[timeforsleep]

Do you believe in the afterlife? If you do what do you believe is the nature of the afterlife? Is it eternal? Do we maintain our conscious personality? Do we see family and friends?

[timeforsleep]

I just realized this question may not actually be appropriate for here after giving more than a cursory glance to the topic description. I don't know how to delete it. Sorry if I have caused a problem here.

[Perna]

I was reading recently, in a conversation on fear of death, that there are really only 3 "beliefs" one can have:

Heaven/Hell hereafter (or a variation)
Reincarnation (or a variation)
Nothingness, we're "natural" matter and just "die"

The point of what I was reading is that none of these beliefs are particularly "scary" or bad; one is going to believe the one that makes one feel the best.

I personally believe in a Heaven/Hell hereafter, "onward and upward" scenario.

[moodyblu]

Until we can understand what is "always", "forever", "endless", "infinity"...how can one hope to grasp what is in store for our immortal souls...in this present mortal realm...on this plane of thought.
Sorta like asking a 5 year old what a hundred years is like.
I know what the bible says..."eyes hath not seen...nor ears heard what is in store for us."
That's the beauty of faith; belief in what has never been seen. I know what I believe to be true for me. It's up to you to know what you believe...cause your soul is your own and your consciousness is yours.
Take care...m.b.

[nowheretorun]

i believe the herafter does exist in the form of the legacy we leave.. to our children and all that they do and their children and so on...

the everlasting spirit... like Gods' has survived throghout time because we are all stories... and our story touches everyone around us, even after the physical has left...

[dragonphoto]

I believe that we are put on this earth to discover the answer to life itself, and when we find that answer we move on...my personal belief is Heaven and Hell...But the others work well too.

[Rapunzel]

Timeforsleep, it is fine to ask about what others believe, as long as everyone is able to respect each others' beliefs and accept that there will be differences and everyone has the right to choose what they believe. You probably have a reason for asking this question, and I would like to ask you to tell us more about your journey and what you hope to learn and why?

I believe in eternal life, and in eternal progression. I believe that we are eternal beings, and that the purpose of life is so that we can continue our progression. Yes, I believe that we will continue to exist as ourselves, and that connection to family and friends is very important and will continue. My conceptualization of Hell may be different from most, as I don't think that people will be sent to a place of unending punishment. There are keys that are required for progression, and everyone will have a chance to receive those keys. Some people reject the keys, however, and then through their choices are not able to progress. But you can't reject them without knowing what you are rejecting, so everyone will have a fair chance.

[timeforsleep]

Thanks, for asking Rapunzel. My background is Catholic but I became an atheist as a teenager I think when we die that is all there is. I would prefer that there is something better after all this. I would hope that there is no Hell or reincarnation. I wanted to see why people came to their conclusions that there is an aferlife and perhaps gain some perspective that could open myself up to the possibility.

[Rapunzel]

Those sound like good reasons for asking. I would be happy to talk to you more about what I believe if you want, but it might be better to take it to PM. Let me know if you would like to talk more, okay?

Basically, I think it would be very sad if we died and that was all there was. It seems like it would be a huge waste, and there has to be more of a point than that. I believe that we are so much more than we are in this life, and that we are here for a purpose. I also believe that we existed, as ourselves, before we were born, and that we made choices even then, and had connections to other spirits too, some that we are with in this life and others that may not live on earth at the same time we do. I think that relationships have always been important to us and always will be.

[timeforsleep]

Sure! I would like to talk about it in PM. Thanks!