Poll: Afterlife

[theultimateend]

Death = brain ultimately losing the needed fuel to function (oxygen, bioelectrical energy etc.) When the brain stops functioning unconsciousness is the only result. Therefore, death will most likely be a state of permanent unconsciousness.

But it would be nice if there was something else waiting after death. I'd even settle for going to the christian hell, because... Well, at least it would be some sort of continuation than just a permanent end to everything.

Don't settle for hell.

I don't understand hell either.

There is no action in a limited existence that warrants an eternal punishment.

No matter how extreme.

It may warrant a long ass punishment...but nothing...absolutely nothing...warrants an eternal punishment.

Especially considering in theory the people unrightfully killed were sent to the 'beautiful afterlife' early.

If they were sent to hell then someone signing the contracts for eternal afterlife treatment needs to lose their job.

If I ended up in hell because I wasn't willing to use my brain to the fullest of its abilities then so be it. I'd rather be in hell than living in heaven under the gaze of a tyrant.

But that is assuming the whole heaven/hell thing exists, if there is no hell then my tyrant comment is unfounded, if there is, then it works.

You should tread lightly about these kinds of questions, I'm not accusing you of anything, but just so you know. I see you're relatively new, so it's no big deal... For me, anyway.

And to answer your thread; no, I do not believe there is anything beyond my passing.

I am sorry if I offend anyone, but aren't we supposed to be able to just talk about stuff like this?

There are a lot of loose assholes on the internet that don't want to take their turn sitting on the debate stool for fear of sliding down it.

Don't feel bad, the only people you offend are the folks who live to be offended.

 

[Stalk3rchief]

The way I see it, it's just wishful thinking. BUT, no one can know for certain, and anyone who thinks they do is just silly.
"But when people come back from the brink of death, they all say the same thing!"
Surprising, seeing as how they're all dieing humans.
-_-
That was sarcasm. If you believe in an afterlife that just makes you care less about your current life, making a potentially self destructive person. I just don't see how anyone can think that's a good thing.
*shrug*

 

[Ekonk]

1: No religion threads

2: Stop being such a depressing shit.

Right sorry about that. Although I think number one should be allowed, BUT I'LL BE UPBEAT FROM NOW ON.

YOUR AVATAR HELPS.

 

[theultimateend]

The way I see it, it's just wishful thinking. BUT, no one can know for certain, and anyone who thinks they do is just silly.
"But when people come back from the brink of death, they all say the same thing!"
Surprising, seeing as how they're all dieing humans.
-_-
That was sarcasm. If you believe in an afterlife that just makes you care less about your current life, making a potentially self destructive person. I just don't see how anyone can think that's a good thing.
*shrug*

The near death experience is because your brain shuts down sequentially .

Basically people see the vivid images of the lowest parts of their brain responding frantically as everything around it shuts down.

People who get knocked out for medical procedures tend to have similar discussions about their experiences.

At the lowest level you are basically just dreaming, most of the sensory responses come from the fact that A) paramedics in many nations respond in the same manner with a light to the eyes and various other interactions and B) you have been told what you will experience so much like thinking about something all day then dreaming about it (something I do all the time) you end up dreaming about it when you nearly die since you've been told for years or decades that that is what you would experience.

Self fulfilling prophecies are fantastic .

"Nevertheless, medical science offers compelling evidence that many aspects of NDEs are physiological and psychological in nature. Scientists have found that the drugs ketamine and PCP can create sensations in users that are nearly identical to many NDEs. In fact, some users think they are actually dying while on the drug [ref]. "

http://science.howstuffworks.com/near-death-experience.htm/printable

 

[Ekonk]

The way I see it, it's just wishful thinking. BUT, no one can know for certain, and anyone who thinks they do is just silly.
"But when people come back from the brink of death, they all say the same thing!"
Surprising, seeing as how they're all dieing humans.
-_-
That was sarcasm. If you believe in an afterlife that just makes you care less about your current life, making a potentially self destructive person. I just don't see how anyone can think that's a good thing.
*shrug*

You have a point. Someone believing that you only live once might make more of life than someone who thinks he still has an eternity.

 

[ajb924]

I have a really crazy assumption of what happens when you die. But i can explain it pretty well.
Let's assume i get shot in the head right at this instant, since i believe in the multiple dimension theory, i think i would simply resume life not remembering death in some alternate dimension that is almost the same as this one or my memory's are altered to fit it. It's a bit far fetched but i think thats what happens.
It's either that or reincarnation in my opinion.

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

Don't settle for hell.

I'd have to.

Because IF christianity is all correct, and God does exist and all, then I would by principles alone be God's enemy and I would purposefully break all his rules that has for us humans. As of now im only breaking a few of them because I find some of them to be incredibly stupid, but if I knew without a doubt that there was a God like the bible describes him, then he would be a douchebag in my eyes, and I would never, ever submit to such an entity nor try to please him/her/it in order to get into heaven when I die. I would do the complete opposite just to spite the bastard.

So hell is the best I have to look forward to when I die. But I don't mind. All the cool people go to hell anyway. At least I'll be in good company when being tortured for the rest of eternity.

But I don't really believe that there is a heaven or hell. Death is just the ultimate end. Which is far more scary than anything hell could throw at me...

 

[theultimateend]

Don't settle for hell.

I'd have to.

Because IF christianity is all correct, and God does exist and all, then I would by principles alone be God's enemy and I would purposefully break all his rules that has for us humans. As of now im only breaking a few of them because I find some of them to be incredibly stupid, but if I knew without a doubt that there was a God like the bible describes him, then he would be a douchebag in my eyes, and I would never, ever submit to such an entity nor try to please him/her/it in order to get into heaven when I die. I would do the complete opposite just to spite the bastard.

So hell is the best I have to look forward to when I die. But I don't mind. All the cool people go to hell anyway. At least I'll be in good company when being tortured for the rest of eternity.

But I don't really believe that there is a heaven or hell. Death is just the ultimate end. Which is far more scary than anything hell could throw at me...

*Walks in slowly with a deep raspy voice*

You rang?

Name dropping aside...

I think the strongest support for why religions exist is the concept of nothingness. Few things can destroy a human mind faster than solitude, few things create fear in a person quicker than the unknown, and there is no situation I can think of that is more alone and unknown than nothingness.

Likewise I think it has to do with cognitive dissonance...but we'll save that for later =3.

 

[Hippobatman]

You should tread lightly about these kinds of questions, I'm not accusing you of anything, but just so you know. I see you're relatively new, so it's no big deal... For me, anyway.

And to answer your thread; no, I do not believe there is anything beyond my passing.

I am sorry if I offend anyone, but aren't we supposed to be able to just talk about stuff like this?

Well, religion threads have gone horribly wrong in the past, because, you know, it's the internet and shit.

Personally, I've nothing against threads of this manner, but when you're in a place like this, with a lot of different views, cultures, religions etc. you should be extra careful when making a topic like this. And as I said, there's always the chance that it'll be disasterous with flamewars. Which is a really, really bad thing.

Sorry, but it's hard to keep these things civil.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

No there is no afterlife for me after this "life", dieing now just means this vacation is over.

 

[Ekonk]

I have a really crazy assumption of what happens when you die. But i can explain it pretty well.
Let's assume i get shot in the head right at this instant, since i believe in the multiple dimension theory, i think i would simply resume life not remembering death in some alternate dimension that is almost the same as this one or my memory's are altered to fit it. It's a bit far fetched but i think thats what happens.
It's either that or reincarnation in my opinion.

Right I've been thinking about this as well. It's technically not afterlife, you just keep on living. I believed Terry Pratchett called it the Trousers of Time; for any possible outcome it grows another pipe. In some of those you will get shot, and in some you won't.

But assuming this, do you think there is an universe where you NEVER die?

 

[twistedshadows]

Maybe, but not in the heaven/hell aspect of it.

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

The near death experience is because your brain shuts down sequentially .

Basically people see the vivid images of the lowest parts of their brain responding frantically as everything around it shuts down.

People who get knocked out for medical procedures tend to have similar discussions about their experiences.

At the lowest level you are basically just dreaming, most of the sensory responses come from the fact that A) paramedics in many nations respond in the same manner with a light to the eyes and various other interactions and B) you have been told what you will experience so much like thinking about something all day then dreaming about it (something I do all the time) you end up dreaming about it when you nearly die since you've been told for years or decades that that is what you would experience.

Self fulfilling prophecies are fantastic .

I think they showed this in Penn and Teller's: Bullshit! once. The whole "light at the end of the tunnel" crap is nothing but symptoms experienced when the brain is rapidly getting de-oxygenated. They illustrated this by telling that fighter pilots doing g-force excercises in g-force simulator experienced the same kind of "near death" experience. Many claimed to see a "light at the end of the tunnel" as their brain was rapidly losing oxygen. But they were nowhere near dying when it happened, so you can't really claim that the soul was thinking that the body was dying and tried to leave.

Sucks doesn't it? XD

 

[fenrizz]

There is no god, so there is no afterlife.
You die, you rot. Finished.

 

[theultimateend]

The near death experience is because your brain shuts down sequentially .

Basically people see the vivid images of the lowest parts of their brain responding frantically as everything around it shuts down.

People who get knocked out for medical procedures tend to have similar discussions about their experiences.

At the lowest level you are basically just dreaming, most of the sensory responses come from the fact that A) paramedics in many nations respond in the same manner with a light to the eyes and various other interactions and B) you have been told what you will experience so much like thinking about something all day then dreaming about it (something I do all the time) you end up dreaming about it when you nearly die since you've been told for years or decades that that is what you would experience.

Self fulfilling prophecies are fantastic .

I think they showed this in Penn and Teller's: Bullshit! once. The whole "light at the end of the tunnel" crap is nothing but symptoms experienced when the brain is rapidly getting de-oxygenated. They illustrated this by telling that fighter pilots doing g-force excercises in g-force simulator experienced the same kind of "near death" experience. Many claimed to see a "light at the end of the tunnel" as their brain was rapidly losing oxygen. But they were nowhere near dying when it happened, so you can't really claim that the soul was thinking that the body was dying and tried to leave.

Sucks doesn't it? XD

I seem to recall seeing that episode.

I love the show. It mixes breasts and science. Two of my favorite topics .

The recent one of Vatican was pretty disturbing though.

 

[ajb924]

I have a really crazy assumption of what happens when you die. But i can explain it pretty well.
Let's assume i get shot in the head right at this instant, since i believe in the multiple dimension theory, i think i would simply resume life not remembering death in some alternate dimension that is almost the same as this one or my memory's are altered to fit it. It's a bit far fetched but i think thats what happens.
It's either that or reincarnation in my opinion.

Right I've been thinking about this as well. It's technically not afterlife, you just keep on living. I believed Terry Pratchett called it the Trousers of Time; for any possible outcome it grows another pipe. In some of those you will get shot, and in some you won't.

But assuming this, do you think there is an universe where you NEVER die?

I've thought about it, but it brings up too many problems. If there is a universe without death then everyone from the past is still alive, there are so many contradictions, maybe one without murder, but without natural death just seems like too much of a stretch, no way to be sure.
Natural death brings up a point i forgot though. If you die of a natural death then you are reborn automatically. That way you don't keep dying of old age or cancer in the other universes.

 

[sky14kemea]

"I don't belong here, I gotta move on dear. Escape from this Afterlife~ 'Cause this time I'm right"...

What, we're not singing? :/ My bad

Anywho, I kinda believe there is something that happens after you die, I don't think it's just being asleep forever, not existing anymore, that would be sad and boring, I think you either get reincarnated, or yeah there is something like 'Heaven' out there where people go.
I lean more to the reincarnation thing though, 'cause I wanna come back again as a cat or something
Just so people know, I'm Agnostic but this is what I like to think anyway~

 

[Ekonk]

I have a really crazy assumption of what happens when you die. But i can explain it pretty well.
Let's assume i get shot in the head right at this instant, since i believe in the multiple dimension theory, i think i would simply resume life not remembering death in some alternate dimension that is almost the same as this one or my memory's are altered to fit it. It's a bit far fetched but i think thats what happens.
It's either that or reincarnation in my opinion.

Right I've been thinking about this as well. It's technically not afterlife, you just keep on living. I believed Terry Pratchett called it the Trousers of Time; for any possible outcome it grows another pipe. In some of those you will get shot, and in some you won't.

But assuming this, do you think there is an universe where you NEVER die?

I've thought about it, but it brings up too many problems. If there is a universe without death then everyone from the past is still alive, there are so many contradictions, maybe one without murder, but without natural death just seems like too much of a stretch, no way to be sure.
Natural death brings up a point i forgot though. If you die of a natural death then you are reborn automatically. That way you don't keep dying of old age or cancer in the other universes.

One of the more pressing problems of this theory is wether the other you's and me's are actually different persons, as in, have a different consciousness. Or is there only one that is transferred over the different universes? Cogito, ergo sum. But how can I be sure of anyone else?

Also; this shit is getting way too philosophical way too fast.

 

[Tonimata]

There was a time for me when everything I did seem pointless, were I'd just think "oh well, we're all going to die, and whatever it is we do in this world, it's not going to last long, so who will care once we're gone", but then I found out that, more of an argument, it was an excuse not to live for the bad things that were happening to me. So after a lot of self deliberation and arming myself with copious amounts of valour, I started living the today, making sure my tomorrow is worth living as much as my today.

Since then I have constantly believed to be on fire.

AND IT'S GEEWWWWDDDDD

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

*Walks in slowly with a deep raspy voice*

You rang?

Hehe, if it really was personified by an escapist poster than I'd probably kill myself right now. Obviously death wasn't all that scary as I thought, if that was the case. XD

Name dropping aside...

I think the strongest support for why religions exist is the concept of nothingness. Few things can destroy a human mind faster than solitude, few things create fear in a person quicker than the unknown, and there is no situation I can think of that is more alone and unknown than nothingness.

Likewise I think it has to do with cognitive dissonance...but we'll save that for later =3.

Something like that.

It's wishful thinking that makes people hypothesize a continuation after death, because even the concept of a hell isn't quite as scary as just ceasing to exist completely. Religion gives you an unsubstantiated illusion that you won't just cease to be when you die.

They say most living things have a soul. How can that be when we're not really living things, but just biological machines running on different kinds of fuel? Im no more living than a running engine or a switched on light-bulb. Im just a walking chemical reaction with the ability to realize that sooner or later I'll just dissipate into thermal energy.

Thermal energy don't show signs of cognitive thinking. It's just temperature...