Conversation | 04/09/2008 12:00 am

What Happens to Us After We Die?

With Julia Reed, Lily Tomlin and Sheila Nevins

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EDITOR’S NOTE: To listen in on this conversation, click the play button above. Also featuring special guest, Joni Evans, CEO of wowOwow. The following text has been edited for clarity.

JONI: So, William Buckley died and at the memorial his son Christopher told how his father was once asked what would be the right epitaph for him when he died. And — I believe his answer came from the Book of Job, or I read that it was — he said: “I know that my Redeemer liveth,” which is the perfect lead-in to: What do you think happens after we die?

LILY: Has anyone ever exhumed a human body, or are you just going beyond the corpus?

SHEILA: Do you mean it’s rotting, or it’s spiritual?

JONI: Well both. We can talk about exhuming a human body.

LILY: Well, if you want to.

JONI: Well, Lily, you just said that you did …

LILY: I did. I’m saying I have an inordinate interest in anatomy and physiological processes and things. So I know what happens to us physically. We deteriorate eventually. But I was raised Fundamentalist Baptist. What were you raised, Julia?

JULIA: Presbyterian. I just went to the Presbyterian church this morning like a good little Catholic.

LILY: You all may be more spiritual than I am.

SHEILA: I’m not at all. I was raised as a Communist Atheist by my parents.

JULIA: Well, I think being raised Baptist has made most of my Baptist friends become Communist Atheists.

LILY: Well maybe that’s kind of what I was leading to.

JONI: So, was there no religion or any kind of faith in your childhoods that led you to believe we might live on after this world?

Read more about: Death, Lou Dobbs, Religion, Rosemary Altea

357 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Thank you. These make sense and dove tail so well with my gut beliefs and spirituality. I have had some unexplainable incidences in my life that for me are proof of higher powers than we are able to see with earthly eyes.

By helena jones on 04/12/2008 4:03 pm

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There is life certainly after death. All the living creatures upto Human birth are subjected to the scientific evolutionary process. Once human birth occurs it is the application of the mind for further evolutionary process that is the SPIRITUAL Progress. Human beings are different from animals (all that animals can do - eat, sleep & reproduce besides other basic living aspects) Humans have the power to discriminate between good & the bad which animals have limited cognizance. Human can apply his/her mind to attenuate mind & awaken the divine within oneself. From this the journey starts towards an infinite zone which gets connected to the divine. As is said the divine resides within & search for the divine is only looking inwardly rather outwardly as is wrongly construed by many. We have to appear again and again to gain perfection (like the satellite needs the escape velocity to overcome gravitational pull of the earth). In a similar fashion human beings have to bring a nil balance of credits and debits of actions on this earth so as to not be born again, which transcends into a different realm of world. For further info you may log on to srcm.org.

By Nalini Narayanan on 04/14/2008 2:50 am

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Nalini, I used to have this belief as well. But the natural and physical laws of this world we know is ‘that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’. So to come to complete neutrality — a nil balance of credits and debits of actions well have you ever seen that phenomena? And why would we come here to fight natural law every step of the way? It sounds very…macho. And like the way parents treat children. Is it no surprise we have made the cosmos a taskmaster too? That is limiting. Somehow the idea that we are deeply flawed and need to improve through belief & action are common to many religions. But really, how much evolution do you see in people’s nature and lives over time and age? Not that is proof it isn’t possible but it does ask the question that maybe defying the very essence of this universe is not the course of god (or God). After essentially rejecting this world because of what I was taught in my youth I’ve come to embrace it as an adult and have found substantially more peace and wonder.

By Shannon S. on 05/23/2008 7:56 pm

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the last fish i ever kept as food, a meter+ Snook, truly, as a bird i shot when 11, looked me in the eye—-i ‘felt a ‘gut-punch’, as the big critter was asking me ‘Why?’ i feel assuming only humans know good from bad? pretty thin—-i no longer hunt, and as for fishing? catch & release.

By gulliver fourmyle on 10/20/2008 4:52 pm

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I am with you Helena, I grew up in the Catholic Church then for reasons too deep to explain now began a search for a more forgiving religion. I looked into Buddism, Salvationist, Baptist, even Judism, eventually I just found my truth. I too have had so many unexplainable incidences in my life, even heard , yes heard things I know was not my imagination, that I now KNOW there is a higher power ! and I know for me it is Jesus. I call upon him and he responds, and although I can not explain why bad things happen to good people, or why universally we are facing such inhumane hardships, it does not take away from what I know to be true. There is a power greater than me at work, and as long as I breathe I will believe.

By Mainpa Pileggi on 04/19/2008 12:01 am

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Sadly the girls upstairs were having a bit of a lark, except for Joni’s commenary me thinks. Couple quotes from the bible…..”As above, so below.” And “the kingdom of heaven is within.” I think this means we can create our own little “heaven” right here on Earth if we can muster up enough participants who believe it. Pass it on! Ah. to whet one’s appetite for such glorious discussions that strive to merge science and religion which great minds like Einstein strove to witness in his lifetime you can also see excerpts of Brian Greene’s book or the PBS version (3 hours) of The Elegant Universe at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/

By Amelie Poulain on 04/14/2008 8:33 pm

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Liked your comment that “all true spirituality is grace and simplicity. Helps me get my own thoughs and ideas better together. But do want to comment on your post. I think we should remember that basically, “science” is primarily some human’s perspective. And Lord knows, we have made and corrected many, many mistakes over time. So, for me, at least at this time, we can’t label ‘science’ ‘God’ either. Guess some folks might say, “gooness”, she’s a little hard to get along with on this subject, but for me the subject is still very open and many of your remarks have been helpful to me in my own struggle, journey toward ‘God” Blessings, all.

By Jenny Oops on 04/25/2008 7:06 am

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What if we’ve already died and THIS is heaven?

By Mugsy Peabody on 04/12/2008 2:15 pm

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Lily - maybe you’re right about the universe but I was kinda hoping its all one big organasm.

By Michael Salling on 05/01/2008 4:59 am

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Maybe the more interesting and important question is……….Who are “we”? What happens to “us” when we go to sleep? We lose body conciousness… maybe even dream and wake up and realize we were dreaming… But is this also a dream? I think when we die, actually our body dies and its dust to dust, ashes to ashes. Anyone who is present at the death of a loved one, knows that one moment the person is here breathing and the next moment, they have gone, and only the body remains, without that life force. I believe we, our ego (our mind) eventually awakes in a subtle form and we realize it was yet “another amazing dream”… And it happens over and over again… taking yet another birth and working out our karma, until only LOVE is the final residue…no desires or regrets or attachments. Eventually understanding who “we” really are…otherwise known as self-realization.

By Diane in Hawaii on 04/09/2008 6:49 am

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Diane, I agree with you but it is LOVE while you are here. That is a kind of earthly “salvation,” although I do not like that word. Kay

By Kay Weeks on 04/09/2008 7:35 am

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Kay and Diane, Well said Diane….and I think ‘redeemed’ in the spiritual not religious sense….everyone needs to be redeemed and ultimately to who they really are…I would also replace the word love with LIGHT because it is strongest force in the universe and contains love, radiance, energy, enlightement….the actual universe and all things in it being made up of and interconnected with electromagnetic light.

By Buh-Bye Hillary Hillary Buh-Bye on 04/09/2008 6:57 pm

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Diane in Hiwaii, I agree with your concept which is “spiritual” but not religious. I know from personal experience that our “souls” (life energy)continue to exist after death of our physical form. I am a retired attorney but also a “clairvoyant”. I have had many experiences talking to the deceased (including) victims of murder. When I was practicing law I tried to keep my abilities a secret because I was a COORPORATE Trial attorney representing General Motors, Not for Profit Hospital Corporations, etc. However, a sheriff in a near by town knew of my abilities who told the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement. They sought me out and asked if I would assist in the investigation of a “Missing” person the 17 year old daughter of the Warden of the Federal Prison in a nearby town . All they told me was her NAME, Age and the town she disappered from. I just lay down on my couch and went into a sort of dream like meditative state. I said “Laura” (not her real name) where are you. I heard her voice very clearly in my mind: ” I am dead”. I said how long have you been dead and she said I don’t know and it is really NOT IMPORTANT NOW. I told her that her mother and father were desperate to know what happened. She then proceeded to very calmly describe her death (I was shot in the chest three times with a 36 calibre gun. I was killed in room number 7 in a motel with a Large Oak tree outside the window. Samuel (not real name) took my body to the woods where they later found me, but he did not kill me. I asked her who shot you and she said ask VALERIE. None of this meant anything to me. However , I was later able to verify all of the information including finding the Motel and room number 7 with the oak tree outside the window. “SAMUEL” was registered in the next room. This was my first of many encounters with deceased souls. I WAS TOTALLY SHOCKED and thought this must be my imagination. However, I asked her to describe where she was and she said there is no name I am just HERE. I am surrounded by something like clouds but they keep changing colors . Then suddenly the “presence” and the voice just disappeared . I called my friend the Sherrif and said “WHY DID YOU LIE TO ME” this young girl is dead not Missing. He said the family had spent $40,000 on Phony psychics and just wanted to test me. I of course did not charge for my services..(which corroborated) my intentions to the family. I later talked again to Laura and she gave me the reason she was killed and other specific details including where this “SAMUEL” had fled to (Chickashee Oklahoma). I was able to verify all of these details. There is much more to this VERY LONG STORY but just wanted to share this EXPERIENCE so that you would know WHY I KNOW that our “Life Force” or Spirit survives our death. Laura had been killed THREE years before. I also helped the FDLE on some other cases and my identity was always kept confidential. This is my first posting on this site. I saw some of the amazing women founders on CHARLIE ROSE alst night and was very excited to converse with other intelligent mature women . Peace and Blessings to All, Joy Spirit

By Joy Spirit on 04/09/2008 6:01 pm

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There is nothing like a real physical experience to show you that there is life after death. My mom came to me about 5 years after her death, and it was such a strong, overwhelming experience, one could never doubt it. Furthermore, she was so excited, so happy, just bubbling over with joy, I was bowled over. And all the while this went on, I was riding my commute train to work one morning. This visit went on for at least a minute, while the scenery went by, and my seat mates remained oblivious. Whew.

By Bonnie T on 04/09/2008 9:24 pm

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I had a similar experience about a year and a half after my mother died. My father, sister and I were visiting relatives in the Midwest. We were all sitting around in the kitchen, chatting about nothing in particular, just enjoying each other’s company, when I had this overwhelming feeling that Mom was there behind me, enoying herself, too.

By carol bohn on 04/09/2008 11:07 pm