The Kingdom of God can be experienced now: "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Lo, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you." Other translations say that the kingdom is "within you" (Luke 17:20-21). The veil between this world and the afterlife is very thin. I experience God's presence during prayers, while reading scripture, during communion, in nature, and at random times. I have a deep sense of assurance that this connection to God will be there when I die, but in a much more intense form. As St Paul said, "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (1 Cor 13:12). |
Adding to the post on the prior page..
The existence of dna is a major piece of evidence supporting an intelligent creator. Dna is the only naturally occurring code in the physical world. It is a code similar to music written on a page or a digital computer code that are intelligently designed. Slight changes in the code alter the music, computer program or life-form. The human genome has the equivalent of 3 billion letters and would fill a library with books. Code is a product of intelligence , it is not present anywhere in the universe other than life. |
+1 And the Hell is also exist right here, on Earth. Some people just put themselves through it by their choices in life. |
I have a question- my baby died at 23 weeks, after being born. Will he be that way, or will he be older? |
The bible hints we will all have new bodies but we will inherently recognize one another. |
Is the word 'weird' making a comeback? |
Pretty sure Juan Diego's tilma, with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, falls in this category. Still on display in Mexico City, for the curious. |
That depends on how you define soul. Concepts like mind or personality can fall into the same general sphere as soul. But I wasn't even saying that I believe in the concept of a soul. I was saying that you shouldn't assume anything else by someone's atheism other than they don't believe in a god(s). That's what the word means. And you are welcome to your opinion, but you don't know me, so for you to assume that my disbelief in god has to do with "irrational stubborness" involves a lot of assumption. Yes, there is a downside. Some people would like to live the life they have here instead of fixate on a possible afterlife. I'm sure you would be the first person to get offended if an atheist or agnostic accused you of being stubborn and foolish for your beliefs, but you think it's perfectly okay to call other people those things. And then, worse, you think by doing that you are actually drawing people close to Jesus? If anything, you are pushing them away. |
+1 I agree with all of this. I've never had a near death experience, but I am an intuitive and an astral traveller. No, I can't (and have zero motive to) prove anything to skeptics or cynics on this thread. But in my experiences, there is peace at the end of this particular tunnel. I don't believe in the Abrahamic "Hell". I've seen astral underworld realms that look more like the realm of Hades or the realm of Hela - underworld death realms that are not "punishment", just death realms where you go in between reincarnations. |
There's no guarantee that a near death experience is the same as death itself. |
Unless there is a special place in hell for people who try to trick god by pretending they believe when they really are not sure at all. |
Unless there is a god and he recognizes a conniver - as you'd think a being who created the world could do. |
If there is an afterlife, you'll find out then. |
Am I the only one who notices that Christianity is exactly like a deal with the devil? You're just making a deal with Jesus instead. You're literally "selling your soul" in exchange for security in the afterlife, the mirror of "selling your soul" to "Satan" for security in this life. If your acceptance of your deity is based on fear of what might happen if you don't, you probably want to rethink whether or not you're in an abusive relationship. And I'm not an atheist, btw. |
Yes, you probably are the only one who notices, because your interpretation of Christian beliefs is so far off base. It has nothing to do with "making a deal" with Jesus to "sell your soul for security in the afterlife." We, all of us, including you, PP, were created by God, a soul made in the image of God. You, like every other human, have fallen away from that, and spend your entire life trying to get back to God - to the feeling of wholeness that comes only from His love. The Way Back to Him is Jesus Christ. It's not a "deal" that you cut for the afterlife. Following Jesus is literally discovering who you are, why you were made and what your purpose is. It's anything but abusive. The abuse, we do to ourselves. |