how many of you really believe in an afterlife?

Simply..yes I do believe in a heaven and an afterlife.

I was an agnostic for many years, but my faith in God did return. Whether or not I'll make it to heaven I don't know, but what I do believe, is that the rigidity some see, the cruelty committed in the name of God, is not in his name, is not representative of anything but man's misinterpretation or mis- understanding.

I do believe in evil, I've been near it, felt it, there was no mistaking it.

I believe in a personal relationship with God, versus any organized religion being what I should listen to. Whether or not you make it into heaven, is between you and God.

Do I think there is a heaven yes ... No I wont be there , instead I will resting returning till dust till the earth is reborn ...

EVIL is real and yeah so is the devil ,,,

I have met to many "ghosts " not to beleive in the afterlife ....

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

What some of us call "God" may be, I think, a sort of communal energy to which we all contribute with our every thought and action, for good or ill, consciously or otherwise. This may be why prayer and "vibes" often seem to work -- because our focused thoughts are sometimes powerful enough to have influence through this all-pervasive energy.

But as Heather said, energy and matter cannot be destroyed -- only transformed. (Well, she put it differently, but I think that's where she was going with it.

) And the energy that is the soul does survive the death of the body, of that I feel sure.

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Sort of close to what I believe too. If enough people focus on something strongly enough it can help or impede a situation. There is such a thing as 'mind over matter' to an extent and positive thinking as well.
I was lucky enough not to have any sort of religion forced on me when growing up. If one wants it, let that be a personal choice, not something determined by others. Yes, I'm referring to children. Why purposely force your beliefs on a child who may not understand some stories are meant to be moral teachings and instead scared by some of the violent imagery?

I don't believe in Heaven or Hell, God(s) or Devil(s), people created such myths, often adopting a little here and there from different cultures.

Where it not for the odd stuff I have experienced I wouldn't even believe in ghost, but it's hard to argue with a nearly 7 foot solid shadow figure standing in your bedroom...

There is nasty stuff out there, whether one wants to call them demons or whatever is personal choice. I've only experienced something once that felt very bad, boy was I glad when it left! Of course we have more to fear from sick twisted individuals. I also don't believe it is any devil making them this way, but instead a result of illness and society. There is a link between mental illness, actual brain damage, and abuse making people deprived.

The theory of everything being made up of energy and that energy continuing in some form or another does sort of fit with what I and others have experienced. Batteries being drained in seconds or feeling like you've been zapped with an electrical shock. As for having any concrete idea as to what is really going on there, I really don't have one.

And if I'm wrong, so be it. I don't need promises of punishment or reward to make me be a decent moral person.

This is an interesting discussion .....I believe that there is an energy source from where we come from and when we return to once we have died and completed our spiritual journey's...I also believe in re-incarnation, I have felt so strongly that I have been in certain places before in different times. I see spirits quite alot so it just confims to me that when we die thats not the end of souls per sae...

I don't know

I believe in Heaven and Hell, and i'd like to think that i'll be crossing Rainbow Bridge when my time has come to be met by not only family, friends, family pets and of course my babies!, but i would like to think i would be met at the other end by all of the cats and kittens from TCS who i feel like i know through their pictures and their antics in fur pages

Originally Posted by Rosiemac

I believe in Heaven and Hell, and i'd like to think that i'll be crossing Rainbow Bridge when my time has come to be met by not only family, friends, family pets and of course my babies!, but i would like to think i would be met at the other end by all of the cats and kittens from TCS who i feel like i know through their pictures and their antics in fur pages

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i remember reading something once, not long ago that said, if something can love how can it not have a soul?

Originally Posted by theimp98

i remember reading something once, not long ago that said, if something can love how can it not have a soul?

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I like that!

Originally Posted by Rosiemac

I believe in Heaven and Hell, and i'd like to think that i'll be crossing Rainbow Bridge when my time has come to be met by not only family, friends, family pets and of course my babies!

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I've wondered for a while now if the concept of a Rainbow Bridge is somehow adopted from Bifröst, a rainbow bridge in Germanic/Norse mythology that spanned between the heavens and earth. Of course that would really skew the concept of Hell since Hel (goddess and realm from Norse mythology) were neutral with good and bad beings/souls.

....I'm a bit of a mythology geek.

in norse, the underworld was home, to cowards, people who broke oaths,
i beleave in terms of timetables, the hell of christinaity and islam came before the norse, system of worship, and since they were cold all the time, they changed there verson of hel to be cold.

i dont doubt the poem the guy got the idea of the rainbow bridge from that.
but does not really matter?, as he was trying to talk about his feeling of losing his pet and the hope that he will be reunited with it, as he will with other loved ones.

I agree with alot of others here..

I was raised catholic but i dont quite believe in jesus mary or god anymore. But i believe in the rainbow bridge, hell and heaven.

I have seen ghosts and i clearly cant deny it, people will think i am crazy but i will never forget that tall man standing at the front door, and an old fashioned lady who always walked in the hallway while i layed in bed.

And something is even weirder! I am a septuplet but the others didnt make it! when i was 11 or 12 my sister came and spoke to me. She told me I had to warn my mother about something! Well when i got up the next day i forgot what she said but i told my mother and she just had the shivers. I will never forget my sisters voice. That is the only thing i look foward to death, to see if there is an after life, to see if i will meet my family ect.

I've been here before. I know that. And I will come back in the next one to haunt my loved ones I'm fairly sure me and my DH have been together before this life too.... and once I die, I'm going to haunt him MUAHAHAHA!

Originally Posted by theimp98

i remember reading something once, not long ago that said, if something can love how can it not have a soul?

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I must add to that, it is not just for humans but for animals too.

I have heard from a handful of people (mainly Catholics) that animals have no soul. So because they don't speak English or wear clothes or walk upright, means they dont have a soul? They can't love or fear or nurture? They can.

Originally Posted by Sarah3

This is an interesting discussion

.....I believe that there is an energy source from where we come from and when we return to once we have died and completed our spiritual journey's...I also believe in re-incarnation, I have felt so strongly that I have been in certain places before in different times. I see spirits quite alot so it just confims to me that when we die thats not the end of souls per sae...

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I get that dejavu feeling quite often. I tend to think though, that it has more to do with ESP/paranormal than actual reincarnation and having lived through it before. It could be reincarnation, but I do really believe that people dream things and some of it is prophetic/glimpses into our own future. There is, though, no real mistaking it. It's way to *sure* to be a feeling you can dismiss. Something is obviously causing it whether it's having been there before in a past life or whether it's having dreamt the situation with such clarity that you only remember it when it's triggered by being in the same spot. I don't know.

I'll quote Woody Allen on this one:

"I don't necessarily believe in the afterlife, but I am bringing a change of underwear just in case."

Originally Posted by Dragoriana

I must add to that, it is not just for humans but for animals too.

I have heard from a handful of people (mainly Catholics) that animals have no soul. So because they don't speak English or wear clothes or walk upright, means they dont have a soul? They can't love or fear or nurture? They can.

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i never said it was just for humans

Originally Posted by neetanddave

I'll quote Woody Allen on this one:

"I don't necessarily believe in the afterlife, but I am bringing a change of underwear just in case."

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That's excellent!

I believe in an after life, but I believe that it takes a lot of work to get there. My belief system says that you are here until you learn what you are supposed to learn and then you can move on.

Originally Posted by theimp98

i never said it was just for humans

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No no no, i didn't mean you!!! i just meant people i have come across. I know everyone here knows their kitties have souls

Originally Posted by CatsAreBetter

I get that dejavu feeling quite often. I tend to think though, that it has more to do with ESP/paranormal than actual reincarnation and having lived through it before. It could be reincarnation, but I do really believe that people dream things and some of it is prophetic/glimpses into our own future. There is, though, no real mistaking it. It's way to *sure* to be a feeling you can dismiss. Something is obviously causing it whether it's having been there before in a past life or whether it's having dreamt the situation with such clarity that you only remember it when it's triggered by being in the same spot. I don't know.

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I get dejavu ALOT! I sometimes think im going crazy. And not just the familiar feeling, but something might happen, and then i've realised i had a dream about it happening, the same people, situation, place etc.