Join the Discussion | With Eyes Open

In response to Jamie from CA 's message...I would ask that you take some time to read the Bible that you refer to. I think that you;ll come to know a God who Loves you and who created you soul. Your soul is YOU, the essence of you. Yes we will have new and perfect bodies in heaven, and every tear will be wiped away, but you will still be you. Who we are is not in our bodies. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we earn our way into heaven with the things that we do here on earth, we follow God's plan for living (ie the ten Commandments) in RESPONSE to God's love for us. Read what Jesus actually said on this matter anywhere in the New Testament and you'll see that He never meant for us to assume that we earned our way into Heaven. Oh, and if you're not sure that Jesus is who he said He is, I would highly recommend a book by Lee Strobel called The Case For Christ...it's a very logical rationaly look at the facts that can lead to Faith in Christ as your Saviour. Blessings.

if heaven does exists which i believe it does i would want it to be like a huge palace on the clouds where all your wishes come true beside the rainbow and wonderful animals.
i would want my name echoing out i want god to call out my name and say why i am here

"For the living know that they shall die, but the dead knoweth not anything, neither have they anymore a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten... Also their love and their hatred, and their envy is now perished:neither have they anymore a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun."Eccles 9:5,6 I do not believe in life immediately after death,I believe based on Bible principles that when you die, your thoughts perish with you, and the Breath of life that God has given you, goes back to GOD. You do not go directly to heaven nor does the unrighteous go to hell, both die together and are in the same state, like a deep sleep, where there is no consciousness. I do believe however that when Jesus returns He will awaken the righteous out of their "sleep" and both the righteous living and those that were dead will be changed and made incorruptible, taht is our earthly bodies will be transformed and we will put on immortality! The "afterlife" only comes after King Jesus returns. The unrighteous will endure a second death where it will be like they never existed. They is no verlasting fire. God is not unmerciful to allow people to suffer forever

An after life is real as we can see within a day we transform into somany kinds of mood and reactions towards the same people and events. It also denotes why there should be so much of differences in personalities, beliefs and practices among mankind, it is definitely a continuation of the previous life.When we watch our thought patterns..it is attuned to certain kind of vibration which variates from others...is it the genes or the previous life...I feel memorials should carry born and to be continues not departed. If heaven exist, during my arrival there I want to hear someone saying that I have done a good job..welcome...

Take a deep breath. You are alive. Look at your hands. They are miracles. You're eyes, they are like diamonds. Feel lucky you are alive. The afterlife? Let that come later. You have a lot that you can do while you are still here.

I lost my husband about a month ago I was holding him when he passed his eyes looked as if he was seeing something could it have been the death angel?my husband was a christian [born again] I am also a born again christian and belive our souls go back to God who gave it but is he in heaven now?or a place of rest untill the rapture?

Nonphysicality implies nonlocality, i.e. indepen- dence from the space/time continuum. So the term 'afterlife' is oxymoronic in terms of our per- ception of life's linearity. It makes more sense to use a term which implies reconnection with the essence during the non-intervals in which we are not individuized. A term which implies 'other than' life as we know it, but not 'after' (or before, for that matter). Any suggestions?

There is another life/dimension that the soul goes to, and evualuates the lives lived and their meaning as related to the perfection of the soul growth is determined. The first thing I want to hear is my Mother's voice welcoming me home.

I was fascinated with Rabbi David Wolpe's story comparing death with two twins in the womb. Does anyone know where I can find a printed version of the entire tale?

I strongly believe in a hereafter although not necessarily in the Judeo-Christian concept of this phenonmenum. First,there is the logic of it manifesting itself in the form of matter, always exisitng yet ever changing. How can one observe the universe in all its ever-changing forms of matter and not believe. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to use the term 'continuing-life' rather than 'after- life' for in truth does life ever really end?

But beyond logic there are the feelings, the intuitive feelings we all have to a greater or lesser degree. These are the feelings that cause us to continue to search for this elusive dimension, the "afterlife", this 'place' that we feel will utimately satisfy the soul in us.This quest, this curiosity will never leave us and it ususally grows stronger as we age, perhaps from the fear of changes that we know are inevitable in all of us but also because these feelings in themselves are just a part of the inexplicable process of life's continuum. And finally, if neither logic nor feelings convince one, then having a personal experience with being with a loved one at the time of their death will give one a sense of ultimate proof that this life/death experience is indeed a continuing process, and that life in all its varying stages and forms is a process to be treated with a deep reverence.

A most interesting list of statements! For me, a discussion is more than just a place and time to express my beliefs. I enter this house to learn, and one can learn a lot by accepting each person's statement as possible truth. Yes, if one says he is an athiest, he is right for the time and place of saying it. But the soldier's statement is true as well --there are no athiests in foxholes. If an event or a particular sighting comes to that person, the belief of the moment is wiped clear and a derivative takes its place. We cannot exist without a system of beliefs, and as long as they remain rational within the system of that person's understanding and intake of new horizons, an overall conclusion must exist.

We can be agnostic, with some effort trying to be noncommittal, for a time. And I believe that is far better than fanaticism of any kind, and at least the equal in one's own mind to a self-satisfied belief in God and a "hereafter" that has no proof. But then, what is proof? To one person, the proof of his own existence was "I think, therefore I am." How far can we go with logical reasoning? Faith is a belief in something, such as "I believe that this object I hold in my fingers is a pencil." Belief and faith are, however, two different facets of the same jewel, yet related to the whole --and this, too, is a belief.

I try to be a logical person and would prefer to believe that most other people resemble me in this regard. That's why I find it a bit unnerving that the vast majority of these "posters" are "sure" that there is some sort of afterlife.

One post that caught my eye mentioned that it is time to "stop believing that Zeus is up there throwing down thunderbolts", and mentioned that out of the billions and billions of humans that have lived and died, we have not ONE iota of solid proof of an afterlife. This person sounds very logical; not that he wants to believe that there is no afterlife; its just rather difficult to do otherwise under the circumstances.

I don't think there is any logical reason to believe that post-death is any different than pre-birth. I mean, unless you're Shirley McLaine, I doubt if you can recall what you were doing exactly 200 years ago today. My recollection of those times is only what I have seen and read about in THIS life. Also, it seems to be more and more apparent that our consciousness is composed of electrical patterns generated by the billions of brain cells in our heads. No brain = No consciousness. Period. End of Story!

There is one tiny little snag in this that I wonder about, however; this is how modern physicists say that space is expanding, like a loaf of bread baking in an oven. I find it difficult to imagine something that has a point of origination and no endpoint, but then again, I should think it would be difficult for the average Siamese cat to imagine the construction of a space shuttle, and yet it has been done. This applies to the pre-birth=post-death analogy. If we did have a past life, (which I doubt very much), its a totally moot point since I don't remember any of it (them) anyway. I mean, I am not proud enough to believe that just because something seems implausible or illogical to my brain means that it is impossible in this vast cosmos. So, perhaps we are born and then live on into eternity as souls. Who knows!!!

I did see another's post that stated that he believed that the ego was the devil; Interesting... Anyway, having said all of this, you might perhaps understand why, when asked what religion I am, I always say very confidently, "Devout Agnostic!"

Well, thanks for letting me vent. I have a mother who is devoutly Catholic because her mom told her that either there was an afterlife (Catholic, of course), or there wasn't. She would say, "If its true and you've been a good girl, you'll go to Heaven; if it's a lie, you'll never know it anyway!" I think that Sucks Totally!!! That philosophy compells one to base their life on something that is almost certainly false.

There is an afterlife. Let me convince you: My soul-mate wife of 12 years died in my care on February 12, 2000, after a 7-month battle with stomach cancer. The last month of her life was spent in hospice care, with me as the primary care-giver. I was with her to her last breath. I experienced, through her, some visions of the after-life that I will share with you.

On one occasion, she was sitting on a sofa in our well-lit living room, facing the stairway. I happened to be standing somewhat in front of her when she motioned with her arm for me to step to one side. Slightly puzzled, I did so, and she gazed past me at the stairway and said, "Grandma!" as a look of extreme joy spread across her face. This might not seem to mean much, but she never ever had seen her Grandma in her life. Her Grandma died in Warsaw, Poland during Hilter's occupation and my wife (Anna) was born in 1946 in Berlin, Germany.

The second occurrence that convinces me of life-after-death occurred when a hospice-appointed chaplain came to visit. We both went into the bedroom where Anna was resting at took up a position at the bedside. The chaplain was explaining to Anna a story of a elderly (80-plus) man who was having a difficult time accepting his inevitable death. In the middle of this story, Anna said, "I see it now! It is so clear! I see it all, now!". The chaplain and I looked at each other, not knowing what to make of it. I asked Anna what she saw and she replied, "I'll tell you later, during a quiet time.". (She had never before used those words "quiet time")

Later that evening, after the chaplain had left, I went to Anna's side and asked her what she had seen. She said the following:

Everyone has a light.
They are all different colored lights.
Man has a light.
Woman has a light.
And, they are the same.

I was puzzled by her statements, but within weeks after her death, I have resolved to my satisfaction what she was telling me. She was telling me that everyone has a soul, and although they are all individual souls, they all come from the same source. The amazing thing is, that explanation fits no matter what religion you happen to be, even atheist or agnostic. It does not address the existence of a God or gods, nor does it provide any concrete answers about the unkown. What it does, is it reaffirms the necessity for us to love one another. Hence, my philosophy of life has changed and I now believe that the most important thing that anyone can do is to express their acceptance and love toward others.

Anna had other "revelations", all of them glorious. Her journey has led me to accept that death is a departure from our mortal existence into a plane is one that I can only describe as worshipful. In closing, let me say that I will always grieve for Anna. Her short time with me will probably prove to be the best years of my life, no matter how long I live.

I work with hospice and have been present at the moment of death for several patients (both of my parents also) . the conversations that take place between the dying person and unseen beings whoever they may be (angels, dead relatives, Jesus, etc.) are incredible. their expressions are of disbelief, relief, joy but i have not yet encountered one of fear. i truly believe we are not alone at the moment of death whether there are people there or not and that we continue to live on - on a different plane. there is always someone there to greet you as you pass over to the other side.

We suddenly seemed to appear at this point in time, so we may have come from somewhere and hence may be going somewhere. On the other hand we may be a one off piece of an ongoing experiment that is retired at the end of its action. I don't know. I sense there is more but fear their may not be. On the otherhand I also fear there maybe since existing is not easy, even for someone like me who has had a fairly easy life compared to some. In the final analysis, I think Pascal's wager probably makes sense. I yearn to get a better handle on this before I die and am working on it.

I would like to hear from heaven that I am on a journey of positive growth, development and learning and that I get to work with a mentor on the next stage after reviewing this stage.

I most definitely believe in an afterlife. I believe we are old souls in new bodies revisiting good ol' earth and our mission is to become a better person one closer to God. I believe our mission here is to love one another UNCONDITIONALLY as God loves us. The Our Father sums it up, Forgive us our trespassers as we forgive those who trespass against us ... How many of us really and truly forgive yet we ask for God's forgiveness and expect it? I believe our ego is the devil. I believe right now at this moment in time in the year 2000 we are experiencing an incredible amount of spirituality surrounding and involving us. More and more people are getting in touch with their spiritual side. Sometimes it takes a tragedy to do it or an accident. It doesn't matter how it comes, it just does. Thank God. I believe we have a mission here and that we're ALL CONNECTED in one way or another. My mission may be that my death will teach someone to become closer to God. Just this past week I was sitti [email cut-off]

What would I like to hear on my arrival? "Paula, so glad you made it. We've been expecting you." and seeing all my friends and family there to greet me. I'd like to see Mother Theresa at the pearly gates to greet me.

Somehow I know deep in my heart that Heaven exists. We all go there. I beleive we make Heaven and Hell here on earth. Hell is what we make of our lives from the concequences of our thoughts. Cause and effect... Upon arrival to heaven, I would like my name to be spoken by God and the love of my life with immense joy and happiness!

I believe that we live on through others. We affect people every minute of our lives and through them we perpetuate ourselves. This also applies to all of nature.

Personally, I know this sounds kind of jeuvinile but, I would want him to say 'Don't worry I got your bong for you.'

I've had SO many positive indications that there IS an afterlife that I'm interested to see what others have experienced.

However we educate our children, whatever belief system we hold to, we must leave them with a message of hope - the certainty that they will not be forgotten, that they will not be alone among strangers. For these are their basic fears, indeed, all humanity's. Heaven or nirvana or whereever is filled with friends and happiness.

Tell us what you think.

Please note this area is designed as an informal discussion area. If you are looking for help, there are many useful links in our Resources section.