Poll: Do you believe in the afterlife?

[4RM3D]

Time for a more serious subject. Do you believe in the afterlife? And how does it affect your actions in this life? I guess believing in the afterlife is mostly tied to a religion and believing in God (one or more). But correct me if I am wrong.

Personally I am far to rational and pragmatic to flat-out believe in things without some logical argument or scientific proof.

But first off, let's say you do believe in the afterlife. The believe is all you need, because for this life is doesn't matter whether there is something beyond or not. It only matters how you act on that (dis)believe. That believe must be comforting, as no matter how shitty this life is, there is always going to be a next. [assumption incoming] And those that believe generally believe the afterlife will be better and longer (for them, at least).

But maybe it doesn't work that way for you?

I'm trying to find some argument that can theoretically prove the possibility of a beyond. But I am not succeeding. The human mind is limited and this theory might go beyond our limit. Anyhow, I would see the afterlife as a destination for our soul with our body as the vessel and our life as the journey. In the same way you use a vehicle to travel from A to B. The problem with this theory (and many others) is that I can't explain the soul. Where does it come from? We are born with a soul? How does that work?

In the end I tend not to believe in the afterlife, but I will always be holding a small glimmer of hope that is the vastness of the universe and in the complexity of life there is something more, until science proves otherwise.

Then there is also the matter of reincarnation. Maybe you don't view it as the afterlife, but as being reborn? Though, if I have to put my money or either the afterlife or reincarnation, I would have to go for afterlife in terms of logic.

Phew... that's enough for now. What are your thoughts or believes?

PS. I haven't mentioned the term 'heaven' (or 'hell') on purpose. Instead, I have used the more general term 'afterlife'. But, if you have an issue with that, please correct me.

EDIT: And I just realized, I've posted this in the wrong forum.

 

[everythingbeeps]

If there is one, it's a state of consciousness we can't really comprehend.

 

[Nooh]

Well, used to believe in heaven as a kid and then I grew up to become a rather steadfast atheist, so the afterlife isn't really something I believe in. Since it's impossible, at least for me, imagining the total lack of consciousness, this is more something I think than I feel, but I find there being no reason at all to believe in an afterlife.

That being said, I don't act like an ass to people because I don't believe in eternal punishment or reward (I'm certain most atheists agree with me there), but rather because I feel it's the right thing to do. It's one of the reasons I find the belief in an afterlife sort of corrupts human morals, if we do something out of fear for punishment or in expectation of reward, we are not simply doing it to help out our common man.

Of course the possibility exists that people do it both because they either fear punishment or expect reward AND because they honestly want to help, but I think it's still a factor which is detrimental to our most fundamental values: Taking care of each other.

After all this, however, when someone has lost someone they cared about, I am not unknown to say "They are in a better place", but that is more for consoling than anything else. I find the phrase "At least they don't need to feel pain any longer" to be more fitting.

 

[IamQ]

I think there is nothing after we die. It's a strange concept. All that we have done and are doing will be impossible. We can't even think about what we've done in the past. We can't do anything. It's not something I can quite imagine. But the world is a strange place, and as we all know, our world can also be quite cruel, and no ammount of karma can save you from the cruelty of death.

 

[Terminate421]

Yes, because then if there wasn't one, life would suck knowing that we only have a limited time before....we get put in the dirt. Thats it. I want to enjoy life but I also want to know it wasn't just for being there.

 

[Kiefer13]

No, I don't believe in an afterlife. The thought of there not being one doesn't bother me in the slightest either.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

I believe there is an afterlife but that nobody has any idea what is like. It's comforting to think that after death my soul will move on instead of just believing I'll be a pile of meat.

 

[Meta 99]

I want there to be, but I can't say that I do. Still, if there was one, I want it to be the Norse one!

 

[Kolby Jack]

I can't shake the feeling that there is something more to us and life in general. Perhaps it's just denial, but whatever it is, I can't help but feel like death isn't the end.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

I doubt there's anything after death. I hope it turns out I'm wrong... I just don't see or feel like there's any reason for there to be anything afterward. I imagine that it's probably just like going to sleep, except without the dreaming or waking up parts.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

I don't.

I already have a job/videogames/music, I don't need the afterlife and facebook.

Already got plenty of bullshit distractions.

 

[Olivia Faraday]

I believe that being dead is the exact same thing as not yet being born.

And I find that comforting.

 

[NightHawk21]

I don't know. I think that if an afterlife exists, it is beyond our comprehension. That being said, I'm putting my money on scientists find a way to make us immortal and me never having to find out.

 

[Ham_authority95]

I believe that there is nothing spiritually. Doesn't bother me much, but it's hard to get my head around.

I also believe that the chemicals in your brain get rearranged in such a way that you loose perception of time and space, fooling you into thinking you're experiencing an afterlife. Kind of like 30 gallons of LSD being poured onto your brain.

 

[Soviet Steve]

Once brain ceases to function you lose the ability to track the passage of time or to think. I was fine with it for 12ish billion years before I came into existence so I'm fine with going back to that.

If you die in a manner that leads to oxygen deprivation in the brain you get high before you die, so if you have a nice trip I guess you could call that the afterlife. I'm not fuzzed either way though, enjoy life while it lasts, and if something good comes after it, so much the better, I just haven't seen anything indicating that.

 

[DalekJaas]

Like how the title says in 'the' afterlife instead of 'an' afterlife, implying there is one. I am not going to care when I'm dead, you know why? Because I will dead. No brain function, everything we are is in our heads, all of the imagination that creates nonsense notions like God and afterlife. As soon as your brain stops processing, you cease to exist.

 

[lobster1077]

Doesn't concern me by the time I time I die I'll be busy being dead, right Zach?

 

[Alaster Angelo]

I like to think that there's an afterlife of some kind. The thought of my existence just ending one cold winter night all alone in a purple, feather stuffed bed 70 years from now because I'm depressed that my wife had died a month earlier is kinda depressing.

EDIT: Of the choices on the poll I like reincarnation the most. Being reincarnated into a better looking, more talented, more successful person would be so awesome.

 

[Zaverexus]

I do not believe in any such thing.
A bit morbid perhaps, but I've come to terms with it.
Forces you to live the life you want.