cjack

"I truly want there to be a part of them that continues forever. "


In a sense, there IS a part of them that continues. Your memories of them will stay a part of you for the rest of your life, which is as close to forever as you can ask for.


As to the notion that our loved ones are waiting for us on "the other side," I often wonder about that.

After all, we humans have a tendency to cope with loss, then move on.

We get a new dog or cat, and love the new pet as much as the old one. When a friend dies, we mourn for awhile, and eventually find new friends. Widows and widowers often move on and find someone new to share their lives with.


If there is an "afterlife," it is reasonable to assume that the same tendency applies. I mean, I can't imagine my dear departed dad waiting around for his whole family to kick off so he can get on with the afterlife! If heaven (or whatever you want to call it) exists, I suspect he's off fishing somewhere, and can't be bothered.


Oh, and Magus, that is a very poetic rendering of Pascal's Wager, but it is still bunk, and I think it sucks that you would take TS's grief as nothing more than an opportunity to preach.

Ronin

Hey, Magus55 ~

Why all this 'dying' stuff at all then...if we live forever?

I've said it before ~

The observable fact that we are born is a bad omen for immortality.

Magus55

Because humanity decided to sin against God and brought death into the world.

Yellum Notnef

This was a great thread until the fundy Christ-bot showed up.

Perhaps a moderator could move this to SL&S where shitty apologetics are forbidden.

KitKit

i agree. can this be moved to a place where tom sawyer can get some support instead of the nonthinkers seeing his vulnerablitity & trying to lull him into a state of nonthinking with them. not that it would work. tom sawyer seems pretty grounded. but still, it's not very respectful to turn this thread into that when it's pretty obvious that isn't why it was started.

Viti

I had two dogs die within weeks of each other in February. I found myself crying over The Rainbow Bridge stories (that pets wait for their human companions at the bridge to heaven), so I understand how you feel.

I made a "Fur friend" wall of pictures in my house, and had all of my animals back to my first puppy Snoopy when I was two years old...they are remembered.

Rational BAC

I shouldn't do this, but am going to anyway. Please excuse this cherry picker's viewpoint.

I like Pascal's wager---bunk or not. Especially for an agnostic, it can work quite well. Who knows really? There is always that very slim chance that the theists are right--that there is an afterlife and former pets are there too. In the final analysis, none of us is really absolutely certain about anything.

What have you got to lose by leaving open that very slight possibility? And you may feel a little better---even if most likely you will be fooling yourself that way.

KitKit

it's the difference between living your life as a fantasy & living in reality. if one chooses to live in a fantasy world then that's one's right. but i think that tom sawyer has made it clear that he has chosen to live in reality. and yes, living in a fantasy world would be easier & more pleasant. but it would be a lie. who wants to live a lie? not me.

lpetrich

And if one wanted a fantasy world, why not the Islamic Paradise?

Which makes me wonder if one can get laid in the Xian Heaven.

Yellum Notnef

I guess you missed the thread a couple weeks ago where we learned that Jesus removes your genitals right before you get to Heaven.