Your thoughts on life after death

[troutman]

Originally Posted by AC

I simply don't have a preference for what happens to my body after death. I'll leave that to my family to decide.

That is not a nice problem to leave your family. Decide. Make a will.

[AC]

Originally Posted by troutman

That is not a nice problem to leave your family. Decide. Make a will.

That isn't how its been done in my family.

We've done different things for the various grandparents and other family members that have died. Some have been buried and some cremated.

But none of the choices have been pre-determined. It's based on family decisions.

[ynwa03]

Originally Posted by AC

How many dead bodies do you come in contact with exactly?

It has nothing to do with disrespect, and its a little odd that's the way you took my comment. I simply don't have a preference for what happens to my body after death. I'll leave that to my family to decide.

I'm sure we have all had loved ones who have passed away. My point is that if everyone had that mentality no one would really care about what happened with peoples bodies. I didn't mean to sound offensive by the way.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by AC

That isn't how its been done in my family.

We've done different things for the various grandparents and other family members that have died. Some have been buried and some cremated.

But none of the choices have been pre-determined. It's based on family decisions.

That's nice, until the family disagrees on a decision. Then, it becomes a complete mess, at the worst possible time for your family.

[Knut]

I take comfort in the fact that my DNA can live on in my childrens... and their childrens. Even if the line is broken your legacy is the genetic makeup of your family.

[AC]

Originally Posted by ynwa03

I'm sure we have all had loved ones who have passed away. My point is that if everyone had that mentality no one would really care about what happened with peoples bodies. I didn't mean to sound offensive by the way.

No, I understand your viewpoint.

I'm not saying I wouldn't care what was done with the body of a family member who died. I simply don't care one way or another what was done with mine... whatever my family collectively decided they wanted to do would be what I wanted.

Ultimately, I see it as a way for the remaining family to honour and remember the deceased. So for my family at least, its always been a process for the family.

[AC]

Originally Posted by troutman

That's nice, until the family disagrees on a decision. Then, it becomes a complete mess, at the worst possible time for your family.

If that was a concern I would address it.

[ynwa03]

Originally Posted by Hesla

I take comfort in the fact that my DNA can live on in my childrens... and their childrens. Even if the line is broken your legacy is the genetic makeup of your family.

What about all the ancestors people forget who get lost in the family tree somewhere. It's nice to think that way but it's not very practical.

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

Solar technology is maybe a decade away from being a 'viable' energy source for the homeowner.

It's not a decade away, it's now. I sell this stuff. For $20,000 an average suburban house can have a system that will cover all your utility bills for the next 50 years. Some panels can even draw off the moon. If you live outside the city then eff solar, get a vertical turbine and you're gold.

[Igottago]

Originally Posted by troutman

That's nice, until the family disagrees on a decision. Then, it becomes a complete mess, at the worst possible time for your family.

How does a family in that situation come to a comprimise? Cremate half the body, bury the rest of it?

[Knut]

Originally Posted by ynwa03

What about all the ancestors people forget who get lost in the family tree somewhere. It's nice to think that way but it's not very practical.

Your ancestors DNA is part of your Genetic makeup. The Genetic memory lives on !

[AC]

Originally Posted by Igottago

How does a family in that situation come to a comprimise? Cremate half the body, bury the rest of it?

Rock, paper, scissors.

[puckluck]

Originally Posted by AC

Rock, paper, scissors.

You want your body smashed, cut up and wrapped in papers? I hope you don't deal with dead bodies!

[nightfx]

Originally Posted by Igottago

How does a family in that situation come to a comprimise? Cremate half the body, bury the rest of it?

Sure, why not? It's not like he cared anyway right.

[photon]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Even if you die in your sleep, its different then sleep because something in your body goes terribly wrong, and your body makes you aware of that through pain. And even if you are asleep as you die your heart stops (Painful) and your brain carries on until it runs out of oxygenated blood and then it starves (painful). So even if you are dreaming, theres got to be a sensation there.

Then make the death instantaneous, with zero time for the impulses of the event to reach the portions of the brain that register such things.

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

If you died, and they activated a clone of you with up to date memories, you wouldn't know or carry on because you as an individual are dead. A clone no matter how exact is still a different person.

But how would you know? There's no forward continuity with consciousness; if I go to sleep and something wakes up that's identical to me, even though it has different molecules, there's zero difference, because even you can't tell.

Our minds like to construct this convenient fiction of forward continuity, but it really doesn't matter. All the molecules in your body get changed over over time, so "you" doesn't depend on the molecules. So "you" must depend on the patterns those molecules and the impulses in your brain and all that. (Assuming there's no spirit)

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

except that you would be dead. your friends and everyone else wouldn't know it, but just because you have a clone with all your memories doesn't mean the consciousness transfers over

Consciousness doesn't go forward though, it's only in the moment, based on our memories and current experiences. I'm assuming that whatever electrical pattern that existed in the brain at the moment of substitution would be transferred over (though because you are asleep and unconscious, it doesn't really matter)

What if I magically replaced all the molecules in your body right now with different ones of the same kind, all at once so that their positions stayed the same and the pattern of impulses and stuff in your nerves all stayed the same? You didn't die, yet you are completely different.

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

he would have been dead from his perspective after the first one, so what would be the point?

But the perspective of the first one is gone, so it doesn't matter.

Like I said this could happen each night when you go to sleep.. the going to sleep you of course doesn't know, and the waking up you doesn't know.. It's just because we have this sense of forward continuity that we feel uncomfortable with it.

Kind of like science fiction books and teleportation.

Would you feel uncomfortable if the teleportation device disassembled you and reassembled you at your destination?

Would it differ if it used "your" molecules vs a different set of molecules?

[JustAnotherGuy]

Originally Posted by Prototype

Oh, and read Tuesday's With Maurie. Amazing book that deals with this.

Interesting. I just had a friend recommend this book last week. I had planned to pick it up and I will make sure I do for sure now.

[arloiginla]

Originally Posted by Yamer

It was disturbing how the church and it's teaching left so many of questions up to a single universal answer, faith. As I discovered new influences in my life my questions only grew. I remember listening to 'The Fight Song' by Marilyn Manson and specifically the lyrics 'I'm not a slave to a God that doesn't exist'.

I think the reason that God only reveals Himself partially to us and not fully is that if faith were completely out of the picture, we would basically be forced to acknowledge His existence and then consequently be subject to His Lordship over us. In which case believing in and following God would become an obligation and not done out of love. True love is always a choice and of our own volition and God would rather have that than forced slavery I suspect.

Yet blind faith is not logical and truth-based either. In my walk with the Lord I have found that He reveals enough of Himself here and there to encourage His children and remind them that their faith will not disappoint them. Maybe not visually, but in many different little ways He manifests Himself in His creation and more importantly, in His people.

The trouble with a lot of church teachings is that churches can make stuff up as they go along. Sadly, many churches today preach following certain rules will get you to heaven, or else God will be angry with you. It's no wonder the atrocities that people commit nowadays all in the name of "God" or organized religion. Some religions just take it a little further than others. It's difficult to find Christian churches that teach the Bible 100% and don't let let personal biases, cultural upbringings and particular interpretations get in the way. It's why you have so many denominations and even cults today that are Bible-based in some ways. They all started in the same place but rather than teaching Christianity as a personal experience they get away from salvational issues and teach their particular interpretation of the Bible as the correct one.

Gandhi probably said it best when he said, "I like their Christ, but I don't like their Christians."

Anyways, I'll end the ramble and get back on topic here. I believe that when I die I will go to heaven and be with my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Knowing that I have my eternal salvation secured makes living life a lot easier. Having that hope makes this life more worthwhile and I'm less likely to live it selfishly. Because if there was no life after death I'd do whatever I want on this earth - nobody else matters since we are only here a short time, may as well live it up for my own pleasure.

Many don't and won't accept God or acknowledge His existence. Frankly, I believe God would rather have that than if we were all forced to serve Him. Which is why as a Christian I try never to be pushy or force my beliefs on anyone else...if it's forced, it isn't real.

[photon]

I'm fully aware of my wife's existence and still love her as a choice instead of an obligation.

If God chooses to hide his existence from me and I act based on that, that's his responsibility not mine.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Igottago

How does a family in that situation come to a comprimise? Cremate half the body, bury the rest of it?

The family can try mediation, but unfortunately many of these cases end up in court, and tear the family apart.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by arloiginla

Anyways, I'll end the ramble and get back on topic here. I believe that when I die I will go to heaven and be with my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Knowing that I have my eternal salvation secured makes living life a lot easier. Having that hope makes this life more worthwhile and I'm less likely to live it selfishly. Because if there was no life after death I'd do whatever I want on this earth - nobody else matters since we are only here a short time, may as well live it up for my own pleasure.

If I could offer you a pill that would extend your life by 100 years with good health, would you take it?