What makes people want to believe in the afterlife?

Life is an illusion because no one views life the same. Perception is the veil by which we interpret our world. My world is different based on life experience, knowledge and emotion. Therefore my afterlife will be tailored by my expectations, experience and understanding.
 

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Lara said:
Christianity is based on simply believing in God and that Jesus was who he said he was.
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I view "Christianity" even more broadly. I was raised Christian and believe in many Christian principals.

One of Jesus' primary teachings was that one should love his neighbor as much as himself. I believe in that, and I think there are a lot of other good things that come from Christianity. If asked I usually claim to be Christian. However I do not believe in the supernatural parts of Christianity or any other religion or mythology. Having a good uniting creed to live by is a good thing, both for the individual and society. And a mythology to go along with it doesn't hurt. Christianity offers that.
 
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Alligatorob said:
...I only believe in what I can see or see evidence of. For me it is hard to understand otherwise. I don't deny, I just don't believe in what I can't see or understand. I am open to being proven wrong, would welcome it in fact. I do not see this world as "mundane" many amazing things here. I am happy to be having the chance to experience it!
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Those of faith believe there is proof all around you. That proof is what you believe are "amazing things".
 

Della said:
There is evidence of worship, statues and drawings, from caveman days, before there were any crowds to control. Early man sometimes worshiped the sun or the moon. I think we have a natural yearning for a creator, something higher than ourselves. I don't know why we would have that if there's no pull from the other side.


With respect, Mitch, how do you know? I sometimes see a stronger faith in the unknown in atheists than I do in the religious. None of us have died and come back to report, so we'll just have to wait and see.
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I think he's just stating his opinion, not a fact. That's all this thread is, opinions. No one has the facts.
 
terry123 said:
Loved the movie. Since I was a child I always thought I was older than I was. I went to many different churches as my mother was trying to find her way. But I believe in an afterlife and am anxious to meet my family of Old Souls. I prefer the Episcopal faith and love the people there. But now because of the virus I listen to services of the Catholic, Methodists and the Episcopal Church each Sunday morning. I like the different ideas and rituals. I don't fear death but consider it another experience and where I will mingle with my loved ones that have already left me. These are MY ideas and the way I live. I respect yours also. We each have our own journey whether we believe it or not.
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Terry i was also taken to a lot of churches when under 10 years old. Both sides of family up in NJ were Catholic but Dad was agnostic, (the only time i remember him setting foot in a church was to see a Christmas pageant i was in at age 5 with a long monologue); no Catholic churches close enough in our rural Florida area, so she tried a wide variety of Protestant churches. Many of them just outside our little town's limits and predominantly Black with Mom and i often being only White people. I enjoyed most of them because it simply felt good n those somehow more joyful than the White churches in town. And i got to see first hand that what my Dad saying about people being people behind all the descriptors of race/ethnicity/relgion. The ones Mom called Holy Rollers (possibly Pentacostal) were a lttle disconcertng with the speaking in tongues, etc.

When parents divorced Mom took me up north to suburban NJ, talk about culture shock! I learned more about Catholicism, but it wasn't for me so in my early teens i embarked in a private study comparing religions and belief systems like Buddhism which is a philosophy not theist faith, you can practice both it an actual faiths. i read translations of Scriptures of the main world faiths, which led me to reading folklore, myths and legends from around the world. Most of the original fairytales were a form of folktale usually with some pointed moral lessons, and often dark endings
for the 'villains'.

Eventually i could not believe in a personified god, but understood why many people need that structure and those beliefs. I get that it is hard to wrap one's head around the idea of Universal conscousness. Many humans need perceive the Devine in a familiar Human shaped form. But during my NDE, being in that presence was an overwhelming feeling of unconditional love, which i didn't feel worthy of at first, despite how it felt and reassurrances. But i don't expect any one else to take that as evidence, just respect it was my experience.

I respect everyone's beliefs as long they are not demanding others adopt their beliefs, live by the rules of their belief system, scriptures, clergy.
 
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caroln said:
I think he's just stating his opinion, not a fact. That's all this thread is, opinions. No one has the facts.
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Yes, and I was asking him to develop that opinion a little for us. I found his statement interesting. I actually thought my "None of us have died and come back so we'll have to wait and see" was another way of saying, "No one has the facts."
 
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Alligatorob said:
Yep, that is me, I only believe in what I can see or see evidence of. For me it is hard to understand otherwise.

I don't deny, I just don't believe in what I can't see or understand. I am open to being proven wrong, would welcome it in fact. I do not see this world as "mundane" many amazing things here. I am happy to be having the chance to experience it!
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I agree this world is still in spite of all humans have done to it, beautiful and amazing. The problem is many of us do not respect the natural world or feel a real connection to it. The world they live in Is full of concrete and metal and so much light pollution that some in younger generations have not seen the night sky in all its glory, only a fraction of the stars, often not even the Milky Way fully. Nor do most humans truly respect nature.

Main reason i retired to a tiny (less than 1,000 residents) rural mountain village is to be closer to natural world again, as in my childhood. Our first night here i wept with joy when i saw the full Milky Way for the first time in years.

The thing is, science makes clear we only perceive a fraction of even this physical world. So when people say they believe 'only' what their physical senses perceive i know they are basing those beliefs on incomplete data. And some of best things about this life are intangibles like friendship and love, like the wind you can't see them only feel them and see the results they produce in physical world.
 
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feywon said:
I respect everyone's beliefs as long they are not demanding others adopt their beliefs...
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Before you came to the forums, a small handful used to judge and label anyone who was politely expressing their faith-based belief as "demanding" or "prothelytizing" (aka "talking others into adopting their beliefs). But I think those labels require a good measure of aggressiveness from the believer to deserve a good measure of hostility from the reader.

I have learned that when I post a biblical scripture that others have misunderstood, and I try to explain what it means, it becomes a Trigger...with a capital T. So now I think twice before posting a scripture verse from the Bible as a reference source. Another trigger is when I start a post with "God says"...yikes, can't go there.

I can be as polite as I can but standing up for what a scripture means can raise the ire of some. A discussion is then sometimes looked at as a debate and can quickly escalate to taking it personally. Then self-control and kindness take a vacation.
 
Believing in an after life where some sentient form continues forever is spelled out.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal LIFE.

What are the 7 characteristics of life?

Seven characteristics of life. There are seven different characteristics these being; movement, excretion, respiration, reproduction, irritability, nutrition and growth.

Prehistoric humans out of luck, those never bible taught out of luck.

29 Bible verses about Heaven And Earth
bible.knowing-jesus.com › topics › Heaven-And-Earth

To make heaven & earth there has to be a place outside heaven & earth. Where those that had/have the benefit of being bible taught go to to continue experiencing eternal life hasn't been found but not for science lack of trying.
 
Lara said:
Ok, you brought it up :giggle: Christianity is not based on reward and punishment. Those are results of man's faith being tested. You can't work your way to a perfect eternal afterlife.

Christianity is based on simply believing in God and that Jesus was who he said he was. But in the eternal "afterlife" there will be rewards. There's no punishment for believers (Jesus paid that price) but there are natural consequences for man's disobedience and evil choices.
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So let's talk about the concept of Hell. In this physical world where we are now, there is so much potential for misery, as we reside in our vulnerable bodies. Is there really a need for a place of punishment in the afterlife? Some say that Hell is right here on Earth.
 
feywon said:
I respect everyone's beliefs as long they...live by the rules of their belief system, scriptures, clergy.
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Here's the thing. Man is not perfect due to good and evil, sin and wrong choices at times, so try as they might to live by the rules of their belief system and scriptures, man will fail. But I hear what you're saying, that a faith-based believer should be a good example of his faith as best as he possibly can.

And when he fails, he is sorry and continually strives to please God through...

Love, kindness, peace, joy, gratitude, patience, self-control, goodness, and faithfulness...not being envious, boastful, proud, dishonoring others, not self-seeking, easily angered, nor keeping a record of other's wrongs, not delighting in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It's a tall order to live by isn't it. Thankfully God accepts this and offers forgiveness for the asking and believing
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@Nathan, some things are unanswered so that we can continue to study and converse with God to reveal the answers to us. But according to scriptures, Hell is not here on Earth. Life here on earth, as we know it, will end, but earth will remain and someday Jesus and all his followers will return to a perfect earth...and it will be glorious. But we don't know when and won't know until it happens. We are to be ready and watching.
 
Lara said:
Christianity is not based on reward and punishment.
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Yeah but the first thing that is learned is do not disobey or suffer you will suffer the consequences. God is recognized as the Father, the lawmaker, the head of the family in a similar context as human families. Disobey Dad the Father of Creation then suffer the consequence for disobeying God.

I cannot speak for any other faith based religion beyond Christianity but from what I know to be true in my life. i surrendered myself by faith on the promise of a better life. In exchange I would be vessel unto God who guides me in life.

I do not concern myself with sin or what is right or wrong. It's not like I have to think about right and wrong I automatically choose what pleases God because in essence God is me as I am God who guides my life.

One in the same.

Is the incentive of a happy hunting ground or promise of a better eternality encourage good behavior?
 
I have difficulty grasping the notion of eternity. If our spirit lives on after death then it is reasonable to confer that life is already eternal, only in different forms?
 
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