2019-01-23, 03:11 AM
What Happens When We Die?
It occurred to me, while responding to another thread, that we all have an idea of what happens to us when we die but that those ideas seem to vary quite a lot. So I thought I'd start a new resource-based thread (as opposed to a debate/argument thread) in which we can describe our concepts and how we arrived at them by citing source information and influences. So I am suggesting a description of the stages we go through, the nature of the afterlife environment, whether the personality we are now continues ad-infinitum or that personality is reincarnated as another and finally, what happens down the line when, perhaps, the cycle of incarnations is complete or the afterlife personality migrates to other levels, becomes part of something bigger or simply dissolves into some god-like entity.
This, clearly, is not a thread for our skeptics who, it can probably be assumed, would have a one-word answer: "nothing". Having said that and from my own point of view, I don't mind anyone pointing out fallacious conclusions so long as the reasons for the fallacies are not of the "because it defies the laws of nature and physics" variety because that just inserts a materialistic assumption which could be seen as a deliberate attempt to derail the discussion.
What I am hoping for is the aforementioned description accompanied by citations. Book quotes, videos, first-hand accounts, NDE descriptions, historical accounts, descriptions from mediums and channels, philosophical debates and even novels and movies based, perhaps, on popular accounts or cultural beliefs.
I will add my own entry in due course but I need a while to arrange my thoughts and look for supporting links.
It occurred to me, while responding to another thread, that we all have an idea of what happens to us when we die but that those ideas seem to vary quite a lot. So I thought I'd start a new resource-based thread (as opposed to a debate/argument thread) in which we can describe our concepts and how we arrived at them by citing source information and influences. So I am suggesting a description of the stages we go through, the nature of the afterlife environment, whether the personality we are now continues ad-infinitum or that personality is reincarnated as another and finally, what happens down the line when, perhaps, the cycle of incarnations is complete or the afterlife personality migrates to other levels, becomes part of something bigger or simply dissolves into some god-like entity.
This, clearly, is not a thread for our skeptics who, it can probably be assumed, would have a one-word answer: "nothing". Having said that and from my own point of view, I don't mind anyone pointing out fallacious conclusions so long as the reasons for the fallacies are not of the "because it defies the laws of nature and physics" variety because that just inserts a materialistic assumption which could be seen as a deliberate attempt to derail the discussion.
What I am hoping for is the aforementioned description accompanied by citations. Book quotes, videos, first-hand accounts, NDE descriptions, historical accounts, descriptions from mediums and channels, philosophical debates and even novels and movies based, perhaps, on popular accounts or cultural beliefs.
I will add my own entry in due course but I need a while to arrange my thoughts and look for supporting links.