Afterlife

but can’t recognize that the Bible is the same?

Just using Greek mythology as an example. Any other religion’s tales can be inserted here.

I was thinking about this while watching "The Clash of the Gods" (my new favorite History Channel show ^_^)… and while I was watching the segment on Heracles (Greece’s condemned and heroic "Jesus" figure) I started thinking about the morals implanted in mythology and how the tales of Greek and Roman mythology are just as fantastically fabricated as those of the Bible.

There has been no proof of the existence of Odysseus, so Christians cast his story off as farfetched and fake… and there is no proof of Jesus Christ, and his stories are JUST AS ludicrous as Greek’s heroes, and yet religious folks so openly welcome these stories as fact?

When we think about Hades…Greek’s other-worldly afterlife… we are presented with a dismal and unfortunate existence: an eternity of floating aimlessly in a sort of purposeless purgatory…

and we compare it to Christian afterlife, a black and white Good and Bad place. The Good place is MUCH better than Hades, and the Bad place is MUCH worse.

So, it would be obvious to follow the Christian lifestyle over the Ancient Greek religion to not only avoid the Christian Hell but to make it to the fantastic and beautiful Christian Heaven.

Isn’t it obvious that it’s all such complete bullsh–t? A fabrication of crazy fables to try and make us behave, just as the Greeks did? Why believe Christianity and not Ancient Greek mythology? There is just as much proof for one as the other!
Fireball, your answers never make any sense to me.

I know that Zeus is real because I feel it in my heart >_> I feel his spirit working through me every day. Besides, if I didn’t believe in Zeus, I would be depressed and have to face the real world. OH, not to mention…if Zeus and the other gods don’t make us fall in love, make our crops grow and create waves in the water, then who does? Everyone knows this can’t be explained by science >_>

When early man had trouble explaining the beauty around them they imagined that everything was the work of a being similar to themelves mentally, but engaged in a different activity. These became known as the gods, and could be found in rocks, trees as so forth. Centuries later a greek philosopher named Heraclitus devised the concept of an eternal soul and an afterlife because he couldn’t figure out why when you damaged someones heart they kept on thinking nonetheless. Centuries later another greek philosopher that refered to himself as Plato first devised the concept of a monotheistic god that was responsible for creating truth and deception, that dwelled in the afterlife awaiting those who spent their lives searching for truth. A student of his, Aristotle came up with the idea of angels, although he regarded them as soldiers whose job it was to protect the True King (God). Then they were all prooved wrong. Monotheists view polytheism as a joke and atheistc see monotheism as a joke…
Nirvana, Heraclitus was around before Hinduism though, Plato just came up with the idea of a monotheistic god, but Hindu’s are Polytheists. You’re right about the rest though.
Actually RIF, schizophrenic patients that occasionally hallucinate will often hallucinate the same thing when one of the patients tells them about what he see’s. It’s fairly common. In fact, there was once a whole tribe that suffered from schizophrenia due to the fact tat they didn’t breed with anyone outside of the tribe and so over the years developed similar genes, all of which had an hereditary schizophreia gene. Just so’s you know.

Ok i got half way down your Q then gave up
your not 1 for short Q’s i see
well what i read didn’t seem to me to have any relivance to the Q you ask
and no i dont think it will bother me cause il me be realy hip Great great Grandad who is realy cool *places on extra cool sun glasses*
It does make me think what the kids of the future generations will be like though
do we think that they will be worse then our (currnent) generation and not respect anything not even our parents ??

Mr IP

It seems like many of the language choices for expressing ideas are made on the basis of how the ancestors who shared that religion spoke rather than, say, on the basis of clarity of communication with others who do not share the worldview. I find it hard to believe that there haven’t been theologians who have expressed the same ideas as the Bible, for example, in much more compelling language, and yet they aren’t admitted to the canon.

Another instance is the idea of a satisfying afterlife. It is not necessary at all that afterlives be anything other than a dark dimension of some kind, as in the Greek worldview, or that there be any afterlife at all. But there is a need to to honor our ancestors, so they are depicted as celebrated and rewarded, and given powers so they can stay close to us and hear us.
Godsgirl55: Jesus was officially designated "God from God, begotten not made" to place him above the deified Roman emperors, who were adopted as Gods, yet still created. So you see, you’ve demonstrated exactly the phenomena I am talking about: the circumstances justifying the language have passed, but you still speak that way because its how Christian ancestors spoke.

Many people will not see it that way, and some (such as the Christian Fundamentalists) might even find the notion offensive. But in a psychological sense, it could be possible. Religious people talk of deities in a rather familial sense (father, mother), and in many traditions, greet one another as brothers and sisters. I would not have accepted such an idea just a couple years ago, but the more reading I do on the background of religious thought, the more I find that everything comes down to a certain set of mythological, archetypal, and/or ancestral themes. Ancestor worship is a very strong theme within ancient religions, and likely has carried over into certain aspects of modern theology.

By ’specialized’, I mean afterlives that cannot be properly reached without a specific ritual, even if it’s just placing two coins on the deceased’s eyes so that they can pay a fair to Charon, for example.

I met someone a while ago that was afraid of death because she couldn’t get someone to mummify her, and thus couldn’t properly be buried in terms of her beliefs, and in result wouldn’t properly depart to the afterlife.

What about these people? I’m sure the various deities out there are highly traditional. What happens to people that are, for example, worshipers of a Greek goddess or god (or more), who aren’t buried with the required fare? Does Charon take modern coins? What about people whose afterlives require a different ritual?

Are they properly seen to the other side despite the fact that their rituals do not or can not go on anymore?

Protip: I am not looking for the answers "There is no afterlife", "They go to Hell", or "Hey, you’re that genderless pronoun who keeps asking about necromancy. Why don’t you ask them?", or variants of. ]:

I believe that it all depends on what they believe. I feel that the afterlife is another place where lessons are learned just like they are here. However it is a different level of consciousness, or being, what have you. I believe that our life here on earth depends greatly on what we decide while we are on the other side. I also believe highly in re-incarnation as more of a choice than a requisite. Bright Blessings to You and yours!

Decisions
It is interesting how two people in the exact same situation will make different decisions based on their personalities. A good example of this would be the play Antigone. In this play, there are two sisters, Antigone and Ismene who lost their two brothers, Polynecese and etoclese, in civil war. Given to one was a hero’s burial, while the arrogant King Creon condemned the other to rot in the fields. In Greek theology, in order for a person to transcend into the afterlife, a proper burial must be performed. Therefore, according to their beliefs Antigone and Ismene’s brother had been condemned to the equivalent of hell. Antigone and Ismene are in the same situation but make different decisions. Antigone defies King Creon’s law about her brother because she values her family and religion more than the law. On the other hand, although Ismene loved her brother, she uplifts the law because of fear for her life. I have qualities of both Antigone and Ismene and in the same situation, I would make Antigone’s decision to defy King Creon’s law, but like Ismene, I have a sense of preservation, and would be make precautions as to not get myself killed.
this is the statement i need to be the thesis could you please help me revise it

I have qualities of both Antigone and Ismene and in the same situation, I would make Antigone’s decision to defy King Creon’s law, but like Ismene, I have a sense of preservation, and would be make precautions as to not get myself killed.

Like Antigone, I would chose to defy King Creon’s law, but at the same time, like Ismene, I would take the necessary measures to avoid getting killed.

This is not a named religion. This what I believe however. I believe in a loving and accepting God that would not deny any well-intending, loving, kind and merciful human. Unlike in Christianity where this is not enough to go to Heaven. I believe in an afterlife, not necessarily Heaven or Hell or the Underworld in Greek mythology, but another life after death. You name it. I believe in peace, as Jesus taught
this is very interesting. all the answers got, i still wonder sometimes if there is a God, cause I’m not sure. there is no proof. but i think none of us really want to believe the possibility that when we die we rot.

If only there were more god-believers like you. Most Christians believe in God out of fear. You can tell, because they place emphasis on unwavering faith, guilt, punishment and the afterlife. None of these things matter nearly as much as being a good person NOW. I would say you’re a theist. It means you believe in some sort of god or spirit, but you don’t follow an institution. It’s not a religion, but a mode of thought.

Jesus’ teachings aren’t as complex as Epicurus or other philosophers. But his number one rule is the same as we find in nature; altruism. To act in such a way that is beneficial to not only those around you – but yourself, as well.

I reckon what you believe in is also egalitarian, meaning you believe everyone deserves a fair go. And I reckon it’s better than lumping people into "the saved" and "the damned".

Simply put, they believed that death is the opposite of life. Psalm 146:4 tells what happens when the spirit, or life-force, leaves a human being: “His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts do perish.” Similarly, King Solomon wrote that the dead “are conscious of nothing at all.”—Ecclesiastes 9:5.
Why, then, were many first-century Jews, such as the Zealots at Masada, (Remember Jimmy Jones ) so convinced of the immortality of the soul?

The Jews got this idea, not from the Bible, but from the Greeks. Between the seventh and fifth centuries B.C.E., the concept seems to have made its way from mysterious Greek religious cults to Greek philosophy. The idea of an afterlife where bad souls would receive painful retribution had long held great appeal, and the notion took shape and spread. Philosophers debated endlessly on the precise nature of the soul. Homer claimed that the soul flitted off at the time of death, making an audible buzzing, chirping, or rustling sound. Epicurus said that the soul actually had mass and was, therefore, an infinitesimal body.
But perhaps the greatest proponent of the immortal soul was the Greek philosopher Plato, of the fourth century B.C.E. His description of the death of his teacher, Socrates, reveals convictions much like those of the Zealots of Masada centuries later. As scholar Oscar Cullmann puts it, “Plato shows us how Socrates goes to his death in complete peace and composure. The death of Socrates is a beautiful death. Nothing is seen here of death’s terror. Socrates cannot fear death, since indeed it sets us free from the body. . . . Death is the soul’s great friend. So he teaches; and so, in wonderful harmony with his teaching, he dies.”
It was evidently during the Maccabean period, in the second century before Christ, that Jews began to assimilate this teaching from the Greeks. In the first century C.E., Josephus tells us that the Pharisees and the Essenes—powerful Jewish religious groups—espoused this doctrine. Some poetry that was probably composed in that era reflects the same belief.

Jehovah God cannot lie….God says You Die……..Satan says You Don’t…..Whom do YOU Believe?

Fireball You Amaze Me sometimes You are right ,Sleeping…Awaiting The Resurrection

The first-century Christians did not view the soul as the Greeks did. Consider, for example, the death of Jesus’ friend Lazarus. If Lazarus had had an immortal soul that flitted off, free and happy, at the time of death, would not the account in John chapter 11 read very differently? Surely Jesus would have told his followers if Lazarus was alive and well and conscious in heaven; on the contrary, he echoed the Hebrew Scriptures and told them that Lazarus was asleep, unconscious. (Verse 11) Surely Jesus would have rejoiced if his friend was enjoying a wonderful new existence; instead, we find him weeping publicly over this death. (Verse 35) Surely, if Lazarus’ soul had been in heaven, reveling in blissful immortality, Jesus would never have been so cruel as to summon him back to live a few more years in the “prison” of an imperfect physical body amid sick and dying mankind.

Hi guys and girls,

I am writing a Uni essay discussing the differences between ancient greek views on death and the afterlife and those of the modern day. I am not religious and so I am unsure of the views of the various religions of the world. So, if you are Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Jewish or any mainstream religion and you have a useful answer that would be appreciated. Peace out.
Oh yeah, and people, if you could perhaps provide reference for your answer from within your religious text of choice etc that would help as well. It isn’t that I don’t trust you, but the uni like to have some kind of documented evidence. Ta.

Christian here. According to the Bible, when the body dies it decays and returns to the natural elements. Hence the expression, ‘dust to dust, ashes to ashes’. "All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?" (Ecclesiastes 3:20-21) Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God "has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

A Christian burial service is usually conducted in a church as a means of saying farewell to the departed and for those who mourn to come together in fellowship and to draw comfort from God’s promise of a resurrection for those who have come to saving faith. Church burial grounds are considered to be consecrated, or holy, but lots of Christians are buried in cemeteries that are not consecrated. Also, many Christians elect to have their bodies cremated. It does not matter what happens to your body after you die, because at the resurrection, God’s elect will be given new, transformed bodies, fit for heaven.

Lots of people have been denied a ‘proper burial’ but that will not affect what happens to them after death. "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:27-28).

The basis for this belief in a resurrection is described by Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, in his second letter to Timothy (chapter 1, verses 9-10): "This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

The Christian view on death and the afterlife is that Christ Jesus conquered the power of death by his own resurrection, and at the resurrection, every person who has ever lived will stand before the judgment throne: "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:11-15).

This is not a dress rehearsal! God invites us to accept his provision for salvation now, while we are still alive. Christians do not fear death, but anticipate that moment in time when they will be ‘at home’ with the Lord. It is not the manner of their death that ensures their afterlife, but rather the manner of their life.

Hi guys and girls,

I am writing a Uni essay discussing the differences between ancient greek views on death and the afterlife and those of the modern day. I am not religious and so I am unsure of the views of the various religions of the world. So, if you are Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Jewish or any mainstream religion and you have a useful answer that would be appreciated. Peace out.
Oh yeah, and people, if you could perhaps provide reference for your answer from within your religious text of choice etc that would help as well. It isn’t that I don’t trust you, but the uni like to have some kind of documented evidence. Ta.

Christian here. According to the Bible, when the body dies it decays and returns to the natural elements. Hence the expression, ‘dust to dust, ashes to ashes’. "All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?" (Ecclesiastes 3:20-21) Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God "has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

A Christian burial service is usually conducted in a church as a means of saying farewell to the departed and for those who mourn to come together in fellowship and to draw comfort from God’s promise of a resurrection for those who have come to saving faith. Church burial grounds are considered to be consecrated, or holy, but lots of Christians are buried in cemeteries that are not consecrated. Also, many Christians elect to have their bodies cremated. It does not matter what happens to your body after you die, because at the resurrection, God’s elect will be given new, transformed bodies, fit for heaven.

Lots of people have been denied a ‘proper burial’ but that will not affect what happens to them after death. "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:27-28).

The basis for this belief in a resurrection is described by Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, in his second letter to Timothy (chapter 1, verses 9-10): "This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

The Christian view on death and the afterlife is that Christ Jesus conquered the power of death by his own resurrection, and at the resurrection, every person who has ever lived will stand before the judgment throne: "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:11-15).

This is not a dress rehearsal! God invites us to accept his provision for salvation now, while we are still alive. Christians do not fear death, but anticipate that moment in time when they will be ‘at home’ with the Lord. It is not the manner of their death that ensures their afterlife, but rather the manner of their life.

Remember, this are the INTERNETS. 99% of people don’t give a fuck about what you say. So don’t get all dramatic.

My opinion: God does not exist.

Supporting arguments:
1. People made up religion as a response to fear of the unknown.

Ex. Greek Mythology: Zeus = Thunder, Hades = Afterlife, etc.

2. People are afraid of death so they make up something that can comfort them while they are alive.

3. Some people may say they are true believers in a certain religion. Why do you believe in it? Have you ’seen God’? Or were your parents that religion? 90% of people are the same religion their parents were because they were raised that way, not because they have seen God.

Ex. You have been taught that fish = that swimming thing. What if someone was taught that fish = number? They could be completely wrong yet they believe they are right.

The truth is, many humans hate admitting they are wrong. Argue, Flame, Scream.

Dunt Forgot Two Yoos Corekt Grammar.

Running out of characters, bye.

and that is as you believe, i believe otherwise, i believe in jesus and his sacrifice for me. this forum will nto convince you otherwise
good luck