What Happens After You Die?

[FOOSE1 0]

Please let this be a non-confrontational topic. I am seriously interested in what other opinions are and why.I started thinking about this re-reading the reincarnation topic. I am just curious what everyone believes will happen to them after they die.

[crowTrobot 2]

i believe nobody knows for sure. agnostics rule.

[LongLiveYorke 38]

You slowly lose consciousness until you fully lose consciousness. You experience nothing. It feels like what it felt like before you were born. I don't believe in a soul or such, so there really is nothing permanent that lives on or "goes" anywhere. If you break a giant computer, then the computer just stops working. It doesn't go to computer heaven. I believe that the same applies to our brains, which are just chemical computers.

[zzz 0]

www.near-death.com

[DerekTah 0]

You slowly lose consciousness until you fully lose consciousness. You experience nothing. It feels like what it felt like before you were born. I don't believe in a soul or such, so there really is nothing permanent that lives on or "goes" anywhere. If you break a giant computer, then the computer just stops working. It doesn't go to computer heaven. I believe that the same applies to our brains, which are just chemical computers.

Computers go to silicon heaven you fool!Think about it, where do all the calculators go?

[MDXS 0]

You slowly lose consciousness until you fully lose consciousness. You experience nothing. It feels like what it felt like before you were born. I don't believe in a soul or such, so there really is nothing permanent that lives on or "goes" anywhere. If you break a giant computer, then the computer just stops working. It doesn't go to computer heaven. I believe that the same applies to our brains, which are just chemical computers.

Pretty much my take.

[mrdannyg 274]

Computers go to silicon heaven you fool!Think about it, where do all the calculators go?

i'm very curious what happens thought-wise in the few minutes before death.but after you die, i'm pretty sure that's it. your body gets buried and decomposes. your brain just no longer functions. no more consciousness, the brain ceases function and that's that.so this life is all you got. stop wasting your time reading posts like this and go play in the sun.

[Golden 2]

Dirt or fire. Take your pick. But that's all that happens.

[zzz 0]

There have been many documented cases where people have experienced things long after their brain function has ended.

[Canada 0]

There have been many documented cases where people have experienced things long after their brain function has ended.

Curious to know how they 'remembered' these experiences without a functioning brain

[Golden 2]

There have been many documented cases where people have experienced things long after their brain function has ended.

Reading that sentence hurts my brain.

[Phlatline 0]

Curious to know how they 'remembered' these experiences without a functioning brain

A spirit or soul must exist if brain dead people recall things after death. I have read a case where a person was pronounced dead and later described all the events that took place around him while he was dead. Some say these people were not really dead and just experienced some sort of deep coma hallucinations. However, it would be tough to describe events surrounding you with your eyes closed and comatose, especially describing events from a perspective above the body. There are several good books out on this topic, both in regular and Christian bookstores.I noticed a few posters said they did not believe there was a spirit or soul, and that there was just nothingness after death. Have you ever played with an Ouija board? I am a Christian now and do not advocate this, but in my youth I messed around quite a bit with one. I know for a fact that neither my brother nor I moved the reader on the board, yet it moved on its own. Not only did it move on its own but it answered questions we did not know the answers to. For instance, I knew a guy in high school who was an orphan, but neither my brother nor I had any idea how his parents had passed away. We asked the Ouija board how they passed away and it spelled "car accident." Later at school the next day the guy confirmed his parents had indeed died in a car accident and he asked how I knew, since he had told nobody about this.Anyway, to make a short story long, some of these early experiences led me to start asking some serious questions about souls, the afterlife, and eternity. To which Christianity had the only plausible answers to.Phlat________

[crowTrobot 2]

A spirit or soul must exist if brain dead people recall things after death. I have read a case where a person was pronounced dead and later described all the events that took place around him while he was dead. Some say these people were not really dead and just experienced some sort of deep coma hallucinations. However, it would be tough to describe events surrounding you with your eyes closed and comatose, especially describing events from a perspective above the body. There are several good books out on this topic, both in regular and Christian bookstores.I noticed a few posters said they did not believe there was a spirit or soul, and that there was just nothingness after death. Have you ever played with an Ouija board? I am a Christian now and do not advocate this, but in my youth I messed around quite a bit with one. I know for a fact that neither my brother nor I moved the reader on the board, yet it moved on its own. Not only did it move on its own but it answered questions we did not know the answers to. For instance, I knew a guy in high school who was an orphan, but neither my brother nor I had any idea how his parents had passed away. We asked the Ouija board how they passed away and it spelled "car accident." Later at school the next day the guy confirmed his parents had indeed died in a car accident and he asked how I knew, since he had told nobody about this.Anyway, to make a short story long, some of these early experiences led me to start asking some serious questions about souls, the afterlife, and eternity. To which Christianity had the only plausible answers to.

christianity has the only plausible answers to near-death experiences and ouija boards? are you saying the subconscious isn't capable of creating scenarios to help the individual cope with near death?are you saying science (or another non-christian religious belief for that matter) has no possible explaination for what appears on the surface to be metaphysical?good luck objectively proving that.

[davezz5 0]

There have been many documented cases where people have experienced things long after their brain function has ended.

Dont go into the light.

[weishan14 0]

I know that many will say that since they don't believe the Bible, this answer is not credible. But since I do believe the Bible, this is the basis for my belief in God, Heaven and Eternal life. So for me to quote scripture is only natural. In I Corinthians 5:6-9 (CEV) it says:6 So always be cheerful! As long as we are in these bodies, we are away from the Lord. 7 But we live by faith, not by what we see. 8 We should be cheerful, because we would rather leave these bodies and be at home with the Lord. 9 But whether we are at home with the Lord or away from him, we still try our best to please him. I believe that when you die, your spirit/soul goes to be with the Lord, if you are a Christian. If you are not a Christian you will be separate from the Lord for Eternity.Some say this is not fair, however why would you want to spend Eternity in a place with Someone you don't believe it to begin with? God offers a home in Heaven, but He does not force anyone to go there. (I know some will say I'm 'Preaching" again, but you did ask what we believe will happen after we die?)

[Farnan 0]

There have been many documented cases where people have experienced things long after their brain function has ended.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4898726.stm

'Near death' has biological basis Dream sleep can intrude into normal wakeful consciousness Near death experiences have a biological explanation rather than a spiritual one, research suggests. The US team said the same parts of the brain are activated when people dream as in near death experiences. The study, in Neurology, compared 55 people who had had near death experiences and 55 who had not. Those with near death experiences were more likely to have less clearly separated boundaries between sleeping and waking, the scientists found. People who have had near death experiences commonly report being surrounded by a bright light or gazing down on themselves in an operating theatre. Many of these sensations are also common to experiences of being in the dream state, or rapid eye movement (REM), stage of sleep, the researchers said. 'REM intrusion' Near death experiences were defined by the University of Kentucky researchers as a time during a life-threatening episode when a person undergoes an out-of-body experience, unusual alertness or sees an intense light or feels a great sense of peace. They found 60% of those who reported such experiences said they had experienced the REM state of sleep during periods of wakefulness. Only a quarter of those who had not had near death experiences said they had experienced this "REM intrusion". Examples of this include waking up and feeling unable to move, having sudden muscle weakness in the legs and hearing sounds just before falling asleep or waking up that others do not hear, the team said. 'Biological basis' Study author Professor Kevin Nelson of the University of Kentucky, Lexington, who led the study, said the findings suggests that REM state intrusion contributed to near death experiences. He told the Daily Telegraph: "I see it as an activation of certain brain regions that are also active during the dream state. "However, I hesitate to call it dreaming or dreaming while awake. This is the first testable hypothesis of a biological basis for these experiences." "People who have near death experiences may have an arousal system that predisposes them to REM intrusion," he added. 'Incredibly real' However, he suggested the theory did not automatically rule out a spiritual dimension to near death experiences. "We, as neurologists. address the how of these experiences coming about but not the why," he said. Dr Neil Stanley, director of sleep research at Surrey University, said the theory was a very plausible one. He said: "There are plenty of rational people who say that these things happen and the one part of us that's utterly fantastical is our dreams. "Our dreams can appear incredibly real - after all they are our reality when they are happening. "If you get that sort of reality playing through into your consciousness - it's a very convincing reason to believe such a thing is happening."

[LongLiveYorke 38]

=Have you ever played with an Ouija board...I know for a fact that neither my brother nor I moved the reader on the board, yet it moved on its own.

Ouija boards are controlled by the subconscious. It's like many examples of Facilitated Communication.Do you really think that if there are spirits and they have mild control over the physics of our universe that they would only manifest this control through board games? Why do humans need to be touching it anyway? Couldn't we create a nearly frictionless Ouija board and see what happens with no human contact whatsoever?If that actually came up with answers to unknown questions, then I may be slightly more convinced.

[Don Giovanni 0]

ive always thought about it in the "its like it was before you were born" way but, i dont know, doesnt that kinda suck? shouldnt there be something else?

[Phlatline 0]

Ouija boards are controlled by the subconscious. It's like many examples of Facilitated Communication.Do you really think that if there are spirits and they have mild control over the physics of our universe that they would only manifest this control through board games? Why do humans need to be touching it anyway? Couldn't we create a nearly frictionless Ouija board and see what happens with no human contact whatsoever?If that actually came up with answers to unknown questions, then I may be slightly more convinced.

The short answer is I honestly don't know how the physics of our universe and the spirit world work. I hated using my Ouija board experiences as proof of an afterlife, but it is really the only solid example I have actually witnessed. I was the biggest skeptic of the game and spirits in general and thought about ways I could prove it was a farce. It did in fact give correct answers to questions nobody in the room knew but was later verified. Well needless to say it made a believer out of me and taught me that there are some things not meant for us to explore. There is definately more to this world than what your eyes show you........Phlat__________

[SunDrop 0]

I believe we all become ghosts and our visibility to the living is dependant on how satisfied we are with our life. This would explain why mansions are usually haunted by ghosts of people who committed suicide or died some horrible death too soon or for the wrong reasons.The other ones float around and control our fate, they sort of guide us where we need to go.Side note: There's this story in the 2005 O'Henry prize stories by Kevin Brockemeyer (don't remember the title) that's about this world (a heaven, sort of) where people go to when they die, and they remain there as long as there is someone on Earth that remembers them. Pretty cool story...actually gives me chills just thinking about it.

[rkard 0]

If I have found true enlightenment when that time comes then this question will be completely oblivious to me. That is all that matters.

[nutzbuster 7]

Here's a crazy notion that I came up with years ago and still go nuts over trying to make sense of it.What is life? The here and the now? Well, when you sit and really think about it, life (or the being aware that you live) only exists in our memories or our ability to remember. You have no idea what will happen 10 seconds into the future or even 10 miliseconds into the future. All we have is the fact that once that time has come it immediately becomes the past, and only then can it be something to ponder or reflect upon. Thus, it is the memories of our past, however recent, that is really what being alive is all about. So I ask this then. If we die we lose our ability to think, to use our brain.And if we can't remember anything then did we really ever live at all?Think of folks with amnesia. They have no concept of anything that was their past life, so in essence they never had a past life. It never exisited for them. as if they never existed before. Sort of a total stoner concept, but interesting, no?

[copernicus 0]

Here's a crazy notion that I came up with years ago and still go nuts over trying to make sense of it.What is life? The here and the now? Well, when you sit and really think about it, life (or the being aware that you live) only exists in our memories or our ability to remember. You have no idea what will happen 10 seconds into the future or even 10 miliseconds into the future. All we have is the fact that once that time has come it immediately becomes the past, and only then can it be something to ponder or reflect upon. Thus, it is the memories of our past, however recent, that is really what being alive is all about. So I ask this then. If we die we lose our ability to think, to use our brain.And if we can't remember anything then did we really ever live at all?Think of folks with amnesia. They have no concept of anything that was their past life, so in essence they never had a past life. It never exisited for them. as if they never existed before. Sort of a total stoner concept, but interesting, no?

Lack of (or loss of) memory doesnt mean there was no past life, since that life affected other people, the environment around them, etc.

[brvheart 1,752]

Your body is burnt to a crisp until just a pile of ash remains, or it's placed in a box and decays over many years, becoming a wonderful lunch for insects and worms.

[gooch 0]

A never ending string of theseCourse everyone you are playing against has one too