Is there an afterlife?

[Delirious]

Just a thought I've had in my mind. Obviously you guys know my point, but what do you believe about afterlife, or the lack thereof? PLEASE give logical and/or written evidence that brings you to the conclusion? Choose wisely, and explain thoroughly.

 

[Zardoz]

Nope. Sorry, but this is all we get, as scary as that may be for the vast majority of us. The burden of proof is on those who think there is something beyond this life, and I have yet to see any evidence that there is.

But we continue to believe, because the concept of our existence coming to an end is so frightening that we choose instead to live a life of profound denial.

 

[Sage]

Logically, it’s impossible to know, because one has to be dead.

One has to believe in a soul (in the religious sense) to believe in an afterlife, since people don’t automatically lose a few pounds the second they die.

I don’t believe in a soul, so I don’t believe in an afterlife.

What’ll happen after I die? I plan on being cremated, which means that all of my molecules will be burnt up except for carbon (and trace amounts of other stuff, I assume). Wherever my ashes happen to be scattered or buried, the carbon will eventually be assimilated back into the soil and used to build up the backbone of both organic and inorganic compounds. Maybe I’ll turn into a diamond eventually, although I’d much rather be the tissue of some animal. If I get really s****y luck, I’ll be part of some evil dictator or dumbface bureaucrat.

 

[luftrofl]

Logically, it’s impossible to know, because one has to be dead.

Exactly. 💡

 

[Delirious]

Psyche in greek means soul...so is psychology the study of the soul?

Just wanted to throw that in.

Proceed.

 

[Sage]

Well, that’s why I put “in the religious sense” in parentheses. I think we’ve already had this discussion on GTP before – soul can be defined as the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal (religious, of course) or a person’s moral or emotional nature or sense of identity (no religious undertones there).

Thus, it totally depends on which definition you’re talking about. I very much believe psychology is the study of the latter.

 

[ShobThaBob]

How the hell am I supposed to know? I've never been dead.

 

[Delirious]

Well do you KNOW there is no afterlife, or that you choose to not believe in an afterlife, so therefore there is no afterlife?

I just want to really see how someone can come to the conclusion that there is no afterlife and know they are correct (if possible).

 

[Raghavan]

I said that we become reincarnated, but im not sure as who (or what) and when and why.

 

[crimson_menace]

Well, I suppose I'll just be reborn, somewhere, and enjoy another life, or something...

 

[Delirious]

But how do you guys come to those conclusions?? How do you KNOW that's what's going to happen? Is it a guess? Something you believe or know by faith or science? That's what I really want to focus in on is how you come to that conclusion.

See...if there is an afterlife (for the sake of argument) which would most likely be an eternity long (or would it not?) This life is short compared to an eternity...so it may want to be something to invest a little more time and thought in, being where you will go for afterlife.

And no, this doesn't have to be a religious debate. This is solely focused on if there is an afterlife and how you know there is or is not one.

 

[Raghavan]

I don't know, but that's just what i believe, and what my parents told me to believe.

 

[Zrow]

Think about what consiousness is. It's the sum of all parts of the electric impulses running through your brain, right? Once that ends, you pretty much end, as there is nothing left to inhabit an afterlife.

 

[Sage]

Well do you KNOW there is no afterlife, or that you choose to not believe in an afterlife, so therefore there is no afterlife?

As I said, I know there is no spiritual soul, so logically there can be no afterlife.

By “know”, I mean know as much as my (and others’) senses can tell me. I know there is no soul as much as I know that this computer in front of me exists – I think you can agree with me that I can factually say this computer exists, based on what we can sense, but there is always the possibility that my senses are actually being warped by some supernatural being, and so this computer doesn’t really exist; however, it is physically impossible for us to find out if that’s the case, thus we humans have to make the assumption that we can trust our senses (otherwise we’d never get anything done, fearing that everything is just some holographic projection).

So I “know” there is no afterlife to the same extent that I “know” I’m typing or that my lamp is on – it could all be an illusion, but in that case we know nothing.

 

[Burnout]

As I said, I know there is no spiritual soul, so logically there can be no afterlife.

By “know”, I mean know as much as my (and others’) senses can tell me. I know there is no soul as much as I know that this computer in front of me exists – I think you can agree with me that I can factually say this computer exists, based on what we can sense, but there is always the possibility that my senses are actually being warped by some supernatural being, and so this computer doesn’t really exist; however, it is physically impossible for us to find out if that’s the case, thus we humans have to make the assumption that we can trust our senses (otherwise we’d never get anything done, fearing that everything is just some holographic projection).

So I “know” there is no afterlife to the same extent that I “know” I’m typing or that my lamp is on – it could all be an illusion, but in that case we know nothing.

Now you're thinking too hard.

Keep in mind that everything is simply energy when broken down completely. I'm a Christian, and I still believe this is true, and there is no reason to believe beyond that. But for the sake of my point of view, some would say that God is light, which is if I remember correctly the same thing as raw energy... The whole thing is pretty confusing.

And, to go along with the subject, I believe there is an afterlife, as in, Heaven and Hell. So that's where I stand.

 

[Zrow]

As I said, I know there is no spiritual soul, so logically there can be no afterlife.

By “know”, I mean know as much as my (and others’) senses can tell me. I know there is no soul as much as I know that this computer in front of me exists – I think you can agree with me that I can factually say this computer exists, based on what we can sense, but there is always the possibility that my senses are actually being warped by some supernatural being, and so this computer doesn’t really exist; however, it is physically impossible for us to find out if that’s the case, thus we humans have to make the assumption that we can trust our senses (otherwise we’d never get anything done, fearing that everything is just some holographic projection).

So I “know” there is no afterlife to the same extent that I “know” I’m typing or that my lamp is on – it could all be an illusion, but in that case we know nothing.

Starting to sound like a buddhist, Sage. Minus the whole reincarnation thing.

 

[Powripper]

I'll find out when I die....Or I won't.

 

[Casio]

I'm with the reincarnation.

For all you know, you've all been reincarnated. Many times. You just get your memory wiped each time. However, then are you technically the same person? I don't feel that if I get reincarnated and then can't remember that I lived before, that I'd be completely happy.

Unless of course, you remember on a subconscious level, to not make the mistakes you did in your past life, and so on and so forth until spiritual completion...Maybe...

Wikipedia (The new bible), gives us these options 4.

* People live on this earth, and then live in some kind of afterlife for the rest of eternity - variously called heaven (paradise) or hell, or the Kingdom of the Dead, or some higher plane, or similar. They do not return to earth as such.

As cool as the 'Kingdom of the Dead' sounds. It's not going to happen

* People die, but will return to the earth or are revived in some final Judgement, or at some final battle (eg the Norse Ragnarok). They may go to heaven or hell at that time, or live again and repopulate the earth. This is often called an apocalyptic vision of the future.
This seems like option 1 but so much more awesome. Final battles, repopulating the earth....Can you go wrong

* People die, and are returned to this or another existence continually, their form upon return being of a 'higher' or 'lower' kind depending upon the virtue (moral quality) of their present life. This is often called Transmigration.
At my rate, I'm going to be some kind of sewer rat. Also, who desides the moral quality of my life. I hope I get to.

* People die, go through inner planes and return, re-birth, (usually or often) as new human beings. Strictly, it is this which is known as reincarnation (also called "rebirth"). In many versions, eventually there is the potential to escape the cycle, eg by joining God, enlightenment, some kind of self-realization, a spiritual rebirth, entering a spiritual realm, etc.
This is what I'm going for. It keeps your options open. You start being human over and over, then one day, you may the chance to go to God and do whatever God does. I can imagine the gameshow now..

 

[Small_Fryz]

Something happens, i dont belive we just cease to exist, but what excatly happens im not sure.

 

[Pebb]

I want to be re-incarnated into another man. Who becomes very rich like 18 years later.

 

[Shannon]

When I die and am buried (or cremated), eventually my corpse (or ashes) will decompose back into the earth. Dust to dust, so to speak. The only thing I am certain of is that eventually I'll end up being something.

Maybe once we die, that's it. Or maybe we do get re-incarnated (although, I'm just as fond of this as I am of simply lying there rotting). The past does not exist, only our memories of it. So, if I am reborn without knowledge of what I was before, I may as well just be 6 foot under for all my previous self cares. Or maybe our current life is a dream, and death is simply "waking up"?

Edit: I have a question for believers of heaven and hell. If such a place exists, is there heaven for animals? Dogs, cats, fish? After all, we as humans are animals just the same, right?

 

[Small_Fryz]

ah, but religious people look at humans to be the "king" of animals, we are "above" them and they are below us.

Im not sure what happens to animals when they die.

like insects and ants etc. who knows?

 

[Casio]

Edit: I have a question for believers of heaven and hell. If such a place exists, is there heaven for animals? Dogs, cats, fish? After all, we as humans are animals just the same, right?

Don't you have to believe in God to get to heaven? I could be completely wrong, but, I don't think it is within a Dog or Cat's mental power to think at such a high level.....Never the less a fish.

 

[James2097]

Nope. Sorry, but this is all we get, as scary as that may be for the vast majority of us. The burden of proof is on those who think there is something beyond this life, and I have yet to see any evidence that there is.

But we continue to believe, because the concept of our existence coming to an end is so frightening that we choose instead to live a life of profound denial.

Couldn't put it better myself. The burden of proof is indeed on those who DO believe something will happen. According to everything we understand about all forms of life, once something dies, its dead in every sense of the word. Same as a donkey, same as a dog or even a mouse or a spider. Your brain and heart cease to function, all thought stops forever. Your body then starts to decompose and gets eaten by worms/bacteria and generally rots away into the dirt. You are dead. Thats it. There is no soul or any such non-physical escape for your mind or thoughts. This concept is simply crazy, there is no such evidence to suggest anything even remotely like that. You simply do not exist to any degree whatsoever. Anyone thinking otherwise is simply in fear and denial about the reality and absolute finality of death.


If this is hard to come to terms with:

You may be dead and gone, but its PARTY TIME FOR ALL THOSE LITTLE WORMIES!! 👍
Your body provides much needed nutrition to lower life-forms!*

*Unless you get cremated, in which case you don't do anything beneficial, other than save some cementary space for more lovely dead people (very considerate).

 

[Shannon]

Don't you have to believe in God to get to heaven? I could be completely wrong, but, I don't think it is within a Dog or Cat's mental power to think at such a high level.....Never the less a fish.

Really? So you have to believe in God to go to heaven, yet he loves us all, including axe murderers?

So, God made the rule you have to believe in him to go to heaven. And God created all living things and only gave the mental power of believing in him to humans? This is just more ammunition to add to my "religion-is-a-load-of-crap" belief (no offense to any religious people here of course).

 

[Duke]

Yes, there's an afterlife. After I live, I die. There's not an afterdeath, however.

Well do you KNOW there is no afterlife, or that you choose to not believe in an afterlife, so therefore there is no afterlife?

There is no positive evidence of an afterlife. There is no evidence of any kind that there isn't an afterlife, either. However, if I believed in everything that there isn't proof doesn't exist, I would be a quivering mass of human pudding in the corner of a nut house. I'd have to spend my entire life dreaming up things that might exist just so I could believe in them.

So, I prefer to only believe in things of which I have positive proof, or can logically deduce must exist.

 

[xXSilencerXx]

I'm a Christian so my position is obvious. I belive there is a heaven and hell. I believe I will be going to heaven if I were to die right now but I can still screw that up by being extremely sinful in the future.

Edit: I have a question for believers of heaven and hell. If such a place exists, is there heaven for animals? Dogs, cats, fish? After all, we as humans are animals just the same, right?

No they don't go anywhere because they don't have a soul. It's not a matter whether they belive or not which they can't as they are to stupid to do so.

Really? So you have to believe in God to go to heaven, yet he loves us all, including axe murderers?

So, God made the rule you have to believe in him to go to heaven. And God created all living things and only gave the mental power of believing in him to humans? This is just more ammunition to add to my "religion-is-a-load-of-crap" belief (no offense to any religious people here of course).

NO you don't have to just believe in Him you have to also live, how should I put it, more righteously than before. If you were a God, would you just let everyone in including the ones who said you weren't real that you were a load of s***. I don't think so.

Edit: We are the only ones created in his image. We are the only ones he gave the breath of life in the sense we are the only ones he gave a soul.

 

[Famine]

Yes, there's an afterlife. After I live, I die. There's not an afterdeath, however.

There is no positive evidence of an afterlife. There is no evidence of any kind that there isn't an afterlife, either. However, if I believed in everything that there isn't proof doesn't exist, I would be a quivering mass of human pudding in the corner of a nut house. I'd have to spend my entire life dreaming up things that might exist just so I could believe in them.

So, I prefer to only believe in things of which I have positive proof, or can logically deduce must exist.

Badda-bing.

 

[Sage]

And there’s what I was trying to say in a way-too-long-winded way.

 

[Danoff]

I have limited evidence to base a theory on, but I do have some evidence.

You ask me what I perceive after I die.

I'll tell you what I perceived before I was born - nothing. I have no reason to think death will be any different. The evidence supports the theory that I will simply cease to exist at death.