Afterlife (Introduction)

by Balance_Maintained , U.S.A., Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 23:50 (4721 days ago) @ dhw

DHW

If we die and that is it, as far as I’m concerned God loses all relevance.... Unlike yourself, I have no difficulty accepting it.

I don't have problems accepting oblivion, at least not in the narcissistic way that I may have accidentally implied. I have a problem accepting it because of, as you have repeatedly pointed to, NDE's/OBE's, past life experiences, metaphysical experiences, etc from numerous sources around the globe.

DHW

Rebirth/reincarnation doesn’t even require belief in any kind of god (see Buddhism), but I have a problem with it. My problem is that I have no recollection whatsoever of a previous life, and I do have a clear feeling that I am “me” and only me. What is the point in “me” being reborn if I don’t know it’s “me”? (See below for “perfection”.)

In one sense, rebirth is a virtual guarantee. Even if you do not believe in an after life or anything of the sort, your elements and energy will eventually wind up becoming part of the aggregated compilation of another living being. You are correct in pointing out that a diety is not explicitly implied in reincarnation.

DHW

The cycle being imposed from outside presumably entails a god/angel/spirit who is interested in me and is guiding me. Same problem as before, since I remember nothing, but perhaps this means I’m not one of the chosen few. Alternatively, nearly 7 billion of us are only just starting out on Stage 1.

Why? Why would it not be possible to have 7 billion people all at various stages?

I have a huge problem with the term “spiritual perfection”. I really don’t know what it can mean. Does it entail my no longer being “me”? (I know you can’t answer – I’m just thinking aloud here.) Does it perhaps entail finding perfect peace, and being at one with BBella’s Gaia? If so, death as the end fits in on both counts. And how do I advance towards perfection if I can’t remember a damn thing about where I went wrong last time? I also recall BBella’s theory that “souls” might have the choice of returning to earthly life, though without their memories (I hope I’ve got that right). Attractive, though again if I’m no longer me, the new me might just as well be starting from scratch, so why bother in the first place with the waiting-room for souls? Unless the number of souls is rationed.

Eh, its the perfection bit that trips people up, because it is really such a hard word to define. However there are a couple of definitions from Merriam-Webster that I really like.

: the quality or state of being perfect: as
a : freedom from fault or defect
b : maturity
2
a : an exemplification of supreme excellence
b : an unsurpassable degree of accuracy or excellence

From an online dictionary: the quality or condition of being perfect; extreme degree of excellence according to a given standard

So the idea of recycling until you attain spiritual perfect could be seen as simply learning until you have an extreme degree of spiritual excellence according to a given standard. We don't even have to know what the standard IS. Knowing the standard is not a pre-requisite for meeting or exceeding the standard.

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What is the purpose of living? How about, 'to reduce needless suffering. It seems to me to be a worthy purpose.