Is there life after death

[Spiritual Leo]

Is there life after death?

This is a question that has been raised for thousands of years and we have yet to find a simple answer for. Some believe that the soul transcends out after the physical body decays. Others believe that death is the end of our existence.

What happens when we die?

Where are we going?

Is death the end or is it a new beginning?

Is the belief of "life after death" all made up in our minds as a way release the anxiety of death?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAQpOHBrZeU

Click on the link and see what you think of it.

 

[This]

I believe in the zen Buddhist principle that energy is transfered back into the pool from whence it came.

So my answer is "sort of" I suppose. though it's not a "life" in the way we tend to think of our own lives.

 

[the]

yes

 

[magister343]

The proper biblical answer is that will will all return in the Bodily Resurrection in the last days. What happens between death and then is unknown and frankly not important. I see no reason to accept the assertion of any continued conscious existence in incorporeal form.

 

[technics]

I don't think so. Why don't you worry about what will happen in the next few decades instead? That is at least controllable.

 

[Spiritual Leo]

I don't think so. Why don't you worry about what will happen in the next few decades instead? That is at least controllable.

Well, our society is lead by repressive pessimists, so I don't focus much on them. I think that we should take a 180 from repressive pessimism to irreppressive optimism... I guess, to a certain degree, I do focus on the next few decades, but I'd still rather focus on a question like, "Life after death."

It's more of a personal thing.... I am not a Science fan and I am going to make tha assumption that you are more about logic and reason.... INTJ-The Scientist....

We are bound to have different views, but the overall point of this Thread is to hear different views....

I want to see how many people think that there is life after death and how many people think that death is the end of our existence.

So far, the scores are even

 

[Free Mind]

I keep my ideas open. Currently, I don't sway towards yes or no, just a somewhat solid 'who knows/maybe'. I will watch the video soon and maybe give my opinion when I am done.

 

[Barnabas]

The proper biblical answer is that will will all return in the Bodily Resurrection in the last days. What happens between death and then is unknown and frankly not important. I see no reason to accept the assertion of any continued conscious existence in incorporeal form.

Well if Paul is to be believed then "to be absent of the body is to be present with the Lord" and as Jesus said on the Cross "today we will be in paradise", this seems to imply an immediate existence in heaven for at least Christians.

 

[Arsal]

Can one's consciousness be reassembled exactly the same way, with the exact memories of one's life, at another location or point in time?

Yes. Maybe. When we have the technology to do so. It would require transferring the entire data from one's brain to an electronic storage device for example, including all of one's memories and innate or learned knowledge. Then, by plugging it to a functionally accurate model of the human brain (I'm confident we will achieve this when we are able to map the brain to its entirety), you get... plug-and-play consciousness! Without all the shit that comes with having an organic body that constantly requires food, water, exercise, and still rots to death; you would only need power to boot yourself up and voila. Eternal life after death.

 

[Sriracha]

If you believe in ghosts, then it's safe to say you can believe there is an afterlife. What it is we'll never know. My belief is similar to that of the Hindu viewpoint.

 

[randomsomeone]

I tend to think there is, and I also tend to think there is little to be afraid of. We vastly underestimate the unseen world, but the glimpses we do get should give us encouragement. What I find interesting is the ability to enter into dynamics of "the world beyond" right now in this life...an existence which is equally encouraging.

 

[PeaceSeeker]

I find it funny that they chose Morgan Freeman's voice for this documentary haha
But by taking into account all the independent NDE stories, I don't think there is any doubt that the soul does live on after physical death.

 

[just me]

A seed cannot bring forth life unless it first die.

 

[Flavus Aquila]

After physical death; there is physical death.

Spiritual life is not affected by physical death; so for there to be any life after death, it would be necessary that there be spiritual life before physical death.


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[Detective Conan]

I'm not sure. I'm still having issues grasping the issue of life before death and after birth.

 

[Radiantshadow]

I don't understand why there should be, but in the interests of the unknown I think it best that one focus on living life without lasting regrets. Our actions speak with our voice after the last breath is released; every movement causes change and effect. Ripples. In this way, I think it possible we "live" after death...though that is not the life most think of.

Revel in the splendor of life while it lasts, some things cannot be known with certainty. Weighing ourselves down with them is "fluff".

This is one of the unanswerable questions, in my opinion.

 

[PeaceSeeker]

I don't understand why there should be

Well it gives hope and purpose to life ....
But I agree with you that people shouldn't spend too much time dwelling on this question, because it's highly unlikely to get an answer while living in the physical world.

 

[Radiantshadow]

Well it gives hope and purpose to life ....

True. It just seems a little unhealthy to invest one's efforts and toil into a matter this mercurial.

 

[just me]

I do not see it as being unhealthy, but maybe it could be to someone else. If the spirit lives on, and if I believe in that, it causes me no grief or pain. If I believe in the incorruptible, I see no grief or pain in that. I see no unhealthy thoughts believing I will see my Maker one day; I rather look forward to it, as this world is not my home.

 

[magister343]

Well if Paul is to be believed then "to be absent of the body is to be present with the Lord" and as Jesus said on the Cross "today we will be in paradise", this seems to imply an immediate existence in heaven for at least Christians.

You're using parts of sentences out of context, and sticking with traditional punctuation that was only inserted a few centuries ago. (Punctuation marks had not been invented yet when the bible was written.)

It is just as valid to interpret Luke 23:43 as "And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you today, you shall be with me in paradise.'"



Scripture does not actually say "to be absent of the body is to be present with the Lord," but "We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, [SUP]7[/SUP]for we walk by faith, not by sight. [SUP]8[/SUP]Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord." In the part you (mis)quoted he was stating a desire for the two conditions, not unequivocally equating them. As more accurate translations don't just speak of being in the body but of being at home in the body, it might imply a degree of comfort in our current unperfected state. Being way from the body could also mean being away from our current bodies, but in our glorified bodies in the presence of God after the resurrection. When you look at the broader context of 2 Corinthians 5 you see that as a whole it strongly supports the doctrine of the bodily resurrection. Verse 4 makes it clear that while we may be burdened by our current mortal bodies we do to wish to be naked without a body but rather to be further clothed in our future incorruptible bodies. The word traditionally translated "eternal" in the first verse actually means "of [the next] age," implying a time in the distant future rather than immediate.


2 Peter 3:16 warns that in his letters Paul speaks of things that are very hard to understand which the unlearned often twist into destructive interpretations. (Originally I thinking this was in Acts, and was disappointed to find it is was 2 Peter as most modern scholarship supports the notion that the epistles 2 Peter and Jude are 2nd century forgeries.)



Ecclesiastes is pretty clear that there is no activity, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in the grave (sheol), which argues against consciousness surviving death but against it being restored in the resurrection of the coming age.