What happens when you die?

[skcin]

Not the scientific stuff - I mean, what do you think happens to your soul/spirit? Is there heaven & hell? Who goes where? Is there reincarnation? Is it whatever the individual person believed - like if I think there's heaven & I have a theory about what it's like - is that what it will be for ME? If there's heaven, does everyone look like they did when they died? If there's hell, do only truly evil people go there, or can you go if you broke even 1 commandment? Do people who went to church every Sunday get to cut the line to get into heaven? If you're reincarnated, can it be into anything - animal, insect, another human - and do you have any choice at all in the matter? Willl we be able to see our living friends & family from beyond? Or is dead just dead?

[DrummerDeanna]

Good God Paula. If you want all my thoughts on this - you'd be here a looong time. I have so many.

So I'll skim. Ever seen the movie "What dreams May Come"? That is such a beautiful concept to me...the heaven part, the hell part is scary - but I guess that's how it should be.

I think there is a hell, but I don't think it's as easy to get there as so many would like to believe. I think it is reserved for the truly evil. People who repeatedly cause pain, horror etc and have absolutely no remorse whatsoever. If you go there for breaking one commandment, not one human will be in heaven. period.

I also believe in a "heaven" of sorts...I have many varying ideas on that.

I do think that in some way loved ones will be together again..after death. It's a nice idea...a comforting idea and there are a lot of really cool stories/experiences etc that lead me to believe it doesn't end when we die. A good friend of mine lost her son and has some amazing experiences that lead me to think that he's still with her sometimes - and I do think she'll see him again one day...

Another friend lost her mother after a long drawn out battle with cancer, and she's got some weird and amazing stories...

I don't believe that it just ends when we die. I refuse to believe that.

I ALSO believe in reincarnation

[carrie721]

i don't believe in heaven or hell. isn't god supposed to be love? why would he send anyone to hell?

i believe there is only one soul and every person and everything is a different manifestation of it.

[DrummerDeanna]

Originally Posted by carrie721

i don't believe in heaven or hell. isn't god supposed to be love? why would he send anyone to hell?

i believe there is only one soul and every person and everything is a different manifestation of it.

Well, if one believe in God - then one most certainly has to believe in Satan. So if someone is completely in league with Satan, they will go to hell. Because why would God welcome the army of the enemy into his home? I know, because he's Love, right? But even he has his enemy - so yeah. There ya go.

[HomerMcvie]

I think the lights just go out. The end.

Sure, it'd be REAL nice, if all that other hoo-ey is true. But I'm Doubtful Thomas.

[ryan8472]

thnks Married To The Sea!

[carrie721]

Originally Posted by DrummerDeanna

Well, if one believe in God - then one most certainly has to believe in Satan. So if someone is completely in league with Satan, they will go to hell. Because why would God welcome the army of the enemy into his home? I know, because he's Love, right? But even he has his enemy - so yeah. There ya go.

no, i don't think that's true at all. why would they have to go hand in hand? most religions paint it that way, but my interpretation of god is completely outside those of most religions.

how would someone be in league with satan? what kinds of actions would put someone in that category? i'm not being cheeky, i'm serious.

[skcin]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

I think the lights just go out. The end.

Sure, it'd be REAL nice, if all that other hoo-ey is true. But I'm Doubtful Thomas.

Really? Nothing? So you don't believe people who claim to have seen/felt/heard loved ones who have died?

[skcin]

Originally Posted by DavidMn

I tend to believe there is something on the other side, although I'm not sure what.

Gee, thanks for your insightful comment David.

Originally Posted by Sarah

well, assuming that everyone's a sinner, if it were true that 1 sin = eternal damnation, we'd all burn in hell. but from what i've come to understand, God "wants" us to be with him.. (so he can play with us like barbies and army men, i guess).. and it's supposed to be pretty easy to get into the good place. streets of gold and all that.. i don't know. i don't want to burn in a fiery pit of unpleasantness and be suspended on hooks through the skin on my back, that's for sure... but i'm not going to kiss bible beater ass and work on convincing a bunch of mortals that i'm acceptable in God's house, just so they can pass me the plate to put my $ in. thanks but no thanks on the church service each week. i live in the south and this is a small town.. so i have to check that crap at the door, because it's all fake around here.

i like the idea of being reunited with lost loved ones.. but honestly, it's hard for me to believe that anything happens after you die. i guess i believe in god.. but not because i've been touched.. more or less because i've been guilted into believing my entire life.

sounds bad coming from a preacher's granddaughter. i hope my grandfather's soul has been blessed and that he actually IS in heaven, because he was the most kind, gentle, and happy person on earth, period.. and thoughts of seeing him and my grandma again are the ONLY things keeping the shred of belief that i struggle to maintain.

I agree with you on the church part. No matter what you believe, I don't think that you have to go to church to have God in your life.

Originally Posted by chiliD

Well, the cool thing is, when you eventually die, all those questions will be answered.

Yeah. Can't wait.

[Dreamz19]

Originally Posted by skcin

Gee, thanks for your insightful comment David.



I agree with you on the church part. No matter what you believe, I don't think that you have to go to church to have God in your life.

I also agree with that. I totally believe in the concepts of Heaven and Hell...God and Satan but I don't feel that you have to go to church every weekend in order to have God in your life. My mom and I are both believers but we stopped going to church after having bad experiences in a couple of them. We notice that a lot of the members were self-righteous, hypocritical and fake. They went to church in order to look good. And looked down on people who were honest about their past and present but wanted to change. In reality, many of them were ten times worse off then the so called "sinners" and tried to paint these ridiculous perfect images of themselves. I have seen people like that turn people away from God.

I think that is the biggest problem with the Church and Religion are the folks who twist it and warp it (Jim Jones anyone?) However, I am not going to say all churches are that way. I have been to some good ones but I just choose not to attend every week.

In general, I honestly don't believe God expects us to all be totally perfect before we can go to Heaven. He knows we are all sinners but he also knows our hearts.

[mikeschmike]

Heaven and hell contradict each other. If sinners go to hell, wouldn't hell be a kick ass place to be? Drinking, smoking, wife coveting, etc. That said, woudn't heaven be boring and REALLY uptight?

Like creation myths, many people have tried to predict the afterlife. In my opinion the creation of life and the afterlife was invented to give people direction in their lives. Be a good person, obey the laws and boom! Destination Heaven. (Rose Nylund is all over the ledge today ) Howevah, screw up and you're going straight to hell. Teaching through fear is a pretty effective tactic. Obviously, since it's been working for thousands of years. Have you ever read Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God? Scary stuff...

Still I'd like to think that there is some kind of existence after your body dies. Reincarnation? I dunno...it seems pretty unfair if we all have to come back with no knowledge of our past lives and Shirley Maclaine gets to remember everything.

[DrummerDeanna]

Originally Posted by mikeschmike

Heaven and hell contradict each other. If sinners go to hell, wouldn't hell be a kick ass place to be? Drinking, smoking, wife coveting, etc. That said, woudn't heaven be boring and REALLY uptight?

"I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints, the sinner are much more fun..." --Billy Joel


And no, it wouldn't be fun because in the traditional view of Hell they dont' get to live the lives they did on Earth - it's a place of punishment and such.

[DavidMn]

I tend to believe there is something on the other side, although I'm not sure what.

[Sarah]

well, assuming that everyone's a sinner, if it were true that 1 sin = eternal damnation, we'd all burn in hell. but from what i've come to understand, God "wants" us to be with him.. (so he can play with us like barbies and army men, i guess).. and it's supposed to be pretty easy to get into the good place. streets of gold and all that.. i don't know. i don't want to burn in a fiery pit of unpleasantness and be suspended on hooks through the skin on my back, that's for sure... but i'm not going to kiss bible beater ass and work on convincing a bunch of mortals that i'm acceptable in God's house, just so they can pass me the plate to put my $ in. thanks but no thanks on the church service each week. i live in the south and this is a small town.. so i have to check that crap at the door, because it's all fake around here.

i like the idea of being reunited with lost loved ones.. but honestly, it's hard for me to believe that anything happens after you die. i guess i believe in god.. but not because i've been touched.. more or less because i've been guilted into believing my entire life.

sounds bad coming from a preacher's granddaughter. i hope my grandfather's soul has been blessed and that he actually IS in heaven, because he was the most kind, gentle, and happy person on earth, period.. and thoughts of seeing him and my grandma again are the ONLY things keeping the shred of belief that i struggle to maintain.

[seeker007nmss]

I debated awhile before answering this. But why not. I have been clinically dead twice. The first had no real remembrances or effects as it was very, very , short. The second time, my body was being prepared for the morgue when I came out of it. This lead to many tests, doctors and "experts" flying in, and a few PhD papers. I felt like a guinea pig. I know far more of the scientific reasons of oxygen depletion and the effects on the brain, the chemical balances that occurs in the body during death, tunnel vision and the carbon dioxide effect...etc. than I would like too. It came down to the fact to me, that there is much more beyond death than any of the religions or philosophers can imagine. I am not going into the details as it is something very personal and many will not believe what I experienced, or do I really care if they do. I am a living person with a death certificate.

I will say this much. I believe more than ever in reincarnation. I didn't really think about it before this. I came out "Knowing" minute details of the past that I would have never known had I not lived through it before. Things that are never written about as they are so insignificant to anyone not of that time. (Unless you are a academic studying the era).

Yes, there is something past death. Everyone will experience something different. There is a place of beauty and calm. There are some of our loved ones there and some that have cycled through again are not there. We all have our own paths.