Your faith...

[NokkonWud]

Originally Posted by Slinwagh

As for the afterlife, I considered that to be a way for people not to have to deal with death, people die, they are dead, none of this gone to sleep, passed away, passed over to the other side rhetoric that you hear.

But could you prove that?
Isn't it nicer to believe there is something than to believe there isn't? When it all comes to the unknown why not believe?

[Slinwagh]

Originally Posted by NokkonWud

But could you prove that?
Isn't it nicer to believe there is something than to believe there isn't? When it all comes to the unknown why not believe?

Can you prove otherwise?

It maybe nicer to believe in the afterlife but how does that help you deal with death?

[Desmo]

This is breaking in to two discussions that I see as very different. The afterlife, paranormal things, ghosts, whatever you call it is something I believe. But I have no belief in religions. To me, the two aren't linked at all.

[Slinwagh]

Originally Posted by Desmo

This is breaking in to two discussions that I see are very different. The afterlife, paranormal things, ghosts, whatever you call it is something I believe. But I have no belief in religions. To me, the two aren't linked at all.

I agree but it is interesting that people who believe in God also believe in the afterlife and paranormal.

[iCraig]

Originally Posted by NokkonWud

But could you prove that?
Isn't it nicer to believe there is something than to believe there isn't? When it all comes to the unknown why not believe?

Abscence of evidence, is not evidence of abscence. True, but often coined as the reason why people should take the position of "I'll believe until proven otherwise" rather than "Why should I believe, until it's proven?" It's being open-minded to the facts, because otherwise you can't prejudice. The onus shouldn't be on something to be disprove in order not to believe, otherwise we'll spend all our lives believing in vampires, fairies, unicorns etc, because the idea alone, like Ghosts, is enough for some people to go "I believe they exist" Despite there being just as much "evidence" for both. How do you differentiate? It seems just personal preference to what people believe. "I believe in Ghosts, but not Unicorns. Why? Well unicorns are just silly aren't they?" and, since when, is personal preference an actual element to truth?

Most "non-believers" will be open to the idea of an afterlife/spirit world but remain unconvinced until facts come along to look at.

I'm still of the opinion that, no direct evidence has ever come to life about ghosts. It's always embelished stories or odd anecdotes such as "the picture frame of my Nanna fell off 25 days after her funeral. Take 25 away from the age she died, and you get 63. Add on 12 (she died 12th March) and you get 75. 75 is OUR HOUSE NUMBER!!! coincidence?" which to me, scream coincidence, and straw clutching much louder than paranormal.

[Pheebs]

Originally Posted by Desmo

This is breaking in to two discussions that I see as very different. The afterlife, paranormal things, ghosts, whatever you call it is something I believe. But I have no belief in religions. To me, the two aren't linked at all.

Oops. I think that's my fault I was meaning to link stuff to an afterlife/heaven/hell/purgatory type thing!!

Lots of talk of when you die you just... no longer exist any more... kind of wanted to see what peoples opinions were on that as I know many people who have some form of faith *do* believe in an afterlife

[iCraig]

Part of the reason it's difficult to believe in the spirit world etc, is because, that assumes that our spirit/soul is not exclusive to the physical brain, e.g. synapsis, chemical reaction. That our spirit is a seperate entity to that, with the ability to transfer to a different dimension/universe unlike our own. But, that contradicts the simple physical act of brain damage. Remove/damage certain parts of our brain and person changes. Personalities can alter, sometimes with such severity, they essentially become a different person. Quite odd to happen, if our soul is above all of that.

[Belmit]

Originally Posted by Pheebs

If professional electricians can find nothing wrong with the house... I mean... what's on there?

If a professional electrician told me to seek a medium, I'd have to question his technical ability!

[Pheebs]

Originally Posted by Belmit

If a professional electrician told me to seek a medium, I'd have to question his technical ability!

lol! I said the same thing when my folks told me when I was older (they kept a lot from me about the goings on as they didn't want me to get scared) Apparently, due to finding no fault and digging up half our road and getting another chap in to do it he drew a blank. They chatted for ages about the problems and I think it was kind of brought up by my folks and then he said it might well be and perhaps to try a medium, you never know kind of thing. Poor explanation on my half

[Chuckles]

Originally Posted by Slinwagh

Just because something happens that you can't explain doesn't mean that it was the act of some "God" or higher being.

Exactly. There has never been a single piece of evidence to prove the existence of ghosts or any of that kind of stuff. Just because you can't explain something, why would you leap to conclusion that it must be the cause of something even more implausible?

There are strong links between neurological states and belief in afterlife, religion etc. Have a look at articles on temporal lobe epilepsy. It's possible to stimulate the brain to have these feelings and it occurs naturally in some people more than others.