Life after death

I really like your photo attached to your handle. It looks like something I've seen in the Southwest. Would you mind sharing what it is, where it's located, and why you chose it? I've enlarged it for a better look, because it's such a serene, intriguing image. I may have seen it before. Thanks.

How nice to be asked! It is Devils Tower, a beautiful monolith that is a national monument in Wyoming. It is volcanic in origin, and loved by rock climbers. Also sacred to the Lakota and Kiowa and other Native Americans. and it is the landing site in "Close Encounters!" So kind of a magical place. I'd always wanted to go. About 1000 miles round trip from home and last month my husband took me! You can see me tiny with my cane at the base. Because my time is limited due to cancer prognosis--and because I feel as good as usual--we've been having adventures. Well, we always have adventures and I'm not a bucket list person...but it is kind of now or never. Feeding my soul in all ways has been a wonderful outcome in a time that could be purely stressful and worrisome. I hope you get to see Devils Tower if you want to!

Of course, Devil's Tower! And there you are! You're the second person I've met that's been there. Yes, I saw the movie, both the original and the extended version with the longer ending. Good for you for visiting that place!

Well this is something that we should all think about. I have heard it said that most people spend more time planning for vacations than foreternity, which is sad in my opinion. I have full confidence in the accuracy and veracity of the Bible. It is very much the same as originally written and this was much proved when the Dead Sea Scrolls were found and it was word for word the same. If you get a good study Bible like an NIV, Schofield or John Macarthur, they are very reliable and have scholarly study notes to help understand and apply the text. For me is is simple, the Gospel, which say's this God is Holy, mankind is sinful and we need a Savior to save us from our sins. This was why Jesus came to earth in human form to die for sinners who believe in Him, repent and follow Him. His story is well documented and is true.

Yes, I can assure you that other people think about this.

There is some knowledge about the physiological processes of dying, but I don't think that's what you mean. I think that you are asking for different perspectives on questions about life and death. If that is the case, then I do have some thoughts to share.

I have at least a passing acquaintance with both Christianity and Buddhist thought, but I'm not a religious believer myself. Nevertheless, I am very interested in questions of ethics and how to live. I am also interested in questions about life and death. For me, a fruitful question to ask is: What can continue?

When thinking about my own mortality I start with the assumption that there is no afterlife, and my death will be the end for me. However, if we then ask about what can continue, that question leads to some interesting places.

Individuals die, but a species can continue. Maybe it's worth putting some effort into ensuring the well-being of a species in addition to individuals. More broadly, life in general can continue. That includes not just humans but also all the creatures, plants and animals, that live on the Earth.

Information can continue. Patterns of behavior that depend on cause-and-effect can continue as long as the causal conditions are in place. Human emotions and feelings can continue in minds other than my own. I can't think of any reason why those emotions and feelings are not as real as my own.

What I'm trying to get at is that a shift from a self-centered perspective to a broader, beyond-the-self perspective can happen. It is like the shift from the Earth-centered view of the cosmos to the Sun-centered view that took place 500 years ago after Copernicus. It makes the universe a larger, richer, and more interesting place.

These ideas are explored more fully in a short book titled After Eve: The Next Step in our Spiritual Evolution by Samuel E. McCulloch. If you have a curious mind, I can recommend it. The title comes from an interpretation of the Adam and Eve story that the story is about the moment in human history when people first realized that they were mortal.

There is a lot more that could be said on this topic.

We don't know each other, but as one human being to another, I offer you my sympathy for the loss of your son.

Thank you for your post.

Thank you.

I do believe spirits reincarnate through other beings for moments in time. It is random, it is sporadic but open your mind and see whose spirit surfaces in the next conversation you have with someone you thought was a stranger.

I was raised in a obnoxiously strict Baptist church and school and I had it beat into my head (age 8-18) that I would go to Hell, separated from friends and family if I didn’t repent for my sins. I was horrified and developed PTSD from my past. I have done a TON of soul searching and reading many books and talked with friends, family and strangers; now I believe that after we pass our energy transfers to unknown places and people since energy can’t be created or destroyed (Albert Einstein) it just changes forms.
There isn’t a Hell or Heaven, those are concepts used to scare and control children and adults into doing anything the church want’s including giving 10% of your gross income. Sorry for the rant but I think it’s worth thinking about that once we pass, we’re just done living on earth.

There has been intense study of Near Death Experiences (NDEs). Most are similar. One thing that sticks out is that few, if any, wanted to come back.

You can find many books and website documenting NDEs.