Do you believe in LIFE AFTER DEATH?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Yeap, as I catholic I do believe in an afterlife, a heaven, hell, purgatory, and everything that is written in the Bible. Saint Theresa had visions of hell and she said there were very few people there, only those that even when faced before the Lord, didn't repent. I once was told that in the purgatory, you feel in your own flesh everything you made other people feel, the good and the bad, over and over until you are ready to become a saint (enter heaven). Like living your own life from the other people's perspective. I try to remember that (although it's not always easy!!! )

Saludos,

Caro

I think Purgatory is very similar to the Buddhist idea of enlightenment. Reaching Nirvana is a state of consciousness that cannot be reached without learning or being enlightened.

Although I agree the concept is very similar (learning through "karma"), there's something we must always remember: that us catholics believe men was created in God's image, so our soul cannot go into an animal for example

Saludos,

Caro

I want to come back as a cat....so I can lick myself and sleep all day...then hit the back alleys for some of the local action. (j/k)

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I too believe that the 'soul' is eternal - it survives death of the physical body - and that 'on the other side', we review the life we just lived to understand the choices we made and the experiences we had, the 'karma' we made or paid back. Then, when we have integrated those lessons into our 'being', we start to make the plans for our next life; setting up agreements with others to be our parents, our partners, our teachers, our enemies, whatever; choosing the personality traits that we think will help us learn whatever challenges and lessons we set for ourselves, deciding what karma we wish to address. Life is like hands-on experience for the soul - there are experiences that happen here that can happen no where else, and it is why we choose to come here. When we have learned all that we wish to learn on the physical realm, our souls no longer have a physical life but continue on their spiritual journeys back to "God"/All That Is - whatever name you wish to use. Death can kind of be viewed as getting off of one train, waiting in the station for a little bit, then getting on the next one:-).

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Yes and no! Maybe.

[BishopMnA 0]

Although I agree the concept is very similar (learning through "karma"), there's something we must always remember: that us catholics believe mankind was created in God's image, so our soul cannot go into an animal for example

Saludos,

Caro

Ya, that is a good point. For Catholics, we believe that God did create us directly in his image.

I'm not sure what Buddhists/Hindus believe though. I know that they believe a man may have been a plant or animal in his past lives. Through that process of the earlier lives, they have strived to eventually become human...from which point they are able to achieve enlightenment (due to possessing a more developed consciousness). Once human, they may have to be reborn many times to reach enlightenment...working out their old karma. That makes sense. However, I'm not sure what they Buddhists/Hindus might think regarding if it is possible for a 'bad person' to be reborn in a lower life form...or 'once a human always a human'...

For example, my old boss would probably be reborn as ragweed somewhere to work off his debt! <just kidding>

PEACE!

Mark-N-AAm

[JVKn'CVO 11]

I want to come back as a cat....so I can lick myself and sleep all day...then hit the back alleys for some of the local action. (j/k)

that, and catnip

Saludos,

Caro

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I want to come back as a cat....so I can lick myself and sleep all day...then hit the back alleys for some of the local action. (j/k)

that, and catnip

Saludos,

Caro

Catnip would be my heroine.

[BishopMnA 0]

Here is my biggest fear about life after death, especially if it is another rebirth in human form on this same earth. In this lifetime, I always avoided math...because I HATE IT!

I fear that because I didn't face MATH in this life, that I will have to be reborn to come back and face it in the next life!

WHEN WILL IT END!

Peace

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Here is my biggest fear about life after death, especially if it is another rebirth in human form on this same earth. In this lifetime, I always avoided math...because I HATE IT!

I fear that because I didn't face MATH in this life, that I will have to be reborn to come back and face it in the next life!

WHEN WILL IT END!

Peace

Math enligthenment.

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

I can say, I TRULY hope there is. Life is far too short for this to be all there is.

[Krikit 1,165]

I too believe that the 'soul' is eternal - it survives death of the physical body - and that 'on the other side', we review the life we just lived to understand the choices we made and the experiences we had, the 'karma' we made or paid back. Then, when we have integrated those lessons into our 'being', we start to make the plans for our next life; setting up agreements with others to be our parents, our partners, our teachers, our enemies, whatever; choosing the personality traits that we think will help us learn whatever challenges and lessons we set for ourselves, deciding what karma we wish to address. Life is like hands-on experience for the soul - there are experiences that happen here that can happen no where else, and it is why we choose to come here. When we have learned all that we wish to learn on the physical realm, our souls no longer have a physical life but continue on their spiritual journeys back to "God"/All That Is - whatever name you wish to use. Death can kind of be viewed as getting off of one train, waiting in the station for a little bit, then getting on the next one:-).

Hmmm. Trying to reconcile this take on "spiritual journeys" with the existence of torturers, mutilators, murderers and such. How do you see souls negotiating those scenarios? Not trying to be "mean-spirited" here. Just honestly curious.

[Nessa 23]

yes. wait, no. hmmm, maybe. I don't know

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I too believe that the 'soul' is eternal - it survives death of the physical body - and that 'on the other side', we review the life we just lived to understand the choices we made and the experiences we had, the 'karma' we made or paid back. Then, when we have integrated those lessons into our 'being', we start to make the plans for our next life; setting up agreements with others to be our parents, our partners, our teachers, our enemies, whatever; choosing the personality traits that we think will help us learn whatever challenges and lessons we set for ourselves, deciding what karma we wish to address. Life is like hands-on experience for the soul - there are experiences that happen here that can happen no where else, and it is why we choose to come here. When we have learned all that we wish to learn on the physical realm, our souls no longer have a physical life but continue on their spiritual journeys back to "God"/All That Is - whatever name you wish to use. Death can kind of be viewed as getting off of one train, waiting in the station for a little bit, then getting on the next one:-).

Hmmm. Trying to reconcile this take on "spiritual journeys" with the existence of torturers, mutilators, murderers and such. How do you see souls negotiating those scenarios? Not trying to be "mean-spirited" here. Just honestly curious.

an honest and valid question - although you may not appreciate the answer:-).

The purpose of life here is to 'learn' and to 'experience'. The physical plane is called the plane of duality because you have opposites - night and day, black and white, up and down, good and bad . . . In order to fully comprehend the one, you need to experience the other. If all we ever had was beauty and happiness and joy and harmony we would not actually fully understand or appreciate the value of what we have, so exposure to the contrast allows us to comprehend the full extend of each experience. If it helps any, each of us has also been a 'bad guy' doing horrific things - and by that experience learning just how horrific they are . . . developing a conscience as a result.

The law of karma basically is a corollory of 'for each and every action there is an equal and opposite reaction' so if you do something terrible to someone else - if you take away their ability to chose (ie kill them)or make their own decisions in life(ie imprison them unjustly) -if you interfere with their ability to have and learn their own experiences-(ie psychologically interfere with their life choices), you create karma. You have explored one side of the duality. You then get to explore the other side of duality - the opposite side; you get to have your own ability to chose your experiences negated. You 'pay back' karma. It is also another way of looking at the bible phrase "As ye reap, so shall ye sow".

This is not something that is 'done' to you unwillingly - which is the other difficulty most people have with understanding this. In between lives when the soul doesn't have a personality to worry about, it is very 'fair' and objective. It recognizes where it created karma, and so sets into place circumstances that will allow itself the opportunity to balance out or repay that karma. It doesn't always have to be 'an eye for an eye' either; if you kill someone in a past life, you don't necessarily have to be killed in another life to balance the karma - they could save your life instead and that would also work. As souls get 'older' and 'more experienced' they tend to shy away from activities that create karma (they 'learn how to make good choices') and also work to find less dramatic or 'black and white' ways of repaying any karma that they owe.

So, did that help, or did it just muddy the waters?

Edited November 19, 2007 by Kathryn41

[eric&gen 0]

After i am dead and gone i hope i come back in another life as a illegal alien lol.

[WiL and ShAi 0]

IF I COULD COME BACK TO ANOTHER LIFE, I WANT TO GROW UP WHERE MY FIANCE GREW UP SO I CAN MEET HIM AS EARLY AS THAT AND WE'LL HAVE EACH OTHER, WE'LL BE VERY GOOD FRIENDS, THEN LOVERS AND WE WONT HAVE TO LOOK FOR THE RIGHT PERSON ANYMORE CUZ THE RIGHT ONE IS JUST RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. HOW ARE WE GONNA KNOW THAT WE'RE THE RIGHT ONE FOR EACH OTHER IF WE DON'T MEET ANYONE ELSE? WELL, TRUE LOVE WOULD KNOW. i KNOW A LOT OF COUPLES WHO HAVE BEEN TOGETHER SINCE THEY WERE YOUNG.

Edited November 19, 2007 by wilson and shai

[Krikit 1,165]

So, did that help, or did it just muddy the waters?

That helped, Kathryn. Thanks for your thorough and thoughtful response. I know I have more questions but I think I need time to digest this first.