What happens when you die ??

Ravenous

aord43 said:

Rocker said:

I believe that there is an afterlife where we will meet up with our loved ones, pets and everyone who was important to us in this life. I don't fear death either. If I am wrong, then I am wrong. I can live with that.

How could you possibly believe that?  There's just no plausible way it could be true.

Who cares? Why not just grow up and accept he has a different view to you? (I can.)

english_bob

Kalimna said:

Even though im pretty much on the Dawkins scale of belief...

Er... everyone's on the Dawkins scale.

horse

I always find it surprising how certain / confident some people can feel about things which, to me at least, seem impossible to be certain about

xibxang

aord43 said:

How could you possibly believe that?  There's just no plausible way it could be true.

I'm not a physicist and I'm definitely not religious but I have a sneaky-sneaky suspicion that once we find out more about quantum mechanics then we're going to be able to prove/disprove "afterlife" one way or another. Also, does anyone know much about the simulation theory? In short, if we're all actually pieces of code that are "living" on a computer, then this implies that there is a creator.

Sassafras

Make the most of what you've got, this is as good as it gets.

Wolfetone

I believe that our existence is so unbelievably fantastic, that there must surely be more to our being than the physical aspect.

The human (and animal) form is a mystifying and wonderful creation that still confounds understanding and science. As it's unravelled, the more astonishing it becomes. Our bodies are fantastic machines and it's 'operating system' could be described as our essence or 'soul'. It's well within the realms of my thinking that the physical and being are two separate things and therefore capable of different endings.

Putting my cards firmly on the table, I cannot believe that we weren't created and that there are unbelievable things to be eventually revealed. I am certain that the spirit travels on.

  

mudslide73

In my near death experience I saw bright orange lights and felt very peaceful. I also felt very sure that people who know/knew me would never be far away if I wanted to see them again - this comforted me significantly. I'm not entirely sure morphine didn't have a part to play in this though.

Ravenous

Sassafras said:

Make the most of what you've got, this is as good as it gets.

Yup, the troll's got us again

slacker

My position is hope for the best and expect the worst. I hope there's an afterlife but can live with merely ceasing. The one thing I will expect is significant amounts of morphine, I'm not going to be worried about an overdose at that point. 

Sporky

Ravenous said:

Who cares? Why not just grow up and accept he has a different view to you? (I can.)

Is there really a need to tell people to grow up just because you disagree with them?

Wolfetone

richardhomer said:

Even if intended humorously - a questionable thread....

I've never considered myself religious - but I believe in the concept of people having a soul - the 'core' of what they are as people. I'm not necessarily suggesting this exists outside of the mind - but in computer terms - it's akin to their 'operating system' to me. 

I recently attended the funeral of friend who was just a few weeks younger than me. I found it profoundly depressing - partly because I was saying goodbye to someone relatively young - that seemed so unfair - and I think partly because it was a Humanist service and in that sense it really 'was' the end. No commending him to God, no hope of an afterlife; the end.

I suspect those who believe in an afterlife probably greet death slightly more positively than those who don't. Even if their faith is ultimately misplaced, I can see tremendous merit in it....

From what you've written, I think you believe broadly the same way that I do. 

It prompted me to remember what someone told me once and that was that people of faith have one thing other's don't and that is 'Hope'. 

I believe that 'Hope' is a driver for many and the reason why many don't give up when faced with adversity. I would prefer to live my life in a state of hope than in the certainty of eternal blackness. I think that the eternity of blackness makes it difficult to validate life and it's wonders, all that purpose and then nothing. I don't 'feel' that it's right to think that way.

aord43

xibxang said:

aord43 said:

How could you possibly believe that?  There's just no plausible way it could be true.

I'm not a physicist and I'm definitely not religious but I have a sneaky-sneaky suspicion that once we find out more about quantum mechanics then we're going to be able to prove/disprove "afterlife" one way or another. Also, does anyone know much about the simulation theory? In short, if we're all actually pieces of code that are "living" on a computer, then this implies that there

is a creator.  

True, and the argument is a persuasive one. But a creator of a simulation is different from most religions' idea of God, and also simply moves the question one step further away.

aord43

Wolfetone said:

I believe that our existence is so unbelievably fantastic, that there must surely be more to our being than the physical aspect.

The human (and animal) form is a mystifying and wonderful creation that still confounds understanding and science. As it's unravelled, the more astonishing it becomes. Our bodies are fantastic machines and it's 'operating system' could be described as our essence or 'soul'. It's well within the realms of my thinking that the physical and being are two separate things and therefore capable of different endings.

Putting my cards firmly on the table, I cannot believe that we weren't created and that there are unbelievable things to be eventually revealed. I am certain that the spirit travels on.

  

This is just "the argument from personal incredulity".  There are many things in the modern world that people from 1000 years ago would find impossible.
Just because you can't understand something is not an argument for magic.

aord43

Ravenous said:

aord43 said:

Rocker said:

I believe that there is an afterlife where we will meet up with our loved ones, pets and everyone who was important to us in this life. I don't fear death either. If I am wrong, then I am wrong. I can live with that.

How could you possibly believe that?  There's just no plausible way it could be true.

Who cares? Why not just grow up and accept he has a different view to you? (I can.)

I accept that he has another view - how could I not? He has stated so himself!
However I like to understand people's thought processes, especially when they have views so different from my own that I cannot see how they got to that point.

Education is constant. I refuse to shut up and mind my own business when there is so much to learn in the world.  And I don't believe you can argue against understanding people's point of view.  If more people did so perhaps the world would be a better place...on second thoughts, not much chance of that!

equalsql

In an infinite number of universes, with an infinite number of possibilities, then the chances of your consciousness being reborn is perfectly possible. It may not happen for trillions of years, but if you have no concept of time when dead then your 'rebirth' would, from your perspective, be instantaneous.

Shit man... This is good weed. 

fields5069

equalsql said:

In an infinite number of universes, with an infinite number of possibilities, then the chances of your consciousness being reborn is perfectly possible. It may not happen for trillions of years, but if you have no concept of time when dead then your 'rebirth' would, from your perspective, be instantaneous.

Shit man... This is good weed. 

And this, I would say, is pretty much the same as no afterlife, since you have nothing to look forward to.

equalsql

mudslide73 said:

In my near death experience I saw bright orange lights and felt very peaceful. I also felt very sure that people who know/knew me would never be far away if I wanted to see them again - this comforted me significantly. I'm not entirely sure morphine didn't have a part to play in this though.

Blimey old fruit, I didn't realise you'd been that close to the wire.

not_the_dj

There's a disappointing lack of youtube videos from the OP in this thread.

fields5069

equalsql said:

mudslide73 said:

In my near death experience I saw bright orange lights and felt very peaceful. I also felt very sure that people who know/knew me would never be far away if I wanted to see them again - this comforted me significantly. I'm not entirely sure morphine didn't have a part to play in this though.

Blimey old fruit, I didn't realise you'd been that close to the wire.

This is probably the brain easing the transition as well, but then the question would arise of why the brain would do such a thing. There's no need to make you feel better about death, in the very moment you are dying. Interesting!

menamestom

Wolfetone said:

I believe that 'Hope' is a driver for many and the reason why many don't give up when faced with adversity. I would prefer to live my life in a state of hope than in the certainty of eternal blackness. I think that the eternity of blackness makes it difficult to validate life and it's wonders, all that purpose and then nothing. I don't 'feel' that it's right to think that way.

I look at it the other way, without imagining an afterlife you make sure you live the only life you have as well as possible.  Hope is great, but requiring hope for something after you die so you don't give up sounds far more depressing than eternal blackness.  Hope is best channeled for tangible things in life, not death IMO....Like Bob Marley said, 'If you know what life is worth, you will look for yours on earth'

But whatever gives you comfort, if that's what you need.