Page 5 | To ask if you believe in an afterlife?

DisneyDisney · 2023-03-23T19:30:26+00:00

I don’t know if I do? I want to, I lost my dad (he was young relatively speaking) and never ever seeing him again is a painful thought, we only had 30 years (we never have enough time though so we) but I don’t know if i actually believe in one, specifically in the theistic sense. do you believe in one ? What do you believe?

LittleFingerStrength · 23/03/2023 21:54

123rainbow · 23/03/2023 21:31

What about all the people who have been resuscitated and clinically dead? They all describe feeling love, all said they now believe in heaven now. They describe it as a feeling like no other. Most people near death are visited by their deceased relatives, seen this a lot in the elderly. I believe there is something.

I once read Scientists say it was to do with balance in the ear going astray when lacking brain oxygen.

I didn't experience anything like that myself, it was like slipping away it wasn't bad, and I remember fighting it I didn't want to relax into it, it would have been easier to do so.

None of us know until we die.

If believers die and there is nothing then there is nothing, if non believers die and are wrong they get a shock.

Peppadog · 23/03/2023 22:00

I didn't used to believe in an after life, but now I do. Too many strange things have happened in my life and my mum's life for it to be coincidence.
I'm not sure what exactly I believe in, and I won't pretend I am 100% sure, but I believe that there is something else.

KezzabellaB · 23/03/2023 22:04

I've lost both parents and 100% believe in an afterlife. I'm so glad I do, because in the dark days following their deaths, my belief gave me great comfort. I truly believe we are all part of something much bigger than we could ever imagine and it will all become apparent why, when we die.

Frozensun · 23/03/2023 22:11

I am not a religious person. 12 months after my mother died, I went to a medium (and no, I don’t believe everyone who is a “medium” is actually one). As I walked in, (not having said anything) he said “ a woman has come in with you and I have to say the name antoinette” (not the actual name). Mum’s sister’s name and mum was the only one who ever called her by this version of her name. Her parents and husband, her friends never called her by her full name. He went in the give a series of names of (deceased) people in mum’s family - my grandparents and great aunt/uncles. He also gave my aunt’s husband’s name - Jeremy.
Also told me something about my father’s father, which I said was wrong. When I asked my father, it was true - it happened during the WWII period. So, I figure there has to be something.

Chilloutsnow · 23/03/2023 22:14

I do yes. I have too. The alternative is too much for me to comprehend.

Whatalife88 · 23/03/2023 22:38

I respect all views but can someone who doesn't believe explain this to me?
My grandfather died over 10 years ago. I miss him more than I miss anyone else. I have not shared anything about him on social media at all. I joined a mediumship group on social media and I posted a picture of him and all I said was ' this is my grandfather joe can anyone connect?'..a woman who has no connection to me, my family or friends came on and gave me accurate information about him but I didn't believe, thought it was pot luck, thought she had found other family members on my Facebook etc but what convinced me was when she said 'someone listens to the song 'insert song here' and thinks of him when they listen to it, he wants that person to know he is with them when that song is played. This is not a song me and him listened to together, it was not a song he knew of, I had never posted the song online and my Spotify is not connected to my socials and my name isn't easy to find...yet she was bang on. It wasn't even a common, well known song and I do always think of him when I listen to it. How would she know that?! I fully believe he is with me now.

Whatalife88 · 23/03/2023 22:39

Family also never put this song on their socials either. I don't even know if any of my family have heard of it.

Peppadog · 23/03/2023 22:45

@Whatalife88 how lovely, that gave me goosebumps.

WalkingOnTheCracks · 24/03/2023 07:24

What about all the people who have been resuscitated and clinically dead? They all describe feeling love, all said they now believe in heaven now.

'They all'? Who did the comprehensive study on this? Who went round and interviewed 'all' the people who have been resuscitated having been clinically dead?

The ones you read about are, of course, those who 'saw heaven'. Which magazine is going to publish a piece that says, "I was clinically dead for three minutes and I don't remember a thing about it."

I can tell you, having had a relative go through such a medical trauma, that not 'all' of them 'describe feeling love' or 'believe in heaven now'.

On the other hand, I also know a few people who have taken hallucinogens and definitely believe that when they go, they will become one with the trees and the sky and the daffodils (sa fotherington-thomas).

And I don't find them convincing either.

follyfoot37 · 24/03/2023 07:30

BrainOnFire · 23/03/2023 19:36

No, personally I don't. However I do like to think about it in terms of a physical process - as our bodies decompose, the atoms are returned to the environment and become part of something else. So in that sense we remain part of the universe.

That is a nice way to look at it
Altho there are a couple of dead relatives whose atoms I wouldn't want anwhere near me! 😀

follyfoot37 · 24/03/2023 07:32

DisneyDisney · 23/03/2023 19:43

You see, I’ve never given prelife much thought, guess you can’t really have one without the other

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so much rubbish
Scientifically impossible
Mentally, it's a bizarre and damaging concept

Whatthediddlyfeck · 24/03/2023 08:29

For those who have visited a medium, I have had a very similar positive experience and found it very comforting at a period when I was really struggling with my losses.

I know a lot of people are cynical, and that’s their right, but please don’t dismiss, or worse, something which brings people comfort when they need it.

whyhere · 24/03/2023 08:29

DustyLee123 · 23/03/2023 20:57

No. I’ve seen enough dead bodies in my job to know that it just ends.

I've also been with lots of people when they've died, or soon afterwards, and this has actually solidified my belief in an afterlife.

My worldview is Christian, but I believe that all faiths have a lot to teach us on this subject. Anyway, here's my take...

First.... After Jesus died his followers (who were just ordinary people) were under threat of torture and death if they continued to talk about his miracles or their belief that he was the Messiah/Son of God. These were people with families and livelihoods, but so convinced were they by seeing Jesus again after his death that they couldn't help themselves: they carried on spreading his message. Many of them were killed because of it. People don't take those kinds of risks for a 'fairy tale'.

Second.... Think of the baby in the womb. All s/he has experienced is warmth, darkness and quiet (other than a few muffled sounds that s/he can't identify). Imagine if we were able to tell the baby that, very soon, s/he will be propelled out into a place of bright lights and loud noises, populated by billions of people. "How can this be?" s/he would ask. "There is room here only for me." Just as the baby can't understand life on earth, we can't understand life in heaven, because we simply don't have the language and experience for it.

Third.... Before I became a priest I was a nurse and after ordination I served for a while as a hospice chaplain. (Hence spending time with many people at the point of death.) In both roles I saw some amazing things, which absolutely convinced me that there is another life after this one.

Thanks for reading.

whyhere · 24/03/2023 08:32

WalkingOnTheCracks · 24/03/2023 07:24

What about all the people who have been resuscitated and clinically dead? They all describe feeling love, all said they now believe in heaven now.

'They all'? Who did the comprehensive study on this? Who went round and interviewed 'all' the people who have been resuscitated having been clinically dead?

The ones you read about are, of course, those who 'saw heaven'. Which magazine is going to publish a piece that says, "I was clinically dead for three minutes and I don't remember a thing about it."

I can tell you, having had a relative go through such a medical trauma, that not 'all' of them 'describe feeling love' or 'believe in heaven now'.

On the other hand, I also know a few people who have taken hallucinogens and definitely believe that when they go, they will become one with the trees and the sky and the daffodils (sa fotherington-thomas).

And I don't find them convincing either.

Actually there are a lot of proper scientific studies* out there, and they do include accounts from people who felt/saw nothing at the point of death, and also some from people who had very bad experiences.

*Don't read the rubbish stuff!

FindingMeno · 24/03/2023 08:36

I do.
I believe in the soul and that it takes some other form/ body after death.

stbrandonsboat · 24/03/2023 08:43

I've had a NDE when I was a child. It was an interesting experience and has always stayed with me.

What intrigues me are accounts of people who have flatlined on the operating table under general anaesthetic. Following resuscitation and return of full consciousness they've gone on to tell staff that they could hear conversations the staff were having whilst they were clinically dead and have been able to leave their bodies and describe aspects of the operating theatre that could only have been observed from being up near the ceiling. One person described a conversation her loved one was having with staff in another part of the hospital.

Original poster

DisneyDisney · 24/03/2023 09:08

whyhere · 24/03/2023 08:29

I've also been with lots of people when they've died, or soon afterwards, and this has actually solidified my belief in an afterlife.

My worldview is Christian, but I believe that all faiths have a lot to teach us on this subject. Anyway, here's my take...

First.... After Jesus died his followers (who were just ordinary people) were under threat of torture and death if they continued to talk about his miracles or their belief that he was the Messiah/Son of God. These were people with families and livelihoods, but so convinced were they by seeing Jesus again after his death that they couldn't help themselves: they carried on spreading his message. Many of them were killed because of it. People don't take those kinds of risks for a 'fairy tale'.

Second.... Think of the baby in the womb. All s/he has experienced is warmth, darkness and quiet (other than a few muffled sounds that s/he can't identify). Imagine if we were able to tell the baby that, very soon, s/he will be propelled out into a place of bright lights and loud noises, populated by billions of people. "How can this be?" s/he would ask. "There is room here only for me." Just as the baby can't understand life on earth, we can't understand life in heaven, because we simply don't have the language and experience for it.

Third.... Before I became a priest I was a nurse and after ordination I served for a while as a hospice chaplain. (Hence spending time with many people at the point of death.) In both roles I saw some amazing things, which absolutely convinced me that there is another life after this one.

Thanks for reading.

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If you don’t mind, I’d be really interested to hear those experiences that convinced you there was a life after this one :)

OP posts:

Hoddesdon · 24/03/2023 09:38

DisneyDisney · 23/03/2023 20:40

wonder If there’s a thread on visitation dreams or presences felt of a deceased loved one…

I was finding the aftermath of my Dad's death difficult back in 2021. I'm an only child and mum died years ago - no other family. One day about 4 months after he died I was there not knowing where to start with his estate and everything and I said to him - "Dad, if you love me, please give me some sort of show of support, I'm finding all this difficult." That night he came through very strongly in a dream before I woke up and made something happen in the dream he knew I'd like. He didn't waste time showing his support!! I felt so comforted after that - I still cry from time to time but I know he's there !! I believed in the afterlife before then though

KimberleyClark · 24/03/2023 09:43

Northernsouloldies · 23/03/2023 19:36

Yes, Ive saw a ghost, it was day time and definitely saw an apparition for a few seconds. Very unnerving experience.

Ghosts are only proof of an afterlife if you believe they are actually manifestations of dead people, which I don’t.

I would like there to be an afterlife. But not sure there is one.

minmooch · 24/03/2023 10:50

@MrsTerryPratchett my youngest son read that at my eldest sons funeral. He was only 18 when he died but this was his belief.

I like to think of my son as all around me. I hate going to his grave as I don't feel him there. I talk to him when I look up to the stars at night. And I hope fervently that in some way he can feel my love for him.

My Mum died the year after him, and my Dad 6 months ago. I try to feel comforted that he is not alone 'out there'.

I ask him for signs, knowing that if there was anyway he could let me know he would. I have not had any signs.

Do I believe I will see him when I die? Not really. But I hope to all that there is that I will and I get to spend all eternity with him as we were so robbed of him on earth.

Hoddesdon · 24/03/2023 11:00

minmooch · 24/03/2023 10:50

@MrsTerryPratchett my youngest son read that at my eldest sons funeral. He was only 18 when he died but this was his belief.

I like to think of my son as all around me. I hate going to his grave as I don't feel him there. I talk to him when I look up to the stars at night. And I hope fervently that in some way he can feel my love for him.

My Mum died the year after him, and my Dad 6 months ago. I try to feel comforted that he is not alone 'out there'.

I ask him for signs, knowing that if there was anyway he could let me know he would. I have not had any signs.

Do I believe I will see him when I die? Not really. But I hope to all that there is that I will and I get to spend all eternity with him as we were so robbed of him on earth.

I believe this and I believe you will get the signs from him at some point. I've had a couple of signs from my dad - not very often though - I think if I had signs too often they wouldn't be as meaningful iyswim! I think your DS's signs will come ❤️

Moreorlessmentallystable · 24/03/2023 11:12

I do. I recommend the book "Many lives, many masters" by Brian Weiss.

Deeplydevoted · 24/03/2023 11:35

I think it is typical of human ego to take the view that unless there is tangible scientific concrete proof of something then it surely cannot exist. It's beyond some peoples capacity to imagine or understand and therefore accept that there is something beyond the physical realm that they exist within.

My family were devout Roman Catholics but I rejected my religion early on. It was felt natural to do so. I remember at age 4 declaring there was no God! That didn't go down very well (lol).

I spent my childhood, teen years and early adulthood a staunch atheist. I cringe to admit that I looked down on people with a religion. To me, it was an indicator of intelligence. In that you had to be stupid to believe. I was so sure there was no God. No afterlife. No nothing.

Looking back I can see how motherhood was the spiritual catalyst that took me on a journey connecting me back to the faith I was born into. Perhaps it sounds silly to many readers but there was a distinct point in time when suddenly and unexpectedly I became completely aware of God's presence around me. I wasn't in church. I was on my usual dog walk around the local cemetery. From that point onwards I have complete faith in God our Holy Father and the teachings of the Catholic Church. I am humbled and in awe each and every day. 🙏

JacobsCrackersCheeseFogg · 24/03/2023 11:35

No. Husband & I have had a recent bereavement and believe there is nothing after death. He's gone, end of. DH talks to his "old man" even though he knows deep down there's no point, it's just comforting for him.

Original poster

DisneyDisney · 24/03/2023 13:54

Hoddesdon · 24/03/2023 09:38

I was finding the aftermath of my Dad's death difficult back in 2021. I'm an only child and mum died years ago - no other family. One day about 4 months after he died I was there not knowing where to start with his estate and everything and I said to him - "Dad, if you love me, please give me some sort of show of support, I'm finding all this difficult." That night he came through very strongly in a dream before I woke up and made something happen in the dream he knew I'd like. He didn't waste time showing his support!! I felt so comforted after that - I still cry from time to time but I know he's there !! I believed in the afterlife before then though

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You see I’ve asked my dad lots and lots and nothing. Part of me wondered if you only ‘get’ one visitation dream after you pass away and it has to be like in the first day or something, I don’t know. My husband is convinced he had a visitation dream from him, telling him to look after me because I would take it harder than anyone (turns out to be very true), but deep down I suppose I’m a little bitter that he had the dream and I didn’t

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