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?

kittyfoyle- how lovely and what a great last memory

Nagoo - I asked if you had lost anyone close to you because you said this I don't understand the need to believe in life after death

I need to because other wise the pain is too unbearable.

You also said 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

It is a lot, but it is not enough - it will never be enough for me.

I want them back and believing I will see them again at some point in my future is all that keeps me going.

I know it's not what everyone believes, I know it might not even really happen.... but it's what I choose to believe, because to believe anything else is just too hard.

What Nagoo and Mowiol said.

MoralDefective - it is not lying to your children. None of us know what happens. We each decide what we think happens and that's that... it has nothing to do with truth or lying.

I totally understand why people want to believe in life after death. It's a way of not dying at all, isn't it? I can't see that religion is about anything else, tbh, but how to cheat death. And of course, according to most myth systems/religions, it will all be lovely in the afterlife (as long as you're good and follow somebody's versions of the prescribed rules of what the Gods want in order to grant us immortality, but choosing which Gods and which set of rules ... hmmmm... that's partly where the whole thing loses massive credibility, you see).
Unless you believe in reincarnation in which case there's Karma to reap.

Unfortunately I can't buy into it (life after death, heaven, etc.), much as I'd really love that to be the reality. Oblivion is the only thing that makes any sense to me as the likely outcome of life. The only good thing about it is that I won't mind in the least once it's over and done with!

I tell DC: You can't be sure of having a good death or a good afterlife, so just focus on the bit you can change which is having a good life here and now. Quality of life matters much more than quantity of life or how one dies. A good death, I reckon, is one without both fear or pain, by the way. A brilliant death is one without either of those.

aack. I meant without both of those in last sentence.

Time for bed, methinks!

lljkk - I believe as I do and I'm an athiest

I believe in something after death. I'm not sure what. In, um an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she came back after death. She described being somewhere warm and dark, with the absolute knowledge that everyone she loved was fine. It might be sort of like that.

DS (he's 3) told me that before he was born he "lived in God's house." I said, "oh, and what was that like?" He said very seriously, "Well, he's a shepherd you know." Interesting...

There might be nothing, but I'm pretty sure there's something. Either way, I'm not afraid. :)

I don't believe in life after death per se but I do believe in quantum physics and string theory. So, for every action that happens in this particular time-space continuum, such as the untimely death of a loved one there is, according to M-theory, another world in which they did not die but went on to live a full and happy life. I also like Jung's theory of the collective unconscious as a sort of conglomeration of the energy release that occurs when someone dies.

I also believe in genetic memory rather than reincarnation so that we mainly live on in the conscious and unconscious memories of others.

I have never experienced the death of someone very close to me. I know that I could not survive the death of one of my DSs without thinking I could join them.

I think to be honest that man cannot comteplate his own death without thinking of an afterlife.

I think it is best not thought about.

nemofish, my sister also has 'meduimistic capabilities' she too gains no profit from her 'gift' nor would she want to. She gets quite annoyed when people tell her she is a con artist/making it up as what is she gaining from it?

I believe in something. I'm just not sure what. I certainly believe that my sister at least thinks she has these visions, she has no reason to lie to me. I also know taht around 90% of what she sees/says is later found to be factually correct and are things that she cannot possibly have known herself, and often about people she has never met.

She told my mum's infertile friend, who could no longer afford anymore ivf that she would be a mum soon. She gave birth to her mircale baby not so long ago

She has had contact with DH's nephew and told us of things SIL has in storage in the loft and of times that SIL has felt her son there but never told anyone. SIL had told no one about the boxes in the loft or the times she felt him with her.

I find it very comforting that the people I loved are still here keeping me safe and like others say it harms no one.

Ripeberry Yep, anyone can join, I became a member a couple of years ago and it's great, although I think there is a olt of variations between churches and what 'school of thought' they adopt. Some tend to lean more towards a Christian type spiritualism and others are more new age, wheras the one I belong to is more 'sciencey'. I am very interested in string theory and quantum physics so my church suited me perfectly.

yy DooinMeCleanin I agree.

My mother was vv strict on the idea 'there's no such thing as ghosts' although seeing ghosts is very common in our family. Mum refused point blank to believe that I saw my grandad one night. A few days later my gran sidled up to me and said 'did your grandad say owt when you saw him?' and I said no sorry Nana, 'oh well' sge says 'maybe next time.'

I think though to have 'proof' of the afterlife, personal experience of it is essential. I still believe that most people have the ability to see spirits ('the sight' or 'witch sight' or 'the gift') and so will have reason to believe, those who don't / won't / can't won't get that personal experience.

And I totally get the science link, as the ex-girlfriend of a mad scientist!

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

I don't think that you see them as in life-I think it is something way beyond our understanding. When they send messages through mediums it always seems so mundane!
I think it will be the next great adventure-it doesn't worry me, but the method- and going too soon- worries me no end.

I believe in some form of life after death but I may be kidding myself.

Oh I don't know, piscesmoon, dying is easy, it's living that's hard.

I think that dying can be very hard too nemofish which is why the method worries me-e.g. lingering years in a body that doesn't work-MS etc etc etc.

I think theres something, I don't know what, when very close family members died is quick succesion, there was voices (not just heard by me on my own) and other strange electrical things happening.

I would like to think they are 'ok' now, and thats enough for me.

My Grandad died while I was pregnant with my son. He was my Father figure in the main and someone I respected and loved very much.

When my son was very little (between one year and 18 months) and still developing his own personality, I would find him saying phrases that were not really inkeeping with his age and paralleled that of my Grandad, he also had his mannerisms. Over the next year the similarities faded and he became his own person, but for a while I felt a very strong presents of my Grandad and admit I was happy to have it.

I do sometimes wonder if he somehow stayed with me through my son and in doing so was looking after us and making sure we were ok before truely passing over to the other side.

I live very close to the cemetary he is buried in, so there is a strong connection there too.

Of course it could have just been wishful thinking, but if nothing else it made the bond with my son stronger and did no harm.

I'm with Tethersend - whatever you believe, will happen to you. Very well illustrated in the film 'Erik the Viking' and in the books of Terry Pratchett. Probably seems silly, but Pratchett's portrayal of Death as a seven foot skeleton with a fondness for cats comforts me!

hmmm... you can't correct your spelling on here can you? I meant to say 'his presence'

I think its really sad when people describe this life as 'shitty' i think that plenty of people have shitty times in their lives me included but i really dont want it to end.

I cant believe for one moment that when i look into my childrens eyes that i did that all by myself and that the different spirits/personalities that they have been imbued with just 'happened'.

I honestly believe that we came from somewhere else before we came here (call it heaven or whatever it is that you believe. I know there will be people who say what about babies that die at birth or children that die young and i dont have an answer for that but i dont actually think we are designed to. The human mind is smart but not that smart. If we knew what was going to happen after we died we would probably be very cavalier with our lives knowing that we went on.

I cant imagine thinking that we will never see our loved ones again. I believe that we probably knew them before we even got here.

There is too much out there showing that the supernatural world is as real as our one, whether you choose to believe in it or not is entirely up to you. I for one KNOW that we do go on after we die and have had direct experience of the supernatural but i cant imagine just thinking this is it.

I reckon its a bit arrogant to think that this is all evolution, its all a bit too convenient isnt it? Higher power, God, think what you will but i just know that there is an afterlife, always have, always will... and im glad about that, it must be quite melancholy living a life when you think this really is it.

I believe in evolution, but I also believe that Life Goes On, in every sense of the word, for every living creature, from the tiniest microbe to the magnificent blue whale.
I'm a Retired Catholic, dontcherknow.

I'm a total atheist but I love this stuff. I don't believe it in it, but I would like it to be true and it makes for some good stories :)

I'm with sausagelover - I don't believe in a spirit/soul. Buddhists believe that we're all made up of lots of interlocking pieces, all of which are constantly changing and dependent on one another. I think that makes sense - I'm not the same person that I was when I was born, or that I will be when I'm old.

I kind of like that idea, though. Endless nothing sounds quite peaceful. Becoming a part of the universe, part of other living things... It's a bit beautiful, really. We were all dead for billions of years before we were born - nothing scary about it.

Shame about all the interesting stuff we'll miss though.

What happens next is up to you.