Is there an afterlife?

Originally posted by ShallowBlue
Is there an afterlife? Humans have always hoped so.
Ultimately, without afterlife, there seems to be an utter pointlessness to existence. For millennia people have dreamed up countless gods to get around this painful realisation. Religious people ALWAYS believe there is an afterlife - it is, of course, the main reason for believing in their particular g ...[text shortened]... tingly - does anyone believe in afterlife without any kind of god involved? How would that work?

Just out of curiosity, what caused you to become "absolutely convinced" that there is no afterlife?

Originally posted by The Chess Express
Just out of curiosity, what caused you to become "absolutely convinced" that there is no afterlife?

I always associate afterlife with god, and as I am convinced there are no gods, then it follows that there isn't an afterlife.
Throughout the ages gods have been dreamed up for every situation. It is ridiculous, to me, that people can be aware of so many gods and yet be sure that theirs is the correct one.
Even when people believe in the same god, a small difference in the doctrine of different sects has been enough to set them fighting and killing each other. How crazy is that?
The idea that there are gods that people worship today that don't like shiny buttons, have something against bacon sandwiches, give special priveleges to cattle etc is, to me, completely absurd.

If there is a creator for the universe (use the word god if you wish) then I don't believe he/she/it would have any extra special consideration for human beings. Certainly not to the extent of granting afterlives. Similar, for instance, to a gardner who has no extra special interest in the bacteria in his compost heap despite having created the garden and heap in the first place.

Now, an afterlife without gods involved. What is that? Some kind of strange ethereal existence, wandering the earth without true form.... Its starting to sound 'made up' already!

Excuse me for butting in...

"afterlife": what happens after life. It is a contradiction in terms...there is nothing after life, death is included in life.

What happens to consciousness once the breath stops? Different question, one for the scientists--do you know the answer?

Originally posted by ShallowBlue
I always associate afterlife with god, and as I am convinced there are no gods, then it follows that there isn't an afterlife.
Throughout the ages gods have been dreamed up for every situation. It is ridiculous, to me, that people can be aware of so many gods and yet be sure that theirs is the correct one.
Even when people believe in the same god, a s ...[text shortened]... existence, wandering the earth without true form.... Its starting to sound 'made up' already!

I'll relate a story I read once by Paramhansa Yogananda, The Essence of self-realization.

There was once a man who had six blind sons. He told his sons to wash his elephant. As they were doing so they began to discuss between themselves what the elephant was.

One said that the elephant was two large bones. He had been washing the tusks.

The second was disgusted and said that the elephant was really a thick rope. He had been washing the trunk.

The third son was appalled and insisted that it was like a couple of fans. He had been washing the ears.

The forth son was dismayed by what he was hearing. He was washing the legs and was ceretain that the elephant was like tree trunks.

The fifth son, was outraged at the others and shouted in frustration you are all wrong! The beast is a big breathing wall. He was washing the sides.

The sixth son, beside himself with contempt, called the rest of his brothers liars and said that elephants were like string from the sky. He had been washing the tail.

The brothers now despised eachother and began fighting between themselves.

Soon the father walked in and saw what was happening. Listening to their story, he laughed and said that they were all fighting over nothing. He then told them what an elephant really was.

Just because peoples desciptions of God don't make sense to you, does not mean that there isn't one.

Perhaps death is like slices of sleep.....Not being aware of anything.