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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Life after death?

187 replies

ChooChooBeanz · 07/10/2018 13:14

I was raised Catholic but have atheist beliefs, to me there is no proof of life after death ....but I desperately wish there was.

I wish I could believe that I will see all my relatives again, I miss them all so much & it’s so hard to think and once you die that’s it 😢

So AIBU to ask you all if you have seen anything that makes u believe in a life after death?

OP posts:
Padparadscha · 07/10/2018 13:21

There’s threads like this every week. All you’ll get is half the people saying ‘oh yes, x, y and z happened and nothing will convince me otherwise’, and the other half saying ‘it’s all in the head, a desperate need to believe in the afterlife as people can’t accept death as the end’.

I’m firmly in the second camp, for what it matters. All that we are as people goes after we die, but we live on in those who remember us so it’s not all bad.

Sparklesocks · 07/10/2018 14:00

I don't believe there is unfortunately. I believe our mind is like a computer which dies when the power is turned off. And our lost relatives only live on in our hearts and minds.
That's why it's important to cherish life and make the most of it with those we love, it's finite and fleeting.

Idontbelieveinthemoon · 07/10/2018 14:06

No. I don't believe. I wouldn't denigrate someone who did, I've just never felt or seen anything to make me believe.

I don't think it matters particularly what others believe, but what gives you comfort. I like to think that when I'm gone all the love and kindness I've poured into those around me are the things that will live on. That's my version of a 'soul'; what you give of yourself to those you love.

Emmageddon · 07/10/2018 14:15

The thought of loved ones living on after death is comforting. My friend, whose son died suddenly in his early 20's, likes to think of him in another place, with her mum and his granddad, happy and at peace.

I don't think there is anything afterwards, I think the lights go out and that's it. But that for me, in itself, is a comfort.

I'm not sure I'd want to be reunited with some deceased family members. Also what happens if someone has been married a few times? Which spouse are they reunited with in heaven? Or is there a celestial version of the Jeremy Kyle Show, where they all shout and scream at each other, wearing polyester tracksuits?

AamdC · 07/10/2018 14:21

I was also raised a catholic im more agnostic than atheist i wish i there was life after death and i could be convinced of it.

AamdC · 07/10/2018 14:22

@Emmageddon that made me laugh Grin

coolmule · 07/10/2018 14:26

I believe with certainty that there is life after death. Unfortunately I can’t prove it, but lack of proof doesn’t mean it isn’t so. I haven’t seen anything myself but plenty of people have. Trouble is, atheists will say with certainty there isn’t, and will often get angry with anyone who doesn’t agree with them,

BMW6 · 07/10/2018 14:59

No-one knows whether there is an afterlife or not. The great thing is that if there isn't you aren't going to be disappointed! Win-win.

Walkingdeadfangirl · 07/10/2018 15:49

I was driving along yesterday and saw a white feather on the road. That confirmed to me that there is life after death and all my relatives and friends (the ones I liked anyway) will be waiting for me when I die.

SilverySurfer · 07/10/2018 16:45

Walkingdeadfangirl
I was driving along yesterday and saw a white feather on the road. That confirmed to me that there is life after death and all my relatives and friends (the ones I liked anyway) will be waiting for me when I die.

I'm an atheist and don't believe in life after death. I have read about seeing a white feather and it representing a deceased loved one but think that seeing a random white feather on the pavement or road and it's proof of life after death is a bit of a stretch.

Emmageddon · 07/10/2018 16:58

I live by the sea stealthboast and see dozens and dozens of white feathers on a daily basis, from the sodding seagulls that crap all over my car and wake me up with their shrieking at 3am every morning.

Does this mean I am surrounded by the souls of the departed? Or does it mean seagulls shed their feathers a lot?

SilverySurfer · 07/10/2018 17:42

I'm pretty sure it's the latter.

TheFluffyHippo · 07/10/2018 17:46

I was never sure about life after death until my beloved Grandma died. When she went, it just felt like she’d gone. I mean, she had gone (obviously) but it’s like I could no longer feel any sense of her being around. If she could find a way to show me she was ok, she would have. So after that I lost hope of there being an afterlife

SBGA · 07/10/2018 19:45

We are eternal beings and this is why we ask intelligent questions about de beyond the here and now.

You ask for people to tell you if they've seen anything to make them believe in life after death. I'd say I have. I'd say we all have, which is why we consider the big question that you're considering here.

The bible says God shows us his invisible attributes, and shows himself through nature all around us. You often here of people saying they've been skiing and looked actors the show capped mountains and felt in awe, and a sense that this could not have happened by accident. Or a sunset, or a peaceful feeling, or the deepest love between parent and child. Or undeserved forgiveness. All of these are portrayed in our relationship with God.

We all know we have done wrong at some point in life, and to varying degrees we've felt guilty, often for a good reason. But not everyone has the privilege of knowing these wrongs are erased and forgiven, and a fresh start has been allowed. We don't need to just wait for the afterlife for a true relationship with a God who loves us more than anyone else possibly can; it can start in this life, in the here and now.

I find this compelling as much as I find the truth of the bible irrefutable. It's accurate historically, archaeologically, medically and emotionally, spiritually, psychologically. Even the writings are better reading often than Shakespeare (which I very much enjoyed at school!).

So yeah, I'm convinced. I am at my most peaceful and best when I turn to my creator and face life with him, rather than the times I've turned my back and tried to go it alone in rebellion.

Speaking of rebellion, it's the only reason we turn away from God. We do so well to turn towards him instead. The best thing is it's all about what Jesus did for us because he died for us (the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life) and it's not what we can do to save ourselves. So best not to even try!

SBGA · 07/10/2018 19:53

*hear not here ... forgive the use of Siri!

Pebblespony · 07/10/2018 20:00

I can't see how there could be. I think people invented Gods and religions as a means of explaining things they didn't understand, a comfort and as a means of social control. When you die, that's it. It's over. That's biology.

coolmule · 07/10/2018 20:35

TheFluffyHippo I don’t think we all get the same experiences. But i don’t think our dear departed are always able to make their presence felt. The fact that your beloved grandmother hasn’t could mean that she’s very much at peace.

It’s the same with my dear mum. She’s been gone a long time now and in the early days i was desperate to feel her presence around me, but never did. But she did in small ways to my Dd who was very close to her.

I don’t think they carry their worldly worries with them into the next life, otherwise they’d never feel peace, so in a nice way i don’t think they’ll feel concerns for those they’ve left behind.

SBGA......Loved your post,

SilverySurfer · 07/10/2018 21:57

I believe that gods and religion were invented by man back in history to better control the uneducated masses, hence there being no life after death.

TeddybearBaby · 07/10/2018 22:01

I definitely believe. I’m very spiritual though. I believe in energy and something more than this. I’m not sure what exactly but I do believe ☺️

FunSponges · 07/10/2018 22:07

I desperately want to believe. I hate the thought that this is it. But I can't quite believe it. My nan says she has seen things though and I'd like to think that's correct. I definitely don't discount all the weird experiences that others have had, there are too many stories around.

MrsDeanWinchester75 · 07/10/2018 22:12

I don't believe there is and am not worried about it, it'll be like a switch going off, I won't know anything about it.

The thought of sitting around somewhere for eternity is much more frightening, I get bored on Sunday afternoons!

VenusClapTrap · 07/10/2018 22:13

I believe in reincarnation.

EmperorTomatoRetchup · 07/10/2018 22:13

We are eternal beings and this is why we ask intelligent questions about de beyond the here and now.

I was trying to find an example to show my students how starting an argument from a false premise can knacker your entire approach to a topic. You've given me the perfect example, thank you.

headinhands · 07/10/2018 22:17

I think of it like this, I didn't exist for millions of years and it didn't bother me then, so it won't bother me when I don't exist again!

noego · 08/10/2018 11:20

Use this life to find Nirvana then perhaps you will know.

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