What do you think happens after death?

Uncharted2

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Sorry to be morbid, I had a discussion with a few friends this morning about this topics, and we all had different opinions on this.

We will all die someday and I don't think anyone is really ready for when that time comes but it is a part of life.

Lemsiper

What do you think?

NapoleonInRags

Nothingness.....just like before we were born.

Uncharted2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120795473#Comment_120795473

Does it matter what I think?

Xander10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058303361/what-do-you-think-happens-after-death

Ready for it? You will know nothing about it to have any after thoughts

Uncharted2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120795552#Comment_120795552

I mean ready to die, who is ready to die??

Xander10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120795564#Comment_120795564

People with terminal illness.

EOT

Padre_Pio

Nothing after death. When you die you die.

This makes it all the more important to enjoy life to the full and appreciate all that's on offer.

Sorolla

People always wonder whether there is a life after death.

However, let us not lose sight of the fact there is a life before death.

life is precious- enjoy and #bekind

a wise man once ssid every person has 2 lives.

the second life begins when you realise you have 1 life left

SouthWesterly

For those who've known what is is to be born of God, it's a simple answer.

To be absent from the body ,is to be present with the Lord.

Often these times I have little or no belief in an afterlife, as I’ve seen so many negative things happen in my and others’ lives, I’ve seen others with little consolation, I’ve seen despair and hopelessness, but occasionally I get a short-lived renewed little bit of faith.

However I think it is not outside of the bounds of science that afterlife exists, although this may be wishful thinking that such a massive database we accumulate can be permanently wiped at the moment of death, albeit for writings and contributions we leave in sone sort of perpetuity.

I’ve developed a progressive illness, and I feel my mortality creeping upon me and it’s quite depressing and traumatic. We all get closer to death with each moment that passes, but when your world is closing in more by disability your destiny becomes much more visible.

I’m trying to find new meaning in life, and struggling very hard. I found it easier when I was younger and had hope. I’m half praying for more meaning to manifest, but then I lose hope and stop praying.

FishOnABike

You are dust and to dust you will return.

Straight Talker

The thought of living in eternal bliss, paradise and peace, and being with all your friends and family, who've passed away over the years is a very nice thought. I hope it's true, but i have the feeling that death is like a dreamless sleep that you don't wake up from. It's a scary thought, but you won't be conscious to notice anything. We possibly could be reborn in another life.

We could have lived another life before, but have no memories of that previous life. The truth is that anyone who claims to know the answer is a total and utter bluffer. The only thing i know for certain that happens is that we'll either end up in a box, and that box will be covered with dirt and rocks, or we'll be cremated. Outside of that i haven't got a bulls notion about what happens!

Hotblack Desiato

I'm not sure if you asked in the right forum OP, after all the Christian viewpoint is well known.

I'm an atheist and I expect nothing more than something akin to the switching off of a light bulb. I don't worry about dying, which after all is inevitable and could happen at any time. I worry about my loved ones and whether I've made sufficient provision for them for my possibly sudden, hopefully distant, but inevitable, death.

StudentDad

There is a scene in Terminator 2 where they pull out the chip from the terminators skull. In that moment the machine powers down. It's inert. Is it dead? As soon as the chip is re-inserted, the machine comes back to life. It has the potential to remain 'alive' for 130 years on it's existing power supply. For me, so long as there is power aka life in the human body and the brain is functional. The individual remains. When these things are absent. That's it. We get one bite of the cherry. When it's gone. It's gone. The best we can hope for is to have people who actually care about us at the end.

mockler007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120795564#Comment_120795564

Me, I'm looking forward to it, as it's a once in a lifetime event, it's the longest thing you have to wait for in life.

brokenbad

The same thing as before you were born....nothingness. Circle of life.

messrs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120795582#Comment_120795582

I have a terminal illness and I definitely don't feel anywhere near ready to die😥

SouthWesterly

One thing that rings out in this thread is people's hopelessness.

Most people if they are honest fear death. Having lived their life to enter into the uncertainty of death.

As a Christian, I believe we can have a certainty. I live my life pleasing my Creator and await death to embrace it when it comes knowing I'll meet face to face the One who gave me purpose and who promises an eternity. Death isn't the end as some here think. We are eternal beings , having a spirit and soul which is eternal. When we cast off our mortality we will face our Creator. He won't be asking if we lived a good life or if we think we've done enough good things to at least balance the books.

He'll be looking to see if we believed in the One He sent. To see if we have His life dwelling in us. To see if there is anything in us that corresponds to Him.

That opportunity only comes in this life, were we have the opportunity to believe in Jesus , know His forgiveness and know the Love He has for us as our Creator.

To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. For me and many more like me.

Having faced the possibility of dying and not coming through heart surgery I can say there was no fear and no uncertainty about what would happen if I didn't wake up.

SuperBowserWorld

I don't get why animals don't go to heaven. Maybe it's just full of animal murderers and torturers directly or indirectly ? Maybe they go somewhere else.

Oh I'm really cranky this evening. 😁

Uncharted2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120800553#Comment_120800553

Animals don't have a soul.

Tavrin Callas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120800750#Comment_120800750

In fairness, neither to humans.

54and56

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120800534#Comment_120800534

Hopelessness rings out?

Weird observation.

Those not accepting there isn't a life ever after are full of hope for the one life we get, I know I certainly am and try to make every single day count.

If by "hopelessness" you mean an absence of hope that there is an afterlife then perhaps your observation is better expressed as a lack of desperation (for an after life) ringing out.

I recently had surgery with a risk of not coming out alive and as I was being prep'd and the anastatic being injected the last thought I had was one of satisfaction that if today was the day my lights went out I didn't have any regrets, I'd seen a lot of the world, have had (and continue to have) an interesting and fulfilling career and I've been lucky enough to find a life long partner with whom I've had two kids who are in college and well on the way to being well educated, interesting, inquisitive and respectful young adults.

Now I'm through that particular surgery I look forward every day to learning and doing new things regardless of whether it's as basic as the eternal fight to play better golf or learning new information I can apply in my job.

If I somehow thought there was a happy ever after I'd be more inclined to take my foot off the throttle and coast as I get older thinking all will be grand in the afterlife or next life (depending on which God you want to believe in) but being reconciled to there not being an afterlife means I'm determined to get the absolute max out of this one right up to the day I die which, if from a terminal illness of some sort, I'd like the option to choose for myself with the help of my family without such a caring act being illegal for them to do.

SouthWesterly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120803566#Comment_120803566

Being a follower of Jesus I can say my foot is more" on the throttle " than it ever was as I see the day of His appearing coming closer . This world is only a training ground for what's to come in eternity. If all you have is what youve achieved in this life, you've very little with it all being of no value to you once you're gone.

Not sure why you refer to "whichever God". You do realise the forum you're on ? 😁

smacl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120803566#Comment_120803566

Very much my philosophy in life as well. Getting that bit older now, I consciously try to greet each day with expectation and savour what it brings. Similarly, I plan for the future so that it will bring happy events in the finite time remaining. Much as I might love an eternal life, to me at least, that does not lend any credibility to the notion that such a thing might exist. While I believe our consciousness is utterly extinguished when we die, I do believe a significant residue of who we were remains in the hearts and minds of those closest to us and continues to exert some influence on that basis. While we come from a culture that often over-emphasises the individual, we are also part of families and communities that will outlive us and remain so after death.

homer911

Interesting to read all the responses by unbelievers to this thread - It makes me wonder what you are all doing lurking on this forum?

There was an interesting post by Nick Park (used to be a regular poster here) in his thought for the day (today) about Independence Day (and as he termed it - Dependence Day) and our freedom from death

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6O439TCUuk (5 mins)

smacl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120804260#Comment_120804260

Interesting to read all the responses by unbelievers to this thread - It makes me wonder what you are all doing lurking on this forum?

Alas, being a moderator does involve the odd bit of lurking ;)

That aside, as another poster pointed out, it is a bit of an odd thread for the Christianity forum as the Christian belief on the matter is well understood. Not sure it would fare much better on the atheism forum. Possibly better suited to philosophy.

54and56

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120803904#Comment_120803904

So much to unpack.

1. Every Christian I've ever engage with always sees the day of the Lord's appearance coming closer and they seem to get more and more certain (some would intpret as desperate for validation) the closer the day of their own mortality gets,
2. Calling this world a training ground is an excuse for not making the most of your time on it in the vain hope you'll somehow get a better deal in a hoped for afterlife.
3. Of course what you've achieved in this life is of no value to you once you're gone, how could it? When you're gone you're gone!! You have to enjoy and value it whilst you're here.
4. I refer to "whichever God" because being on a particular thread does not erase the reality that throughout history and across the entire globe there are devout followers of Gods who sincerely believe there's is the one and only and all others are false Gods. I just believe in one less God than you 😉

54and56

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120804260#Comment_120804260

Not lurking at all. Saw the OP on the main Boards list and thought it curious that someone in the Christian forum asking a question they must already have the answer to if they are a genuine member of the forum so assumed they were looking for responses from non Christians and hey presto!!

Yellow_Fern

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120795477#Comment_120795477

We dont really know that though do we?

Yellow_Fern

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120800553#Comment_120800553

It is not Catholic teaching that animals dont got to heaven. It was simply a common opinion of Catholic theologians and they openly said they don't know. Check out the scholar Jimmy Akins thoughts for more information https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NdVVbI1OS0

suvigirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120800750#Comment_120800750

What is a soul and how do you know animals don't have one?

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120800534#Comment_120800534

So if I live a moral yet atheist life, looking after my family and my community, you would expect that I’ll be condemned to hell for eternity, as will all Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Protestants and more. Is that how you expect things to work?

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120804617#Comment_120804617

Likewise, quite surprised to see a thread like this in the Christianity forum (also came from the boards.ie front page). I thought they all had this question answered a long time ago!

SuperBowserWorld

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120804648#Comment_120804648

Ok thanks for that.

54and56

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120804634#Comment_120804634

Is there evidence for anything else?

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120804690#Comment_120804690

If 'wishful thinking' is evidence then there seems to be a hell of a lot of evidence floating about.

Leg End Reject

I'm not religious, and believe that death is the final chapter. All living things eventually die, but humans are the one species that are aware of their own mortality from a young age.

That awareness likely started beliefs, be they religious or spiritual. I do envy those who believe in a God and an afterlife though, it can be a source of comfort and reassurance. Best of all - they'll never know if they're wrong.

SouthWesterly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120804680#Comment_120804680

If what Jesus said was true, that He was on the only way to God Then yes.

If living a good life was enough, then he wouldn't have had to die to redeem mankind.

If that was the case then it's all a lie and you can live as you want without any repercussions and without a creator to be accountable to.

FishOnABike

it had to be done.....

taxAHcruel

I am another who is not lurking in this forum but merely saw the thread on the home page. Paranoid much? Hehehehehe.

If my partner was pregnant and the doctor told me it was a boy - I would not have to "hope" for a boy. I would be already certain. If I somehow knew that I was going to win the Lotto this weekend I would have certainty. I would not sit around "hoping" I will win.

As such is it a little comical to anyone else to see the only person on the whole thread who has thus far claimed outright certainty - suggest that many/most/all the other posters on the thread appear to lack "hope" or are "hopeless"? A somewhat pedantic reading of the words hope and certainty would suggest that this commentator is the only one who thus actually lacks hope.

Or perhaps he means the other common use of the word "hope" which is that of having something to look forward to - to strive towards - to live for. For that I can defer to the quote from Ricky Gervais of "It’s a strange myth that atheists have nothing to live for. It’s the opposite. We have nothing to die for. We have everything to live for."

I guess I am with most of the other posters on the thread in that I see no reason to expect anything but total oblivion at death. The concept does not worry me or scare me in the slightest however. As someone once said - death does not scare me much - the actually dying part though terrifies me :) There are not many pleasant ways to go about it it seems. I can only "hope" I manage to find one of them. But the state of being actually dead - bothers me not in the slightest any more. I have made my peace with it by many methods.

But that lack of reason to expect anything after death is not for want of trying. I have engaged in a lot of "spiritual" journeys both with and without the aid of foreign substances of dubious legality. I have encountered many of the experiences that people speak of - such as meeting entities or consciousness that appear to be separate from my own. Out of body experiences. The seeming interconnectedness of all things. And the feeling that the entire universe itself is a conscious all loving entity. There are few such experiences I have read about which I have not myself had. Yet I remain entirely unconvinced that any of it was anything but expressions of my own perturbed consciousness in that moment. I do not believe I actually met other consciousnesses. I do not believe my consciousness actually did leave my brain/body and travel.

Like Gervais I find this does not leave me "hopeless" or devoid of motivation or drive. Quite the opposite. I feel compelled every day to explore this life and my body and what they can do or they can be. For whatever reason I am most drawn to things that involve finding new ways to move and experience my body. Physically, sexually, balance, movement, whatever. I particularly am drawn to capoeira and Jujitsu and "power" versions of Tai Chi and other forms of martial art movements and dance. But also everything from archery to horse riding. But even close up magic and sleight of hand and other forms of physical illusion. Basically anything that hones the finest of motor control and movement I seem to love.

And obviously as I said above I enjoy finding new ways to perturb and play with my consciousness to find what experiences are possible there.

I never did like the phrase "Life is short". After all name one thing you will do that will take longer :) But tongue out of cheek I tend to try to live life as if in a state of emergency. I can only sympathize with those who have said on the thread they have a terminal diagnosis. I can not really imagine what that must be like. But in my own way I try to live my life by the lights of the fact that we technically all have a terminal diagnosis to work with. And that fills me with hope and drive and motivation and lust for life day to day rather than the opposite.

newmember2

No more of these threads?

not religious but have experienced many of the things described by people in the various videos on this channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ6ecjeynusIt_RvpYw9o7Q

baldbear

When I was a child and saw older people I knew pass away I didn't think much of it. Now that I'm older and am seeing people ver close to me die it breaks my heart to think we won't meet again.

But maybe we will.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120805078#Comment_120805078

So access to eternal happiness is largely down to the geographical accident of birth then - if you are lucky enough to be born into a Catholic country and family, you have some home. If you are born into a Muslim country and family, you're screwed to eternal pain and agony.

Did Jesus really think this through?

SouthWesterly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120805595#Comment_120805595

It's obvious you've no idea what your talking about.

Btw , I'm not Catholic...or Protestant and I know lots of people who were Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist who no longer are but share the same life I do.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120806171#Comment_120806171

Religion is the definition of having no idea of what you're talking about.

Peregrinus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120806358#Comment_120806358

This sentence is meaningless. Which is a bit ironic, given what I suspect you may be trying to say.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120806171#Comment_120806171

My parents are Jehovah's Witnesses and say exactly the same thing that you do re peoples of all faith now living as they do.

My mother in law is a follower of Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) and when she goes to her compound in India with thousands of other followers, there are people from all over the world of other faiths there too.

I know Born Again Christians who also say the same thing.

It's a bit of a 'I'm in a cult' hallmark tbh. Proof that it's the 'true religion' as so many other people threw off the shackles of false religion to join their true one.

So you'll have to forgive me if I don't think people from other faiths joining your religion is a sign of anything at all other than humans being easily led.

taxAHcruel

There are so many different branches and sects and schisms and groupings within Christianity that it is very hard to keep a count. I heard the number 33000 used a few times for this which apparently came from the World Christian Encyclopedia.

What small fraction of the ones I have experienced directly or indirectly share however is a concept of wishing to gently lead the unbeliever to their god or Jesus and to share their knowledge and beliefs in an open and welcoming way.

Either gently and subtly by the lights of "By your fruit you shall be known" where you live a Christian Life openly but without preaching and hope that by your example you lead others to the "Light".

Or by direct preaching from street corners or door to door or on television or with leaflets about the "Good news" and so forth in one form of "evangelism" or another.

Generally however denigration of others in order to elevate yourself and your own knowledge/righteousness over them - is frowned upon in the forms of Christianity I have seen or experienced. So when someone asks a question about their faith with any intent - and they merely snidely comment at them "It's obvious you've no idea what your talking about." before stomping off - this would to them be considered a most unchristian way to act indeed.

But since said user has decided only to tell us what denomination they are not - without giving any indication which of the 33000+ they are - we can only guess as to whether it is considered a Christian Way to act for them and theirs. I imagine it would be considered relatively tame and maybe even quite Christian to maybe the Westboro baptists for example. But whichever grouping it is - if this is how they like to go about things - they can keep it. I will stick to conversing with the more modest and demure and open and welcoming friendly and polite groupings of which there are so many.

smacl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120806358#Comment_120806358

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