Do you believe in life after death?

[Jodie.]

I simply CANNOT come to terms that once I’m gone, I’m gone so what do ya’ll think? Xx

[Gstar]

Yes

[Marches]

i think thinking so is wishful thinking but then again id love to be guilty of that the thought of not existing is quite scary

all the evidence is stacked against it tho L

[Withano]

I dont.. which is a shame cos I do think people are generally happier when they have faith in things like that. Especially later on in life.. It just seems implausible to me.

[Firewire]

No but I believe in life after love

[RileyH]

Sure

[Ant.]

Given that I'm the centre of the universe, it makes no sense for me to not be reborn once I die, since the universe needs a centre, and the universe isn't gonna simply cease when I die is it?!?!?!?!!?

[Cherie]

No

[Babayaro.]

yeah

[RichardG]

no

though i'm learning about medieval perceptions of the afterlife and the devil and stuff for a uni essay and i do find it all quite interesting

[joeysteele]

I've had a few things occur that simply have no other explanation.
It's something I keep an open mind on but more and more have come to lean stronger to yes.

[Kazanne]

Yes I do.

[Epic.]

I put in 'Not too sure' because no one can ever be fully sure without a concrete answer. My actual theory though, and i'm not the only one with this belief, is that when you die your life simply restarts itself right back to when you were born with the exact same events occuring and you making the exact same right/wrong choices that shape your life. The reason behind why I think this is those annoying dreams you get at night with deja vu of it showing an event which you forget the next morning but then when it happens in real-time you think to yourself 'oh **** didn't i just dream that?' I dunno what other reason there would be for why that happens some nights where you go to sleep but it's always been a continuous thing, at least for me

[Vicky.]

No, I don't believe in 'souls' and such so obviously not. When our body dies, we die. Its just the end.

[Jessica.]

No, dead just means dead.

[Jodie.]

Has anyone watched the Truman Show? Cos I liked the idea were all basically in a tv show lol BUT anyway if there isn’t an afterlife then what is the point of life like so my stress over GCSEs etc I may as well just not bother cos I’m gonna die anyway lol so imo we should have an afterlife

[caprimint]

No, I don't believe in 'souls' and such so obviously not. When our body dies, we die. Its just the end.
I agree with this

[LeatherTrumpet]

No

Nothing supernatural exists

What we have is amazing enough

[Marches]

Has anyone watched the Truman Show? Cos I liked the idea were all basically in a tv show lol BUT anyway if there isn’t an afterlife then what is the point of life like so my stress over GCSEs etc I may as well just not bother cos I’m gonna die anyway lol so imo we should have an afterlife

life objectively has no meaning we're just tricked into a false sense of progression

i think about this subject a lot and id post more about it but we can't have this thread being too dark now can we

[Underscore]

Did this not come into anyones head when reading the title??

5Uu3kCEEc98

[Marches]

Did this not come into anyones head when reading the title??

5Uu3kCEEc98

yes

[smudgie]

I do believe the spirit lives on.
Not that I give a chuff to be honest :idc:

[Vicky.]

Has anyone watched the Truman Show? Cos I liked the idea were all basically in a tv show lol BUT anyway if there isn’t an afterlife then what is the point of life like so my stress over GCSEs etc I may as well just not bother cos I’m gonna die anyway lol so imo we should have an afterlife

Watching the truman show ****ed up my head for a very long time :laugh: I was constantly thinking that it could well be true and you just wouldn't know, and maybe people are watching me constantly and such.

Something else that ****ed me up a little was the matrix. Something else that could possibly be true but we wouldn't know D:

[Ashley.]

Yes. We live on through plants and trees. I'm going to be a dandelion.

[Niamh.]

No

Nothing supernatural exists

What we have is amazing enoughYeah I don't get people's reasoning of what's the point of life otherwise? Well.....life is the point [emoji23]

But what's so bad about just dying anyway? Sleeping is one of my favourite things to do so I'm absolutely fine with that

[y.winter]

No. But then again, we can't actually know, so who cares...

Did this not come into anyones head when reading the title??

5Uu3kCEEc98

lol I thought it was only me :laugh:

[Niamh.]

Watching the truman show ****ed up my head for a very long time [emoji23] I was constantly thinking that it could well be true and you just wouldn't know, and maybe people are watching me constantly and such.

Something else that ****ed me up a little was the matrix. Something else that could possibly be true but we wouldn't know D:Yeah I always think the matrix could be true aswell [emoji23]

[Vicky.]

Yeah I don't get people's reasoning of what's the point of life otherwise? Well.....life is the point [emoji23]

But what's so bad about just dying anyway? Sleeping is one of my favourite things to do so I'm absolutely fine with that

Heh this is how I view it too

Though its not going to actually be like sleeping, as there will be no dreams as unfortunately an alive brain is needed for that

I do quite like the notion of a neverending dream though, especially if it could be one of the lucid ones that I have recently :laugh:

[Niamh.]

Heh this is how I view it too

Though its not going to actually be like sleeping, as there will be no dreams as unfortunately an alive brain is needed for that

I do quite like the notion of a neverending dream though, especially if it could be one of the lucid ones that I have recently [emoji23]Oh yeah like inception or something, that would be amazing but yeah no dreams obviously, it will be just like how it was before you were born [emoji3]

[Alf]

I'll find out when I die. Until then, I'll just live my life and not worry about it.

To answer the question, I'd say probably not, but I also wouldn't rule it out, because I don't know for fact.

[hijaxers]

Yes i do

[Alf]

Believers of religions believe that Paradise will be in the afterlife and Atheists believe it's not gonna happen, and they must build Paradise in their life-time. Two sides of a coin seeking the same thing.

[Jordan.]

To me I see it as a concept that has been ingrained in humans through religion as a way of making them conform to a "good" standard of living and also giving them a sense of hope in death. Ultimately I think that's a good thing to have but I just have a hard time believing it's logically possible.

[Toy Soldier]

Depends what you mean, I suppose. It's possible that something individual continues to exist after death, though no proof for it, although I don't believe it can be your human consciousness / personality or anything even close to resembling it. It's very easy to demonstrate how chemical and physical changes to the brain can completely alter personality and memory. If a brain injury can fundamentally "change" who you are... then it's logically improbable that personality exists outside of the physical brain in any persistent form that could continue after the brain ceases to function.

[Livia]

Believers of religions believe that Paradise will be in the afterlife and Atheists believe it's not gonna happen, and they must build Paradise in their life-time. Two sides of a coin seeking the same thing.

That's very profound, Alfie. Although Jewish people don't have paradise. Or hell.

I do totally believe in life after death, but what form that takes I won't know until I shuffle off this mortal coil.

[LeatherTrumpet]

If more people understood where all the atoms that create our body came from they would not need to create fiction to try to make us more interesting

[Marches]

I'll find out when I die. Until then, I'll just live my life and not worry about it.

To answer the question, I'd say probably not, but I also wouldn't rule it out, because I don't know for fact.

i wish i had that mentality about death but i spent a lot of my teen years contemplating and even panicking about it :joker: I'm prob weird af but yeah the idea of not existing whatsoever just seems so chilling to me but its like the only logical conclusion

[LeatherTrumpet]

There is a good article online about what happens to a decomposing body in a coffin and where our atoms etc go

[Natalie.]

Yes I do

[LeatherTrumpet]

Yes I do

I'm afraid it's hope over not a scintilla of evidence


Can you explain how it works scientifically using the laws of the universe and the elements of the periodic table?

[GoldHeart]

The way I see it , if there's nothing after death then why are we here in the first place and what would be the point if there's no afterlife ??!.

And I guess it's all about Faith ,we'll see what happens for ourselves .

[Livia]

If more people understood where all the atoms that create our body came from they would not need to create fiction to try to make us more interesting

Those atoms came from the Big Bang, more or less. Aren't scientists still trying to find out what caused the Big Bang? Isn't that what all that fuss is with the Large Hadron Collider? Or as I like to call it, the Large Hardon Collider.

[Livia]

I'm afraid it's hope over not a scintilla of evidence


Can you explain how it works scientifically using the laws of the universe and the elements of the periodic table?

You can't explain how love works using the laws of the universe and the elements of the periodic table.

[LeatherTrumpet]

The way I see it , if there's nothing after death then why are we here in the first place and what would be the point if there's no afterlife ??!.

And I guess it's all about Faith ,we'll see what happens for ourselves .

There is no point. Why should there'd be?

Faith is another word for belief with zero evidence. Treat therefore with maximum contempt

[Livia]

LOL... you are a miserable sod, LT.

[Alf]

LOL... you are a miserable sod, LT.:laugh:

[MTVN]

I do. I feel like I'm a bit naive to do so sometimes but I just feel like we're such complicated creatures inhabiting such a complicated universe that itd be silly to think that this small life is all that there is

[Ross.]

Yes I do, so many small things that have happened to me personally make me believe that there’s a life after death and I’m being watched over by those I’ve lost

I have no concrete evidence to prove it of course (don’t start LT), but I see no harm in believing

[Ross.]

But what's so bad about just dying anyway? Sleeping is one of my favourite things to do so I'm absolutely fine with that

Bye it’s terrifying Niamh don’t act tough!

[Vicky.]

There can never be evidence of life after death in reality as..noone can come back from the dead. I know some people who die for a few seconds report bright lights and such but that can be explained by science. Dead dead people cannot tell us whats there, if anything :laugh:

So it really is a faith thing. I think that humans like to believe there is something else as the thought of nothing scares them. I am the opposite, the thought of nothing makes me look forward to it. Thats morbid as **** but yeah...sometimes I really do wish I believed in something, and envy those that do.

Apparently love can be explained by science though, I read about it somewhere..something to do with hormones or chemicals or something

[Mystic Mock]

I think that it's a possibility, it would certainly make more sense as to how the universe was created with a system in mind than a random big bang just created everything.

However I do believe that organised Religions are all fake and are no different to the Arthurian Legend or the Greek Mythology.

[Mystic Mock]

The way I see it , if there's nothing after death then why are we here in the first place and what would be the point if there's no afterlife ??!.

And I guess it's all about Faith ,we'll see what happens for ourselves .

I agree with all of this.

I also want to add that alot of people go through life living through hardship and pain just to die and not be rewarded with some form of an afterlife? that's just too cruel even by my standards.

I like the Islamic version of the afterlife for men.:laugh:

[Vicky.]

I agree with all of this.

I also want to add that alot of people go through life living through hardship and pain just to die and not be rewarded with some form of an afterlife? that's just too cruel even by my standards.

I like the Islamic version of the afterlife for men.:laugh:

If they are not rewarded with an afterlife, at least the pain stops.

[Mystic Mock]

If they are not rewarded with an afterlife, at least the pain stops.

It kinda feels like their life was meaningless as what was the whole point of putting up with things like a harsh boss at work? The Tory Government? Or trying to keep a roof over your head just to survive at a basic level if it all comes to nothing?

[Vicky.]

It kinda feels like their life was meaningless as what was the whole point of putting up with things like a harsh boss at work? The Tory Government? Or trying to keep a roof over your head just to survive at a basic level if it all comes to nothing?

Well yeah I guess it is quite depressing :laugh: But if your life really is that ****, then death and the end of the ****ness is a good thing, no matter what. Surely.

[Ammi]

...hmm, I don’t want to believe in life after death...because I don’t instinctively believe with the ‘logic’ of that...but then when my dad died, I realised his body was ‘empty’ and just a ‘vessel’ of all the things that had been him and his essence...his whole spirit, if that would be what it was called, everything that made him who and what he was...so I just kind of thought..well, is that still ‘out there’, somewhere...does that have an ‘afterlife’ and a new beginning in another ‘vessel’.../...so much in the entire universe that we don’t know or understand.../..so much ‘underscovered’...and no possibility of discovering because of the very nature of it and what ‘death’ would prevent...

[AnnieK]

I would like to believe it, I would love to catch up with loved ones who have gone before.....however I don't think I can believe it.

[joeysteele]

Yes I do, so many small things that have happened to me personally make me believe that there’s a life after death and I’m being watched over by those I’ve lost

I have no concrete evidence to prove it of course (don’t start LT), but I see no harm in believing

I agree Ross.

Like you I have come across things that have no real scientific or physical explanation.
Without looking for same myself and from my teenage years being sceptical.
Now I have been moved over to believing there is.

Often as to scientific reasoning,there are wide,differing and contradiction anyway from scientists.
It depends from what standpoint you are looking at things from.

I was sceptical but held an open mind,so many people I met in life stated things which,if a mind is kept open,can make far more sense than scrambling for a universal scientific explanation.

Then my own experiences too.
I am both pleased and surprised by how the poll is going,when I voted on this last night,I felt it would be a vastly overwhelming no.

Some strong points made here by many, on what has for me,become in life a far more interesting and thought provoking topic.

[Cherie]

Yeah I don't get people's reasoning of what's the point of life otherwise? Well.....life is the point [emoji23]

But what's so bad about just dying anyway? Sleeping is one of my favourite things to do so I'm absolutely fine with that


That's the way I see it, it would be like drifting under anaesthetic, it is what comes before death that I worry about :worry:

[Cherie]

It kinda feels like their life was meaningless as what was the whole point of putting up with things like a harsh boss at work? The Tory Government? Or trying to keep a roof over your head just to survive at a basic level if it all comes to nothing?

Most people are on this earth for 80 plus years, how can it be meaningless to try to do well in life, meet someone you can love, travel, accomplish dreams, let your genes live on in your children, grandchildren, you have 60 plus years ahead of you if you are lucky, it would be such a waste to just sit around thinking oh well this is it may as well not bother, yes it can be a grind at time but that is life, you can change the boss and the Tory's won't always be in power, generally you hear people who have received a terminal diagnosis say they live every day to the full as life is for living and i think if any of us got that diagnosis today we would be clinging to the life we had no matter how bad we thought it is

[Niamh.]

The way I see it , if there's nothing after death then why are we here in the first place and what would be the point if there's no afterlife ??!.

And I guess it's all about Faith ,we'll see what happens for ourselves .

Life is the point though? Why isn't that good enough?

[Niamh.]

Bye it’s terrifying Niamh don’t act tough!

:laugh: What's terrifying about it though, were you terrified before you were born?

[Redway]

I do and I don’t.

[Cherie]

Life is the point though? Why isn't that good enough?


Exactly, so we just mooch along as there is something better to come, I don't think so! I'm probably going to hell anyway so may as well enjoy where I am

[Niamh.]

Exactly, so we just mooch along as there is something better to come, I don't think so! I'm probably going to hell anyway so may as well enjoy where I am

a woman after my own heart :hee:

[Livia]

There can never be evidence of life after death in reality as..noone can come back from the dead. I know some people who die for a few seconds report bright lights and such but that can be explained by science. Dead dead people cannot tell us whats there, if anything :laugh:

So it really is a faith thing. I think that humans like to believe there is something else as the thought of nothing scares them. I am the opposite, the thought of nothing makes me look forward to it. Thats morbid as **** but yeah...sometimes I really do wish I believed in something, and envy those that do.

Apparently love can be explained by science though, I read about it somewhere..something to do with hormones or chemicals or something

Well, science have put forward theories on those things but there is no definitive proof. We don't even really know how the human brain works, so I'm not expecting science to come up with any kind of proof any time soon, even if there is some.

[GoldHeart]

Yes I do, so many small things that have happened to me personally make me believe that there’s a life after death and I’m being watched over by those I’ve lost

I have no concrete evidence to prove it of course (don’t start LT), but I see no harm in believing

There isn't any harm in believing . I read a quote that said

"I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live as if there isn't and to die to find out that there is."

[Niamh.]

There isn't any harm in believing . I read a quote that said

"I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live as if there isn't and to die to find out that there is."

I would just rather live my life :laugh:

[GoldHeart]

I would just rather live my life :laugh:

Aren't we all living our lives . But there's nothing wrong with Wondering about the afterlife .

[joeysteele]

I agree wholeheartedly science only has theories.
Scientists disagree on life after death,as do medics too.

Of course no one knows for sure and I don't think life after death belief requires a religious faith either.

It's a fascinating topic that has no real certainty either side at all to it.
Science for sure cannot explain aspects to it, science often comes across more confused by it than those sceptical of it,or those keeping an open mind as to it too.

[Niamh.]

Aren't we all living our lives . But there's nothing wrong with Wondering about the afterlife .

I never said there was anything wrong with wondering about it

[Jamie89]

I don't believe in it but I think it's pretty amazing that we're able to contemplate it. And I don't think there's any grand meaning to life, we're just part of an ecosystem and 'meaning' is just existing, but I don't that's a depressing outlook, it's all an incredible accident of nature that we're even here and even more incredible that we can think about this stuff, so I don't really think there needs to be more than what we already have in terms of life for it to be thought of as worthwhile.

[jaxie]

I would say no quite firmly. However I will also admit that I have had a couple of experiences along those lines that I can't explain.

One example is I went to see a medium lady once with someone else. I was just going along as their sidekick and I'll admit to have a quiet laugh at the whole thing and the medium lady didn't know I was attending until we turned up together. This person kind of ignored my companion and said a bunch of stuff to me that I can't explain. I told her nothing about myself and she didn't know my last name.

Among other things, she said my dad was there and said his name correctly. She asked if he had something wrong with his legs. My dad was disabled and had both his legs amputated which she couldn't have known. Then she started talking about my sister who had passed and said she looked a lot like me. I looked at her like she was crazy and said I've never had a sister. Then she said 'was there a baby that died?' and I admit I felt a bit shocked. You see I was one of twins and my mum had a miscarriage when she was about 3 months pregnant and lost her baby, except she was still pregnant with me and they told her she lost one of twins which apparently can happen though is rare. No one knows about that but me and my parents and I don't think I've ever mentioned it to friends.

Oh and the icing on the cake? As we were leaving she said to my companion to check the oil in their car as there was something wrong. They checked the oil and everything seemed fine. Two days after that they broke down on the hard shoulder of the motorway with a serious oil leak and nearly had a nasty accident. :shrug:

So I'm a firm non believer who can't explain any of that.

[joeysteele]

I would say no quite firmly. However I will also admit that I have had a couple of experiences along those lines that I can't explain.

One example is I went to see a medium lady once with someone else. I was just going along as their sidekick and I'll admit to have a quiet laugh at the whole thing and the medium lady didn't know I was attending until we turned up together. This person kind of ignored my companion and said a bunch of stuff to me that I can't explain. I told her nothing about myself and she didn't know my last name.

Among other things, she said my dad was there and said his name correctly. She asked if he had something wrong with his legs. My dad was disabled and had both his legs amputated which she couldn't have known. Then she started talking about my sister who had passed and said she looked a lot like me. I looked at her like she was crazy and said I've never had a sister. Then she said 'was there a baby that died?' and I admit I felt a bit shocked. You see I was one of twins and my mum had a miscarriage when she was about 3 months pregnant and lost her baby, except she was still pregnant with me and they told her she lost one of twins which apparently can happen though is rare. No one knows about that but me and my parents and I don't think I've ever mentioned it to friends.

Oh and the icing on the cake? As we were leaving she said to my companion to check the oil in their car as there was something wrong. They checked the oil and everything seemed fine. Two days after that they broke down on the hard shoulder of the motorway with a serious oil leak and nearly had a nasty accident. :shrug:

So I'm a firm non believer who can't explain any of that.


I have strong doubts as to mediums although others have relayed some interesting points after seeing one.

Your account,considering you said virtually nothing yet got so much said that applied.
That was a really interesting read.

[jaxie]

I have strong doubts as to mediums although others have relayed some interesting points after seeing one.

Your account,considering you said virtually nothing yet got so much said that applied.
That was a really interesting read.

I'm a very big sceptic Joey so I was very careful not to give her anything. It was weird and she refunded the person I went with as she got nothing for them at all apart from the car bit at the end. She did say it happens like that sometimes as she has no control over it.

I was literally just there as a tag along and to keep the person company and to scoff a bit.

So yeah I can't explain any of that. My dad's name she could have guessed. The legs thing I don't know because it's not really the 'usual' thing people have wrong with them.

[Ramsay]

I would love to think there is, but when i really think about it...No there's no chance, it'll be the same as before i was born. nothing.

[Kazanne]

LOL... you are a miserable sod, LT.

:joker::joker:

[LeatherTrumpet]

i see noone brave enough to go beyond I do

like what is it exactly you think happens and how does it work?

remember this has also to happen for every living thing that has ever existed in earth history from the first bacteria to today

that is a lot of flies


(i get its wishful thinking and of course part of our innate desire to live, for that is what has kept us alive, the selfish gene, but i doubt anyoneE has really thought about it beyond helping them deal with the futility of their lives and inevitable death?)

[Niamh.]

i see noone brave enough to go beyond I do

like what is it exactly you think happens and how does it work?

remember this has also to happen for every living thing that has ever existed in earth history from the first bacteria to today

that is a lot of flies


(i get its wishful thinking and of course part of our innate desire to live, for that is what has kept us alive, the selfish gene, but i doubt anyoneE has really thought about it beyond helping them deal with the futility of their lives and inevitable death?)

I'm pretty sure the majority of those who believe in life after death only believe it happens for humans

[bitontheslide]

In order to identify if there is life after death one must first quantify what life is at its most basic components. For example, your hair and finger nails still grow, therefore that's life. Your systems shut down for sure, but organisms and parasites that could have been feeding off you from birth will continue to live, so you are living in them .... and thats before contemplating faith

[Jessica.]

I'm pretty sure the majority of those who believe in life after death only believe it happens for humans

The pope said dogs go to heaven. :bawling:

Why would only humans get the chance of an afterlife? Why do we always think we are worth more than other animals? It's so depressing. Animals are beautiful and many are man-made but still get treated like they're worthless.

[Jessica.]

In order to identify if there is life after death one must first quantify what life is at its most basic components. For example, your hair and finger nails still grow, therefore that's life. Your systems shut down for sure, but organisms and parasites that could have been feeding off you from birth will continue to live, so you are living in them .... and thats before contemplating faith

They don't keep growing, the skin just gets thinner so they appear to have grown but it's not true.

[bitontheslide]

They don't keep growing, the skin just gets thinner so they appear to have grown but it's not true.

you obviously haven't been watching the same horror films i have :smug:

[Jessica.]

you obviously haven't been watching the same horror films i have :smug:

Okay. :conf:

[joeysteele]

I'm a very big sceptic Joey so I was very careful not to give her anything. It was weird and she refunded the person I went with as she got nothing for them at all apart from the car bit at the end. She did say it happens like that sometimes as she has no control over it.

I was literally just there as a tag along and to keep the person company and to scoff a bit.

So yeah I can't explain any of that. My dad's name she could have guessed. The legs thing I don't know because it's not really the 'usual' thing people have wrong with them.


That's all really interesting jaxie.
It's odd to hear too of a medium refunding as well.

[Niamh.]

The pope said dogs go to heaven. :bawling:

Why would only humans get the chance of an afterlife? Why do we always think we are worth more than other animals? It's so depressing. Animals are beautiful and many are man-made but still get treated like they're worthless.I don't think any of us are going anywhere so don't ask me [emoji23]

[LeatherTrumpet]

Funnily enough I was at a funeral today of a great aunt. She was 88 and she was christened and married in the church where the service was. It was my father's church he attended as a boy and it was the church my grandfather was christened in and married in and had his funeral in and my granny. It was also the church my great grandfather attended and probably his father before him perhaps.

I sat there in the small church in the pews my forefathers sat in many many times.

I saw my aunts grandchildren and i saw her face in theirs. The minster talked about her love of animals, the love she got from her farmer father and his father - and the love that my grandfather got from the same man he passed down to my father and to me. She even talked about her great love of Rangers, one that has been passed on now to smallest boy LT and her grandchildren.


The minister talked about life after death in a Christian sense and in days gone by when people died randomly, quickly, suddenly and early I get how the promise of life after death became a great selling point in the spread of Christianity.

But the real life after death is what we pass on to our children in memory and in genes

That is more than enough and is real...

[Livia]

We know nothing, really. Humans are only just at the very beginning of fulfilling their potential. After thousands of years of evolving and developing, we've gone from the first powered flight to landing on the moon in fifty years. From fax machines to iPhones in thirty. Who knows how far we will go, war and disaster permitting, or how much we'll come to understand in the future. But no one knows even 0.005% of the what, why and who of existence before death, let alone after death. The Human race is a terrible beauty, too magnificent to be an accident. I believe we're all important to God, or to the Universe, or Allah, or whoever it is you believe is behind this extraordinary world.

[Denver]

Yes i actually believe i use to live another life

[Garfie]

I find the thought of death and no longer existing quite terrifying......

I also hate the idea that the end for the majority of us will be painful and unpleasant....

I know it sounds quite dismal and morbid but I think about it a lot, and have done since I was a young child.

I think it scares me that there is nothing after death.

To me there must be some purpose in life, and I have always been drawn to the idea of reincarnation. I think that life is about learning to be the best possible person, and we return to learn lessons from past lives and to put right the wrongs we have committed. I think that during the lives we have, we experience everything possible, good and bad. I believe that only when we have learnt all we need to and led a totally selfless life do we find peace and that it when we are allowed to rest in contentment.

I don't know where these ideas come from, and maybe it's wishful thinking on my part, but it kind of makes sense to me- it provides a reason why the life I have experienced has been so difficult and gives me hope that I will have a better experience of life next time.

[Niamh.]

I find the thought of death and no longer existing quite terrifying......

I also hate the idea that the end for the majority of us will be painful and unpleasant....

I know it sounds quite dismal and morbid but I think about it a lot, and have done since I was a young child.

I think it scares me that there is nothing after death.

To me there must be some purpose in life, and I have always been drawn to the idea of reincarnation. I think that life is about learning to be the best possible person, and we return to learn lessons from past lives and to put right the wrongs we have committed. I think that during the lives we have, we experience everything possible, good and bad. I believe that only when we have learnt all we need to and led a totally selfless life do we find peace and that it when we are allowed to rest in contentment.

I don't know where these ideas come from, and maybe it's wishful thinking on my part, but it kind of makes sense to me- it provides a reason why the life I have experienced has been so difficult and gives me hope that I will have a better experience of life next time.

I know I've already said this a few times in the thread already but isn't living life enough of a purpose? Living, pro creating, loving etc

[bitontheslide]

We know nothing, really. Humans are only just at the very beginning of fulfilling their potential. After thousands of years of evolving and developing, we've gone from the first powered flight to landing on the moon in fifty years. From fax machines to iPhones in thirty. Who knows how far we will go, war and disaster permitting, or how much we'll come to understand in the future. But no one knows even 0.005% of the what, why and who of existence before death, let alone after death. The Human race is a terrible beauty, too magnificent to be an accident. I believe we're all important to God, or to the Universe, or Allah, or whoever it is you believe is behind this extraordinary world.

My own personal opinion is that the big bang was created from a giant beings gaseous fart and that we are all micro organisms within a universe of fart. Although we may have evolved and done some amazing things from our point of view, they could be infinitesimally small in the overall scheme of things

[LeatherTrumpet]

I'm pretty sure the majority of those who believe in life after death only believe it happens for humans

I know :joker:

[LeatherTrumpet]

people dont really ever think just how long they have not been alive for

[Livia]

My own personal opinion is that the big bang was created from a giant beings gaseous fart and that we are all micro organisms within a universe of fart. Although we may have evolved and done some amazing things from our point of view, they could be infinitesimally small in the overall scheme of things

Or they could be colossally large in the scheme of things. This could be it, no purpose... arseholes prospering every day... people starve while some talentless stain spends twenty on a handbag. Or... this may be a brief stop between... something. LT says people forget how long we've not been alive. Who's to say that? We may have lived life after life, we may have been in another place all this time or we may not have existed until we were born. I can't remember being in the womb... I can't remember anything until I was about 2. Because I don't remember doesn't mean I didn't exist.

No one knows. No one. But I believe this isn't it, we do go on.... maybe we even have to account for our actions in this life. Wouldn't that be nice. It makes more sense to me that the suggestion that we are, as I read somewhere, the fourth grade science project of some massive alien child.

[bitontheslide]

Or they could be colossally large in the scheme of things. This could be it, no purpose... arseholes prospering every day... people starve while some talentless stain spends twenty on a handbag. Or... this may be a brief stop between... something. LT says people forget how long we've not been alive. Who's to say that? We may have lived life after life, we may have been in another place all this time or we may not have existed until we were born. I can't remember being in the womb... I can't remember anything until I was about 2. Because I don't remember doesn't mean I didn't exist.

No one knows. No one. But I believe this isn't it, we do go on.... maybe we even have to account for our actions in this life. Wouldn't that be nice. It makes more sense to me that the suggestion that we are, as I read somewhere, the fourth grade science project of some massive alien child.

its an interesting one. i think I have some memories pre birth, but I couldn't honestly say now if it was genuine or perhaps a dream. How would you know the difference for sure :laugh:

[LeatherTrumpet]

I think its time to watch this brief charming explanation

Ndj5KjKyr3E

[Livia]

Neil de Grasse Tyson is a physicist. And that's his educated guess.

I have a cousin who is a particle physicist and a devout Jew.

No. One. Knows.

[LeatherTrumpet]

Neil de Grasse Tyson is a physicist. And that's his educated guess.

I have a cousin who is a particle physicist and a devout Jew.

No. One. Knows.

You may as well say no one knows if an invisible race of maggots the size of busses are running the earth via mind control

we do know based on solid peer reviewed scientific fact. the same knowledge that we use to fly planes, visit the moon and perform operations. tried tested learning over the years.

Its not a 50:50 split its as near to 100% as we can get at the moment and thankfully, unlike religion we are open to information and learning. we dont stop 2000 years ago when some badly typset book was "written"

[joeysteele]

Reading through this thread,if I didn't believe in it,there are some really compelling things being said here,that would guide me to firmly believe there is.

After all some people born don't get long lives,some never get an opportunity to live.
Life isn't uniform for all.

I could easily believe,moreso after this thread ironically,from some incredible thinking on this matter,there is someone,something picking up the pieces at the end or physical life.

We don't know for sure,that's true but science hasn't real answers either and scientists and medics disagree,often contradicting each other on the issue.
Really strong posts, I feel I have really gained from reading them.
While of course respecting too those views from those who dismiss the possibility.

[bitontheslide]

Some things its better not to know the answer. For example if it could be proven 100% one way or another what effect would that have on peoples existing beliefs and behaviour. If Jesus appeared today, would anyone believe him?

Whatever brings contentment for each individual is all that matters.

[Livia]

You may as well say no one knows if an invisible race of maggots the size of busses are running the earth via mind control

we do know based on solid peer reviewed scientific fact. the same knowledge that we use to fly planes, visit the moon and perform operations. tried tested learning over the years.

Its not a 50:50 split its as near to 100% as we can get at the moment and thankfully, unlike religion we are open to information and learning. we dont stop 2000 years ago when some badly typset book was "written"

And you are convinced of that. I'm not convinced we've gone far enough to know the secrets of the universe - scientifically or spiritually - considering that, in the whole 4,500,000,000 years it's only in the last 300 or so that's we've advanced far enough not to die from a simple infection.

It's not even really about religion. Plenty of people believe we go on after death who have no faith in a religion.

Anyhoo... We should agree to disagree. And if I see you in the afterlife, it's your round.

[Jamie89]

Funnily enough I was at a funeral today of a great aunt. She was 88 and she was christened and married in the church where the service was. It was my father's church he attended as a boy and it was the church my grandfather was christened in and married in and had his funeral in and my granny. It was also the church my great grandfather attended and probably his father before him perhaps.

I sat there in the small church in the pews my forefathers sat in many many times.

I saw my aunts grandchildren and i saw her face in theirs. The minster talked about her love of animals, the love she got from her farmer father and his father - and the love that my grandfather got from the same man he passed down to my father and to me. She even talked about her great love of Rangers, one that has been passed on now to smallest boy LT and her grandchildren.


The minister talked about life after death in a Christian sense and in days gone by when people died randomly, quickly, suddenly and early I get how the promise of life after death became a great selling point in the spread of Christianity.

But the real life after death is what we pass on to our children in memory and in genes

That is more than enough and is real...

That's kinda beautiful. Sorry for your loss, LT.