Comments on: When You Die, Where Will You Go? Are Your Sure?

By: Chris Pieper

Chris Pieper — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:36:03 +0000

Just as it is impossible for our mortal minds to ever fully grasp the true nature/essence of God, it is equally impossible for any mortal to truly know anything beyond speculation about the afterlife. Belief and knowledge are two distinct and often non-overlapping epistemologies.

However . . .

I BELIEVE that religion and science are two lenses on the same ultimate reality, and contemporary science is increasingly pointing to the irreducibility of matter and energy. More precisely, that it is impossible to totally destroy either one. They are transformed into one another. Elementary thermodynamics.

If we subscribe to the notion, as most Westerners do, that a human being is body and soul (at least), or in my terminology, matter and energy, then there is good REASON to think that the energy emergent from bodily processes (i.e. consciousness/mind) must go somewhere. More than half of the world’s population believes it either returns here in another incarnation — which, incidentally, was common theology during the early Christian period until excised by the Council of Trent, if I’m not mistaken. That is one novel and scientifically reasonable way to understand eternal life, though strictly mortal.

I’m also open to the idea of immediate awakening/Heaven/breaking the cycle of Samsara etc. in the sense that the consciousness of the individual may attain a sufficiently high level of evolution that bodily incarnation is no longer necessary and another dimension of existence is available (Nirvana, Heaven, Paradise, and the like) OR, even more radical, the consciousness is then ready to advance to another form of existence altogether (angelic, superhuman, Bodhisattva, etc). I don’t know, and in the final analysis, neither does anyone else.

Whatever happens though, it needs to fit all the cultural interpretations of this experience that humans have described of it for 10,000 years, 95% of which depict a major transformation and an ongoing existence rather than mere nothingness.

Oprah, by the way, believes you get whatever you think you’re gonna get, which is both liberating and terrifying.

Good convo, peeps.

By: Jody O.

Jody O. — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:50:51 +0000

I believe we wake up on the first mansion world after we die.

By: - newleaven.com -

- newleaven.com - — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:46:29 +0000

When You Die, Where Will You Go? Are You Sure?…

Yes, no rigorous course in eschatology is needed. No reading of charts and the like. Just read Paul the Apostle…….

By: - newleaven.com -

- newleaven.com - — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:43:55 +0000

When You Die, Where Will You Go? Are Your Sure?…

Yes, no rigorous course in eschatology is needed. No reading of charts and the like. Just read Paul the Apostle…….

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:44:20 +0000

Yes, Wilma, wherever or whenever, it will be great. Thanks for jumping in, we missed you guys this last weekend.

By: wilma

wilma — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:07:08 +0000

Interesting topic….Peter I believe “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord”. The thief on the cross, Jesus said, “Today you shall be with me in Paradise.” I remember about 45 years ago when my sister died, I was 25 years old and I was grieving over the cold snow covered grave where we put her earthly body. I was reading the word and I really felt God gave me the scripture from Hebrews…”a cloud of witnesses cheering us on”. My sister was 10 years older than me and I really look up to her. In my heart of hearts (wherever that is) I took that verse to mean “my sister was cheering me on.”. I have peace with these verses that I will be with Jesus in Paradise and I will be among the cloud of witnesses (unless we all are caught up to meet him in the air first. LOL Enjoyed the discussion.

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:05:37 +0000

Nick, knowing Curtis personally and you through your blog, I think you guys would agree about much more than you would disagree about, but it was fun. Thanks.

By: Nick Norelli

Nick Norelli — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:54:27 +0000

Curtis: Perhaps. I think we’d both have to say a lot more before we really see how the other is looking at it all. But it was fun.

Peter: These threaded comments are confusing, which is why I never use them.

By: watchmancurtis

watchmancurtis — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:24:48 +0000

heheh…well I was specifically referring to Nick since I think the disagreement extends beyond just where do we go when we die. Sorry for the confusion.

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:20:55 +0000

What if I’m still not sure who I’m agreeing to disagree with?

Or, for that matter, who I agree (or disagree) with?