological definition, Britannica.

And if - as is my faith - your person is the sum of a body, an ego (collection of memories of the experience of being, limited by a body and its 5 senses, resulting in a sense of ”self”) and an element of the divine (say ...a soul/core); only the latter is eternal. Because your physical body disintegrates and returns to earth so that its experience of being (your ego) ceases.

But the divine element in us that I believe in ...it goes back to/ reunites with source and still exists, though ceases to be individual and “ours”. And, in terms of above physiological definition, is not “alive”.

Humbly
Hermit
Isn't more than one birth possible before this divine element goes back to reunites with the source ?
 
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