What happens after death?

Some believe that we will go to heaven when we die, or to hell.
Some believe that we will simply disintegrate and disappear.
Some believe that a part of us will reincarnate or transmigrate.

The Catholic Church teaches that the soul will go straight to heaven, straight to hell or to purgatory for cleansing before it will be sent to heaven.

Many Protestants believe that when a person dies, he or she enter into complete oblivion. However, at the second coming of Jesus, the dead will be called from their graves and those who have been saved will be given special bodies and go to heaven.

Hindus and Buddhists believe in reincarnation. They believe that some mystical part of us will be reborn in another body. Those who have been good will get a fortunate reincarnation and those who have been bad will get an unfortunate one.

In reality, it is even more complicated because there are many different Protestant beliefs regarding death and many different Hindu beliefs. There are many different Jewish beliefs and many different Islamic beliefs.

There are about 10 000 different religions in the world today and many more beliefs about death. Are the spiritualists right? Are the atheists right? Are the monistic materialistic scientists right? Maybe the agnostics are right that we will never get to know about these things. Or, what if the agnostics are simply afraid to see the truth and hesitate to look deep enough.

Someone has to be right, don’t you think?

Donald Duck - Donald's Better Self (1938)!!!!

There is a devil and a saint in us all.
There is also a goof, a pain in the neck, a hero,
a wimp and a smart ass
in each of us.
A person is not just a person;
he or she is a busload of characters.

 

God and money.

”Sell everything you have and give to the poor.”

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

”I'll say it again-it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!" ”No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Those who are fond of literal interpretations of the Bible rarely interpret these sentences literally.

Comfort blankets

Many people with a difficult life situation find consolation in a religion, spiritual fantasies or in the bottle. This is not a problem. Religion, spirituality, or a bottle of wine does not necessarily mean something bad. If a religion, a spiritual belief or a bottle of wine make you feel better, enjoy life and other people, why not. However, there is a flip side of the coin.

All the religions have crated and are still creating endless horrors, religious wars and terrorists. All the religions oppress women and children. All the religions work against equal rights. All the religions side with the rich. All the religions claim that without religion there would be no ethics and morals. This is a lie. All the religions are based on lies. (Christians, for example, have never bothered about ethics and morals. The slave trade, the witch-hunts and the blessing of the atom bomb are proof enough. How dare they talk about ethics and morals?)

Non-religious people who are interested in spiritual matters are usually not that aggressive. They are mostly harmless. I don’t mind if people believe in astrology or the healing powers of crystals. I don’t mind if people believe in reincarnation or ascended masters. However, to me they are like small children who still believe in Santa Claus and fairies.

At some point in life, we all stop to believe in Santa Claus and fairies. We all grow up whether we like it or not. This is not the end of the world. It comes naturally. In the same way, at some point in life most people stop to believe that Jesus walked on water or that he returned from death after three days. (Those who hold on to such beliefs in their fifties have probably psychological issues.)

Similarly, at some point in life, we may find ourselves not believing in anything anymore. Religion, spirituality, political ideology, philosophy, everything seem like kids stuff. This is not depression, negativity or misanthropy. This is the end of the tunnel. This is waking up. This is leaving beliefs and ideas behind. This is leaving the nest. This is a new chapter, a new spirituality, a new world.