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Do you believe in life after death?

I'm not sure. Well, actually that's a stupid thing to say because nobody can be sure since no one has come back from death. I mean, yeah, there are people who were almost dead who said they say bright lights or even God or whatever, but it could've just been a dream or imagination. Because that's the kind of afterlife they wanted to see, the kind that they want to be real.
I don't believe in heaven, at least not as that perfect place where everyone goes after death and there are no worries and no fears and so on. I think people mainly believe in that because it makes them less terrified of dying. Can I quote something from a book? Well... I agree with what Pudge (Looking For Alaska) said about that: "People, I thought, wanted security. They couldn’t bear the idea of death being a big black nothing, couldn’t bear the thought of their loved ones not exsisting, and couldn’t even imagine themselves not exsiting. I finally decided that people believed in an afterlife because they couldn’t bear not to."
Though I also don't really believe that being dead means you're just gone, every part of you. I just feel like we're too complicated to have everything we have inside us ( I mean not just material things) be gone as if it never even existed. The world, the universe is too complicated for it to be that simple.
It seems possible to me that we are born as another living being again, like maybe as an animal or a plant or a human again. That would kind of make sense to me, but I don't have any strong beliefs.
I just hope that nothing like hell exists, like where you're tortured for every little mistake you made. I don't really believe in that, but you never know.
I kind of hope that you meet your dead relatives and friends and so on again when you're dead, but I guess that's more or less impossible considering the number of all dead people.

Neither do I believe in heaven or hell. Like that quote which you posted and I think it's quite proper to describe why people in general like to believe in heaven.

However, I do believe in life after death. I've read a couple of books in which a psychologist proves that here is life after death and that after death, the person's soul doesn't die, but takes rebirth as another living thing. Don't know if it's right or wrong- but that's what I believe.

I do. The Holy Quran says so, and we Muslims believe every single word of it. But it isn't reincarnation; it's the hereafter either in paradise or hell.

For anyone who really wants an answer of this question,or to get clearer on their opinion mist read the trial and death of Socrates. :)

Ruchi, can I ask which books those are?

Anubhav wrote: "For anyone who really wants an answer of this question,or to get clearer on their opinion mist read the trial and death of Socrates. :)"

That's just a book. Do you yourself believe in life after death?

Josi wrote: "Ruchi, can I ask which books those are?"

Both books are by Dr. Brian Weiss. They speak about life after death, souls, soulmates, what happens after death and some really shocking revelations! You must try them - (there are 3)


Only Love Is Real: A Story of Soulmates Reunited

Same Soul, Many Bodies: Discover the Healing Power of Future Lives through Progression Therapy

Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past Life Therapy That Changed Both Their Lives

I believe in Heaven. I heard a story of a person who was dead three days and came back from the dead. And I'm also Catholic, so yeah, I believe in Heaven.

I'm an Agnostic. I have an open mind to life after death, but I don't have solid faith in it. Let's just say I have an open mind.

I don't believe in life after death or heaven or hell. There is no conclusive evidence for any of it. Oh and the religious texts don't count :P

I've seen too much evidence of God and the devil. Therefore I believe that there IS life after death.

it's like that song by Kansas were dust in the wind.

There could be, but it wont definitely be the one we're living right now! So why wasting this one with the contemplation of the uncertainty!?
Didn't we learn anything from the suicides of extremist philosophers?

Ha ha! I doubt it'll be anything like this world. :)

living can be hard, dieing is easy. we are the only species on the that is aware that our time is limited in this planet. I believe the world we live in is hell however knowing how to cultivate the mind and live an ethical lifestyle that is conducive to reality is key to having heaven on earth.

How about we're living in another world right now, and this one is all just a realistic dream that ends in around 70-80 years...

Life after Death by Deepak Chopra

;-)

The only constant in life is death. What happens after that depends on the person and their beliefs. I know there is heaven, hell, and reincarnation. What it looks like does not matter to me. I know my nana that passed years ago is with me. I have heard her shoes, smelled her perfume out of the blue. My family has seen ghost. I believe some spirits are lost and wonder the earth until they resolve their issues and can go to heaven or be reincarnated. I believe hell is a straight one way ticket.

I'm an Agnostic. I have an open mind to life after death, but I don't have concrete faith. I have so many doubts. Maybe we just wink out like a candle. Or are reincarnated...who knows? None of us knows for sure. I believe in some higher power. The grand universe couldn't have come from nothing.

I am a traditional Celtic pagan and my faith doesn't have an official stance on life after death. Some believe that those who attain wisdom will be reborn, while those who remain ignorant are only once-born. Mostly, though, we see it as a mystery, something you cannot know until it happens to you.

Holly, I didn't know you were a Celtic pagan. I've always been fascinated by the Celtic Pagans. Love to know more about it when you have the time.

Absolutely not. Maybe perverse but I find it strangely comforting that I believe there is no afterlife. . .after all I was not the least bit bothered about what was happening before I was born because I was unaware. . Will be in a similar position after death. I hope!

Nah, I'm sure we feel the maggots gnawing at our rotting flesh, Linda. LMAO!!

Lol Aaron . . . Let's hope not!

I believe there is life after death and Heaven and Hell. The thing is that most people have a very different way of understanding what Heaven and Hell is... So according to the teaching of the Church, Heaven and Hell is actually the same thing, yes don't get uset, it is the same thing. Heaven and Hell is a state of being not a place of pic-nicks and whatever walks in the parks on one side and eternal flames, lava and horned dudes tearing peoples flesh from the other. The souls of people who have died will be at the presence of God and some will see God as a friend and a brother and a father while others will see Him as an enemy or torture and wont be able to stand his presence, this is what Hell is. What each of us will see in God depends on our lives and actions or inactions, and most of all on how much love we shared with the others, because mates God is Love (not sex, love.. many people also tend to confuse that too...)
If you want it in simpler words: Imagine you are with a person you love and makes you feel great, makes you smile, takes care of you and you want to be with them forever (that is Heaven and God is that person). Now imagine you are stuck with a person forever, a person you do not want to be with, that shows you love that you do not want, but not because their love is not good enough but because YOU feel bad because there are things YOU have done that do not deserve that love (this is what Hell is, not being able to be in the presence of God because of YOUR sins that control you). God is love, is not a punisher, but He is also just. As the teachig say the people in the final day will judge them selves using the life of Christ as the example. That is most noble for me, so I do choose to believe it.
And no, I don't believe in incarnation, each person is unique, not a spare part.

I don't believe in reincarnation either Dimitrios, can't think of anything worse than coming back again and again! Also why is it when you see people on TV etc talking about their previous lives they are always 'Cleopatra' or 'Nero'. Never milkmaids are they???

Linda,
That is vanity not humility and understanding. I believe I have been here before. I know things I should not. Relate to events and places I have never been. Old souls as I call them are just on their journey. Each time I come back I learn further my quest. I don't care who I was before. I only care to share love, happiness, and kindness when I can. Does not always work. So next time I come back I might be a man from Fiji or girl from New Zealand. My journey will continue until my lessons are learned and I move to the next phase.

I totally agree with you Kimbie, it is pure vanity which is why I tend not to believe such people. I also agree on the sharing of love, happiness and particularly kindness but my belief stems from wanting all those things plus peace and truth and justice while we are here in this life because we don't get the chance to do it again. . . . Or at least I hope not.

i don't like to waste my time by thinking about things which are not in my control (hope u will agree?)

Yeah....that's kinda right too, even if there was something like life after death, what could we do about it? How can we control it? Agree with you on that....:)

I'm a Jew, and as we believe, there is life after death. There is heaven and hell, but the soul doesn't have to go straight to heaven/hell after death. One of the worst punishment is hell, but you can also come back to life as a new person (born again as a baby of someone). There are people who says they can help you see who you been before your correct life. I don't sure if it's true or not, but think about that: if there AREN'T life after death, what's happening to you? There's nothing? You'll be nothing?

You guys all have very interesting opinions and views about this. It's indeed a very good question... considering it's a question no one can answer 100%... Since you technically have to die to know what happens.

I think there is something after death. I do not believe in heaven or hell, or any magical place where we go. I actually think we stick around. We're still here, for the ones we love. I think we stay around as long as there's someone to remember us (talkin about family members and loved ones... else there's some poor souls that'll never leave this damn place) and then we just vanish.

I don't know if I'm rihgt or not, I like the idea that the ones around me that have passed away are still here somehow, without being the whole ghost/guardian angel deal, cuz I feel that's a bit pulled, but just keepin an eye on us.

Of course, there is life after death, no doubts about that.

People don't usually dwell on this matter unless they are confronted by their own mortality. It makes an interesting topic nonetheless.

To answer your question, I do believe in an existence after death (I find the term "Life" a bit ironic). The human mind simply cannot comprehend true oblivion. It's impossible to imagine that when I die, all my thoughts, all that I am just cease to be. Perhaps my consciousness would continue to exist. That's the basis of my belief.

However, existing as pure thought is quite a dreadful prospect. No one can see you, no one can hear you for eternity. Suddenly, oblivion doesn't sound so bad after all.

What I fervently hope for is that upon death, I would discover that our world is just a dream. Other worlds, even fictional ones, are just as real as ours. I would be able to choose any world I wish to inhabit. Perhaps somewhere out there, Hogwarts exists. Quite a fanciful thought, I suppose.

And like many of you, I don't believe in Heaven or Hell. Eternal punishments and eternal rewards for something you did during a transient life is just ridiculous. Seriously, what kind of system is that? After 10 000 years, your deeds will be forgotten. Unless Heaven and Hell are merely a state of mind; you give yourself rewards, you give yourself punishments based on your own moral codes.

Actually it's not about believing, we have a proof of that. In my religion it's holy quran but i am not sure that it is written in any other other testaments but i have heard from people that it is.

For many people, it's a matter of belief. They aren't wrong either. Many people, like me, never come across the teaching of Holy Quran and their natural stance toward "claims of proof" is skepticism. To confirm the proof, I will need to validate it, doing extensive research, making observations, having life changing experiences and probably at the end of my life I might not come at a conclusive result. Ultimately, I might have to choose whether to believe in proof or not.

Actually you wrote a novel-like post to explain yourself but if you would be so kind to forgive me, i still didn't get your point.

I'm with Arbaaz. From what I can see, I don't understand and certainly do not agree with. Also, you're preaching.

Do u mean u are with me because of the holy quran talk?

I'm sorry if that how you perceive it. Probably I was just being pretentious. It just that I don't really agree that proof of afterlife can be found in religious texts. I'm not sure how to express my view politely so it comes off as preachy. Do forgive me.

I unserstand but not clearly, i mean why u don't agree that it can't be found in religious texts? Look, we may call them RELIGIOUS but they are a very certain proof from god hinself but if you still don't believe it then i can't Help you with your research because if you don't believe the proof then you don't believe in god too, u may think that "no,that's not the point, i do believe in god but i just don't believe in the texts" but you believe it or not, you don't.

So it's a matter of belief then?

Perhaps "agree" is not that right word? I just want to validate the proof through research before coming to a conclusion.

Okay okay, do ur research rhen, but answer me one thing, do you believe in god?

Do I? I honestly don't know, it's not very clear cut for me.

Okay, good luck with yourself but i don't see a clear end to your research really :-(

Arbaaz wrote: "Okay, good luck with yourself but i don't see a clear end to your research really :-("

That what's I'm afraid...

You don't have to if you truly believe what you are searching for!

Thanks for the encouragement Arbaaz :-), although I'm not sure what exactly I'm searching for...

Oh did i encouraged you? I never knew that haha :-P