Do you believe our consciouness lives on after death?

reply to post by godless


There is no evidence that consciousness absolutely requires a structure, only that for consciousness to operate in the physical world it requires a structure. You can state this much based on empirical observations, but not that consciousness absolutely requires a structure. I can logically conceive of the possibility where consciousness can exist without a structure or after the event of you taking a scapel to my brain. Your entire arguments resuts on the assumption that consciousness is being caused by the brain(See thread: "5 Yogas" by Skyfloating for an indepth discussion on this assumption)

Secondly, if we are just a flash in the pan, ultimately insigificant from a cosmic perspective, for what reason should we devote our life to make the world a better place for a future generation when we are not around ourselves? I really cannot see any justification for your secular humanism and compassion based on your view of momentary existence.

[edit on 13-12-2009 by Indigo_Child]

I BELIEVE we go on after "death". I also believe I am a student on earth to learn and teach the lessons I learn in my life. I not only think what I do is important to GOD but to the vastness of everything. I do not need scientific proof of GOD. I feel GOD in my life and in my soul. This is a great thread and hats off to all who believe who have not seen.

reply to post by Monts


Science has yet to fully explain conciousness but we're getting closer. We understand many ways to manipulate the human experience from drugs to magnetic fields. Because it can be so easily manipulated by messing with the brain it stands to reason that our conciousness comes from our brain. therefore when we die i would say our conciousness dies with our bodies. The brains activity slows down and eventually the spark that we had is no more.

That is why it's important to make everything of the time you have

I believe death to be the death of the personality. I believe the universe to be the source of consciousness at the quantum level. So when we die its like having amnesia then waking up in a new body with no prior knowledge of your life before. So you are born die born die till time runs out.

[edit on 13-12-2009 by loner007]

I do not believe that it does. I'm actually quite comfortable in this view as well, it scares me more to think that it would live on. I have a very irrational fear that it might live on, but not be able to leave your body, if this were the case cremation and burial would be torture on the soul.

reply to post by grantbeed


Quite succinctly...NO.....
I don't remember being born...but I do remember being about 18 months which is considered a good memory. So NOTHING BEFORE.....

Dad died last year and at the exact moment he died UK time...I was camping out and it would have been 4.30am...and our dogs woke up in our Motor Home and went beserk for about 7 mins....

Does 2+2=4 after this...I have NO IDEA

I have not got an opinion on this...it would be nice to think that we could be of some use after we have been dispensed with...mmmm...BUT my gut feel is that there could be some release of energy when someone dies...but NOTHING after...although I am NOT spiritual and maybe my 'so called channels' are not receptive to anything of such....However, I am always open to anyone's experiences here on ATS.

Peace

I believe that our consciousness definitely lives on after our physical/biological death occurs. Our body is just a shell. We are spiritual beings having a physical experience simple as that.

And I'm not quite sure how the whole spirit of animals works, I have never asked these questions yet to my spirit guides or really put much thought into it. However, I have read some stuff that says when you are astral projecting you can see animal spirits as well - however I have not seen any yet but my spiritual experiences have really just began so I have plenty of time to learn.

PS I have read somewhere that people who are in the throes of death have had their brains wired up...Does anyone know any resulting factual evidence of brain activity after the brain stem death?

Interestingly I work at a Funeral Parlour...and it's a bit final as far as I'm concerned...but that is a clinical approach..... right?

[edit on 13-12-2009 by Jools]

i'm not sure, i hope not because this is all just so amazing and beautiful, i guess we cannot know until we die!

reply to post by hautmess


Well, my friend...it is pretty silent...The embalmers do an excellent job....
what can I say...this is pretty raw to me...and I have yet to feel something spiritual on dealing with it....

Maybe I am the best person to deal with the job I do...like I say...I do not feel anything.....maybe I have a problem...or I am the best person for the job given my approach....


and yet...as my Dad died...I wish I had some kind of knowledge that he`s ok...and that there`s something beyond our time here on Earth or whatever...it would give us some security...x

I had a conversation with Dad one day on Easington beach...and i said (at this time i knew his health was somewhat `compromised`)
`will you look after me Dad...if you can when the time comes.....) His reply was of course I will love``
Do I think this is the case...NO...and it is not because I EXPECTED anything...do I think he is there. NOT SURE BUT WOULD LIKE IT IF HE WAS..actually if THERE IS ANYTHING...he`s moved on...or there is NOTHING.......my last spin on this....we all want to believe there`s something there....who knows...I am still looking.....................watching and waiting...........

Ya well your brain quits working right so no dreamin unless moments before death the best possible place to you (which could explain religion) overrides you and your there then you go to sleep in your "new place" never to wake.

Originally posted by Monts
Do you believe that your conscious will still be there when your physical body dies - - - Or do you believe we just rot in the ground... there is nothing after death?

...immortality and life after death are eons old narcississtic fantasies... the closest we can get to immortality is on the biological level - if you have descendants, part of you will live on as long as your descendants have descendants - but - that part that lives on is not "you", babe... its just your genes...

reply to post by Monts

Just thought I would chip in here ... did I say chip.. just one moment mmmm thats better.

Now personally I am 100% certain about the continuation of the human soul. In fact I believe all living sentient creatures continue beyond the death of the physical body. How can you be so sure? I can hear you say. Firstly I have had glimpses of previous lives and so I have always believed that this must be the case since I was a very young child. I never questioned it because those where my memories.

Next I have studied the subject with great interest for years and in all that time I have never discovered one single argument that effectively contradicted my belief not to mention numerous account of NDE's

Finally having read much about quantum science regarding entanglement and the wave particle paradox it would appear that science is also getting in on the act regarding something I have known all my life.

I think that the consciousness we experience now, is not what continues after death. I do believe there is a form of consciousness after death, don't get me wrong. I just think of it more as our subconscious. Our consciousness now, IMO, works for this physical realm. It's a physical manifestation of our subconcious. I believe our subconcious, is what lies in our spiritual body. Of course, they're both one in the same, just on different realms.

I hope that made sense....

A2D

[edit on 14-12-2009 by Agree2Disagree]

Originally posted by godless
Instead of concentrating on immortality, perhaps we can make this world a nicer place to inhabit by simply focusing on the most effective and productive way to live out our brief span.

While I love this quote, I also love to believe in the afterlife. My truth is that I want to live forever, and want to believe that I will, but I doubt.

So many people have so many different stories of the afterlife, that I wonder if any of them are anything more than hallucinations.

I so badly want to believe that I'll live forever, but in the meantime I think I'll try to do what godless said above and try to be more effective and productive in my life, now. Certainly can't hurt!

reply to post by FibroKat

My truth is that I want to live forever, and want to believe that I will, but I doubt.

You do live for ever because no one els is you!

Think of it like this, Your mind and body are not your own.. they are a reflection of something els, your mind is an EYE and it looks out at the universe and what does it see? well it sees it self, thats what you are inside.

The ironic part is the universe it both finite and infinant.

Just like you are, your LIFE / Reality is indeed INFINANT as once you die your life is over reflecting stops you become the mirror so to speak

the finite part is the cyle of death its self, and the universe is no different because it only lasts as long as you do.

Reflection of ones self in a universe that created your mind

Bit far out mind bending but can be proven with understanding of what we see all around us.

Nature is a big give away

reply to post by Blueracer


Is this a pathetic threat or a implication that life is short and when I die I'll be put into the nothing paradigm like before I was born?

Please, do be more specific, and please, do rationalize on your beliefs.

Any smart atheist points it out clearly they cant prove there isnt life after death, they just have scientific reasoning to believe there isnt.

impossible to answer but

I think something needs to happen after we die, otherwise, well, its just nothingness and nothingness doesnt exist ... I think lol

the problem to answer this question is: WE dont know what the heck is out there after the universe ... maybe we are the result of a computer processing information, maybe not ... who knows ... and without knowing that, ITS IMPOSSIBLE to answer

Originally posted by ImaginaryReality1984
reply to post by Monts

 

Science has yet to fully explain conciousness but we're getting closer. We understand many ways to manipulate the human experience from drugs to magnetic fields. Because it can be so easily manipulated by messing with the brain it stands to reason that our conciousness comes from our brain. therefore when we die i would say our conciousness dies with our bodies. The brains activity slows down and eventually the spark that we had is no more.

That is why it's important to make everything of the time you have

I mean .... I got u but, whats outside the universe? I mean, whats the point to make us live and then just die for nothing

that doesnt explain life ... really

you can say you will make the human race live forever having children but really, thats bull#, why would I care if I just die and nothing happens

thats a good question and I dont think we will be able to answer

I dont believe in any religion but I do believe that something SHOULD happen ... we all are energy, that we know, maybe our brain energy gets transformed in something else, who knows, maybe its game over and we wake up in some video game party .. really, there's no way to know

but I will say again, I think its stupid to live thinking when u die u are over, and nothing else matters ...

if thats true then you just dont really need to live, life wont matter anyway

Originally posted by harrytuttle
To the OP: Where is consciousness during life?
Answer: We don't know. No one knows.

If we don't know where consciousness resides during life, then good luck figuring out where it is after it.

Most people believe/assume that consciousness is in the brain. Seems obvious enough. However, there is nothing in brain science that can locate it in the brain. It is everywhere and nowhere.

So what's my guess? ---> The brain is an antenna that receives and transmits signals (I'm not talking about radio) of consciousness to some other dimension.

This would explain why we can't locate consciousness in the brain, and why in near-death experiences consciousness continues on.

I believe that this means that the source of the signal would be what many refer to "Global Consciousness".

I think u may be into something ... another question would be, is this consciousness inside and part of our universe or something processed outside our "world" ... man oh man

[edit on 14-12-2009 by Faiol]