RainbowSprinkles Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 What do you believe happens after death? Is there any sort of afterlife or just a big fat nothing? Or rebirth? Or what?? I'm truly curious and not interested in any kind of debate. I just want to know what people believe. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I believe that some people go to heaven for a while, then return to earth to live in the New Jerusalem for 1000 years At that point, the others that died are resurrected and everyone faces judgement, the first group goes to heaven for eternity, and the second group goes to hell for eternity. Or something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I think we had a poll on this last year. I believe we biodegrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I believe that when you die, you are dead, like unconcious. Then when Christ returns he'll raise some of the dead and judge them. Some will be granted eternal life and will live and reign with Christ, others will not and will die again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I think there is some part of us that survives and goes on to live again in another life, but I don't think of it as a perfect copy of me with all memories intact, the way some people do. And I do think there is more beyond, something to move toward, but I most certainly don't think it's a reward/punishment sort of place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillybell Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I am not sure. I honestly have no idea, however, if I had to choose something. I would have to say our soul maybe recycled. Seems energy just keeps going, just makes sense to me that something like that would happen to the energy within us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbpaulie Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I believe when we die we are either joined with Christ our Lord and Savior or we descend to hell - both are for eternity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkInTheBlue Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 No idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustybug Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I believe when we die we are either joined with Christ our Lord and Savior or we descend to hell - both are for eternity. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I don't know what happens. I'd like to think a part of you continues on in some way. I do feel that if absolutely nothing happens it won't matter because we won't know any better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I'm Christian and believe in an afterlife. I have no idea how it will all come together, but I believe there is one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 (edited) I think the energy that makes us alive continues. Beyond that, I'm not sure. I think it is possible part of our personalities/memories/soul/whatever continues with it. I've always fancied that idea, and thought it would explain why sometimes we meet a person for the first time and feel like we already know them. Then again, maybe not. Edited March 21, 2012 by Truscifi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Texican Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Are you looking for religious answers or just to hear a variety show of ideas? *I outlined some ideas I find beautiful, beautifuller than any other atheist explanation I've read. *Also I'm not sure if these teachings are really Buddhist or just some Westerners interpretation. I'm trying to agree with anatman (no-soul) in Buddhism the way I've seen it described. *Yourself, your own personality, is not as consistent as you'd like to think. *"The teachers tell us that "me" is a series of thought-moments. Each thought-moment conditions the next thought-moment". *But there's nothing that necessarily stays through your whole life. *Like a flame needs a continuous stream of Heat and Air and Kindle so our "soul" runs through a stream of (the sanskrit word) "skandha", which means "heap" or "aggregate." The Buddha taught that an individual is a combination of five aggregates of existence, called the Five Skandhas: Form Sensation Perception Mental formations Consciousness When the heap of heat, air, and kindle are no longer there at the same spot together the conditions that caused the flame no longer exist together. * http://buddhism.about.com/od/karmaandrebirth/a/reincarnation.htm "Anatman *is sometimes misunderstood to mean that nothing exists, but this is not what Buddhism teaches. It's more accurate to say that there is existence, but that we understand it in a one-sided and delusional way." For a bizarre continuation of that line of thought (and a claim that China legally banned Tibetian monks from reincarnating to quell the influence of the Dalai Lama) http://unreasonable.org/node/1363 Quote:* Consider the eddying currents of a stream. As the current passes a rock, sometimes a small whirlpool will form, then fade. Then another whirlpool forms. Is it the "same" as the first one? To the stream, the water molecules, and the stone, the question is meaningless. When certain conditions arise, along comes a flame or a whirlpool; when those conditions go away, away goes the fire, away goes the vortex. This is known as "dependent arising". But it's an interesting thing about flames, that one can light many - indeed, even while the first flame continues to burn. Timothy Leary used to say that he "reincarnated" anyone who had made a deep imprint on his mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I think we had a poll on this last year. I believe we biodegrade. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susankenny Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I believe we continue to live for eternity even after our bodies die. I believe in a literal heaven or hell. But as far as who goes where, I'm not sure. That's my opinion on the matter. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I really have no idea what happens after death. I'm not worried about it, though, because I have no idea where I was before I was born, so I'm pretty sure I'll go back to wherever that was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I believe when you die you are either eternally separated from the Lord in hell or eternally together with the Lord in heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I believe all of us live on forever, either in heaven with God or eternally separated from God. I don't all the details, but that's what I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delaney Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I think we had a poll on this last year. I believe we biodegrade. This-dead is dead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 compost happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I think that those who believe that Jesus Christ was the perfect sacrifice for their sins against the holy God and call on his Christ's name will spend eternity in heaven. I believe that those who don't believe that Christ is their savior will spend eternity in hell, forever separated from God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I'm Christian and believe in an afterlife. I have no idea how it will all come together, but I believe there is one. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clementine Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I think that there is something more than this life. I have a very close friend whose husband passed away from cancer in his early 30's. The things that he did and said at the end while in a semi-conscious, near death state were goose-bump producing. I know that isn't 'reliable', but it gives me hope. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 (edited) I think that those who believe that Jesus Christ was the perfect sacrifice for their sins against the holy God and call on his Christ's name will spend eternity in heaven. I believe that those who don't believe that Christ is their savior will spend eternity in hell, forever separated from God. Some Christians believe in the concept of universal salvation or universal reconciliation. That all will eventually be saved. Think about the parables of the 99 sheep, the lost silver, the prodigal son or the promise in Job, "the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest." Not interested debating it, just putting out there that some Christians believe this. From John 12 30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” Edited March 21, 2012 by Mrs Mungo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 No idea I have no idea, either. I think our energy continues in some form, only because the laws of physics state that energy cannot be destroyed. But, I don't think it's a conscious existence. This is it, Babe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 (edited) I think that those who believe that Jesus Christ was the perfect sacrifice for their sins against the holy God and call on his Christ's name will spend eternity in heaven. I believe that those who don't believe that Christ is their savior will spend eternity in hell, forever separated from God. :iagree: For me it means ... No universalism, no annihilationism, no reincarnation, no purgatory, no do-overs. Hebrews 9:27 Edited March 21, 2012 by Heather in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mytwomonkeys Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I think that those who believe that Jesus Christ was the perfect sacrifice for their sins against the holy God and call on his Christ's name will spend eternity in heaven. I believe that those who don't believe that Christ is their savior will spend eternity in hell, forever separated from God. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 compost happens :iagree: And if we "live on" in any way, it's that we become part of the earth. Of course, with our bodies in coffins, we can't truly become part of the earth, but I like the thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mytwomonkeys Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 :iagree: And if we "live on" in any way, it's that we become part of the earth. Of course, with our bodies in coffins, we can't truly become part of the earth, but I like the thought. actually, they have biodegradable coffins now, so you could become part of the earth if you wanted!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in AL Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I think we had a poll on this last year. I believe we biodegrade. :iagree: This-dead is dead Yep. compost happens :iagree: And really that feels pretty noble. Think about it, someday someone might be burning you for fuel for their personal rocket ship. :D Or we could be used to grow some pretty roses. :D :iagree: And if we "live on" in any way, it's that we become part of the earth. Of course, with our bodies in coffins, we can't truly become part of the earth, but I like the thought. That's how I feel. I'm a "if someone needs any part of me when I die, take it, then cremate me and spread my ashes somewhere" person. No coffin (burial) for me, thanks. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I'm not entirely sure, but God has done such a good job here that I don't worry too much about what happens next. I assume my little earth-bound, chimp evolved brain cannot comprehend the next level anyway :) I just don't spend time worrying about it. I do think we are some form of energy - as is everything in the universe - and that that energy goes on. I hope I will still know/be aware of/and get to spend time with my loved ones. I hope that somehow my spouse and I are together. I do't think God sends us anywhere in particular, but I do think that the way we are/think/feel/mature in this life affects our energy - and possibly that being self centered can keep us away from God even if He/She/It doesn't want it that way. I really like C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce for explaining that concept.... Flatland: A Romance in Many Dimensions explains my thoughts on not being able to comprehend the next stage.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I really have no idea what happens after death. I'm not worried about it, though, because I have no idea where I was before I was born, so I'm pretty sure I'll go back to wherever that was. Yes, this too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Woot! Sounds like a hot time. :tongue_smilie::D :confused: I didn't poke fun of anyone else's beliefs, so why are mine fair game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Sorry, I just hate being told I'm going to hell. But you are right. I'm sorry. Thank you. I debated whether or not to answer the question, because I do my best not to offend people. I don't run around beating people over the head with my Bible IRL or on the web, but I do try to answer questions honestly. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Sorry, I just hate being told I'm going to hell. But you are right. I'm sorry. I always have to wonder, if you don't believe in hell, then why would you care? It seems like it would be equal to being told the fairies could take you away for this or that offense. Just wondering. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I believe all of us live on forever, either in heaven with God or eternally separated from God. I don't all the details, but that's what I believe. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHomeScientist Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I think we had a poll on this last year. I believe we biodegrade. Yep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I think we had a poll on this last year. I believe we biodegrade. Only this, and nothing more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHomeScientist Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I always have to wonder, if you don't believe in hell, then why would you care? It seems like it would be equal to being told the fairies could take you away for this or that offense. Just wondering. :) I sure don't care, although I do think it's amusing. The funniest ones are those who attempt to convince me that the bogus Pascal's Wager is a valid argument. To them, I just quote Billy Joel: I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. The sinners are much more fun... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Decay. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicAnn Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I believe that when you die, you are dead, like unconcious. Then when Christ returns he'll raise some of the dead and judge them. Some will be granted eternal life and will live and reign with Christ, others will not and will die again. Similar belief here. Death is death. Then most people will be resurrected and live in a judgment period. Some will be granted life in the paradise earth and some will reign in Heaven with God. Others will remain dead. But in short, when you die you are dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I believe when we die we are either joined with Christ our Lord and Savior or we descend to hell - both are for eternity. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 No, that's fair. When I hear someone believes certain people will go to hell it feels like I'm being sentenced/wished to hell. I realize that isn't quite it, but it FEELS that way. (Hell being a sort of punishment for not believing what some people believe.) And in the past I've had people scream that in my face. I know, I should not equate that with every person who expresses that belief, but it's hard. Maybe I'm more upset by the fact that someone wouldn't like me as a person because I don't believe the same things in that realm. I mean could someone say "you are going to hell because of your beliefs" and "but I like you anyway" in the same conversation? It feels unlikely. I know, I'm just too sensitive. I think some people do (at least) *appear* to be a little to smug/self-satisfied/happy about it. So, I can understand that. And to TheHomeScientist, most Christians believe we are all sinners. Maybe it means the people who think of themselves as saints? I've never really deconstructed that lyric before. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 (edited) When I hear someone believes certain people will go to hell it feels like I'm being sentenced/wished to hell. I think the opposite is probably true, you know? They're not GLAD you're going to hell; they -- like God -- actually wish that all people would come to Him because they have found it such a great place to be. "Come on in! The water's fine" and all that. But we all have choices to make and if someone's choice is to believe differently from this, that's FINE (although, if that system of belief is correct, there are consequences). If you don't believe in any of this, it really shouldn't matter to you. I'm sorry about the people who have screamed in your face. Not cool. I mean could someone say "you are going to hell because of your beliefs" and "but I like you anyway" in the same conversation? It feels unlikely. I can accept that it might feel unlikely to you, but hope you can accept that it's entirely possible with a great many people. And some people, even those that believe in heaven and hell, make it a point not to be concerned with where someone stands with God unless invited to do so by that person. And even then, do so with great trepidation. Edited March 21, 2012 by milovaný Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertmum Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Our bodies = biodegrade. Our soul/life force = energy transformation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHomeScientist Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 And to TheHomeScientist, most Christians believe we are all sinners. Maybe it means the people who think of themselves as saints? I've never really deconstructed that lyric before. ;) Neither concept is meaningful to me, since both are semantically null in the absence of religious belief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoamiracle Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Similar belief here. Death is death. Then most people will be resurrected and live in a judgment period. Some will be granted life in the paradise earth and some will reign in Heaven with God. Others will remain dead. But in short, when you die you are dead. this is what I believe.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoamiracle Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I sure don't care, although I do think it's amusing. The funniest ones are those who attempt to convince me that the bogus Pascal's Wager is a valid argument. To them, I just quote Billy Joel: I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. The sinners are much more fun... Cause only the good die young! (or something like that) sorry, couldn't help it. My dh is a Billy Joel fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Well, I say this from the perspective of someone who has buried a daughter and who believes in Christ. (I respect others' beliefs, but I'm answering openly and sincerely about what I believe. This topic is also serious enough and close enough to my heart that I do not want to be snarked at. ;) ) I believe that when we die our spirits are separated from our physical bodies. Our physical bodies biodegrade. Our spirits move into the spirit world where we wait until our time of judgment. (1 Peter 3:18-20) I believe that our spirit bodies have the same shape as our physical bodies did, and that we have the same personality and temperment. I believe that our bodies (now perfected) and our spirits will be resurrected and brought together and that we will be brought before God for a final judgment. He loves us and is filled with mercy for us but he is also just. Our words, our thoughts, and our actions will be known to Him. We will know with a surety that He is real. Some of us may feel shame for how we conducted ourselves, others will see this as a wonderful day. (I also believe that no one, save Christ, lived perfectly...and that's why we have repentance.) I believe that Heavenly Father wants all of his children to return to Him and that Hell is a place reserved for those who cannot accept Him and His laws even when they see Him and know of Him. I believe that the fiery flames of Hell are our own feelings of shame and hatred....that we cannot abide to be near Him in His perfection and that we choose to be away from Him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I'll share this quote from Keith Heyer Meldahl's outstanding on the science, history, and geography of the Gold Rush Trail called Hard Road West, which states the case well: We live and die, but we are made of immortal stuff. The carbon atoms in our fingernails, the calcium atoms in our bones, the iron atoms in our blood—all of the countless trillions of atoms from which we are made—are ancient objects. They existed before us, before the Earth itself, in fact. And after each of us dies, they will depart from our bodies and do other things. Forever. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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