Page 6 | 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?

MrsTerryPratchett · 24/03/2023 14:25

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'm so sorry for your loss. I think it's possible to not believe, and also to hold hope.

StepAwayFromTheBiscuitJar · 24/03/2023 15:02

I feel like I'm pretty certain there isn't, because either you believe every earthworm has another life or you believe that humans are specially ordained (which I don't as our evolutionary progression from apes is pretty clear).

HalliwellManor · 24/03/2023 15:07

This is quite thought provoking -www.instagram.com/reel/CnrxsmbI4Zo/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=
I have to believe in an afterlife,it's the only thing that's gets me through the days,I lost my DS to Cancer aged 22 in Nov 2021 and the thought of him being up there waiting for me is the only way I can carry on without him down here with me.

LoobyDop · 24/03/2023 15:12

MrsTerryPratchett · 23/03/2023 19:46

No but I find this a comfort:

You want a physicist to speak at your funeral. You want the physicist to talk to your grieving family about the conservation of energy, so they will understand that your energy has not died. You want the physicist to remind your sobbing mother about the first law of thermodynamics; that no energy gets created in the universe, and none is destroyed. You want your mother to know that all your energy, every vibration, every Btu of heat, every wave of every particle that was her beloved child remains with her in this world. You want the physicist to tell your weeping father that amid energies of the cosmos, you gave as good as you got.
And at one point you’d hope that the physicist would step down from the pulpit and walk to your brokenhearted spouse there in the pew and tell him that all the photons that ever bounced off your face, all the particles whose paths were interrupted by your smile, by the touch of your hair, hundreds of trillions of particles, have raced off like children, their ways forever changed by you. And as your widow rocks in the arms of a loving family, may the physicist let her know that all the photons that bounced from you were gathered in the particle detectors that are her eyes, that those photons created within her constellations of electromagnetically charged neurons whose energy will go on forever.
And the physicist will remind the congregation of how much of all our energy is given off as heat. There may be a few fanning themselves with their programs as he says it. And he will tell them that the warmth that flowed through you in life is still here, still part of all that we are, even as we who mourn continue the heat of our own lives.
And you’ll want the physicist to explain to those who loved you that they need not have faith; indeed, they should not have faith. Let them know that they can measure, that scientists have measured precisely the conservation of energy and found it accurate, verifiable and consistent across space and time. You can hope your family will examine the evidence and satisfy themselves that the science is sound and that they’ll be comforted to know your energy’s still around. According to the law of the conservation of energy, not a bit of you is gone; you’re just less orderly. Amen.”
Aaron Freeman

That is absolutely beautiful, thank you so much for posting it.

I’m not conventionally religious, but I do think we are part of something bigger than ourselves, and we return to that after death. That our lives are a learning curve, and everything we learn goes back into that greater thing. All the pain, all the suffering, everything. And we’ll understand that, so both the good and bad you do comes back to you. I think that’s what omniscience, heaven, hell and purgatory are.

OMG12 · 24/03/2023 15:47

MasterBeth · 23/03/2023 21:04

No, it's bollocks.

And what have you done in order to 100% prove this?

FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · 24/03/2023 15:56

Mummadeze · 23/03/2023 20:26

I have had three visitation dreams too. My grandmother very strongly warned me about something that turned out to be true. A guy I had a fling with that ended badly passed away after a shock short illness and he visited me to clear the air which was very comforting. And finally, my childhood first love visited me one night and said he had been looking for me for years. That was a tough one as I was so happy to see him but it was quite fleeting. I never saw him again. These dreams weren’t ordinary dreams, I really feel like they were very different. It is hard to explain.

I know what you mean, I had 4 after dh died.

OMG12 · 24/03/2023 15:58

I believe humanity (and everything physical) has emanated from the source/the All/what some call God. Our soul or energy leaves our body on death and merges with the source. Our soul or energy is them reincarnated, could be soon after death or a long time (measured by our experience of time). I think for several life times we circle back with the same souls who are important for that journey. Once that cycle is complete we move on to be with another group of souls.,

When we have fulfilled all of our lives’ purposes or when humanity ends we will be permanently reabsorbed back into the all.

Well that’s been my experience during some altered state of conscious explorations snd past life regression (both purposely and accidentally done.

ohyouknowwhatshername · 24/03/2023 16:03

Deeplydevoted · 23/03/2023 20:48

As a Roman Catholic I believe that immediately after death, our soul separates from our earthly body and we stand before God for judgement. We then enter heaven, Purgatory or hell. Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness. Those who are free from all sin enter heaven immediately. Purgatory is a place of purification, for those who die in a state of grace and friendship with God but who are not yet fully purified. Those in Purgatory are assured a place in heaven after their purification. We pray for those in Purgatory, that they may soon be with God in heaven. Hell is for those who have willingly chosen to reject God and his love. If we persist in a state of serious sin, we damn ourselves to eternal hell. At the end of time, our Lord will come again to judge both the living and the dead. All souls will be rejoined with their bodies, and those in Purgatory will be joined to the blessed in heaven. The Last Judgement will reveal that God’s justice triumphs over all the injustices committed by his creatures and that God’s love is stronger than death.

The idea of hell scares me so much. I was brought up as a Catholic and I'm scared I have rejected God through some of the choices I've made in my life. I have to try NOT to believe as I'm pretty convinced I'm going to hell other wise. Do you mot find the whole thing terrifying @Deeplydevoted ?

supravit · 24/03/2023 16:05

OMG12 · 24/03/2023 15:58

I believe humanity (and everything physical) has emanated from the source/the All/what some call God. Our soul or energy leaves our body on death and merges with the source. Our soul or energy is them reincarnated, could be soon after death or a long time (measured by our experience of time). I think for several life times we circle back with the same souls who are important for that journey. Once that cycle is complete we move on to be with another group of souls.,

When we have fulfilled all of our lives’ purposes or when humanity ends we will be permanently reabsorbed back into the all.

Well that’s been my experience during some altered state of conscious explorations snd past life regression (both purposely and accidentally done.

And what have you done in order to 100% prove this?

blebbleb · 24/03/2023 16:06

No, I wish I did but deep down I just don't.

Original poster

DisneyDisney · 24/03/2023 16:07

HalliwellManor · 24/03/2023 15:07

This is quite thought provoking -www.instagram.com/reel/CnrxsmbI4Zo/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=
I have to believe in an afterlife,it's the only thing that's gets me through the days,I lost my DS to Cancer aged 22 in Nov 2021 and the thought of him being up there waiting for me is the only way I can carry on without him down here with me.

I’m so sorry for your loss

OP posts:

StopGrowingPlease · 24/03/2023 16:11

I believe that there has to be something after. I quite like the idea of the pre-bit in the soul movie where they get sent to specific bodies or something like that too as my child is absolutely the perfect child for me and what else explains that? 🤷‍♀️
Me and my mum have both seen multiple ghosts too so there’s definitely something.
My child came two days early on my childhood dogs birthday (that had died during my pregnancy) and my parents believe there’s more than coincidence to that too. You just never know.

OMG12 · 24/03/2023 16:23

supravit · 24/03/2023 16:05

And what have you done in order to 100% prove this?

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That’s the good thing about belief, it’s not something that you have to prove. It’s my experience and what I feel deep down. I’m quite open to lots of different experiences and interpretations. This is why I started my post “I believe” rather than “I absolutely know”. That’s my point, none of us absolutely know - and why comments like “it’s all bollocks” are rather laughable.

Wishihadanalgorithm · 24/03/2023 16:24

I do. I don’t know why but to me there is more to this human/earthly existence.

I have suffered a lot of bereavement in my life, beginning at 12 when my mum died. I’ve never felt her come back to me but just before my sister died (long drawn out cancer) she was talking about a woman (matching my mum’s description) standing in the corner of her room. DS didn’t say it was mum but described the vision as her.

Was it my mum coming to take my sister? Who knows. It’s a nice thought though.

Anyway, I do believe there’s more than this earthly life but I don’t know what it is.

Original poster

DisneyDisney · 24/03/2023 16:49

Wishihadanalgorithm · 24/03/2023 16:24

I do. I don’t know why but to me there is more to this human/earthly existence.

I have suffered a lot of bereavement in my life, beginning at 12 when my mum died. I’ve never felt her come back to me but just before my sister died (long drawn out cancer) she was talking about a woman (matching my mum’s description) standing in the corner of her room. DS didn’t say it was mum but described the vision as her.

Was it my mum coming to take my sister? Who knows. It’s a nice thought though.

Anyway, I do believe there’s more than this earthly life but I don’t know what it is.

I think it’s a nice thought, and I think it’s fairly common that before they pass a lot of people seem to have almost visions of people they loved that had passed before them or of other beings such as angels. I swear my late grandmother told me a story like that about her mother or sister who died young but I can’t remember the details

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SoShallINever · 24/03/2023 17:18

I'm comfortable with the idea that our energy is passed on in other forms, in the wind, the sunshine, the trees.
Before I was born, there was nothing.
No pain, no anguish and no memory of what was before.
I imagine that death is like that.
A state of peaceful nothingness.
Except the memory of you lives on in your loved ones hearts and that love gets passed down and shared around.

I think it can be quite damaging to go looking for signs, when the signs are already all around you in the memories you made and the blossom on the trees.

Hbh17 · 24/03/2023 17:23

I respect other people's beliefs but, no, I don't think there is an afterlife. Each of us is just a collection of cells and when we die, that's it. Nothing. Which is tremendously reassuring, because that means that nothing can ever hurt or trouble us once we die.

HalliwellManor · 24/03/2023 19:02

DisneyDisney · 24/03/2023 16:07

I’m so sorry for your loss

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Thankyou ❤

MissConductUS · 24/03/2023 19:25

Moreorlessmentallystable · 24/03/2023 11:12

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

I do too, and was really moved in this direction by the two Afterlife: Interrupted books by Fr. Nathan Castle. Also the work of Dr. Mary Neal on her own NDE.

Death Brings Context to Life | Dr. Mary Neal | TEDxJacksonHole

NOTE FROM TED: We've flagged this talk, which was filmed at a TEDx event, because it appears to fall outside TEDx's curatorial guidelines. This talk only rep...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-M9zR17egA

MasterBeth · 24/03/2023 19:30

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. 🙏

How lucky for you that the religion you were raised in and taught from an early age and for the supernatural revelation soon after your own child was born turned out not only to be the same, but turned out to be the actual Right One. Good for you.

MasterBeth · 24/03/2023 19:32

OMG12 · 24/03/2023 15:47

And what have you done in order to 100% prove this?

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Read this thread full of bollocks.

MasterBeth · 24/03/2023 19:34

TomHanksIsFuckingAmazing · 23/03/2023 21:09

Yes. I never, ever feel alone. Even if I was on a desert island I always feel like I'm being watched over somehow and that someone or something can see and hear me.

Also my Nan has dementia and rarely talks of her son who passed away a few years back. The other month she kept looking up at the corner and mumbling his name and then she just said clear as day "are you my Son or are you my Angel?" ❤️

Honestly, if this is the level of proof that is needed for people to claim there is an afterlife, then I am very comfortable to claim it as bollocks.

MasterBeth · 24/03/2023 19:47

MissConductUS · 24/03/2023 19:25

I do too, and was really moved in this direction by the two Afterlife: Interrupted books by Fr. Nathan Castle. Also the work of Dr. Mary Neal on her own NDE.

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Hilarious. Not even a proper Ted talk. The trauma-state brain of a devout Christian starved of oxygen believes it sees the image of Christ. Might she, by any chance, be hallucinating?

https://www.samharris.org/blog/science-on-the-brink-of-death

mamabear715 · 24/03/2023 19:52

Of course there's an afterlife!
I KNOW there is. Not here to convince anyone else though. Each to their own.

Original poster

DisneyDisney · 24/03/2023 19:59

MasterBeth · 24/03/2023 19:47

Hilarious. Not even a proper Ted talk. The trauma-state brain of a devout Christian starved of oxygen believes it sees the image of Christ. Might she, by any chance, be hallucinating?

https://www.samharris.org/blog/science-on-the-brink-of-death

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I appreciate your input and that you have your
own opinion which you are absolutely entitled to, but I think you’re being quite unkind in saying what some people may take great comfort in is just ‘bollox’.

additionally to quote Sam Harris of all people in terms of discussion of religion is a bit embarrassing. The man acts as if his phd in stem gives him qualifications to talk about religion in an academic sense. What he shares is his opinion but present it as a profound academic argument, he’s not a qualified theologian or philosopher, nor does he understand the wealth of academic discussion in this area. The man is incredibly problematic and not to mention islamaphobic.

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