Firstly, while I like to believe this community is above petty bickering over religion, I want to make it perfectly clear that this is not a religious thread despite the fact it will most probably contain religious views within it. So, with that out of the way, I put the question to you. What do you believe awaits us after death, and/or what would be your ideal afterlife? A simple question, but one I hope could provide some interesting responses and discussion, and if you've never really thought about it then maybe now is the time? As for my thoughts, Well I believe that once we die that that's it, there is no afterlife, there is nothing to look forward to. However, despite that being what I believe, in all honesty it's a pretty dull prospect. Ideally, once I'm gone, I would love to be able to watch over Earth and witness the growth and rise (or possibly fall) of the the human race. It's a bit of a sad thought for me knowing that I will only witness 100yrs, if I'm lucky, of our species life time.
personally, I think there's nothing. your mind goes into some kind of void, blank state, similar, or same when you're unconscious. I think that's about it.
Here's my view as a Christian. When a person dies they either go to heaven or to hell depending on whether they accepted Jesus Christ as their saviour and king. We are all sinners and because of this we should all be sent to hell. But Jesus died on the cross for us to forgive those sins, therefore we have a chance to go into heaven. Isaiah 43:25 says "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." So therefore he forgave our sins. And all we need to do is accept him as our saviour and we will receive eternal life. Sure everyone sins now and again but the awesome thing is that we can ask for forgiveness and it will be given to us! (Obviously it is pointless if you just go do the same thing again) "Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and turn away from evil" Proverbs 13:10 It may not seem like it but he is with you right now. He will help you through your daily life and hep you overcome all your hurdles that you need to get through. "But those who trust in the Lord will find their strength renewed, they will rise on wings like eagles, they will run but not grow weary, they will walk but not grow weak." Isaiah 40:31 So basically I believe that there is life after death, all you need to do is trust in the Lord and give your life to him. And you will receive eternal life in heaven. But if not, you unfortunately get cast into the pit of fire (Hell) for eternity. And just in case you might want to give your life to Jesus you can pray this prayer "Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner, I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, took the punishment I deserved by dying on the Cross. I also believe that you raised him from the dead. Thank you. I now receive Jesus as my saviour and Lord. Amen" Some of you may question why I would believe something that sounds so ridiculous and my reply is that there have been real life experiences and encounters with the Lord. Not only that but having eternal life in heaven has to be better than simply disappearing right? I mean there is always a chance. So why not? Sorry if I went off topic there I tend to get carried away when it comes to religion.
Actually I could accept the fact that an afterlife could very well exist, however, if that life does not contains ponies then it would truly... suck...
Love and freedom. And then, if you feel like it, maybe another life. Another dream. No idea why I think so. It's a feel. I'm such a hippie.
Usually I know how to answer this question, but right NOW, I don't know. Maybe it is exactly that: an afterlife. That there's just life... Perhaps a different, perhaps the same, after death. That sounds good for me, but my perfect scenario would be able to do anything I want. To know everything, to execute everything, to live everything (for instance, living histories, such as of one pony, or Naruto, or Dante, or Arthas, of Faon himself, and the list goes on)... Pretty much being my own god, I guess :derpe:
I'm about as materialistic as you can get. So, due to that, this is what happens in my eyes: Born through conception of sperm of father and egg of mother > Grow using hormones > Do useless stuff which us humans made for fun > Get old and weak > Die > ROT! Or be ashes. Or have your body donated to laboratories.
I don't really care much for the subject of afterlife. When death comes, death comes, and what's after it? We will never know, which is the more exciting side of death. Still, if it's nothing, so be it, I'm dead, I won't care.
The eternal void, nothingness, a place with no light, no time, no thought, emptier than anything you can ever imagine. There is nothing I fear more than this being the afterlife. Logic tells it is, but I...I can't accept it. Any hell would be better than this. I am a pantheist. That means I believe God is the universe itself, not a personal being, a cosmic force. Likewise I believe in an Antigod, being nothingness, black holes being the manifestation of it's power. I honestly don't know what the afterlife is. But life is a dream, in a dream we don't neccesarily know it is a dream. Sometimes we may wake and find that this world is not the only reality after all. We humans do not know as much as we think we do. Is death even real or just an illusion? 51m0nn You said you encountered God. I ask you, do you have any reason to think it is neccesarily the Christian God and not the Cosmic God? You are probably well meaning in your advice to accept Jesus and I am equally well meaning in mine. Theism only clouds your mind and prevents you from seeing Gods true glory. God is not a single being, God is everything. All religions contain it's essence, there is no one path to God, but many, belief is not a prerequisite for heaven, that is one of few things I know for certain. I have an intrest in religion myself and I do have respect for your faith, but don't follow dogma blindly, use your own mind, in the Name of Applejack I swear that is a honest advice.
My personal view of the universe, this sums it pretty much up. I believe everything in the universe is part of this great cosmic force we could call 'God'. I believe this force is love. I'm not sure if there's something like an 'anti-god', an evil force, or whether this is simply the absence of this 'God-force'. I think every religion has it's origins in the worship of this cosmic force of love. But I think with time dogma, which humanity has always used to simplify things, led many religions away from their sourche. I believe one must keep an open mind in their search for the truth. No religion, not even science, has all the answers. I didn't know the word 'pantheïsm' yet. Not that I'll be calling myself a pantheïst from now on, but it's still good to know.
I can see the similarities in our religions the only main thing that stands out is when you said that all paths lead the same way. In my Bible, John 14:6 says that I am the way the truth and the life and no one can get to the father except through me" But yeah I think it is cool that we can get into a religious discussion without sparking an argument despite the differences. @Emperus Brohoof! /)
I was raised to believe the thing 51m0nn said, after thinking about it many years I've come to the tentative conclusion that while it does make sense to me I also know that none of that can be proven or dis-proven either scientifically or theologically, nopony knows the answer... the secret of Life the Universe and... Everything. I believe that each one of us is free to believe what we will about the Afterlife, but it's disturbing to me on a visceral level how many of you choose to believe in nothing whatsoever, that saddens me to no end and I hate being sad. Whatever awaits after this life I go happily looking forward to a great adventure... I just wish more of you could have that too.
I'm a pretty vocal athiest (but I won't go into that here, don't worry) but at the same time I have mixed feelings about the afterlife. I'm confident there's no heaven or hell or judgement or pearly gates, but it's a nice idea to imagine there being... something. That said, it would be nice if Equestria was a real place that I could visit. There's probably going to be nothing, so no worries here. I don't know if anyone else has read it, but Elsewhere is a brilliant book about the afterlife. I won't spoil anything, but the idea is that wehn people die they wake up on a boat headed to an island, where they age backwards from the time of their death until they become a baby and are ready to be born back into the world. A really neat idea, and a great book. Check it out if you get the chance.
That's the thing. I, as a non-believer, do not care that there's an afterlife. I do not believe that human existence is necessary for the universe, so I just think to enjoy my life. Wanting an afterlife is simply saying that you want more life. I cannot see that as being realistic in the slightest, so I have chosen the beautiful route of science To put it quite simply: I'm a materialist and a realist. Spirituality just sounds like a fairytale, and the ideal is too improbable for my tastes.
