After life?

Sorry for the morbid topic, but this has been going around in my mind for a few days now and I'd like some other perspectives on it. So, here goes.

I always thought I'd be cremated. I don't want a grave site and for people to feel like that's the only place they can 'visit' me. And where would it be? In my home town, where some family is? Where we live now? What if people move away? I don't like the idea that it's not forever. Eventually my plot will be needed and what do they do with me then? So I figured with cremation, friends and family can spread the ashes or whatever and remember me wherever/whenever/however.

Then my Mum asked me what I "believe". The topic came up because she loosely subscribes to Christian beliefs but I don't believe in a God as such - not the way she does anyway. She wanted to know what I think happens to our souls when we die because she believes in Heaven. I told her I believe that our energy is returned to the earth when we die, just like when any other living thing dies. The body nourishes the land and plants around it, and our soul, or energy has been... kind of used... because energy doesn't last forever. So it goes back to the earth.

As I was saying it I thought it sounded kind of silly. And then I realised it doesn't match with being cremated. If I'm cremated I'm taking away from the earth, aren't I? I won't be nourishing anything. It kind of feels like a real dilemma to me, what do I do?

The thing is, my 'spirituality' is quite fluid. I'm open to new ideas, but I know what I do and don't believe, yanno?

I'm really not sure how much sense this is making, but I'd love some opinions!

My beliefs are different. I believe our bodies are hosts to our souls, that souls take some time to attach to the body but it is usually complete by the end of the first year of life. When we die, our souls return to the source. Call it heaven or whatever. The host is left behind. I believe that we should respect the body for all it's work and for whom it represents to our loved ones.

I don't like the idea of my body rotting in a grave in which, with time, the headstone will fall away and the grave will be given up to someone else and my bones moved. I'd rather be cremated and my ashes joined with those of my sons and scattered together. My sons' ashes are in 2 bags each, so one bag of each will go with me and one will go with DH.

Ashes can also nurture the soil.

What you've said about the grave is exactly why I'd chosen cremation.

The source idea is interesting. I think what I believe is very, I don't know, not fully formed. Like I'm still not sure exactly what I believe.

You could always have your ashes placed in the soil around plants and such.


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From a Science PoV, burial. I've always preferred burial, even though I will be food for worms. And I hate worms. I mean, come on, they EAT US. We don't ask gazelles to like lions, do we?

But yes, we have stored energy in our body. It is released when we die - either as food for worms, who then convert it into other forms of energy, or it's all released in a big fire as heat and lovely global warming particles (and particulates, the new buzz-word for global-dimming-causing particles). Burial appears to be more environmentally friendly. Plus I do love reading old gravestones and thinking about the people buried there and why certain things were written.

I am hundreds of miles away from my family graves, but I still remember the people. You don't need to go to a specific place to remember a loved one. Not to me you don't.

I also believe that when Jesus comes again in glory we get new bodies anyway, so it doesn't really matter what happens when we die from a religious viewpoint. Afterlife is seen as a more spiritual thing where we don't need bodies. Well, not unless we end up in some sort of apres vie, at any rate. (Got to love Douglas Adams, God rest his soul.)

yeah, I've similar beliefs to Lions and Bears. I'm also not keen on burial and after 100 years, you're not going to have any immediate family that would have known you etc that would visit the site. I think cremation is a bit more of a release and sending ashes out into the air more appealing than burial. That's just my opinion.

I don't really care what happens to my body after I'm done with it. I will make some sort of decision and leave instructions, however, to make it easier for whoever is left afterwards.

I want to be cremated, because I don't want any of my family to feel tied down geographically to a grave. they can do whatever gives them the most comfort with the ashes. Also, I wish to have as many organs donated as possible, so see little point in just burying some of me. ;)

I believe in God and Heaven, and believe my spirit will be waiting there for my loved ones.

old thread I know, but i seemed to have missed it when it first came around =)

just from what you said, (and i'm sorry if it sounds like i'm making an assumption/putting words in your mouth, but it makes it easier to explain what im trying to say)..
sounds like you don't separate our 'energy' from our physical bodies. If you separate them then even if you are burried, your energy still might not be returned to the earth, it can go anywhere (and that might make you feel more comfortable that other people then won't see your grave as the only place 'you' are).
I want to be cremated. that firstly stemmed from my claustophobia and my insane fear of being burried alive, but I have since worked out some plans I want done with my remains, and cremation is the only way to make them possible. (dont really want to say on here publicy). but it involves giving my physical self back to the universe as a thankyou for letting me use this body and the resorces of the earth etc..

my 'energy' will remain, and possibly get another body to 'rent' (such a bad way to describe it), maybe not. but it won't disapear. because one of the laws of physics is that energy can not be destoryed or created, only displaced. so my energy won't be the exact same as it is now, but will still be around... did that make any sense??


just want to add, that i don't believe in God as such. I o believe in a larger/stronger energy, that for us the easiest way for us to understand it is to personify it, but for me it everythign and nothing at the same time, eg.. it is both male and female, black and white, heavy and light etc.. and is constantly changing, with all the smaller energies (that being us humans/other forms of life), joining it, and leaving it etc..

What you've said makes sense :)

Without realising it, my beliefs have kind of changed. My thoughts are that when we die, our "energy" or "soul" is released. Where it goes I don't know, maybe another body like reincarnation, maybe a "source" as L&B has said.

I still don't like the idea of burial. I would still go with cremation (I too am terrified of being buried alive!). But I'd like my ashes to be buried, with a tree or something, because I'd still like to nourish something that way.