What is the purpose of life after death ?

I agree, JL. I think the religious mind can exist only in total freedom--of the mind. The conception of a self, or soul, or homunculus--if you will--implies time, and the religious mind operates outside the field of time.

Joseph Campbell cited Heinrich Zimmer: "The most important thing cannot be talked about--the transcendent. The second most important thing talks about the first thing--the transcendent--and is always misunderstood." This second thing is organized religion, or as I call it, second-hand religion. Second-hand religion works very well for most people so long as they recognize it as such, otherwise they can get fanactical, and that's never good.

The mind is a double-edged sword: the perception of time allows us to transcend it, but taking it too seriously is destructive. Worrying too much about a future life precludes enjoyment of life, and that defeats the purpose of religion.

The afterlife was and is a con to achieve and control people's obedience to the con's power---and wealth.

What I find puzzling is the Muslim idea of being a martyr will reward the person with 70 virgins in paradise. They may be ideal for the men, but how will that cause women martyrs to look forward to 70 virgins? Does that mean 70 male virgins? Or does it mean 70 female virgins. Would that be 70 Lesbians? I thought Muslims put homosexuals to death.

BBB

So some neanderthal ur-con-man was sitting around thinking, "hey if I create the afterlife I can avoid that life threatening mammoth hunting thing, stay home and people will bring me food"? Anthropologically speaking, ethnographies on hunter-gatherer populations don't support what you have said. They show not much if any real material gain for the spiritual leaders in said groups. Hence the term egalitarian. In fact in many of them there was not much prestige gain either. Yet universally (to my knowledge) the hunter-gatherer groups documented had some sort of afterlife belief. Religion as an institutionalized power structure came along much later in the scale of social complexity than this. So it may be that currently there are religious con-men capitalizing on a human tendency, but it does not mean they fabricated said belief from thin air in order to do so.

"Religion as an institutionalized power structure came along much later in the scale of social complexity than this."

My comments apply to the modern world's religions after BC, not AD, not the ages of cave men.

BBB

Indeed, I noted that it may be used so now, but likely did not originate as such. People have been capitalizing off human tendency and belief since the dawn of time I'm sure.

For Christians, of course, the equivalent reward would be 70 porn stars.

to preserve the Human Spirit , knowledge

and to protect this planet from other , outside spirits

Actually there is truth to it, but not in the oxymoronic meaning.

Cause and effect, an effect actually lasts forever--therefor, what you do in this life may not amount to anything, but the effects can never be irradicated.

if people would actually read the bible they would realize that hell is not a torment place.....Eccl. 9:5," the living are conscious that they will die...but as for the dead they are concious of nothing at all."....how can one be tormented if there is no sensation in death?????....the original world for hell was ....haides and sheol.... with both translate the grave......you do nothing there....theres just nothing...no pain no joy

Thank you for sharing the home work that you have given me to study!

There is no purpose to the present life, nor purpose to any life after death. By the way, there's no life after death. Enjoy what time you have left.

well, imagine that your asleep, but not dreaming. you dont even know you exist. thats the alternative. is that what you want?

it just can



to learn , to gather knowledge that others can't , to understand

people are afraid of death, so they like to imagine there is an afterlife. there is no reason why should it exist. there is only reason to think it exist

72; you're cheating christians by taking away 2!

Sorry guys. The only thing better than an experienced woman is two.
Charlie Sheen
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Some of you have defined the state of "death" pretty much like Buddhism does. Nirvana is without content. But it's not like we usually think of death, some kind of predicate (condition experienced by the) subject called "ego." For most people, when one dies, ego (which others may equate with an immortal "soul") ends then there is noone to be in a state of death. That is to say, there cannot be a condition (predicate) of death for a non-subject or non-ego.
Moreover, if Buddhism is right--and I think it is--there is no ego even now when we are alive. There was no ego "before birth" (or conception); there will be no ego "after life"; there is no ego now, only the illusion of a self, of an homunculus inside of us during life.

alright. death. large topic.
when we die, we die. no heaven, no hell. (sorry for you religious people). im not afraid of death. we shouldnt be afraid of death. its a beautiful thing.

if my friend came up to me, pointed a gun in my face and said: "I will now kill you. i have no guilt about this", I wouldnt be scared. sad, of course, because i trusted him.
sad, because i have so much to live for. i havent done anything amazing yet. after all, i am only 15 years old. i havent gotten my Ph.D in philosophy or symbology. i have so much to look forward to.
but not scared.
why would i be scared of something nobody understands, and once it happens, doesnt concern me anymore?
it WOULD suck to be dead. but you dont know it sucks, because you ARE dead, therefore you have no notion of anything whatsoever. you're not there, but you dont know it. because the "you" in that sentence doesnt exist.
know, i know im not an amazingly smart person like everybody in this forum, but i say this: death only happens once. make it count.
lying on my deathbed, with knowing the inevitable will soon happen?
not for me.
i want to die in an explosion, getting shot by trying to stop a burglar or a gigantic car crash that will make the n.1 story in america.

I wouldn't call death "a beautiful thing," but accept it as a fact of life. Some die horrible deaths after a very horrible life. Some lucky blokes live a pretty comfortable life and death. That I'm still kicking around at 75 tells me, I've done pretty good.

death is a beautiful thing after a sucky life.

Doctor Death (Kervorkian) died this week. He helped people die painlessly when they could no longer tolerate their life. He went to prison for that, but one day--mark my word--he will be a culture hero.