[Bellissima]

(Original post by Chucklefiend)
I personally find the notion of some variation of reincarnation quite intuitive and appealing. I wouldn't say that I think that it's necessarily going to happen, but I do entertain the possibility. When one considers the probably infinite vastness of the universe and the potential multitude of continuously branching parallel universes the concept doesn't seem so preposterous really.

do you think, if we reincarnate as humans for example, then that may as well count as "nothing/oblivion" as we wouldn't remeber our life... it would be a new person... part of what makes me me are my experiences and what has happened to me..

[ChampEon]

I believe that when people die, they're in a deep sleep (their souls that is, their bodies may have disintegrated for all I know). Then they're awoken on the Day of Judgement when all life has ceased and all will be judged in front of Allah/God based on their good and bad deeds. Oh and everyone will be allowed to see God for the first time. Anyway, if more good deeds than bad, off to heaven. If not... well you know. Also I reject the idea of ghosts and 'contacting' people once they're dead, cos the dead simply can't hear you.

[Retrodiction]

(Original post by Bellissima)
ok it's too late for this.. or early.. if it's keeping you entertained then cool.

Are you disrespecting somebody's religious beliefs? Are only some religious myths acceptable?

[Bellissima]

(Original post by Retrodiction)
Are you disrespecting somebody's religious beliefs? Are only some religious myths acceptable?

no i'm ignoring a troll trying to get positive rep.

[Bellissima]

dd

[ChampEon]

(Original post by SarahY90)
Attachment 141470

He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake... So be good for goodness sake!

You can make fun of me as much as you like, I was just saying that's what I believe

And I don't mean you have to have good deeds on you're mind all the time (cos we are human after all and make mistakes), just saying we should think twice before doing something bad. 'Tis all.

[MancBoy]

Hopefully there is an afterlife. I mean there are countless reports of the 'light at the end of the tunnel', angels, ghosts etc which suggest there is some osrt of afterlife but you will never know. Nobody will. Those who believe that there is the end, nothing, blackness etc after death, I really feel sorry for them because for these people dying is going to be a REALLY scary experience.

[Repressor]

(Original post by Bellissima)
what about physics?

It's trying to solve all those problems?

[Akinfenwa]

The though of eternal nothingness is a scary one, but when you think about it, spending eternity anywhere including Heaven would probably get boring after a while.

Eternity's a hard thing to comprehend.

Who knows, my favourite concept would probably be reincarnation with no memory of previous lives. Fingers crossed !

[Chucklefiend]

(Original post by Bellissima)
do you think, if we reincarnate as humans for example, then that may as well count as "nothing/oblivion" as we wouldn't remeber our life... it would be a new person... part of what makes me me are my experiences and what has happened to me..

Firstly let me clarify that my view of reincarnation is not conventional. In conventional Buddhist and Hindu interpretations reincarnation is based on a metaphysical eternal soul and an endless cycle of death and rebirth. There is a sense of continuity in this model, as 'karmic energy' obtained in one life is said to impact on the agreeableness of the next. Moreover a hierarchy is inferred in which souls can develop and work their way up the ladder towards nirvana. This ostensibly implies a linear progression and some form on continuity, whether this extends to memories is unclear, at least to me, but perhaps that is due to my ignorance. I cannot conceive of how one would progress and develop into an enlightened individual without retaining the lessons learned in previous lives, but again my understanding is somewhat tenuous.

In any case, like I said, my interpretation of reincarnation is not conventional. As a student of the sciences I find it difficult to believe in something for which there is no evidence, not even indirect or circumstantial. Therefore the concept of a metaphysical soul is somewhat troublesome to me, this is not to say that I rule it out as a possibility. However, I prefer a version based on either the likely infinite nature of the universe, or the postulated existence of the multiverse.

If the universe is infinite in either time or spacial extent then by definition, anything that can happen, no matter how improbable, will happen not once but an infinite number of times. Since we know that your existence is possible because you're here thinking and breathing right now, we can infer that you will not exist only once but an infinite number of times. It is unlikely that you'll retain your memories in this model since there is no continuity in your consciousness.

In the parallel worlds model based of the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, this universe is constantly splitting and branching off from each other. Thus at any given moment all potential states are actualized. Due to our linear interpretation of time and cause and effect, we only ever experience one timeline. However imagine that tomorrow you go out to buy a lottery ticket then let us consider two potential states: the first entails that you successfully purchase your lottery ticket and subsequently win the jackpot, the second that you are hit by a car and are killed. Again I emphasize that both states are actualized. Now who's to say which is you? Or even that both are you? Both instances of you are identical in every way both physically and mentally, they are separated only by an instant. It could be said that they have much more in common with 'you' of today, than the 'you' today has in common with the 'you' of ten years ago. Now if you consider that the 'you' of today and the 'you' of ten years ago are the same individual, then it seems somewhat of a contradiction to assert the the potential states of 'you' in the future are separate entities.

[Bellissima]

(Original post by Repressor)
It's trying to solve all those problems?

yes but it hasn't yet has it. i'm not saying what i said is true... just some of the many possibilities.

[Chucklefiend]

(Original post by SarahY90)
I may not know what happens if you're good, but if you're bad I bet you get to spend eternity reading this post.

That bad is it?

[Ireth00]

(Original post by MancBoy)
Hopefully there is an afterlife. I mean there are countless reports of the 'light at the end of the tunnel', angels, ghosts etc which suggest there is some osrt of afterlife but you will never know. Nobody will. Those who believe that there is the end, nothing, blackness etc after death, I really feel sorry for them because for these people dying is going to be a REALLY scary experience.

Obviously your opinion on life after death is different than mine, but I don't have a problem with that. What bothers me is your last point and how it suggests that that's the independent variable in forming beliefs on this topic. Maybe the moment of death is going to be scary for them, but at least their lives up until that point won't be. As opposed to people who believe in afterlife, who might feel inner peace and have a sense of fulfillment in the moment of dying, but will spend their entire lives up until then trying to win enough credit points to be granted a good afterlife.

[E.Blackadder]

(Original post by Akinfenwa)
The though of eternal nothingness is a scary one, but when you think about it, spending eternity anywhere including Heaven would probably get boring after a while.

how is it scary? you've already spent 13.2 billion years in nothingness. that was pretty peaceful and easy wasn't it? it wasn't boring. it wasn't upsetting. it wasn't scary.

i don't know why people are so afraid of being dead? fear of going through the process of dying i get because we have an evolutionary instinct to survive. but we also have the ability to comprehend and understand death for what it is - a simple termination of brain function due to the cessation of metabolic processes. because of our intelligence and insight we don't have to fear death on base unconscious biological terms. we can embrace it as a part of the natural order things. everything ends, even atoms and stable subatomic particles are decaying. it is healthier to realize this fact than to perpetuate a lie based on alleviating unconscious fear.

[Chucklefiend]

(Original post by Akinfenwa)
The thought of eternal nothingness is a scary one

Is it? I would have thought that in the absence of any perception of time, the notion of eternity would lose all meaning. As Mark Twain once said "I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience."

[The medjai]

The End. No heaven and hell, you will only live in people's memories. Which is why some people bang on about how you should make the most of it. And you know what? They're probably right.

[Retrodiction]

(Original post by Bellissima)
no i'm ignoring a troll trying to get positive rep.

So you automatically assume that somebody putting forward the views of a minor religion is a troll? What, is a religion only good enough for you if it has over a billion followers? Try not being so ignorant.

[Bellissima]

(Original post by Retrodiction)
So you automatically assume that somebody putting forward the views of a minor religion is a troll? What, is a religion only good enough for you if it has over a billion followers? Try not being so ignorant.

no i think the nature and tone of the post makes it pretty obvious, and the nature and tone of all their other posts. you and i both know that that person is just spamming so i don't really know what you're trying to prove. if they were genuine then i would respect their beliefs, but since they are clearly just rep fishing/trolling... i'm not interested. nor am i interested in your posts trying to paint me as somebody i am not.

[SarahY90]

(Original post by Retrodiction)
So you automatically assume that somebody putting forward the views of a minor religion is a troll? What, is a religion only good enough for you if it has over a billion followers? Try not being so ignorant.

Exactly. I think I may be the only follower of the green winged fairy, but that doesn't make it any less special!!

OK I have a confession. I just liked the pretty picture

[fourdigit]

(Original post by Bellissima)
if you think nothing happens and you can't stop yourself from posting, can you just say "nothing" and leave without the lecture about body rotting,no god, no afterlife blah bllah blah, that's not what i'm interested in..

i'm curious what different people believe happens after you die... IF you believe something does happen?

can you explain... not just "yes, we go to heaven".. what do you think heaven is? how do you think it's constructed, what role does god play and do you get to meet him? are other people there?

if you believe in reincarnation, what do you think happens exactly?

or do you have another idea?

I don't believe in religion, like I said earlier because it's man-made. The only person we should trust is ourselves, personally for me. I have not lived long enough to know the credibility of any religious books so for me personally to listen someone who believes this is the whole truth and the other is not.

I don't know who wrote it and everyone of us is reaching the top ladder, this includes the religious gods, other people pray to or worship.

For me, there is God. Simple. Nothing complicated, no books to direct someone how to live, think their life.

In the real world, I don't believe in such books that are perfect. In a way, it's saying something perfect exists in this world but there is no perfectionist person in this world, so...what makes me think there is a perfect book.

It's a rather long story but I'm not religious and I believe in God. God sees this post through my eyes, your eyes, etc.

Strange but that's how I roll.