How did I miss this thread!!?!!
thank you for everyone's answers I LOVED reading them!!!
I enjoy these things too much!
I apologise in advance for my ramblings.
I am religious but my belief in God and the afterlife supersede my religion. I'm not a fan of organised religion but believe that religion can offer a structure to help explore and hopefully expand our spirituality. I hate religious "authorities" and people who claim to KNOW exactly what God wants or those that want to be a middle man between you and gaining spiritual depth. HATE them.
bad, bad people!
(IMO
)
I also think that pretty much all religions offer this opportunity (of spiritual growth). I think many times people forget that the purpose of religion is spirituality and not dogmatic rules to be followed without question and with no awareness of the spiritual aspects.
I think ultimately no one knows anything and the more everyone admits this the better, but on a separate note, I do think the new richard dawkins level of extreme atheism leads to people totally blocking off any awareness and openness to their own or other people's spiritual experiences. If we are not open and expressive I think the death of spirituality will be a great loss to humanity. Not that that will ever happen but I think many people don't realise the loss it would cause.
I'm not saying that all spiritual experiences are valid and real but I also think it would be very difficult to test them in a lab and judge the results. I also think perception is reality more than any logic ever could be.
I have "experiences" which I tend not to talk about that much but which I'm not afraid to speak about either. They are dream related. I wouldn't however want to post them on a public forum although I have spoken about them in person to people. I know those who are very scientifically minded pass them off as "co-incidences" but I suppose if you experience enough related coincidences they start to have an affect and would on ANYONE. I sometimes wonder why some people have experiences and some don't. I wonder if its' just that our genetic code means we're good at certain things?
I do think some people just lie about having experiences when they don't
naughty people! Also I honestly think the people who say they think its all coincidence don't actually believe me at all but are too polite to say so.
I suppose I think heaven and hell are not at all physical and physicality is an aspect of this life only. One of the things I take from Islam is that we are all "of one soul". This leads my own brain to think (and this is my own invention and hence probably totally wrong but I still believe it although won't be surprised if it doesn't happen
) that after death we re-merge with all souls and our joined experience of life will be experienced by all. We can see how our life has affected others and vice versa and so perhaps heaven and hell are that experience. The same place, To know how or why you caused pain and to feel that pain felt, or the loss of others and the joys experienced, the consequences etc. to know how you may have increased happiness, given love, etc. Also the knowledge and understanding would have the potential to fill you with heaven or with hell. I like my theory.
I'm sure its' been said and documented before by someone far more intelligent and important than me but I don't know even how to look that up.
I think the physical descriptions of heaven and hell are metaphorical and supposed to help us understand the feelings and sensory experiences that heaven or hell may inflict.
As for God, I think God is the mathematical nature of the universe. But I think this nature is self aware. I also believe in fate (except in my very cynical moments) I do feel every last tiny thing that ever happens was always due to happen and although we have the illusion of free will, intention is all that it left and maybe even that is illusory? So what's the point? I don't really know. Maybe just consciousness? Maybe experience? maybe intention? I also sometimes think that life will seem very ridiculous once it's past.
I think people can be spiritually advanced and at "peace" and when you meet these people they come across as just the most relaxed, happy, giving and content people. They can be from all walks of life and from anywhere. I would like to be one of them but there's too much self and reaction in me. If that makes any sense.
I think a lot of things in this regard and they change as my experiences change. I adore life but I am not frightened of death too much (beyond pain and old age). I don't believe we are here to all or even a majority of us to be punished for our very nature. I do think the universe is temperate enough. I believe there is harmony in even destruction and malice.
As for meeting our "loved ones" I think anyone who has touched our life will remain in our spiritual memory/existence/afterlife (as will all experiences) and we will see the potential and reality of every life. But I'm not so sure that we will have the connections we think we will have with them. Perhaps there will be complete ego loss and ultimate submission to the "soul" that we are all from?
Who knows? But I do think we will feel the reconnection and feel it stronger with those we lost as we have lived a life and had experiences where we missed that persons existence.
It may just be we are worm food but I cannot bring my mind to even start to think that could be true. Not that it will matter if we are when we are but it seems so utterly like all the coincidences suggest that it's not and means so many things will be left unanswered, especially those "experiences" that people have. Perhaps science can discover the routes of those in the distant future if that is the case.
As for the anthropic principle, I think its a load of tosh.
A lot of people after near death experience come back 'gifted', I think it is a kind of a shift in consciousness that for most people never happens at all.
