Is this conversation, then, really about fear? And did fear give rise to religious beliefs and the concept of a God and mortal intermediary who can save us? I read something that says it all for me: “The highest form of wisdom is kindness.” The Talmud. We could practice it without metaphysics. It is an end in itself and a kind of earthly “salvation,” which is all we have. The rest of sheer speculation and the source of much human suffering—the war of words about whose religion is better and who is going where. We are not going anywhere, so we need to make the best of it here and now.

Thank you J.R. Murray for sharing your experience with us. I too (no specifics) have had contact with the other side, as powerful as to dissolve any skepticism about the afterlife away. But this is a personal experience: it is not useful in an argument to convince anyone of life after death. We are among the fortunate, to have all doubt removed, that’s all. In a way, it doesn’t matter what anyone knows or believes, so long as an individual lives the best life possible, giving and learning in equal measure.

I am a Hindu and I believe that 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 diferent 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.

What happens to us after we die is quite a topic! I read for over an hour and one conclusion I drew was how confused people have become either thru commission or by omission. I have had not the opportunity to talk about Wowowow.com with any of my Baha’i women friends but since I did not come across any “Baha’i Feedback” in the 20 pages I can concluded that I am the only one that has stumbled across this website. The Manifestation of God, Baha’u’llah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is very clear on the question of ‘life after life’ on this earth. The Baha’i Writtings (Baha’i Scriptures) is full of gems regarding the journey of the human soul. this should an important topic that I have taken a few excepts from The Writtings so the reader may enjoy and be refreshed in her quest for answers. Thou hast asked Me whether man, as apart from the Prophets of God and His chosen ones, will retain, after his physical death, the self-same individuality, personality, consciousness, and understanding that characterize his life in this world. If this should be the case, how is it, thou hast observed, that whereas such slight injuries to his mental faculties as fainting and severe illness deprive him of his understanding and consciousness, his death, which must involve the decomposition of his body and the dissolution of its elements, is powerless to destroy that understanding and extinguish that consciousness? How can any one imagine that man’s consciousness and personality will be maintained, when the very instruments necessary to their existence and function will have completely disintegrated? Know thou that the soul of man is exalted above, and is independent of all infirmities of body or mind. That a sick person showeth signs of weakness is due to the hindrances that interpose themselves between his soul and his body, for the soul itself remaineth unaffected by any bodily ailments. Consider the light of the lamp. Though an external object may interfere with its radiance, the light itself continueth to shine with undiminished power. In like manner, every malady afflicting the body of man is an impediment that preventeth the soul from manifesting its inherent might and power. When it leaveth the body, however, it will evince such ascendency, and reveal such influence as no force on earth can equal. Every pure, every refined and sanctified soul will be endowed with tremendous power, and shall rejoice with exceeding gladness. Consider the lamp which is hidden under a bushel. Though its light be shining, yet its radiance is concealed from men. Likewise, consider the sun which hath been obscured by the clouds. Observe how its splendor appeareth to have diminished, when in reality the source of that light hath remained unchanged. The soul of man should be likened unto this sun, and all things on earth should be regarded as his body. So long as no external impediment interveneth between them, the body will, in its entirety, continue to reflect the light of the soul, and to be sustained by its power. As    soon as, however, a veil interposeth itself between them, the brightness of that light seemeth to lessen. Consider again the sun when it is completely hidden behind the clouds. Though the earth is still illumined with its light, yet the measure of light which it receiveth is considerably reduced. Not until the clouds have dispersed, can the sun shine again in the plenitude of its glory. Neither the presence of the cloud nor its absence can, in any way, affect the inherent splendor of the sun. The soul of man is the sun by which his body is illumined, and from which it draweth its sustenance, and should be so regarded. Consider, moreover, how the fruit, ere it is formed, lieth potentially within the tree. Were the tree to be cut into pieces, no sign nor any part of the fruit, however small, could be detected. When it appeareth, however, it manifesteth itself, as thou hast observed, in its wondrous beauty and glorious perfection. Certain fruits, indeed, attain their fullest development only after being severed from the tree. (Compilations, Baha’i World Faith, p. 119) When Abdu’l-Baha (Son of Our Lord Baha’u’llah) was in London a question regarding ‘life after death’ was asked Him from a Believer: “Mrs. S. asked some questions with reference to the conditions of existence in the next world, and the life after death; she said that having recently lost a very near relative, she had given much thought to this subject. Many thought that re-union with those we had loved, and who had passed on to the future life, would only take place after a long period of time had elapsed. She wished to know whether one would be re-united with those who had gone before immediately after death. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá answered that this would depend upon the respective stations of the two. If both had the same degree of development, they would be re-united immediately after death. The questioner then said, how could this state of development be acquired? ‘Abdu’l-Bahá replied, by unceasing effort, striving to do right, and to attain spiritual qualities. The questioner remarked that many differing opinions were held as to the conditions of the future life. Some thought that all would have exactly the same perfections and virtues; that all would be equal and alike. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said there would be variety, and differing degrees of attainment, as in this world. The question was then asked as to how it would be possible with no material bodies or environment to recognize different entities and characters, when all would be in the same conditions and on the same plane of existence.   ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said if several people look into a mirror at the same moment, they behold all the different personalities, their characteristics and movements; the glass of the mirror into which they look is one. In your mind you have a variety of thoughts, but all these thoughts are separate and distinct. Also you may perhaps have hundreds of friends; but when you call them before your memory you do not confuse them one with another: each one is separate and distinct, having their own individualities and characteristics.” (Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 73) The last except is from the Lady Blomfield’s book ‘Chosen Highway’. “he Master answered her: If you have a bed of lilies-of-the-valley that you love and tenderly care for, they cannot see you, nor can they understand your care, nevertheless, because of that tender care, they flourish. So it is with your husband. You cannot see him, but his loving influence surrounds you, cares for you, watches over you. They, who have passed into the Divine Garden, pray for us there, as we pray for them here.” Another day a woman came to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and told Him of a dream. Last night, Master, I dreamed that I was in a garden of such  216  beauty that it seemed beyond the power of the most perfect human gardener to have created it. In this garden I saw a beautiful girl, about nineteen, who was caressing the flowers. As I came into the garden she lifted her lovely head and came towards me with outstretched arms, as though in great love and joy at my visit. I look at her amazed, and then I saw a startling resemblance to the tiny daughter I lost many years before.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá smiled His miraculous smile: “My child, you have been permitted to see your daughter as she is now, walking in the sacred garden of one of the worlds of God. This is a bounty of God to you. Rejoice and be happy.” Ridvaniyyih Khanum related that when her child was ill, the Master came and gave two pink roses to the little one, then, turning to the mother, He said in His musical voice so full of love: “Be patient.” That evening the child passed away. “Ridvaniyyih,” said the Master, “there is a Garden of God. Human beings are trees growing therein. The Gardener is Our Father. When He sees a little tree in a place too small for her development, He prepares a suitable and more beautiful place, where she may grow and bear fruit. Then He transplants that little tree. The other trees marvel, saying: ‘This is a lovely little tree. For what reason does the Gardener uproot it?” (Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway, p. 215) I hope these several selections from the Baha’i Writtings has shed some small light for those searching for answers on the subject of what happens to a person upon death. My personal favorite verses from Baha’i Writtings can be found in the Hidden Words,”O SON OF THE SUPREME! I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendor. Why dost thou veil thyself therefrom? ” Two days after my father-in-laws death, he came to my son in a dream. In that dream he told his grandson that he was find and asked him,” Do you want to come with me?” And according to my son his grandfather walked away down the garden path and disappeared in the pines.

Dear Seekers, I just recalled an online book that I came across years ago dealing with the issues of ‘light after death’ . I offer it here for those that might be interested in exploring it: http://home.arcor.de/unity9/Introduction.htm

It’s amazin’ that this topic has secured three times the submissions as anything else in ‘conversations’. Alotta guilty consciences? Or too much time on one’s hands? Don’t you think while we’re here we oughta be here? Stuff to do. Here. Now.

Everyone believes in something, even if that something is nothing. But belief in God - or gods, or Higher Power, etc. - is common to humanity. Belief in eternal afterlife can motivate us to live better lives, and it hurts no one! If you’re not believing now, why not give it a try? We have within us the knowledge of right and wrong, and the intrinsic satsifaction that comes from doing right, and the guilt from doing wrong. We search for love, and realize that human relationships fall short of what we’re searching for - truly unconditional, forgiving-and-forgetting-no-matter-what love from a Being greater than we are. Western society has become so fixated on empirical evidence! Do you really think that random selection accounts for the co-existence of dandelion fluff and a galaxy of stars? Go God!

I can assure you from my own personal experiences that life is a cyclic process (many lives) and not a linear process (born … live … die … and that’s it). I have had a visionary experience of a young lady, meeting her years later and eventually proved that she was my father returned in a short (15 years) period of time after his death from malinoma in 1956. I felt obligated to document these experiences into a book titled “Are You Wearing a Barrel?” You can google my name to find out more about my experiences.

Here’s what happens after we die: Some of us are buried and forgotton. Some of us are cremated. In NO WAY does ANY PART of us “Float upward to Heaven”! THAT IS A FALACY!!! That was some religious clergy [Catholic] who used this “method” to scare off their members of their congregation so that they will remain in the Cathjolic faith. the truth is: when you die, you die. [PERIOD]. Then——when it is at Gods’ time, he sends forth his angel [ie. Jesus now in spirit form] and then opens books and judges us. some get judged to life here on Paradise Earth, others to everlasting destruction [not some firery place of torment] just like a total disappearance! The righteous get life everlasting on a Paradise earth where there isn’t anymore death, sickness, or any of earths’ [current] woes, because God IS perfect and he will make the earth a perfect paradise, just as it was in the beginning. Says so in EVERY Bible. Shirley Rose Walkowicz

If you believe the soul and the body are one then the answer is in the question. Belief that the soul is independent of flesh renders the question nonsense.

we’ve had it !

We are like little ants trying to comprehend, with the scope of our little ant minds and with the limited reach of our little ant minds, how a laptop computer works.

Amazing – so many opinions – everyone trying to imagine the unknown – like standing at the edge of a precipice and looking into a canyon so deep there is no sound and then attempting to put that unknown into language – the wonderment of it. There are those who cannot wrap their minds around the unknown and prefer to live in the now – others who hold strong religious views and still others who turn to physics along with a few who have had a personal connection to death. Just amazing… I have an axiom posted on my back hall bulletin board – it says: “We are preening inside our self-built mirrored casket.” After reading so many diverse opinions, I think some of us bring others into our mirrored casket – like the clergy and authors who have inspired our thinking. When you purchase one of those $8. phone cards that allow you 42 minutes to view the heavens on your computer from a super giant telescope we see the vastness of space; you have to wonder where heaven and God are located. We hear there are between 11 dimensions and an infinite number of dimensions any of which could be this place we call heaven. Or, is heaven a spiritual notion that is dependent on faith since we are not equipped to imagine and we are limited so that we can only conceive of a place that is solid in nature. Rather then, tackle all this we can weed the garden or make contact with a stranger or a friend however, what we can give thought to is our body after death. How important is it that our body is in a casket that either is cremated or rots in the ground? I understand no matter how old we are when we die our skin is very valuable. A baby burn victim or a small child burn victim does not have enough skin on their body to harvest. Most burn victims go through several skin grafts before healing. My friend’s husband donated his body. Upon death, it was immediately packed in ice and shipped to Arizona where anything not of value was cremated. My friend received a small box that will be placed in Arlington Cemetery on June 19. He was a WWII decorated underwater demolition officer in the Navy. Later his group became what is known as the Navy Seals. Since my children live hither and yon the old tradition of visiting my gravesite seems unlikely – I hate the idea of a funeral home. My family held the wake at home with our loved one laid out in the front room. Just being cremated seems such a waste and so sending my body to be harvested to benefit others sounds like a good plan for me. Where that light, called a soul goes I have no clue.

Who knows, really? Really really knows? Hard evidence? But I bet there is a direct relationship to what happens to us after we die to what exactly we got done (with our mouths shut) right here. What have we served? Why have we served what we served, —if we served? Intensions?