to believe in 'life' after death?

[lollypoplady]

Ok so not life as we know it, but I'd like to get some opions on this, religious and otherwise.... I've recently read a book written by a doctor who works in resusitation unit at Southampton General Hospital about near death experiences. It was a really fascinating & mind opening read and I have since read a few more 'sciencey' based books on the subject written by doctors & academics. What are your views & have you ever had an experience to change your view?

Haven't read the whole thread yet... just wanted to say...

Bloody hell Hecate, have you stolen my thoughts/brain/self today??? I am a bit scared at how many posts you have written, that I could have written this past few days and in general... it's a bit freaky!!

Word-for-word-what-Hecate-said...

Right... off to read the thread - I'll be back!

Nagoo - can I just ask - has anyone you have loved died?

Slipper - that's really sad about your friends daughter :( How did she die?

I also know people who have had communication with people who have died, through various mediums and although I am a highly sceptical person, I trust the people I know and they are not things a medium could just guess or that the people have given away....

3 little frogs, I'm interested, like what?!?

I believe in life after death-in what form I have no idea. I once had an 'out of body' experience (I wasn't on drugs!)so I know that the body is just a shell. I haven't seen many dead bodies-only two but the 'person' wasn't there.

I think it's odd that we never wonder where we were before we were born. When we die, we're in that same place and the only difference when we die is that the people who loved us still remember us. So we still exist, even if once we didn't. Id that makes any sense at all...

Hi All, I truly believe in life after death and also that people believe that the end is near. I also believe that your loved ones come to you before you die..

The reason for this is down to experience. My mum died a while ago after a cruel illness in hospital. She had been in a coma for a few days and just before she died, she woke and spoke to me like nothing was wrong.

A few days after she died I was in the bathroom and smelt her perfume and heard her call my name.

I knew she was finally at peace, many times over the years I have asked for her guidance and have received it.

My final proof that there is life after death is when her sister died last year, we were at her house when thier brother swore that he saw my mum by her sisters coffin and smiled.

For me that is proof enough and I have no fear of death

Hecate and Chipping in, great minds think alike, hah!

I have had some mediumistic capabilities since childhood and now I am increasingly middle aged, I appear to be going more in that direction.

About 2 years ago, every few months, I would meet someone new and get 'messages' from relatives of those who had passed over. Every one of those people was a spiritualist, or was raised as a spiritualist.

I have close contact with my loved ones in spirit, not constant, and not often are there any messages as such, unless it's something important (although you may have to adjust what you see as important!) My nan is something of a joker though and very close to me so often makes me chuckle, sometimes in public

I get annoyed when people say 'oh but I'm sure there was a perfectly logical explanation / optical illusion / you are clearly a charlatan (erm how I don't do this for a living!) / obviously barking mad or 'vulnerable.' I am, of course, both those things, but for entirely reasons

'I think it's odd that we never wonder where we were before we were born'

There are a number of people who talk about birth as 'coming earth side' but I have never plucked up courage to ask them what the 'side not earthside is' -I fear that it might make me sound confrontational- because the term makes me cringe-not sure why!

So, pisces, do spiritualists believe we do exist before we are born? Because I really can't get my head round that. And in that case, after we die, then...?

Born,live,die......blah,blah,blah
Sorry,but it's what I believe.

EmmalinaC - My Mum (spiritualist persuasion) believes that our spirits/essence/soul whatever exists all the time/ through times - our concept of time/space is just not understanding how things really are. So in essence yes, we were exist before we were born. Altho' not everyone. Some are 'new' souls, some are 'old'. But I think she thinks its more of a continuum.

So zam I'm not being difficult here, but how come that doesn't trouble us in the way that death does?

Oh dear....my opinion only...but ....it;s all BOLLOCKS.
Born,live,die.
Nowt before,nowt after.

Yes, you already said that...

Can anyone join the spiritualist church, or do you have to have the 'gift'? There is a church down the road from me, but I've never had the guts to go in

EmmaC Hmm...not sure I understand the question (brain not firing too well this late at night probably!). I guess when we are 'born' we aren't concious of what went before so it doesn't bother us in general. But when we die we are concious and so obviously it does. Not sure if that's the thing you're looking for or not. I should disclaim this is what my Mum believes - I am not a spiritualist myself. She'd probably explain it all alot better - but I'm not going to introduce her to MN!!! Never get her off here!

Ripeberry - Anyone can attend a spiritualist church from what I understand.

Born,live,die,
What else is there?
Look at the bigger picture..
The universe
Where do we fit in?.

zam I just mean that if our children ask 'what happens to me when I die?' we tie ourselves in knots trying to answer. If they ask 'where was I before I was born?' we confidently say 'you weren't born!' And they accept it. Why is it so hard for grown ups?

Sorry moral didn't realise you were looking at the bigger picture. Obviously our lives are meaningless. To everyone but ourselves. And our loved ones.

The bigger picture is our lives....
Before you were born you didn't exist
When i'm dead,i'm dead.
Why lie to your children>
Make it comfy and nice,but tell it like it is.
Quiet,asleep waiting for you etc.

I believe that while the memory of us still lives on then we are still here in that way. For example, I sing songs to my DS that my grandad sang to me and I have recipes from him and my auntie who died. While I am thinking about them and talking about them then they are not gone.

And I like the way that the atoms from our bodies will be reused in other things in the universe.

I don't really believe in spirits. I think our personality etc are all controlled by our brains and once that's gone, then that's that.

Not sure if any of that makes sense, I'm tired

chippingIn- I've not lost a parent or a child... I know that people's views can change in time.

I just can't believe it. I can completely see how it is comforting to think that you would see that person again.

But I can't reconcile the idea that there can be a completely benign, pain-free, 'other world' where you all get to be with the people that you love. We are all complete people, with our flaws and idiosyncrasies that make us human. It's our humanity which enables us to feel the pleasure and pain of 'this shitty world' as someone posted.

Well to have a life after death, and see you loved ones again, we would have to accept every part of them, not some idealised version of the person we had lost.

Therefore we'd have all the same problems again, like we do in this life.

I like being a whole person. I think that the world is a magical and special place where wonderous and amazing things can happen, and where you can be as brave and special as you dare to be.

The best thing about losing someone that you loved is that they have given you enough to love in the first place. I don't know why that isn't enough.

Nothing bad can happen to you after this. The best you can do is live the life that you do have.

Hmmm.... my personal belief is that we are only an organism that consists of molecules which are re-cycled.

End of story.

It only takes about 3 generations for each of us to be forgotten (on average I stress!!) so that puts it in perspective for me.

Don't believe in an afterlife - must be bloody crowded if there is one. And I don't mean that to be flippant, I'm just being logical if you think of the billions of predecessors we must have.
Unless of course it's all down to quantum physics and different dimensions.
Physics wasn't my strong point sadly.

When my Dad was dying he said 'I am amazed and excited'. I have no idea where he was 'going' but he was up for the journey. I wish I really believed I'd see him again one day but whatever the end is, he made the journey less frightening for all of us who were with him.