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The "after life" and your belief system

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Tightrope, Nov 12, 2013.

  1. Tightrope

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    Hello. I was thinking about this. So, what happens when it's over, as in "it ain't over til it's over?" No one knows for sure. That's why we fear the great beyond. A lot of organized religion seems focused on preparing for the next step. Share a couple of things: 1) what is your belief system, either a traditional religion in which you were raised, or something else? and 2) what do you think happens (heaven or hell, reincarnation, a big nothing)? This could tread some sticky subject areas (no pun intended), so play nice.

    Me first:

    1) brought up in a traditional non-evangelical sect under the umbrella of Christianity

    2) I think there has to be some accountability for what we've done here, or nothing would matter. I think there is a heaven and hell of some sort, but not "harps" nor "gnashing of teeth." It would be more understated than either of those two choices. It could also be a "big nothing" which epitomizes "eternal rest," meaning, like just when we're asleep and not dreaming, one would experience neither elation nor distress.
     
  2. Ticklish Fish

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    i believe my digestive system bacteria will make a lot of gas and explodes~
     
  3. Hrantou

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    Like you said, no one knows. All we really have is the rare bunch of people that are pronounced dead, then are able to be revived and come back with tales of the afterlife. Bright lights, family, all that jazz. (Feel free to google it) and of course we have religion...but in the end when someone truly dies...we just don't know.

    As for me I'd like to believe SOMETHING happens. I'm not very religious like I used to be...but its hard to shake off the feeling that something happens. I believe that something happens that we can't explain.
     
  4. Ridiculous

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    Don't be silly - we have no problem accepting we didn't exist before we were born; for some reason we get into absurdities when it comes to after we die. Our minds are nothing more than an organic computer; you don't wonder what happens to your laptop's conciousness when you turn it off.
     
  5. Tightrope

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    I don't know to whom you are responding, but I do believe in a "big nothing" as one of the options, and a very likely one. It could also be compatible with a religious belief system, where that is the reward for going through all this bullshit we all go through.
     
  6. Ridiculous

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    I was replying to the whole insidious and manipulative concept of an afterlife, not to anyone in this thread in particular.
     
  7. Browncoat

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    In general ~ don't know, don't care.





    But to attempt an answer to the questions:

    1. I self-identify as ignostic, more specifically a theological non-cognitivist. (General description here).

    What my parent's beliefs are is debatable (i.e., who knows what they think definitively), but it's clear they did not take kindly to being raised in religious households. They raised my sister and I with an obvious "we'll let them figure it out and come to their own conclusion" attitude. Hell, it must have worked too because while I am rather irreligious my sister would likely call herself a "believer" (although educated enough about the Bible to not be blindly devout).

    2. You'll have to ask me again when I'm dead, eh? Logical assumption tells me it'll be exactly the same as before I was born. But I don't like assumptions, about anything, never have. So who knows? I sure as hell don't.




    Oh and my favorite way of putting it all:

    [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R66r_XMoDkk[/YOUTUBE]
     
    #7 Browncoat, Nov 12, 2013
    Last edited: Nov 12, 2013
  8. gravechild

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    There was a time I was convinced a Heaven and a Hell existed, but lately, I've been considering the possibility that there is nothing after we die -- and it's been hard imagining, not only of trying to wrap my mind around the concept, but also of accepting that as truth.

    It's not easy, living with the constant doubts and uncertainty, and sooner or later I'll have to make a choice, but I'm convinced that either way, I've been wasting too much of my life, and the last thing I want is to live a half-fulfilled existence and die with regrets. It's like focusing on what happens after you lose a game when you've first started; all it does is serve as a distraction.

    I was raised Roman Catholic, by the way, and have always found comfort that a part of us will go on, either in our works, children, bodies becoming one with the soil... joining the billions before us. Yet, life goes on for others. The bigger concern for me is finding meaning in life.
     
  9. Bright Eyes

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    I believe in reincarnation.
    Oh and I forgot to add, my dad is extremely atheist. I was raised in a household where if I told my parents I believed in God, I would have been mocked. Still an issue I have with my dad.
     
    #9 Bright Eyes, Nov 12, 2013
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  10. Techno Kid

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    I would call myself an agnostic atheist so I really don't think there is anything after death, besides decay.
     
  11. Black Cat

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    I believe in everything.

    Deep down I feel that when we die, we go through a process similar to the movie BeetleJuice involving waiting, reflecting, deciding how best to move on, reconnecting with other departed loved ones, possibly coming back as something or someone else (like in Chances Are), maybe coming back as a means of helping one we've left behind (like in Ghost), or going on to whatever other options are available to us.

    This is a discussion I deeply enjoy. Each time a thread on the subject emerges or a conversation comes up in my day-to-day life, I eagerly partake. Other people's views on the subject can differ so vastly, it's almost like a sociological experiment. :slight_smile:
     
  12. Valkyrimon

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    I believe that anyone who says they know for sure is bullshitting themselves. We have no possible way of knowing. I RECKON something happens, but that's just something I reckon. What that something is could be anything. It'd be nice if it was an awesome afterlife of paradise and utopia and it very well could be, but I honestly just don't know.
     
  13. Aussie792

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    I'm an agnostic Christian, and don't consider God to be a literal being. If there's an afterlife, then there is. I doubt it, so I'll make the best of my life. You are your brain; the idea that there's a "soul" that exists independently is ridiculous.
     
  14. AtheistWorld

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    When you die your life goes to the same place your memories go when you get amnesia.

    Everyone seems to have a problem with there being no afterlife but me. It's nothing but an irrational fear of death. Everyone whines about their fear of death. Why is this?
     
  15. You live on in the memories people have of you. The memories that make them who they are that they pass on, and on, and on. Making you, immortal.
     
  16. Linthras

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    This.
    We die, decompose or get cremated and our molecules will eventually recombine into something else of become part of the void of space.
     
  17. gibson234

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    People are just sacred of the dark. I don't fear death it's self, just think it sucks.
     
  18. Incognito10

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    1). Was a devout Christian and after much self-exploration and study, converted to atheistm at about 21.

    2). I believe and *hope* nothing happens after I die. I do not want to go on and on for eternity...it sounds exhausting and even boring. I want to simply cease to exist. One of the aspects to making this life so special and valuable is the fact that I believe we know we only get to experience our existence for a relatively short amount of time and to try to make the most of it...this also helps put many of our "little" problems into perspective, I feel. I kind of feel, psychologically, we are prone to invent stories and theories about an afterlife just because the human ego has a natural will to survive and probably does not readily accept the idea, it will be a non-existence after we die, like prior to birth.

    :slight_smile:
     
    #18 Incognito10, Nov 13, 2013
    Last edited: Nov 13, 2013
  19. MrAllMonday

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    I'm Muslim so I believe in life after death. I mean it is based on faith (trust) and not evidence. That is the entire point of how this works. I have doubts but they never really affected me significantly. I think most people have doubts now and then, even if they don't admit it.

    As to what happens after death according to Muslims you get judged. From my understanding everyone will be judged as individuals. Everything will be taken into account such as how you behaved and your beliefs. I cannot say who goes heaven and hell but followers of Islam and followers of the Abrahamic faiths (prior to introduction of Islam) have a higher probability of getting into heaven. For those who have never been exposed to Islam or never had the opportunity to practice it will be treated leniently than compared to those who are familiar with it. I think non-Muslims underestimate how important Islam is to Muslims. Their entire purpose of their existence is to serve Allah (God) and in return they will get a reward which is not considered selfish or anything. I have heard Islamic scholars say that any doubts/any questions people will have about why they were created and so on will be addressed in the afterlife.

    It does sound childish the concept of heaven and hell. This may be due to how it has been portrayed in a fictional stories. In western culture movie directors and authors have borrowed Christian themes and ideology to produce creative fictional work. As a result people are more likely to view these themes/ideology as fictional due to how they are presented.
     
    #19 MrAllMonday, Nov 13, 2013
    Last edited: Nov 13, 2013
  20. timo

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    I was thinking how to phrase it but you kinda hit the nail on the head.


    Or we can use this song, which I agree with.

    I’ve seen the world
    And there’s no heaven and there’s no hell

    And I believe
    That when we die, we die
    So let me love you tonight

    The Drums - Book of Revelation