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Philosophy/religion

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Original poster

What do you think happens when we die?

85 replies

themonsteratemyspacebar · 25/07/2013 16:19

I'm an athiest but studied AS level Religious Studies at school as i am fascinated by other peoples religions, thoughts and reasonings.

Now every religion and person on this earth has their own theory on what happens. Whether it be God, nothing, heaven and hell etc.

But what everyone didn't seem to understand is that there is no proof at all as to whether there is something or there is nothing. Nobody knows or will know until they die. At which point if there is nothing, then we won't know anyways

I dont want this to turn into a bun fight and i am respectful of all peoples thoughts. Each to their own etc. So what do you think happens?

OP posts:

redacted · 25/07/2013 16:26

I'm supposed to be a Christian but I really don't know. I find it very hard to believe that there's a heaven or that anything 'happens'.

I once heard a theory that when you're in the womb, that's all you know and you could never imagine what the big wide world is like. Similarly, when you are alive you only know what the world is like and you can't comprehend life after death because you just don't have the ability. It will be totally different. I thought it was an interesting perspective.

Original poster

themonsteratemyspacebar · 25/07/2013 16:31

Redacted - wow i've never heard of that before. It is really interesting, and quite plausible (sp?) when you think about it. Thanks for replying, its the kind of thing i was hoping to get out of this thread!

OP posts:

BenedictCumberbitch · 25/07/2013 16:34

I find it hard to believe anything can happen once you're brain dead.

BenedictCumberbitch · 25/07/2013 16:35

I like a lot of the ideas like redacted 's but I just can't believe them, though I'd like to, as they're much nicer...

crescentmoon · 25/07/2013 16:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ouryve · 25/07/2013 16:35

We will either be burnt or will decompose, but we'll be past caring, at that point, anyhow.

crescentmoon · 25/07/2013 16:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tumbletumble · 25/07/2013 16:38

I am religious (C of E) in a loose sense of the word, in that I pick and choose what to believe in. I attend church fairly regularly and I believe in God, but I don't believe in heaven or hell or any form of life after death. I believe nothing happens after you die - that's it - your soul is extinguished and your body rots.

Sorry - not very inspiring!

ImTooHecsyForYourParty · 25/07/2013 16:44

I think that our energy leaves our body and takes some other form.

I read that energy is never lost, and since our brains and bodies are basically kept going by electricity, it makes sense to me that that energy still exists in some form after death.

everything's made up of the same stuff. electrons, protons, neutrons. Maybe the energy that makes us up is used again and again and again.

I like to think that we exist in a form that is somehow still us, and remember our lives, and are with all those who died before us. I have no evidence of this either way, but I like it better than the alternative.

I once got flamed on here for saying that! by one of the ones who sneer about sky fairies and all that Apparently you can not believe, that's fine and the only belief an intelligent person is allowed to have , or you can believe even though you're stupid for it but you have to have an unshakeable faith that you can't explain but if you say actually, there is no evidence, but it makes me happy to think that... and it doesn't even really matter if I die and it turns out I was wrong, cos it made my life better...

you are a terrible human being.

Original poster

themonsteratemyspacebar · 25/07/2013 16:45

Thanks for the replies!
So it seems like the people who have replied don't believe in anything like souls, spirits etc? Any thoughts?

OP posts:

Suzieismyname · 25/07/2013 16:46

You'll either be burnt to a crisp or start rotting...

Original poster

themonsteratemyspacebar · 25/07/2013 16:51

Imtoohecsy - im all open for discussions and debates but i'll probably get flamed for not having a leaning either way eventually!
Though i have to say i do have a leaning towards what you believe too, as its nice to think that

OP posts:

NicholasTeakozy · 25/07/2013 17:05

A physicist explains about energy (thank you Elise)

Viviennemary · 25/07/2013 17:12

I used to firmly believe in God and a heaven. Yes, it would be nice to meet our departed friends and relatives again. But I don't really believe this. The only thing I wonder about is that could all of this planet just have hapened by accident. So I just don't know.

expatinscotland · 25/07/2013 17:16

Nothing. I think nothing happens. And yes, I 100% believe that.

thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts · 25/07/2013 18:24

I'm a Christian and I believe that there is something after we die. This is a passage I use at funerals from the gospel of John where Jesus is talking to his disciples the night before he is arrested

?Don?t let this throw you. You trust God, don?t you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father?s home. If that weren?t so, would I have told you that I?m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I?m on my way to get your room ready, I?ll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I?m taking.? John14 1-4 (The Message translation)

Now I don't know what this home looks like and I also find the analogy of the child in the womb helpful.

There is plenty of stuff around NDE that indicates that something seems to happen after we die but if you are convinced it doesn't then NDE aren't going to be enough to change your mind.

VerySmallSqueak · 25/07/2013 18:28

I think there is something more than just the 'me' and the 'here and now'.

I have no idea what but I don't think it's anything to do with mainstream religion.

exexpat · 25/07/2013 18:28

I think once you are dead you are dead. No heaven, no spirits etc. I would love to be able to believe otherwise - DH died at 41, you can imagine how much I wish there was some kind of afterlife - but I can't. I think it's all wishful thinking prompted by a fear of the unknown or of total extinction.

waterlego6064 · 25/07/2013 18:39

Oooh Nicholas, thank you for posting that! That's exactly what I thought of when I saw this thread title but I couldn't think where I'd seen it.

LaurieFairyCake · 25/07/2013 18:49

Also Christian, also don't believe in sitting on cloud version of heaven.

I do believe that your soul/essence joins with the universe (or God if you prefer) but that you are no longer 'you' with your memories. Just a spiritual peace/oneness.

On a side note I get really fucked off when I go to church and they witter on about putting up with the suffering in this life as the life to come is better.

I think that's bollocks, I think the here and now is the most important - and that we are here to be with suffering, here to be with loving others, here to live with 'goodness' as much as possible.

So I don't give a flying turd fuck about the 'next life'

GrimmaTheNome · 25/07/2013 19:00

everything's made up of the same stuff. electrons, protons, neutrons. Maybe the energy that makes us up is used again and again and again.

Of course our matter and energy is re-used - just not for anything in particular. We buried the goldfish under the honeysuckle and I told DD that maybe some of its atoms would become flowers - but some might become worm and some just part of the soil.

The other side of this is that 'we are all made of stardust'

ImTooHecsyForYourParty · 25/07/2013 19:02

I'm confused.
I didn't say it was used for anything in particular, just that it was used.

GrimmaTheNome · 25/07/2013 19:05

Just read Nicholas's link - I like that - perhaps the most important line though is not the physics but this:
'And he will tell them that the warmth that flowed through you in life is still here, still part of all that we are'

GrimmaTheNome · 25/07/2013 19:09

I didn't say it was used for anything in particular, just that it was used.

sorry - I guess I assumed you meant something 'special' because its fundamental to physics that it is re-used - there's no 'maybe' about it!

SwishSwoshSwoosh · 25/07/2013 19:11

I have no idea what happens but with luck you leave love behind in the people you knew.

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