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Do you believe in the afterlife?

Do you believe in the afterlife?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 18 62.1%
  • No.

    Votes: 10 34.5%
  • I believe in reincarnation.

    Votes: 1 3.4%
  • I don't believe in existence.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    29
Are you a father, BTP?

I agree with you, a little, in an indirect way. I want to do whatever I can to help my children be happy and successful, but not for any sort of credit. I find immense satisfaction in being able to teach them things, but the satisfaction comes from their accomplishments, not my role in them.

I'm not. But actually I felt comfortable putting myself into the situation and tried to cover a lot of angles through experiences I have on that matter.
I truly believe you if you say you're happy for what they do. But I think the human perception works in a way that it plays down the role of the ego.
I don't know how many of your friends who have kids are divorced and if you ever paid attention to how they talk about their kids compared to fathers living in the same household. But the experience I do have from friends in my youth who grew up in such a situation is that their fathers(since I don't know a single one who lived with his father) are way more distant and feel less included, since they're less involved into the learning processes of their kids.
Maybe you would be a positive exception even in that case, and I don't wanna talk badly about anyone whom I don't know, but that was my observation in general.
 
I am a church organist. Love playing for services and enjoy hymns, liturgy, readings, and all that stuff. Interestingly, I'd consider myself to be in the 'don't care/don't think about it' category.

I believe most people are in your case. Being part of a community or feeling a sense of belonging is enough reason to participate in religious platforms for many people even though they dont consider themselves bonded with it spiritually.

I think believing the existence of an afterlife is got a lot to do with socialization process(family, school, friends etc.). As some posters pointed out here if you grow up in a religious environment (same with nonreligious environment) its easier for you to believe afterdeath or other notions about religion. But in todays world some people is not contending with the things that pass them from their social surroundings and starts to question its unwritten rules and find out what to believe themselves.

Also that is a pretty valid point;

To be on topic a little, the idea of an afterlife is the byproduct of the fear that comes from our awareness of our own mortality, the grandest of all self delusions that allows us to face reality.
 
First thing I'll do after death in order. Dunk a basketball, hang with John Lennon, watch Natalie Portman take a shower, invade the Jazz locker room to see what really goes down, up my rep count, then float around Turley Barracks and haunt people.
 
I imagine he gets paid. Most churches pay their organists, although LDS churches do not.

Wow really? I thought the worship team usually do that... I've never heard of a church that pays for musicians... not here in NZ anyway.. LOL
 
First thing I'll do after death in order. Dunk a basketball, hang with John Lennon, watch Natalie Portman take a shower, invade the Jazz locker room to see what really goes down, up my rep count, then float around Turley Barracks and haunt people.

Pretty much the same things with what ill do. But watching Natalie Portman taking a shower is more prior to me, i can dunk the ball later.
 
Pretty much the same things with what ill do. But watching Natalie Portman taking a shower is more prior to me, i can dunk the ball later.

It's alright. Not that great, but alright.
 
First thing I'll do after death in order. Dunk a basketball, hang with John Lennon, watch Natalie Portman take a shower, invade the Jazz locker room to see what really goes down, up my rep count, then float around Turley Barracks and haunt people.
God forbid you die early or anything, but if you do I'm going to pay close attention to your rep power. If it goes up we have our answer to if there's an afterlife:)
It's alright. Not that great, but alright.

Agree Your dead and can get any peep show you want, and your choosing Portman?? What's wrong with you?
 
I'm not. But actually I felt comfortable putting myself into the situation and tried to cover a lot of angles through experiences I have on that matter.
I truly believe you if you say you're happy for what they do. But I think the human perception works in a way that it plays down the role of the ego.
I don't know how many of your friends who have kids are divorced and if you ever paid attention to how they talk about their kids compared to fathers living in the same household. But the experience I do have from friends in my youth who grew up in such a situation is that their fathers(since I don't know a single one who lived with his father) are way more distant and feel less included, since they're less involved into the learning processes of their kids.
Maybe you would be a positive exception even in that case, and I don't wanna talk badly about anyone whom I don't know, but that was my observation in general.

I've known people who validate themselves through their kids. There are probably a lot of people who fall into the category you've described. I can only speak for myself, but there are a lot of aspects of being a parent that I didn't truly understand until I became one. I had very little idea how self centered I was before that happened. It changed me dramatically.
 
I don't think it is rubbish at all. I look very simply at this - one opinion is based on scientific evidence, other based on faith. It is ok to chose which one suits you more. It is your choice, I respect it and I actually am a bit jealous - you will die with hope that you will live again, while I will die believing it is the end.


This is sad.

You couldn't possibly know the truth, yet you choose to believe the worse of the two. Life has happened to you once already in the universe, why wouldn't it be possible it could happen to you again in any unsuspecting form??

You speak as if science knows everything. When that is completely wrong. Even science will tell you that. Science is and always will be a work in progress. New truths will be discovered all the time. I don't know if you have noticed but science is merging more and more with science fiction everyday. More questions are being created than answered. Its like a never ending rabbit hole we find ourselves going down. So I don't think you can count out any possibilty at this point. So why give up hope? Hell, the answer might even be you have after life if you believe, and you don't if you don't believe. It might be that simple. And that's a mistake not worth making imo. It can't hurt and makes life more meaningful.

I'm not religious either, and I'm not preaching Jesus or anything. Just saying.
 
Could you please elaborate on this?

Is going to church for you kinda like just "going through the motion" type activity?

Very difficult to explain, but I will try.

Yes, I do get paid, but I go to church on weekends where I do not play. It's kind of a 'go through the motions thing' from a faith and religion standpoint for me, but I enjoy going and introducing people to new music and making new friends. I guess I kind of use it more as a societal cult instead of spiritual.
I behave like a devout Christian (for the most part) but just haven't really seen myself as an undoubted believer.
 
Wow really? I thought the worship team usually do that... I've never heard of a church that pays for musicians... not here in NZ anyway.. LOL

I attended 2 weddings over here recently. Can definately confirm the getting paid thing. Besides paying a a lot for a 60 min service from the church, you have to pay the organist and choir seperately for appearance. With the organist I'm not sure if he's included in the fee for the church.
 
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