Non believers, I have a simple non offensive question

Let's for a moment put aside the bible, the hallelujahs, the thou shalt nots, the judgemental nature and all that other stuff that most people dislike about organised religion. Instead let's ask ourselves one simple question that all religions around the world focus on;

What becomes of us when we die?

Is it a case of the lights simply go out and our consciousness is snuffed out for eternity?
Do we become another form of energy? (Science sort of says yes to this one)
What form does this energy take?
Is it possible that our consciousness simply 'transfers' from one state to another?
Could this new state, be the heaven or paradise that is referred to in most world religions?
Does the human soul really exist in the first place?

I know what I believe and I know why I believe it, but I would love to hear what opinions other people have and what leads them down that road of thinking.

reply to post by markosity1973


i personally believe that the "essence" or "energy" that is "me" does indeed go back into the ether. Science states that energy simply can't disappear, it might change forms, but it is always present, we can't add too, or remove it.

As for consciousness, well, we currently don't even really understand what consciousness is, but I believe it's directly tied to the pathways create in each individual brain. So for me, no, my "consciousness" does not continue on, I don't go to some paradise, my knowledge is lost. I could be completely wrong on this one and do have 1 experience that almost leads me to think I might be. From the time I could speak I constantly begged my parents for a guitar, I just wanted a guitar, always. They never relented in their "NO". Eventually in my teenage years i just said screw it, and spent my savings on a guitar. Most people have to learn guitar. It wasn't like that at all for me, the only way I can describe it would be that I was remembering how to play, not learning, remembering.

My body rots away and returns to the earth, eventually when the earth is destroyed, that matter will probably end up in a star, right where it came from.

That's how I go about my life. I pay no attention to the "here after" I live for today, and strive to treat people as I wish to be treated. I don't hedge my bets against a heaven that might be there, I simply live life for today, enjoy it while it lasts, and try my best to do good to others.

funny, ignoring some of the religious aspects of the various religions, it does seem to me that I'm following some of the basic 'rules'

I believe this to be the answer you're looking for. '___' - The Spirit Molecule

I do believe that the energy that comprises our 'soul' does in fact carry on after the body dies, carrying itself onto a new but nonphysical plane.

To think that the soul dies with the body is very difficult for me to believe. I used to sit and try to imagine that my energy/soul could just cease to exist and be turned off like a light. I find it impossible for me to see that.

reply to post by markosity1973
[more

The question does not need to be answered because if its yes or no or somewhere inbetween why would that change the way you live your life.

The correct answer to the question is to not give an answer, it's trivial in the scheme of things, Say I answer yes, do you then try to lead a good life? If I answer no do you then live a life of trouble?

My best and final answer

reply to post by azbowhunter


I think the Buddha referred to it as 'non soul' when when you die the non soul goes back to where it was, just like a single wave in the ocean looks like a single wave but it still connected to the ocean, it looks separate but it's not.

reply to post by markosity1973


Mourning from loved ones, decomposition or cremation. Hopefully the positive effect of our lives continues on through the ages, even if only in some little rippling way.

reply to post by yyyyyyyyyy


Thankyou for your reply, and there is no 'correct' answer to the OP, it is just an invitation to share your opinion on the subject. I am simple genuinely interested for the sake of curiosity to know what other people believe

reply to post by azbowhunter


The choices we make reflect our soul/personality. So we can not have a physical soul.
When its based on our moral choices/moral actions.

Morality is not physical until it becomes a moral physical action executed by choice.

Energy never dies, it only changes form. Simple answer.
An individual's interpretation of this knowledge is where
things get a bit complicated.

i believe in myself.

that way not any person, being or group has any hold over me whatsoever! i also believe that if there is a higher being, that being will respect me for believing in myself and respect my efforts at being a nice person. i don't rule anything out, but if everyone just believed in themselves, the world IMO would be a nicer place.

reply to post by Mactire


The energy that gives us consciousness is our beating hart, to put it easy.
Our hart is a energy source, when it stops, consciousness and other body functions fades away. That is a reaction do to a physical energy change.

reply to post by markosity1973


What becomes of us when we die?

No-one knows. You can perpetuate your arguments, philosophies and opinions on this subject as far as you like, but you'll never get close to knowing for sure. Religious people don't know for sure either - they simply believe, which to them, is more important than hard evidence in determining what happens after a person carks it.

I have my little idle theories that I mull over in my head from time to time, as does everyone else. But truly I think the most honest answer anyone can give to that question is: "I don't know."

reply to post by markosity1973


my belief is that my death is the end - i define my death @ the absence of a readable EEG brainwave

yes - ` energy can nither be created or destroyed ` - but my " esscence " does not ` live-on ` as any organised or coheseive structure

you ask if my concionsness lives on - my answer is no - it cannot as it is " unsupported " and entropy breaks it down - into ever smaller forces - that no longer have any relation to the rest

what do i mean by "unsupported " - simply that the EEG brain wave that i cite eralier as the defining evidence that i am alive - and thius by its absence the proof that i am dead , is merely an an interference signal - leaking from my brain

EEG paterns are not my conciounceness they are merely the measurable evidence that my conciounceness is intact

i liken my EEG to the RF internerence that some electronic equipment generates - the interference is an extraeneous byproduct of the devices actual function - not the purpose of the device

when i am dead - all activuty ceases - and all that is left is the ` leaked ` EEG - that energy - like any other is not immutable - even the act of reading my EEG with diagnostic equipment transforms part of that energy to heat [ resistance in the electrodes transferes pecojules of that energy to the electrode ]

thus with no active brain chemistry - my conciousness ceases to be - gone into the ether - transformed for ever - and irretreavable

i shall be dead - there is no respawn , no second chance , no reward or punishment

edit to addd - S&F - at least writing the reply made me think out my philosophy - not just regurfitate facts

reply to post by DeepThoughtCriminal


while it is true that no theory can be proved , my theory - outlined in the post below yours , is i believe scientificly based .

further more - i bleive that all other theories require additional levels of complexity - from the sublime to the rediculous

Originally posted by madnessinmysoul
reply to post by markosity1973

 

Mourning from loved ones, decomposition or cremation. Hopefully the positive effect of our lives continues on through the ages, even if only in some little rippling way.

That's beautiful man.

Star for you!!!

reply to post by spy66







Just kidding.

You basically admitted what I said without getting into the specifics of it. Since we create our own realities, the experience is completely different for different people. Its perfectly viable that someone may die and have a completely separate account than someone else who, during life, had contrary beliefs. Interpretation is the greatest seperation between humans. Interpretation is what creates the unique beauty in humanity, as well as being the catalyst of the greatest violence between men.

reply to post by markosity1973


All I can say is, stories like the one below are becoming much too common. Watch the entire clip-- you will be amazed..

reply to post by rstregooski


When I was a 15 my father, who was writing a book, decided to drag the family on an 8 country tour of Europe to conduct some research for his story. Anywho; one of the stops we made was to Tintagel. Now I'd never heard of Tintagel before, yet as we toured the ruins, a tour guide [for another party], overheard me discussing a small cave next to the cliff's edge. I was discussing how this small cave was used as a sort of refridgerator to preserve vegetables and salted meats, and the tour guide stopped his tour and came over to comment, citing that the cave actually was not a part of the tour, but was impressed that I knew what it was used for. We then got into a discussion about a third entrance to the shore caves located on the opposite end of the bluffs. An entrance that was in no way visible from the ruins summit, in fact it was only visible if you were in a boat on the sea, yet I knew it was there.
Talk about feeling at home. I've never felt more at peace than I did standing on the bones of that village.

From my experiences I have been left with the feeling that all there is is incarnation and unity. Incarnation shows us what it is like to be separate. Unity is pure unconditional love. Incarnation is like an 80 year long game that we play to experience. We forget what we are and play it the best we know how. When we die we go back to the Source of all things.

Having said that I don't know and neither does anyone else. This is kind of my sacred cow because if we can all just agree to stop fighting with each other and holding each other in contempt for something that none of us can possibly know, the world could become a place that we'd all like to live in.

I am atheist and I do no know what will happen to me when i die, but just because i don't know doesn't mean I will use religion as a way to explain the "afterlife". It is just human arrogance to believe that we know everything. Part of that arrogance is what drove us to create religion and believe in it. Humans used to believe that there was a rain god and prayed to it, now we know rain comes from condensation in the atmosphere. One day we will know what happens to us when we die and other big questions. Until that day religion will be here to hold those over that are afraid to admit they don't know.