I think everyone does what they do ( in life) for getting to the next "place" after death, and everyones place is different... even tho I'm not believing in a god, I don't see a reason why there's not a next place after death...I think of it more of levels we are going through after death, hopefully learning the correct things to get to the next level..

Y'know what really gets me thinking.
As much as I detest the concept of religion I wonder if my unique belief might someday come back around to it?
I don't think its likely right now but who knows how my mind will unfold?
I think if I did, it would be very important to me and cause my faith to be that much stronger.
To find religion after having it, changing away from it then returning to it on my own would be significant to me.
I just can't see how that might happen knowing what I know now.

In the very end to para phrase mother Theresa.... it’s always between you and God never between you and someone else. Each of us is to have our own personal relationship with God.

I would like to address both posts.

Yes, people as such, DO believe what they are taught in life.
I still think and believe.... aaaand are a living proof of a being that goes against the norm than what I was taught.
Always have and always will... As long as it makes sense.
An old Chinese saying says: Only Dead Fish flows with the current.
I learned that very early, the saying that is, and therefore I may be an exception.
I love that saying and I believe it says it all.
I hate mass phychosises.... Which I find way to many of these days.
One blog... One Tweet... One Post on Face and the world goes bananas.
Small egoes expanding their dismal minds netwide with racial hatred for NO reason, and soforth.
I wish for the day that we all can get along as we are all originally taught to do...

I believe... I have faith. But only in my own God.
I never read the bible, but still I believe.
In a way I'll say that my faith is not tainted....
I LIKE that.
It makes my God pure.

My God accepts EVERYBODY!
I know that sounds crazy, but God did not make me his policeman or FBI Agent.
Only my God can judge..... Not me.
Everybody is welcome in the heaven that I hope for.

It's simply not for me to judge.

See, in my belief, God doesn't need to accept anyone.
God doesn't require anyone to accept it.
Its not about acceptance, its about existence.
My God exists, I exist, that's enough.

When I die, "I'm" not going anywhere. "I" will be dead, there will be no "me" to do, think or be anything. "I" won't have any senses because those died when the body that has them died.

There are energies that exist in "me".
Energy can't be destroyed but it can change.
The energy that drives the "me" will dissipate into the energy of the Universe.
The energy that is in the atoms that is "me" will take longer but that too will dissipate into the Universe.
But, that energy will not be "me".
It will be energy.
Part of that will be a star, part will be a rock, a puff of gas in a giant interstellar cloud, part will be in every aspect of the Universe including the atoms that make up life.
But it won't be "me", "I'll" be dead.

Interesting thought.
As "you" will NOT be "You," but your "me" will always be your "me" you will always exist in some form, right...That's not a question as it is self explanatory.
Ergo, you will, in some form or life, energy, electric impulse, always exixt.
Thus you will always exist by the judgment of what you said and thought yourself out to be or become after death.....

I, of course, as usual exuse my misspellings.

I think it is a good thing that people believe different things because the different perspectives add to each other. Conformity is a good exercise because it confirms the meaning of an experience, making it possible to communicate with more meaning. It is good as long as one stays safe. Conformity is useful for empathy. Imagine trying to communicate with a fish. If you move your fingers like fins, then it will get excited and spread it's fins out, wiggling them. Empathy establishes definitions that give more to think about, talk about, and form the basis of relationships with. Conformity in religion should be like looking at artwork, it should not be a means of eliminating church member's freedom. If the church worships the church, not God, that is idolatry. Inner strength is good, but outward oppression is evil. If one communicates with people different from the self, then they will increase their awareness of new ideas not yet put into words. There are always new ideas to think about and build on, to look forward to. The reason why I follow my religion is because it is an important part of who I am.

nicely expressed

Yes, that is very beautifully put.

The energy that is in the atoms that is "me" will take longer but that too will dissipate into the Universe.
But, that energy will not be "me".
It will be energy.
"Me" only exists when my brain is functioning and a dead brain does not function.
The Universe is really big. The energy that used to be "me" will be absorbed into the energy of the Universe like a drop of water in an ocean.
The "me' will no longer be "me".
There will be no distinction between the energy that was "me" and other energy in the Universe.
"I" will be gone forever.

My mum is catholic .. my dad .. Irish Protestant .... if you know the history you will understand how special that relationship is and they are still together today . I like to believe I have the best of each of them in me . As a young woman going to university and studying science I followed my own beliefs and although I can see some benefits of religion for moralistic development .. it is not a prerequisite .. science has taught me to question and search for proof .. I am happy with that journey

If you've ever participated in a company's team-building retreat or attended empowerment seminars you might notice that they have a lot in common with religions.
Basically, a social motive designed to create unity.
This is in direct contrast to the media over-load most of society is exposed to daily.
That is why those exercises are so effective, why religion is so effective.
I remember sitting in the audience thinking someone should go up there and deck the speaker. Then I leave and I'm back in the real world where the message fails to have significant meaning.

Church is a weekly empowerment seminar for many people.
It creates a contrast between what should be and what is.
It can release tensions of day-to-day life.
What I call a 'head-in-the-clouds' fantasy.
I've worked weekend revivals and attended week long revivals.
Always felt really good about things while I was there but soon after,
Life returned to normal and the fantasy shatters.

I've also attended services that were doom & gloom.
The pastor points out all the things wrong in the world and
gives you hope by offering forgiveness and comfort by conforming to that religion's doctrine.
Then, I go out in the real world and its not all doom & gloom.

The most effective religions work with the real world.
When I was doing Compliance Training I wrote my classes using real-world scenarios.
It was more effective because it applied to the type of situations mechanics encounter everyday at work.
I would present the 'perfect world' instruction with real-world encounters.
In a perfect world it tells you to remove the 6 bolts holding the water pump in place, in the actual world 2 of the bolts are really hard to get to. I included what needed to be done not only to remove those 2 bolts but how to get them back in place.

Religion is a very effective social control.
It only works if one doesn't consider real-world experiences (grey areas) in life.
Religion teaches people how to absorb the bad things. A way to get thru heartache and misery.
This is something healthy self-esteem also does, without religion.
Religion tries to teach honesty with delusion.
Self-honesty and the removal of delusions causes religious beliefs to lose validity.
Most people are reactive to life experiences.
Those that are proactive are able to experience and 'handle' the unexpected and have less 'bad' things happening in their lives because they have the forethought not to allow their situations to get to the point of uncontrolled turbulence.

Religion provides comfort to people in turmoil.
When a loved one dies, people find comfort in religion.
The delusion is favorable to the reality.

When my dad died, I was really sad.
When people tried to comfort me they would say things like;
"It was his time to go."
"God has need of him in Heaven."
"God called him."
"He's in a better place."
"You will see him again."
And...I'll admit, at the time it did give me comfort.

Then I died and things were not as I was told.
True, I wasn't completely dead or I wouldn't be here now typing this but my death happened.

Death is the end of function of a body.
It doesn't matter if it is murder, suicide, disease or natural causes.
The body no longer functions.
When the body can no longer function, the mind no longer functions.
Its like unplugging a computer, removing the power supply, the ram, the hard drive and the motherboard and dissolving them in acid. Gone completely.
God didn't take you or your loved ones. You're not being punished.
The only thing that happens is the body has stopped functioning, or, you would still be alive.
Its that simple.
It makes absolutely no sense to think that God takes anything anywhere.

Religion effectively causes people to fear death, then tries to comfort people when they encounter it.
You are told you are a sinner and that sinners are punished when they die.
You are told that if you believe what they say you should believe, you are exempt from that punishment even tho you are a sinner.
There is no way to check the validity of their claims without dying and people fear death.

Yet, when someone you love dies, you turn to religion to help you thru it.
The pastor, preacher, whatever will tell you they went to heaven, God called them home and other stuff that makes you feel better.
It doesn't matter that the person who died was not a religious person, that they were mean and hateful, beat their spouse, children. They are going to heaven because that pastor knows that is what you want to believe and its what you need to hear to give you comfort.

Religion is a delusion.

to some religion is delusion, to others religion is foundation and exploration and explanation.

it is different for all.

I do know the history. Growing up we had a few Protestant families in our Irish Catholic neighborhood and while we played with each other as kids. The Catholic and Protestant parents did not get along. We as kids didn't understand why, but it did run deep with the parents.

My grandfather immigrated from Ireland but I never heard him speak of religion although he changed one letter in our last name for "discrimination" reasons. My father married a devout Catholic but he just "pretended" to be Catholic I think for the sake of raising the children as my mom wanted.
Pretty strange

I believe this to be a mute topic as there are consequences for answering the question, regardless of whether your breaking an oath or not. Myself answering questions like this lands me in the nuthouse. I believe in handshake gangs and cauldron clubs, but don't tell any1

It's very simple: I believe what I believe because God's word is the source of my belief and His word is truth.