Lately since my father died I have been thinking alot about where we go when we die. My biggest concern when my father passed was where he was going, will he be safe, happy etc. This must be so difficult for parents who lose young children as the need to protect is so strong when they are young.

Anyway, I was discussing an article with my Seventh Day Pastor brother. You may know something about their beliefs. In a nut shell they believe that when we die that's it. We are dead, cease to exist. We stay that way until Christ comes again to start a new world, then we are awoken. My brother told me that the spirit in us is God's breath and that when we die it leaves us. Just like a light bulb, when it goes out that's it. As a light bulb needs electricity, we need God's breath to keep us alive.

Then what is a soul, what is it's purpose? I always believed that we are a spirit in the form of a body, that our body is just a vehicle. I am struggling with this concept.

Now, I do not like my brother's version. It is not very comforting for me to think that my father no longer exists in any form. He says if my father could look down on me it would not be fair to him to watch me in moments where I grieve, am sad or suffering. He says God would not do this as it would be unfair. I have searched the bible for scripture talking about this topic and it appears that the bible does say we just go to sleep.

There is a story in the bible about Lazarus and how Jesus brings him back to life. He says he is going to wake him up, he doesn't say he is going to call him down from heaven. There is no comment from Lazarus as to where he came from. He does not say what heaven was like, where he was etc. I don't believe he says anything. This is a sign to me that if you believe the bible, you do not believe in an after life or Lazarus would have provided proof. He would have said what it was like, or would he?

It appears that most of you have a different opinion of what really happens when we die. Some believe in reincarnation, some don't. We personally and religiously have very different ideas of what happens when we die. Where do we get these ideas from?

I believe that we are not meant to know where we came from or where we are going. If we knew, maybe more people would commit suicide to escape this world, many others would live life to the fullest if they believed that this is it, that they only had one shot at it.

I believe that I have had a few experiences that are unexplainable, but they do tell me that there is a spirit world. My beliefs are being tested.

One thing that really stands out for me personally is that the earth is only one of hundreds or maybe thousands of planets. The universe goes on forever.
How can we think we are the only ones that exist? That there is nothing else. What are all of these planets for, why do they exist. How do we explain the fact that some people see ghosts?

Maybe it's because I don't want to believe the reasoning my brother believes. That is a possibility, but I have to trust my own instincts. I think we all do.
Kate