To ask if you believe in an afterlife?

[DisneyDisney]

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?

I sincerely believe you sincerely believe that.

What a dull existence to genuinely believe that modern science is the explanation for everything when it is obviously found wanting in so many areas. Each run of life is an opportunity to learn and evolve in preparation for the next run. It is such a shame that a large number of people will make no meaningful gains on this occasion.

Your dad lives in you. You carry his DNA so a part of you will always be him.

Whether there is an afterlife, nobody knows, but the universe is proving to be far stranger than we ever imagined. Given what we've learned from physics, I think it's far stranger to believe in nothing.

On the contrary, living like this isn’t a dress rehearsal can be tremendously galvanising.

Given what we've learned from physics, I think it's far stranger to believe in nothing.

What I’ve learned of physics is that there is a huge unexplored universe. Still a bit of a leap for me to conflate that with what can reasonably be described as my current consciousness existing somewhere beyond my material body, but I wouldn’t say that counts as believing there’s nothing outside of my current perception.

Knowing you have just one life makes you realise how precious every day is, and to live fully. Also, there's nothing dull about science, it's extraordinary.

My cousin believes in reincarnation and lives a dull life, she thinks she'll get plenty more lives to live. Sad really.

Exactly- “There are more things in Heaven and Earth….” But I think people see life how they’re capable of seeing it.

Unfortunately I don't believe in an afterlife but the thought of reincarnation is the worst option. It horrifies me. Imagine the awful life/suffering you could be born into. Luckily I don't believe it anyway.

Those that believe in it usually believe in 'fate' too, and things being 'meant to be'.

I've seen too many good things happen to bad people to believe in that sort of crap!

Life is just random, we have no real control really, and people having 'proof' of anything supernatural are always anecdotal and based on confirmation bias. It can all be explained, coincidences do happen, your mind plays tricks, etc.

Yes science is amazing it’s great at describing and understanding the physical world, my bookshelves have books on quantum physics next to books on renaissance magic. If you believe in many more realms beyond the physical one life becomes even more wonderful and fuller.

I believe in reincarnation- for me every life should be lived to its fullest as each life will have a different purpose and opportunity- it’s not something to be viewed one dimensionally, to be taken for granted, one must find purpose and fulfil it. It’s tgere to be explored from every angle with and open heart and mind.

I agree with this. There's so much more to universe than we know, but that doesn't mean we go on after death.

No. I think religion is the opium of the masses.

However, I would never criticise someone for their beliefs. I think they can bring great strength and resilience to some people, and it doesn’t affect me what they believe (extremists notwithstanding)

But there’s a difference between religion and spirituality

I've had lots of lives. I remember little bits of some of them. Not bothered if readers scoff, I know what I know!
Always best to be open-minded.

I cannot understand why people still confuse religion and spirituality. Is it a lack of willingness to properly understand the difference? They are completely different, in many ways they are opposites.

I don't really believe when I die my soul will go onto an afterlife and think heaven/hell is just a means to try control people into behaving in life, much like telling kids if their naughty Santa won't bring them presents.

However I also find comfort in the thought of my pets going to heaven 💁

4 months after dh died dn went to a medium and came through to her. She said he didn’t believe in all this, then she spoke about him fishing which dn didn’t know he’d done and that he wasn’t fishing on a normal river but a big area of water & was showing her a big fish.

Dh tried to fish the dart estuary & never caught a thing which is why I ribbed him it wasn’t fishing it was casting when he optimistically went down to the little jetty when we holidayed in Dartmouth. Eventually he sold the fishing equipment and declared the estuary not a good fishing spot.

Ive had so many odd occurrences here since he died that I didn’t have the 6 months he was in and out of hospital for 6 months trying not to die.

Exactly- it’s because religion is much easier to criticise and write off.

There’s a lot of fascinating literature on how professional mediums use suggestion techniques and elimination processes to elicit hitherto ‘unknowable’ information. It’s a great skill.

What I do find interesting though is how intent some people are to criticise things that are bringing comfort to others. I often wonder what cheap thrill they’re getting out of it.,

it’s like their need to look oh so cleaver with talk of sky fairies etc (yawn) is more important than a bereaved person having some level of comfort

I’ve got the recording. The medium says does he fish, dn thought he didn’t so said no and she said well he’s showing me a big fish but he’s not fishing a normal river it’s a big area of water.

So that’s not really confirmation bias is it.

“Big area of water” is a conveniently vague description, and your dn didn’t sound emphatic in her knowledge of his fishing habits.

I wouldn’t exactly say it’s clincher, but never-mind what I think. If you believe this medium was in contact with your dh were you compelled to see them?

I’ve got the recording. Did he fish? No. Not that vague really. A lot of anglers fish inland riverbanks. Which dh said was for men looking to get away from their wives.

I haven’t felt compelled to see a medium, I don’t feel any less connected to him now he’s dead or unloved.

The medium also said the name they both liked if it’s a boy.

@KarmaStar I am interested in your post as far is what I want to believe/am inclined to believe.
When we leave the spirit world and arrive on earth, who is mourning us leaving though? And how do the people we meet on earth fit into that?
I have experienced many strange things, I wouldn't list them here as they will be ridiculed by someone probably, but enough to make me convinced there's something.

reading some of these comments, I was thinking the exact same thing.