BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Spirituality What is there After Death?

Last week I posted my review of the book
Conversations with Jerry and Other People I Thought Were Dead
I also have a review of
What Dreams May Come
on the site as well.

Both of these pieces deal with what happens to us after we die.

What are your thoughts? Do you believe in life after death? Do we go on? Are we reincarnated? Is there a Heaven and a Hell?

I would love to know what you guys think.

I do believe in life after death. Not because of doctrines I was taught but my own personal experiences, dreams, visions and communication from the other side.

We existed in spirit before we came down to earth and we will exit our physical bodies and return, in spirit. I know that people separate into factions regarding stances on reincarnation and such but here is my understanding:

Reincarnation means only to be born again into another physical body whether back here on earth or on another plane. Yes, there is reincarnation. Our spirits can take on different incarnations, if we choose. We can choose to return to earth in order to 1. enjoy new experiences 2. learn new lessons and 3. reap what we have sown in previous incarnations in order to progress spiritually. It is a choice, however. Some of us may not want to return to reap what we have sown because it will be horrible. In that case, our progress is stopped (dammed/damned).

BUT...there is Jesus. The Christ. Who incarnated in a physical body in order to suffer even though he was innocent. He was not reaping what he sowed but what WE sowed. And those who accept him receive an atonement for our mistakes through him.

Because of this, we do not have to reincarnate. "The truth shall make your free."

Is there a heaven and a hell? There is much much more than heaven and hell. The reality of it all involves far more than two realms. "In my Father's mansion, there are many rooms."

My deceased love ones visit me. Several times now, my father came to me and said, "Would you like me to tell you how it is over here?" And I eagerly said yes and we sat and he told me everything he knew and experienced. Sadly, upon awakening, I could not remember anything. There is a reason for that. I need to strengthen my spiritual discernment on earth. My spirit's ability to discern truth while in my physical body with all its limitations and weaknesses. My father meant well.

My aunt told me her friend came to her and told her that where she is, they do not eat or sleep. Of course not. There is no need for food or sleep when you no longer have a physical body. She also said that where my uncle was, she could not go. He was more spiritually advanced.

I believe that much of what we move on to experience depends upon our choices. We have free will over what we want to do, become, experience. You'd be surprised to know how many people choose unpleasant or hellish experiences by their own free will. Here annd in the afterlife. And then, there is an astounding eternity out there that would blow our minds! Wait 'til you see what's coming!

Oh, the glory of it all!

I know from personal experience, visions, dreams and recalls that reincarnation is a part of our spiritual growth. I know there is Heaven, and that the departed return there to reflect on the life just left and then prepare for new experiences one must learn. I believe there is a Hell - each of us make our own Hell on Earth. I do not believe in the old "Hell and Damnation" eternal punishment theory. We must each confront our own demons, resolve mistakes, and rise above it before we leave this earthly incarnation.

I love your articles on Spirituality, Michelle, and I love the thought-provoking questions you put forth in your forum.

I do believe in both an afterlife and reincarnation/rebirth, BUT I have come to think that it is not the same for everyone, i.e. that all the different religious viewpoints on this have validity, and may be true for different types of beings. There are so many different types of physical bodies in the human race, why not different types of spirit bodies as well? Why couldn't it be possible that some people reincarnate (or are reborn - Buddhist views of rebirth and Hindu views of reincarnation are actually quite different, but that doesn't matter for this question, I guess!) and other people go to an after life? And perhaps others simply 'dissolve' at death.
It's interesting, actually in some Buddhist texts (although it is not mainstream), you can find support for each of these ideas - there is a sense that if one achieves a certain spiritual level, they have a CHOICE in what happens to them at death...

Yes, I agree, Lisa. Choices. Different places, different paths.

Interesting about "dissolving" at death. I have had this strange yearning to melt into the living waters, not remaining a separate human spirit, but dissolving into the living eternal waters. Or back into the Universal energy.

I agree with you also, Lisa. We each have our own truths, our own paths.

I remember reading in a book one time about Hell being these little bubbles of "aloneness". That each person suffered whatever they thought was their own vision of what Hell would be, but the worst part was they did it in complete isolation - with no one else to offer comfort to them. That image has always stuck with me.

I think we do that right here on Earth sometimes, we look at horrors being done and turn our backs on them and offer no comfort to the person suffering - so they are in their own Hell and we are the ones that are helping to perpetrate it.

It makes me think of Cara's thread of "what is evil" Hell and evil go together I think. The absence of hope and love.

Totally agree. I feel that I watch people creating their own hell while they are on earth through the choices they make.

I believe in the afterlife. After my father passed away a few years back, I was seriously looking into the after life. I purchased numerous books on this subject.

Personally, I have had interesting experiences since my father passed away. I do not want to go into details on this forum, but those experiences really affirmed my beliefs of an after life.

The idea of heaven vs. hell or reincarnation sort of blended in for me. It is the definition of hell that I mostly struggle with.

Sometimes I wish I know all the answers...

I beleive that our 'spirit' or 'soul' is an energy force. It chooses to come to earth to inhabit a physical body as a life force. it then lives the life, learns lessons and when the soul finds that the body is unable to sustain it, it goes back to the energy of the universe. It can choose to come back, sometimes it needs to re learn lessons, sometimes it is here to teach others. Heaven vs hell? I do not beleive in heaven or hell but I do beleive that there are energies that are confused enough to want to cause other energies pain in their confusion. Hell i feel is one souls fight to understand the physical plane and in doing so are having many and mulitplying tasks set upon them. The universe never gives us anything we cannot handle, but sometimes we have not learned enough for the task that is set for us. Hell is being separated from the universal energy that sustains us. Hell is that feeling that there is no higher power and that we are alone. Feeling that isolation? That is hell..

That's a very interesting view of the after life or life in general. I cannot say I disagree.

When you said "Hell is being separated from the universal energy that sustains us", it really made sense.

Thanks for sharing your insight.