[aqua@home]

I don't know, but I choose to believe in something much higher than myself. I think that God and Jesus are both men. I don't think that makes my faith man-made. There are far too many examples of a higher power for me to ignore them. In all areas of our lives there are situations where there is a boss, employer, law enforcers or someone to answer to. Why not with life? We don't get to pick who these people are, our parents are who they are and we didn't get to choose that. Our principal at school he or she was who they were, we didn't get to choose. Why should I believe that God is a female solely because some people aren't comfortable with the thought that He is a man? Why would He being a man be a bad thing? I think society has come to question too many things. We have to make our own choices and to do that we have to become informed but why can't things be simple?

[keleevin]

Mark M, hoax maybe a strong word. The intention of creating religions should be explored.

I love to question the world. Accepting whatever comes to me - makes us gullible. This separates us, humans from Chimpanzees.

aqua@home, it's true when you pointed out that we assume diff roles in our lives. We are all related to another human being(s). Parents, Grandparents, sons, daughters, etc. No exist independently. Certainly, it would be interesting to trace to the beginning of time.

I'm not saying religious figures being male is a bad thing. But just a very interesting point for pondering - are religions man-made. If it is, all it's teachings are just stories to keep you busy. Busy reading - and stop questioning.

Let me repeat my past posting:
"God may not look like anything you ever imagine. Is there a painting of God somewhere? Does HE look more like a male or a female? Is Jesus a male or female? Is the Buddha a male or a female? And what about other gods or deities. Do most of them appear in the male form or female?

Somehow I think more appears in the male form. Could most form of believes and religions be MAN made (see the word man-made is so gender bais)? Most believes/religions were founded thousands of years ago. Back then males hold power, females serve man. Back then, male demands respect from females and not the other way. Males love power. Males love to be in control.

Back in the past, civilizations do not have very established law. There are no courts. A society can only be kept in order if everyone adhere to some common understanding. Religions/beliefs help to achieve that... Whoever introduce it at the beginning before LAW comes in, does it with good will. My point is religion/beliefs could be man-made to provide stability to the world. If not, you would be able to do whatever you want without remorse. Man would rape ladies. Stronger man would kill weaker man (the way of the animals) to gain material needs. Just to name some examples."

Life is complex - like it or not. Look at our bodies. We are made of very complex subsystems - each with a quite specific purpose. Working together we live, if one fails, another would most likely be affected. Can we simplify that? If we are simple, we will not be called a human. We will be known as organism, or cell.

We seek simplicity in life because of the profound complexity we face in many areas - human relationships, jobs, politics, computers, etc. Let's face it - for humans life remains complex. And we have to accept that.

Some people hate complexity because they are tired to question, to understand, to seek knowledge. I guess that's how you either becomes a religious person or a scientist. A scientist constantly seeks for new information, constantly proves or disproves past information. A religious person simply spread existing information.

If we want to be simple - why even belief in God, Buddha, whatever. Just do what pleases you. Do you think the bible is simple to read? Do you need a priest to explain it's content. It's complex too. It's text can be interpreted in many ways. It is complex.

To seek simplicity, just do nothing. Just don't worry about death. JUST DON'T WORRY about anything. If you truly want simplicity, learn to do that. It's just that. Sounds too simple? I thought you want it that way.

[JoeCanada76]

Even there are examples of ways to mourn. How to deal with death. There are indications that if you feel like mourning, mourn. Do not mourn for long because we are still here and life is to be celebrated. Many peoples reactions to death is fear, anger, emptyness, sadness. I think that each of us as individuals deals with the thought or and that experience differently and that is okay because everybody is different. So You mourn, your sad when somebody dies. Your husband thinks it should be a time to celebrate somebody life and be happy that they are in peace now. I can say that I know somebody that does not want a casket, does not even want a funeral because he wants people to remember him the way he was. Your husband should put stipulations in his will so that whenever it may be his time. Everything is done in the way he wants it. You as a wife need to accept that and actually do what he wants. Visa versa. He should respect your wishes and the way you handle things and what you want whenever that time comes.

I can tell you that for myself personally even though I have a strong belief in God. That I have faith that I am written in the book of life and that family and friends will be fine along their journey and have protection from their creator. I am the mourning type. I think somebody should mourn because it is a sadness when you lose somebody, but to mourn too long or not to move on and live life is an insult to God because we are so wrapped in what we feel for ourselves we forget to be thankful that we are still here alive today.

I also do believe that God will take care of his children. I ask God to protect my family and others around me and even strangers. Daily. I know that It is God who will be taking care of everything in this life and the next. So that weight of the world is not upon my shoulders, although it feels like that at times. God is in control. God is our creator and he takes care of each and everyone of us.

To answer your question. If I left people behind I would not worry about it. If others left me behind in this world I would not worry about it.

I know that we all have our time here on earth and we all have our time to go back home to God.

[velvetjones]

I was just wondering your opinions and views on the matter. Do you think there is anything to worry about? How do you feel about leaving others here or them leaving you here? Is this a time to be happy or sad? Why are we sad, isnt' that selfish?

<p>These are some very interesting questions. Having lost my mother at 4 under terrible circumstances, and feeling both influences of Mexican and US culture, I've got many mixed emotions and thoughts on these matters. I've lost people close to me, but I've never been to a funeral in my life. I feel there is a time for being both happy and sad. I don't feel like a traditional funeral is a place that I'd want to go. It is too difficult to see others' grief in public, but I can handle these things in a more private place. I would hope that when I go that I (soul, spirit, essence, ghost, whatever) might be invited back by some of my family during Day of the Dead, which is coming up very soon. Find out how to celebrate and invite loved ones back here or here.

[MARK M]

I hope there is life after death if it means seeing loved ones again. I do worry a lot about death I don't want it to happen but its inevitable. As long as I'm not in pain before I go because that will strike fear in to me even more. My grandfather died of cancer and to see him in such pain before he went was horrible my grandmother died in her sleep of a heart attack on the sofa. I found her when I went to walk her dog and she just looked a peace and that's how id like it to happen

[valinors_sorrow]

BTW...I believe that we have only one mouth and two eyes and ears, because we should do at least twice as much listening and watching than talking.

I am certainly with you on that one, Aqua. Indeed, I think the natural world holds many many answers if we only know how to apply our questions to it...

I am one who has, throughout her journey, become increasingly more comfortable not having answers and not knowing. I am also without the aid of any structured religion by choice but that doesn't mean I have not develolped a very personal and profound sense of spirituality or experienced things as sacred. In fact, the sacredness seems to be expanding for me. It just may go hand-in-hand with the more I learn, the more I see there is to learn too LOL

I do think there is some truth to once you understand death, living is even more possible. I had a dream the other night where I was dying and it wasn't bad too. I was very old and the ticker was just run down. I can remember thinking, oh good, I lived a long time! LOL

[clvassallo]

There are some interesting books on death and dying and near death experiences. The best of them is by Kenneth Ring, Ph.D. I forget the title, but on www.half.com you can probably get it for around one dollar or thereabouts.

Reading that literature - without knowing or believing anything else - it seems there is some kind of portal through which our spirits pass during dying. People who've experienced this phenomenon never fear death again. And they have an entirely new view of life as a result. For people to come out of something like that with the same concept of death and dying - I think there's something to it we need to look at and consider. You might also be interested to know that these people generally want nothing to do with organized religion, because they think it misses the point of things.

My opinion on the whole thing is this: if there is an afterlife then it's probably a loving place where we are reunited with those we loved on this earth. And it's a place in which we further evolve as living beings - even if we aren't physical beings. If there isn't an afterlife, then there's even less to worry over. It's just over. Not much we can do about that. But when you look around the world and all of the various things around you, how can anyone think there's nothing behind it all?

Finally, living creatures tend to evolve to more advanced states, not less advanced states. So, if we're constantly evolving, when we die it's reasonable to assume we're still evolving (if you believe we're spirits as well as bodies). If we're still evolving, we've got to exist somewhere.

And one further thought before I go. In physics class I learned that energy never dies, it just changes form. Our physical existence has much to do with energy. If energy never dies and changes forms, then our energy has to change into something when our physical bodies are spent.

I hope this helps give a different perspective to your question. Do read some books on the subject. They're very interesting.

[ordinaryguy]

I am not convinced that we stay in a recognizable enough form to catch up like that. I somewhat suspect (given what I have "seen" firsthand in my life so far) that this life now is something like a cocoon and that death makes for such a transformation that the "butterfly" on the other side, for lack of a better analogy, simply wouldn't have that kind of need? I know that sounds sorta sad but I have had many vivid impressions that repeatedly suggest that we don't fully understand it now and yet we do later -- rather like a child who wants only candy for dinner thinks when she can't have it, that is something to be sad about. Did that make any sense or answer it for you Krs? Some of this is not real firm in my mind too; I am still learning, exploring...:o

I'm with you on this, Val. I have no trouble believing that something happens next after we die, but whether our particular personality and individual identity persists in a recognizable form, I'm not so sure. The dearest friend of my life died 25 years ago, and I still miss him as much or more than ever. I like the idea that I will see and recognize him again after my own death, but I can't say I have any certainty that I will. In some of his writing he said "The actor merely dies. Death remains with the audience." From what I have observed, dying is easy compared to being bereaved of one we dearly love. But then, I haven't died yet. It may be harder than it looks. Anyway, generalizations are foolish in these matters. Every death and every bereavement are different. An often overlooked down side of living long and loving well is having to endure bereavement many times. I do hope that the hard-won wisdom that comes from living through such experiences has some enduring and transcendent value.

Another friend of mine had a heart attack and survived. I asked him if he could remember anything like the "near death experience" that many people have reported. He said, "No, the last thing I remember is being concerned because I was sh**ting my pants". (I can't believe that this editor automatically censors sh*t)