I believe my mind\spirit will dissipate soon after my body stops functioning - never to be heard from again. My philosophy is to have a good life because that's all you get. I also want to be remembered fondly by those who knew me.

I also agree.

I my opinion, what kind of religion we have mostly depend on where we are born and who or parents are. I don’t think its fair, or likely, that people who are born in for instance non-religious families should be sent to hell for it...
I have just accepted that nobody really knows what happens, and that we need to keep an open mind...

Me too, although I am very skeptical even about my own belief.

I have no set belief. I've considered a wealth of things. One of which is that we pass onto another dimension; we simply go through a cycle of passing from one alternate universe to the other. This idea popped up mainly because of weird dreams I've had. Dreams of universe where I'm just pure energy and there are no bodily or geographical constraints. I have no self-wareness. I just am. It's pretty silly and unlikely.

But I do like to think that one way or another we continue. Even if all that means is that our bodies rot, providing nutrients for other life and contributing back into the carbon and nitrogen cycle. I think that's kind of beautiful in a way.

*points to the sky* heaven is where i hopely be going, the only thing is, my fun hating nan is there lets hope she's changed

I believe in reincarnation.

In the time that we still remember our previous life we are unable to communicate or don't feel the need. Children in today's society are almost always the one in the family which sees the poltergeist or 'hears a message from God.' We seem to be very spiratual when we are young but that innocence goes when we grow up. Up until about the age of 3, I swore I was a dog, no clue why but at times I would literally be crawling around the supermarket when shopping and I'd refuse to eat or drink unless it was in a bowl!
I went by the name 'Barkey" and refused to be known as Emmy. I love dogs now and my Mum thinks that I was a dog in a previous life.
I was only full on 'I refuse to eat unless it's in a bowl' and crawling like a dog for a few months, thankfully.

How fascinating! I've read about young children being in touch with their previous incarnations. I also believe in reincarnation as well. I have recently begun looking into Buddhism, so I suppose I believe that when we die we are reincarnated until we achieve enlightenment, or in other words, Nirvana, which is something beyond the conceptual state of mind.

I'm a Christian, and there are many different viewpoints of the afterlife depending on which Christian you talk to. Although, the one thing that is in common with each, if they are a true Christian, is that when you die you will eventually go to Heaven or Hell. Whether that person believes it happens right when you die, or later, hence the eventually.

Right now I'm a little split between possible theories.

One of them is that once you die, if you were a Christian, you will go to "Paradise." Paradise is not Heaven, but very similar. It is still a place without sin or death and you are still with God, but it isn't Heaven. If you were a non-Christian, you will go to "Hades." Hades is not Hell, but similar. (Like Paradise to Heaven.) Hades is very much like Hell in the fact that it is never ending suffering and separation from God. So, once you die, you will either stay in Paradise or Hades until the "Rapture," which is when Jesus will come back to earth and take all of his children on earth (Christians) to Heaven, along with all of those in Paradise. After this, those who were not Christians and were still alive on earth will be sent to Hell, or rather stay put, because the earth will then become Hell, and all the people from Hades will be brought up to it. But Satan (The Prince of Demons) will not be the ruler of Hell as is often stereotyped, but he is rather another prisoner of Hell along with the rest of the demons where they will suffer for the rest of eternity.

So that's one belief.

Another one is that when you die you become a ghost. The stage of being a ghost is basically like a waiting period until the Rapture(explained in the above theory). Then, once the Rapture begins, ghosts that were Christians during life will go to Heaven, and ghosts that were non-Christians during life will go to Hell along with Satan and all other demons.

So yeah, those are the two I'm split between.

Sorry, but can you not see how absurd that all sounds?

Nice to know i'm going to hell.

No worries josh. Ill be going to hell with you along with a lot of other people in this world.

I know it sounds absurd, but really, I don't care.

If it's false, I get to decay in the ground without thought and no regrets, or I get to be a new person/animal or whatever the heck happens.

*Edit: And I don't mean to sound as if I'm condemning you all to Hell.

HEY WAIT UP, I'm going to Hell too!

I agree with this post. It just dosen't make sense that a supposedly loving god would put people in Hell just for not being Christian (I will be going to Hell to if Ikevin is right)

iKevin wrote:

One of them is that once you die, if you were a Christian, you will go to "Paradise." Paradise is not Heaven, but very similar. It is still a place without sin or death and you are still with God, but it isn't Heaven. If you were a non-Christian, you will go to "Hades." Hades is not Hell, but similar. (Like Paradise to Heaven.) Hades is very much like Hell in the fact that it is never ending suffering and separation from God. So, once you die, you will either stay in Paradise or Hades until the "Rapture," which is when Jesus will come back to earth and take all of his children on earth (Christians) to Heaven, along with all of those in Paradise. After this, those who were not Christians and were still alive on earth will be sent to Hell, or rather stay put, because the earth will then become Hell, and all the people from Hades will be brought up to it. But Satan (The Prince of Demons) will not be the ruler of Hell as is often stereotyped, but he is rather another prisoner of Hell along with the rest of the demons where they will suffer for the rest of eternity.

So that's one belief.

Another one is that when you die you become a ghost. The stage of being a ghost is basically like a waiting period until the Rapture(explained in the above theory). Then, once the Rapture begins, ghosts that were Christians during life will go to Heaven, and ghosts that were non-Christians during life will go to Hell along with Satan and all other demons.

So yeah, those are the two I'm split between.

... Yeahhh I would rather be a ghost. At least, the interpretations of ghosts I've followed.

I'm actually a pretty big believer of spirits and such. I find it hard not to believe in some form of them. It's true, yeah, my family believe in spiritual things (and sooome Christian influence) which could be a factor, but it's also been my personal discoveries.
Otherwise I have mixed thoughts of the after life. Some theories I've heard in my life,
such as "your mind being wiped of all sorrow and replaced with ETERNAL HAPPY~ and no remorse for your loved ones left behind in a firey pit of poo" sound rather bizarre to me.
But I think it's just that some of us aren't happy with the thought that once we're gone, we're gone, so we like to believe there's something greater out there.

Well, if being a ghost is more appealing than being a functional human anyway.
Buuuut if we all are going to an eternal pit of flaming poo, guess there's one thing to do down thurr...

"CLOSE YER EYES, GIVE ME YO HAND, DAHLIN', Do you feel your heart beating? Do you understand? Do you feeeel the same? Or am I only dreeeeamin'? Is this burnin', an eeeeeternal flaaaame?!"

i'm at the stage now where i'm trying to sort out my beliefs completely. because i don't believe in EVERYTHING my religion tells me to, i have beliefs of my own. i believe that there is not 'reinCARNation' but a thing like 'reinSPAWNation'
where as soon as we die, we are born as another life. i have no idea about an 'afterlife' or heaven/hell.
i think what makes the most sense to me, is that after we die, whether we are an insect, a bird, a dog, a human, or anything, we respawn as that creature after we die. but born to different ancestors.
it's complicated way beyond my own reasoning and ability to comprehend, but i believe that seems more real than 'burning in hell' or 'being with god in heaven'. i don't mean to offend everyones religion though. i believe there is a 'god', like a superior being, but that's kind of it. i don't read bibles, and i've never read the torah. religion bores me just a bit. ultimately, i choose to believe what i like. just as everyone is entitled to their own opinions, they are also entitled to their own beliefs. again, i don't mean to offend anyone.

Mmk, isn't Hades like Greek Mythology with the whole River of Styx thing? And the whole ghost thing...wouldn't that be purgatory? Granted, that may be strictly a catholic point of view.

I dunno about absurd, but definitely pell-mell.

I love the fact that you're being so honest and careful, but truth be told, it's nearly impossible not to offend someone when it comes to religion. I learned that the hard way. Religion and Politics are both 'stepping on toes not matter what' kind of subjects, at least for me...I'm quite opinionated.

I kind of believe it's the same thing that happens just as before you were born. Anyone find this logical?