What I Believe: On Life After Death

"What I Believe" is a series of posts on my current personal spiritual/religious beliefs. At least, my beliefs at the point of time of the post. These beliefs are personal and don't represent those of any larger group. I am proudly a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), but this blog is no way endorsed by Friends or meant to represent that community.

If you come across this before reading "On Points and God," you probably want to read that first.

We are all God. God is everything. For a period of time we are given free will because otherwise we are not points of reference. If we go back to our point; it makes no sense to compare the point to itself. The point being compared to must be distinct and separate. This creates a problem for God, which is solved by giving creation autonomy. This autonomy is most easily illustrated by free will. The idea that we can make a decision and take an action not predetermined by God or anything else.

We look at the world around us and see predictability. If I put the cup down with water in it, there will be water when I pick it up. This sort of object permanence is important to how we organize our lives. But science has already shown that this predictability is a macro thing. On the micro scale probability rules. On the micro scale it is possible that the water may pass through the glass and get someone wet in the next room.


This is what makes the universe a point of reference. It can be experienced and is not predictable. How we react and what we learn help drive God’s ever increasing understanding of God.

How God introduced this randomness to the system is one of the great mysteries.

When we die our bit of experience and thought patterns, our feelings and knowledge return to God. But they were always God in the first place. Death returns us to that presence and allows us to move forward as we are all part of God.

We are reunited with our love ones in a way more whole and fulfilling then we can comprehend. We become fully part of God's Love. And part of all creation moving forward.

However, we do not look for the resurrection of the body. The whole idea of the independent "body" is but an illusion of God in the first place. We are given this form by God, and by extension ourselves, to provide invaluable insight for God. But we are no less without it. In fact, we may be more.

Also, there is no toll for getting into "heaven." Our purpose in being here is not to tend to our time after death. Unless you look at it as our goal here is to provide as much reference as we can for God. I will speak about morality later, e.i. why we should not all be rapists and murders, but my point here is that life is not a litmus test. God did not create us to worry about what would happen after death. God put us here to learn and experience as much as we can. God put us here to be present.