I am a long-term practising Christian. My faith means a lot to me. I love life and am in no hurry for it to end. I believe in eternal life. Sometimes I wonder if when I reach the afterlife God would let me cease to exist if I decided that's what I wanted but he not I would make the decision. I am open to the belief that I may not have this option. It's something I've been thinking about.
General thoughts
- Thread starter Owen Proudfoot
- Start date
mac
janitor
welcome to ALF
This website is predicated on the very simple notions that we survive the death of our physical bodies and we are eternal beings. Both those notions are taught by many teachers and guides widely considered to be spiritually advanced and authoritative.
After corporeal death one's spirit lives on unfettered by the many constraints it experienced when animating a physical body. This takes place naturally and is that situation is often called 'the afterlife'. None of us will ever "cease to exist" - we're eternal. God neither grants nor denies us that - it is as it is. I suspect that's not a teaching found in Christianity.
Yes. I agree. I'm sorry. I have been deviating a bit. I need to go back to basics.
mac
janitor
That's not a problem.
By the way, for confidentiality I've changed your location to make it less specific.
bluebird
Major Contributor
I am
I don't know the answer, but in my opinion, if we truly have free will, then that includes the choice/option to cease to exist altogether. However, as mac said, it may just be part of the nature of our existence that we cannot end it.
I am agnostic/atheist, both regarding a god and regarding an afterlife, and I have thought about and wondered the same thing (whether it's possible, and whether god would "allow" it, if there is a god).
I don't know the answer, but in my opinion, if we truly have free will, then that includes the choice/option to cease to exist altogether. However, as mac said, it may just be part of the nature of our existence that we cannot end it.
i joined this website because i have a big fear of dying. i mean, how can anyone sane not want to exist? even insects run from impending doom. its not natural to not want to exist. i am absolutely positively thankful for GOD giving me life, but i am so freaking scared to die. i need a guide. even atheists are not as scared as me who knows GOD is real and exists. i feel ashamed.
Last edited:
mac
janitor
Welcome to ALF but we're sorry to see you here for those reasons. It's not clear how best we might try to help you other than firstly to try to reassure you that your ideas about death and especially about fearing death are shared by many others.
Why not take a look round at the forums and the threads in them and then let's take it from there, should we?
jimrich
Established Member
Rather than give you all kinds of ideas, beliefs and practices or methods to help you get over this fear & shame, I'd ask: what do you want to or plan to do about your fears and shame? How do you intend to get over it? What is your desire or hope? good luck.......