Does an afterlife exist

Answer 1

There are many opinions about what is called "the afterlife."

Atheists

Atheists do not believe in an afterlife. The idea that there is an afterlife is seen as a common method employed by religious faiths to 'solve' the difficult issue of death. It is summed up as merely wishful thinking to avoid the issue rather than deal with it. It is similar to telling a child that their pet didn't die. Instead, it went away to live on a farm, with all the other animals, which is a tactic parents often employ, although the circumstances of these situations are too different (i.e. the child's innocence, and the adult believer's struggle to believe) to be directly compared. It partly plays on the slight arrogance of the human race to believe that we are so far superior to other living creatures, so we believe we are essentially immortal (referring to the concept of 'living on' for ever after we die). It is widely believed because we want to believe it, and because it feels right, compared to the nothingness that would appear to be the truth, but this does not make it real any more than Narnia exists because a child believes in it.

Christian Beliefs

When dealing with afterlife/eternal life Christian doctrine has to take into account three distinct periods (1) from the fall of Adam to the coming of Christ (2) the Kingdom of God the Son from the coming of Christ to the Last Day (3) the Kingdom of God the Father after the Last Day. You will need to know this to understand the following passages of Scripture. Period (1): The Resurrection "Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection; ��. But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not God of the dead, but of the living"(Matthew Ch 22). Note: Angels often appeared in human form. They even ate food which Abraham prepared for them. "Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world."' (John Ch 11) Note that Jesus did not agree with Martha when she linked the resurrection to the Last Day. Timing of the resurrection: "Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live��for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgement." (John Ch 5) "And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook, and the rocks were split; the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many." (Matthew Ch 27)

Periods (2) and (3), The Last Days: "All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day." (John Ch 6) "The kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear" (Matthew Ch 13).

According to the Bible there is indeed an after life. It is called heaven. There is another place which has not been originally prepared for people but for the devil and his angels (demons). Men choose to go there as well by rejecting God. This place is called hell.

The deciding factor is how people fare when they are judged on the basis of how they accepted or rejected Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 9:27 (King James Version) 27And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the judgment.

Jewish Beliefs

One of the central beliefs of Judaism is that the soul continues to exist and is treated in accordance with the person's actions while he or she was alive. This applies to all people.
All outstanding accounts are settled after this life. Some cases illustrate this point, since this entire world wouldn't be enough to reward a Moses or punish a Hitler. And while we're alive, knowledge of the future world serves as one of the motivations to keeping God's will.
Judaism does not delve into detail of the rewards of the righteous because religions could compete with more and more poetic promises. Also because belief in the afterlife was shared by all ancient societies and needed little reiteration. Besides, it would be like describing the colors of a sunrise to someone who was blind from birth.
It is, however, referred to briefly in verses such as Genesis 15:15. The prophets are more explicit (see Isaiah 26:19 and 66:24, Daniel 12:13, Zechariah 3:7, 1 Kings 8:30, 2 Kings ch.2, Ecclesiastes 12:7). The afterlife is also spoken of at length in the Talmud.

Quran and Muslim Beliefs

Here are the arguments of afterlife according to Quran: 1. Just as our Creator gave us life in this world, He will bring us back to life on the Day of Resurrection.

2. Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, and was not tired of it, can easily bring the dead back to life.

3. Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth can create the like of them. He can create the Hell and the Paradise.

4. It is He Who originates the creation, then will repeat it and it is easier for Him. As doing the same for the second time is naturally easier than the first time. Although neither the first, nor the second, creation is difficult for Him.

5. Afterlife is the natural demand of our morality as we know that good and bad are not equal and same and they shouldn't be. Should the reward of prophets and pious people (who are the best people of humanity) and the worst people be the same. Should human beings and trees or insects be dealt equally that both die and that is all?

Here are some verses from Quran having such arguments.

(Al Kahaf Sura No 18, Verse no 37)

Do you disbelieve in Him Who created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then He fashioned you into a perfect man?

(Al Dukhan Sura No 44, Verse no 38)

And We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them for amusement.

(Al Maryam Sura No 19, Verse no 66-67)

And man (the disbeliever) says: "What! When I am dead, shall I then be raised up alive?" Doesn't he remember that We created him before, when he was nothing

(Yaseen Sura No 36, Verse no 77-83)

Does not man see that We created him from a mere sperm-drop? Yet behold! he (stands forth) as an open quarreler. And he makes comparisons for Us and forgets his own creation. He says: "Who will give life to these bones after they are rotten and have become dust?" Say: "He will give them life Who created them for the first time! And He is the All-knower of every creation!" He Who produces for you fire out of the green tree, when behold, you kindle from it. Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth, Able to create the like of them? Yes, indeed! He is the All-Knowing Supreme Creator. Verily, His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, "Be" ���� and it is! So glory to Him in Whose hands is the dominion of all things: and to Him will you be brought back.

Unitarian Universalists:

Unitarian Universalists don't really have a unified opinion one way or the other, but most of us do believe in one.

Hindis

Hindis believe in an afterlife.

Buddhists

Buddhists believe in reincarnation.

Reincarnationists

I have to consider that at the very least, even if atheists are right and we don't have souls, but consciousness is solely a product of the brain, and death is the cessation of existence, there is nothing in the universe that prevents consciousness from being possible again. You exist now, you have probably existed before (not as you are now, but as someone / something else), and you will probably exist again. Among the various concept of afterlife, Reincarnation is the only one with plausible proof. In my opinion, there is an afterlife. Without empirical proof, all concepts are mere wishful thinking. However, consider how many people have had near-death experiences and/or the cases of children having memories of things they could not possibly have learned in this life.

Non-religious questioners

I don't think we simply cease to exist, like atheists insist. However, I'm not entirely convinced of many of the dogmatic conventions of most organized religions either. Everybody seems to have one piece of the puzzle but nobody has all of the answers. As for my two cents worth, I hope it's kind of like it is in the 1991 Albert Brooks film "Defending Your Life".

Religions to Science to What?

Even 5,000 years ago, religious people thought religion answered everything. Today, many scientists/atheists think modern science answers everything. Imagine what will "answer everything" 5,000 years from now?

My philosophy is this: Live your life to the fullest just in case the atheists are right; love your neighbor as if the Buddhists, Hindus, or Christians are right; and fight for your rights as if the Vikings were right. Fair enough?

Non-religious/Non-scientific believers

The Holy Books such as the Bible, The Qu'ran, Book of Mormonism, etc. are all truthful stories but meant as metaphors. Metaphors creates a language of images, so that we can recall the important truths such as:

1. A creator exists who is much more expansive than we can ever know. But the Creator is not a "Being"-- though could become human flesh, just as we become human flesh.
2. We were created, from a joined will between our 'consciousness' and that of our creator. We are not forced to be here.
3. The closest reunion we have on earth to our creator is through uplifting our imagination and Love.
4. Prayer, contemplation, quietude, meditation all bring us in touch with Love and our ability to "reimagine" life.
5. There are no precise other locations of "Heaven," "Hell", "Purgatory". We make each of these in how we think about our lives. We can make a Heaven from a life of Hell.
6. We may suffer in life, but not in our changed form after our deaths.
7. Our consciousness does not die, and cannot die.
8. We may be unaware, now, of our consciousness of the Creator.
9. The "Last Days" and "Resurrection" refer to when all persons will remember their consciousness as being joined with and "One" with the creator.
10. We continually have a choice to create Good now. After we die, we can still create (fitting reincarnation beliefs), but not as someone "new" but with a renewed consciousness.
11. We "choose" the life we enter, but quickly forget (again) the reasons we chose to be back in human form. Those who remember may seem closer to living the lives we were meant to live.
12. We are but a small speck in terms of creation, which is and which can be even more vast than we can ever imagine. But we share the power to "create"-- with our minds, our hearts, our Good Will toward others.
13. Therefore, technically, there is no death, just the end of our physical bodies, which can be recreated into a new form.
14. Everything we see and even what we cannot see (example: bacteria) is part of this creation... which we continually can change and create anew.
15. No one religion is "right". But all religions carry a piece of these memories.
16. Fundamentalists take religious texts far too literally, thus becoming extremists, and again, "forgetting" that we are ALL part of this wonderful creation we call Life, forgetting that we ALL share the same origins in creation.
17. The issue of "evil" doers, horrors, disasters, etc. remain difficult to explain, even in this view. Except, that we do retain free will to do good or evil, do rights or wrongs, be compassionate or tormentors toward others. How we choose to live reflects how conscious we are of our creator, of being one with the Creator. This joins with the Mustard Seed story in the Bible, that if we have a little faith, we can recall that we can metaphorically move mountains and change the world. All religions except Christianity focus on what we DO rather than what we BELIEVE, what we KNOW.

Answer 2

Yes.

They can believe in the afterlife for like the same reason as... Do you believe in God? It is not sure the afterlife exists, some say no, others yes. We do not know if the afterlife exists... And if it does some say you only know when you die. It is also possible that some people believe that when you do go to the afterlife and forget everything before. I am sure no one reading this remembers their life as a baby, that's what they can believe.

Some do not want to believe it, others quite the opposite. We will never know because dead people can't speak. But we will find out some day.

Answer 3

because they commit suicide and think it is better for them to do that instead of believing in a life after death so they can be dead and that is the end of it and not live again feeling miserable but in reality if u think that and don't, for example; commit your life to Jesus then you will go to hell and live a more depressing life there rather than the severely depressed selves they are now when there body stays on earth and there soul goes some were else.

Answer 4

The human mind resists the concept of 'not being'. The earliest humans on earth were aware of mortality and the next step had to be an afterlife. It also seems to be an inherent belief that there is a larger power or creator. Scientifically speaking, there is the fact that energy can't be destroyed only converted to a different form. We are energy, therefore our spirits will only transform to another place and/or shape at the time of death.

AlsoThere is evidence of a spirit world. Many cultures have a 'spirit world view." In the western culture we have more or less lost our spirit world view and tend to think only of the material world.

1. People are taught from a very young age - usually as part of religious beliefs - that an afterlife exists and that they must conform to certain religious practices to gain entrance to this utopia. 2. Belief in an afterlife could be considered a mental defense mechanism to ease the fear of death. 3. People can't fathom dying and have their consciencness fade into oblivion.

Answer:

Belief in the afterlife was shared by all ancient societies, worldwide; no exceptions. It is part of human tradition, not only personal instinct.

Answer 5

Yes

because we have 2 part

one our body and the other our soul

by death, our body will die, but what happen to our soul?

when we are sleep we dream a lot of things,

so our body is resting at home but we are in our dreamland and we live in our new world

this going to happen after your death bro.

I am new on site and not very well-versed in using it. Ah, the above answer leaves a LOT to be desired. There is no soul (see Hindi and Buddhist belief) as there is no afterlife. The above answer combines dogma with some mishmash about dreaming. Dreams are a separate part of brain study and incorporate stresses and occurrences of the previous day, they cannot be 'read' as an omen to the future and in no way show an insight into an alleged "new world". According to the above answer you will be in a dream for your "new world" I suggest you check Google or ASK.COM for a more informative response that what has been posted above.

Answer 6

Some people do not believe in life after death because they are atheists. Anyone with a religion believes in a God (regardless of what they call their God or how many they have) and believes in judgment by God in the afterlife.

Only atheists do not and that is simply because they don't believe in God.

Now the above may be true in a religious context, however many people worldwide have had experiences of an afterlife and many of them are agnostic, religious, atheists, and others. Studies by Dr, Raymond Moody, Dr, Ian Stevenson, Robert Schwartz, and many others have discovered a vast array of anomalies that point to the survival of consciousness. Neuroscience is growing rapidly and hopefully will prove the existence of an afterlife someday.

Answer 7

With 7 billion people on Earth"some" will believe in anything you can imagine - reptiloid masters, Nazis on the moon, the Loch Ness Monster - so of course some believe in an afterlife. ll od the "some" do not likely believe in the same afterlife.

Answer 8

One of the central beliefs of Judaism, as stated in the Talmud (Mishna, Sanhedrin 11:1) and codified by Maimonides (1135-1204), is that the soul continues to exist and is treated in accordance with the person's actions while he or she was alive. This applies to all people, whatever their religion.
The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) doesn't dwell at length on the afterlife; and nor does Judaism spend a lot of time speculating on its details. However, that is not meant to diminish its importance. Rather, the Torah implies that we are to use the bulk of our energies in keeping God's ways in this world, with our feet firmly planted on Earth, while nonetheless not losing awareness of our beliefs.
Our ancient sages stated the importance of being aware of the next world: "This world is a mere entrance-hall before the afterlife" (Mishna, Avot ch.4).

All outstanding accounts are settled after this life. Some cases illustrate this point, since this entire world wouldn't be enough to reward a Moses or punish a Hitler. And while we're alive, knowledge of the future world serves as one of the motivations to keeping God's will.

The Tanakh does not delve into detail of the rewards of the righteous because religions could compete with more and more poetic promises. Also because belief in the afterlife was shared by all ancient societies and needed little reiteration. Besides, it would be like describing the colors of a sunrise to someone who was blind from birth.
It is, however, referred to briefly in Torah verses such as Genesis 15:15, which states that "You (Abraham) will come to your fathers in peace and will be buried in good old age." Coming to his fathers does not mean simply to be buried with them, since Abraham was not buried with his ancestors. Such verses are stated many times.
The prophets are more explicit with such references (see Isaiah 26:19 and 66:24, Daniel 12:13, Zechariah 3:7, 1 Kings 8:30, 2 Kings ch.2, Ecclesiastes 12:7). The afterlife is spoken of at length in the Talmud. More than 20 pages of Talmud (Sanhedrin 90-110, Rosh Hashanah 16-18, and other passages) are given to this subject.

See also the Related Links.

Link: God exists

Link: The key beliefs of Judaism

Link: How do you know there are a heaven and hell?

Answer 9

Some people do not believe in afterlife because they don't go in quest of answers. They don't question the meaning of death, they don't understand what happens after the body dies. What happens to the one who was alive? We just say that the person departed, expired, moved on but where did the person go? When somebody is born, they don't question why some people are born healthy, while some people are born blind. What did that little child do that he was born blind? Therefore they don't infer that there is a constant cycle of death and rebirth. That's why they don't believe in afterlife because they have not investigated the details of birth and death. If they do, they will believe in it.

Answer 10

Yes, there is an afterlife. Death is not the end, it's just a bend. There are two possibilities: one, when the body dies, the body returns to dust. If we believe we are the mind and ego, we are reborn on earth - this is the afterlife. There is a rebirth in a new body. If we believe that we are not the body and mind, if we realize we are the Divine Soul, then the afterlife is our unification with the Divine.