Many cultures or religions have very deffinate ideas about what happens
when you die.  Some have exotic afterlives, some are reborn, some just end
everything there.  What do *you* do?  What do others do?

        Discuss!  

38 responses total.

Are you asking about our personal beliefs about what happens after 
death?

I guess a combination of personal beliefs, and what you know of other
cultures, etc.

If I die, I die.
My dead body will be just an empty shell.

The spark that ignited my life (soul if you will) will return to its 
original state in which it consists of pure energy, and wander until it 
finds a new host. This host could be anything, from an ameuba to a 
human being.

The spark will begin again from scratch with a clean slate, but carries 
some wisdom gathered from previous lives.
There are such things as 'old, wise souls' and young souls, because 
ocassionally a spark will create a new spark.

In this system there are no such things as supernatural beings that 
rule/guide earthly affairs. Souls/sparks just are.

Things like Hell (sorry Inferno) or heaven don't exist and are man made.

"Did you make mankind after we made you, and the Devil too?"
I think that's one of my favorite lines from "Dear God", from XTC.

I don't really feel too firmly attached to my body as it is.  If it dies, I'm
just going to wander around a while having pleasant hallucinations.

I believe that the body is merely a shell, but as to what happens to 
the soul . . . well, I've changed my religion a couple times as it is.  
I tried Christianity, went to worshiping the Egyptian gods, and am 
currently a worshiper of the Norse gods.  Even so, I feel more pull 
towards just reincarnation and away from deities to "the Force" if you 
will.

Granted, given the sins of this life - even if I have attoned for them 
with the people they were committed against, will that help in getting 
me wherever it is I'm going?

Norse Gods, I like that.

You would, Rick :)

Me, I'm trying to sort out all that mess myself.  Although, on a more 
comic note, I wouldn't mind a Norse God or two to worship myself. On 
the serious side, Vidar, how did you arrive at worshipping the Norse 
deities?

Loki?
Odin?
Thor?
Frey or his twin?

Beard of Weyland the Smith!
There are so many!

I dunno . ..  I would prefer a Thor kinda guy with a Loki personality, 
maybe?

Ah?
But they are natural antagonists as Loki in the person of Utgartha-Loki
tricked Thor in more than one ocassion. 
Well, none of the gods is too fond of the trickster anyway.
Yet he is less of a zealot than the others.

Thor is cool though wen he wreaks havoc among Utgarthas subjects and his
hammer drips with blood.

But it's very interesting, a guy who's a walking enigma, no?  :)

The more mysterious one gets to more interesting one becomes.
Enigmas tend to mesmirise people.
It's a win win situation.

Re #8: I think it had something to do with reading "The Children of 
Odin" when I was a sophomore at Community High School.

Re #9: I believe there are exactly 72 Norse dieties.

Is that any thing like "Children of the Corn?"

Gods, I hope not!

No, "The Children of Odin" is one telling of the Norse myths.  Granted, 
in this version, Ragnarok has *already* happened.  Of course, the Norse 
myths are sometimes pretty violent, but it's not violence for the sake 
of violence.

Hence my story.

Exotic afterlife, hmmm?  Well, if you're interested, I might tell you.

You'll have to enlighten me.  I'm actually intrigued. :)

In part, it is a continuous journey towards perfection if one wishes to 
accept it.  The secrets of eternity and the universe.. to become like 
the One who created you.  The concept espouses the idea that there is 
maturation beyond the physical mortality we know now, to immortality 
and life of the Eternal One.  It is a continuation of the empowerment 
that flows without compulsion nor forcing of will; the power that 
springs from the Creator-- truth, light, and life.  Joy of progeny and 
worlds without end.

That is about as inoffensive as I can put it without revealing my 
affiliations of beliefs.  Or perhaps I have already.  I hope no one 
would be offended, for everyone's experience is different.  I can also 
assure you that I have reached these conclusions quite independently.

I tend to agree with that view.
I am convinced there is a distinction between 'old souls' and 'young 
souls'. As a soul matures with each life it gets closer to perfection.
Old souls are wise. It's easy to recognise both kinds.

I don't think 'Old Souls' are inherently wise . . . some take more than 
one lifetime to learn a given lesson.

I don't think you've offended anyone, JL.  Honestly, I do not think that 
references to the One or the Creator automatically mean the Christian 
deity, but that to you the Christian concept of God is the face that you 
put on the One.

I haven't really come to any conclusion about what it is I actually 
believe.  At this point, I'm trying to go be the old adage of "Know 
Thyself."

Incidentally, I am more inclined to believe in reincarnation that I 
probably let on.  I find myself wondering if my neice is the 
reincarnation of my great grandmother who died about 7 months or so 
before Kiara was born.

I tend towards reincarnation too, but not in the karma way of the 
Hindus in which you are punished for the flaws in a former life. 
Each life in my view is a step ahead, never backwards.
One moves faster through the lifes than the other, who needs more steps 
(lifes) to reach that final step.

I haven´t worked it all out, yet, as spīritualism is a rather recent 
thing in me. I have been an agnost for so long.

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I suppose that fear of death is, for many, the reasion for hoping 
there's something after one passes away.

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Many humans have an internal drive to continue their existence, and I 
think it's fairly natural to have a psychological response that avoids 
death.  It is a mark of maturity to fear death, but the Kubler-Rhoss 
theory is very real.

I'll be the first to admit that I fear death.  I don't know why, I just 
do.

I fear a slow, painful death by means of a terrible wrecking disease.
I don't want to fade. I'd rather go with a bang.
Death in itself doesn't scare me, yet I think life has got too much to 
offer me right now.

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Death and dying are two quite different things, and various people tend
to have quite different views about them.  In a bad enough situation,
you'd be reasonable to look forward to or encourage either or both.

I woudl have to agree Walter.  I think it would be more accurate for 
myto day I fear dying.

I would have to agree Walter.  I think it would be more accurate for 
me to say I fear dying.

I have mixed feelings on the death and dying issue.  Scientifically, I 
know that I will be recycled.  However, I prefer to believe that my 
life serves some purpose and wasn't just caused by a universal brain 
fart.

I could care less about losing the body: bodies are inconvinent 
anyway.  What I fear about death is the idea of my accumulated 
knowledge dying with me.  The body is not me.  The mind is me.

The mind passes into another life.
The next life will benefit from it.

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I'm not sure I do feel death.

I've been closer to death more times than most people would be comfortable
with.

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