So what are your views on death and the afterlife?

I believe in reincarnation and that there is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth. I think that there may come a time when one has finished their incarnation cycle. In my opinion this is when the soul reaches enlightenment as it were and therefore no longer needs to come to this plane of existence. Once you have what you need, you fall the birth/death/rebirth cycle but you never cease to exist. I feel that all life continues in some form or another after physical death.

In regard deities etc after death, I'm not entirely sure. I believe that everything has the same core essence and therefore that being the case, all the deities are the same. I think that all religion is a means to the same end, if the main religions of the world are broken down to the roots they are seeking a common ideal. I once heard religion descibed as a mountain and The Divine/Enlightment (whatever you wish to call it) is at the top and there are many paths up the mountain but they all get there in the end. I believe that with each incarnation you go through 'the mountain process', but that you have to then return to the physical plane because you have much to learn and purposes to fullfill.

I believe in reincarnation and life after death...I think the purpose of being physically incarnated varies from individual to individual..as in they have something they have not fulfilled yet, or they need to pursue their heart's true desire..or something like that....but basically we are here to get something out of life whether it be on earth or one of the other worlds....as for what actually happens after death there may be any number of things/worlds we may see so I guess I have no opinion on that...and deities...dieties are to me different distinct forms of the same thing...but perhaps the form you believe in will show itself to you

I think that is quite possible. I took A Level Philosophy and one of the topics Life After Death. I reember we looked at near death experiences and stuided the accounts that people gave. There were accouts from different cultures and different centuries. For example, there was one from the middle ages which recalled The River Of Styx and The Ferryman, then a much later one recalling a Hindu deity. The interesting thing is that they all had a few things in common. There was a sense of release and leaving troubles behind and there was some sort of passage or tunnel. I believe that all deities are manifestations of the same thing and therefore it makes sense that the one you believe in would show itself to you.

My views on death and the afterlife is a theory for one.

The afterlife in my opinion is not particularly one central place. I got the idea from hearing versions of heaven in christianity, but also from the Vikings. Everywhere I saw new culture I realized the afterlife changed. No I'm not dense, it was more an incite into long held question I had of what heaven is like. Christians always want to unite the world and make them think alike and so when they speak of heaven, they expect all to be happy. No offense to my lord, but they believe that they say Jesus is there it will make dying easier or whatever.

My opinion is that, whatever you believe in, when you die, your afterlife will become as such. In the bible it says to first man that when he died, there'd be mountains of emerald and diamonds and so on, but that gave me pause for thought. if this was wayy back when as they want us to believe, how did this man even know what an emerald was? Then my mind thought, maybe some supernatural power showed him a place of what we know now as emeralds and diamonds and someone just updated it for better image. But then I thought about what I'd want heaven to be like, and I was like If it were made up of fields of emeralds and diamonds, I'd be one depressed angel as those things mean nothing to me. So I came up with my own image of heaven. Then later someone read me another bible story and the next mans supernatural image of heaven changed, to that of crops of food and good harvest. Another time century as well and I began to see a pattern. In Nordic or whichever group Vikings belonged to(No offense to any Vikings) they fought for Valhalla. Their heaven was the things most important to them in that time and age. Homeland security, food, wine and women. In buddhism it was different and so on. So I believe that the afterlife stems from what the person believes in, so when they do go to eternal rest it will be their eternal happiness, something that might relate to their life on earth, but without all the complications or nuances of making it happen.

As for reincarnation, that theory I've actually heard is mightily based on Karma. Like if you did bad in this life as human, you'd come back as a spider or something like that, but it didn't make sense considering animals are simplest of creatures and they'd not experience guilt, just instinct. So perhaps they come back as another human with whatever made the first life corrupt extracted so they can see the glass half full instead of half empty if that makes sense. or as someones always telling me grass greener on the other side, so they got sent to the other side and learned to appreciate what they had and now what they have gained or lost in comparison to that other side of green grass.

Then other theory is that your past lives build up. In one or more, maybe you die to fast in some that you don't get what you need fully and it accumulates till you reach place where it all catches up and you can finish on something that makes you peaceful or happy so you can go to your Valhalla, heaven, etc.

Okay, rant on afterlife done.

As for death, I'm sure there's a philosophy out there that goes it's not death I fear, but the Afterlife. Death is the first part of another journey, a beginning to what most call an end. To me, the only thing I worry over in death is how I die, or I used to, now I don't so much anymore after what felt to me like a near death experience showed me my brain would be at peace if I died. No life flashing before the eyes, no anguish, just hmm, well if I do, I'm ready, take care of those I love, help them find what they have lost and let them find the same peace I have in death

I don't believe in heaven or hell for that matter. They're ideas, rewards that the religious powers create to control their people.

Be good and do as we say and you will have everything you ever wanted, absolute happiness ... heaven. Be bad and don't listen to us or betray us and you'll go to hell!

Now imagine that heaven is real, that you end up there after you die and are perfectly happy. You can get anything you'd want. Lots of wealth? It's there. Great food and drinks, like you never tasted before ... just think of it and you can have it. Fourty virgins, no problem .. male or female? Putting the absurdity aside, if you're perfectly happy and have everything you'd ever want ... what meaning do you still have?

To me it seems like a very unpleasant fate, having nothing to strive for anymore, no area to improve in and simply no more reason to exist. That to me is just as absolute than if I'd simply cease to exist after death.

Now good thing I don't believe in heaven huh ... so I'll leave you guys with a quote.

"Death is only the Beginning." ~ Imhotep, the Mummy

Hmm, that's an interesting thought.

I honestly don't think it's so much about happiness in the afterlife, as something that will give you peace of mind.

Constantly improving oneself is all right, if you have a body and presence with need of something to improve or change, But what if when you die, you become a blob. Sounds dumb, but if you become a blob and improvement was your life goal, then it'd be sorta like a hell as you'd have not much to do.

I think that if you find peace in the afterlife should be most important. Or at least is majority image. If you're going to get stuck somewhere, then why not a place where you don't have to worry about anything. No strife, no grief, everlasting love, blah, blah, blah. In the end, whatever brings you peace will be the final rest, hence the words unfinished business in ghost theory.

They don't rest in peace for some reason, or maybe even reincarnation, couldn't rest their laurels on the loss of something, or not achieving the highest level of improvement to keep them satisfied.

On that I say, if improvement is what you seek, then when will you be improved enough to give yourself peace?

Sorry for so many repeats of some words, heh

To answer your question, I honestly hope never. Peace loses it's value when you no longer have to constantly struggle to maintain it. Peace that comes and stays without effort is meaningless to me.

i think zan has a point but i do agree with nightwolf about how heaven is more about peace than getting exactly what you want

but honestly if this peace comes with being mindless and "merged" with the consciousness of a god..as is the goal for many eastern religions...it doesn't appeal to me so much...i view the gods more as friends than something to merge into

Sometimes it is said that the gods envy us mortals because we can experience pain, suffering and despair. It means we can also experience opposite things like joy, happiness, extacy and love.

If one side disappears, the other will inevitably lose meaning.

*Grimaces* Jeez I hope my mind doesn't meld to an entity. I'd like to stay free thinking even in afterlife.

I had some grand idea on peace, but forgot it again. Something about if afterlife is as you chose it to be, perhaps still could continue, but without so much negative being overwhelming or something like that.

Sounded smarter in my brain night before, but was too tired to post it.

lol me neither

as for peace...otherworldly realms i feel seem to meld around what we want to see so it's possible