A poll about God and the hereafter

Spirituality Religion
#1

I’m just curious about what others believe. I’m not going to followup with any criticisms or question, except to clarify. I’m not going to debate you or question your beliefs–I just want to know.

  1. Do you believe in God?

  2. If yes, do you believe God is a “person” in the sense that he/she knows and loves?

  3. Do you believe God is omnicient and omnipresent? Is there anything that has ever happened or ever will happen that God does not know?

  4. Do you believe you can communicate with God and that God hears your prayers?

  5. Do you believe you have a soul that will continue to live after your body dies, and if so, do you believe there will be a continuity of your memory and a sense of being the same person but in a different state?

  6. Do you believe in reincarnation?

  7. Do you believe there is a Heaven where the soul will live happily and eternally?

8 ) Do you believe there is a Hell for those who reject God and where the soul will live eternally but unhappily?

#2

  1. Yes, but my interpretation of god is abstract. Absolute reality, pure consciousness, pure observer. I am not a theist.

  2. I don’t know.

  3. Yes, because in my interpretation of god, god is the source of all knowledge. In that consciousness is the very source of all worlds, so therefore god knows all worlds and possible worlds. There is no limit to god’s knowledge.

  4. Yes, there is nothing that is thought, said or done that god does not know. Again, god is the source of all thoughts.

  5. Yes the soul will continue, but this particular personality in this life will perish at death. This soul that continues on has had innumerable personalities, so it is not partial to any one of them. When my soul passes over, it will regain memory of all of its past lives and it will review its most recent life and take stock of what needed to be learned and then it will plan the next life.

  6. Yes, I think of it as very much a fact. I would not even say belief.

  7. I don’t know. I believe there are spiritual planes of reality where souls reside, human souls, animal souls, angels, demons and masters, but these are only temporal realities. There is beyond this a state of pure reality which is infinite bliss and love or in other words god and being in that state is what I would say is heaven. But whether even this is eternal or temporal is debatable.

8 ) There are hellish planes of reality, but they are temporal.

#3
  1. No, I don’t believe in gods, angels, ghosts, elves, life forces, spells, Tom Cruise, or any mumbo jumbo. I like facts, proved by real evidence.
#4

[QUOTE=YogiAdam;41207]1) No, I don’t believe in gods, angels, ghosts, elves, life forces, spells, Tom Cruise, or any mumbo jumbo. I like facts, proved by real evidence.[/QUOTE]

Oh come on Tom Cruise?.. now I know your talking crap yogiadam

#5

[QUOTE=thomas;41201]

  1. Do you believe in God?

  2. If yes, do you believe God is a “person” in the sense that he/she knows and loves?

  3. Do you believe God is omniscient and omnipresent? Is there anything that has ever happened or ever will happen that God does not know?

  4. Do you believe you can communicate with God and that God hears your prayers?

  5. Do you believe you have a soul that will continue to live after your body dies, and if so, do you believe there will be a continuity of your memory and a sense of being the same person but in a different state?

  6. Do you believe in reincarnation?

  7. Do you believe there is a Heaven where the soul will live happily and eternally?

8 ) Do you believe there is a Hell for those who reject God and where the soul will live eternally but unhappily?[/QUOTE]

  1. yes.
  2. yes he knows but doesn’t love or hate. he is a just arbitrator
  3. yes, he knows all as he lives within you.
  4. yes, he will hear but will do or give what you deserve as per your karmic load. he has very rigid laws like universal constants.
  5. yes i will incarnate again without previous memories but with sanskars accumulated over previous incarnations.
  6. yes
    7 &8 there is no heaven and hell, you get punished or rewarded in your various incarnations depending upon your accumulated karmas. why sould one be rewarded or punished twice once in heaven or hell then in various incarnatioons making you go through a life of rag picker or obama.
#6

why sould one be rewarded or punished twice once in heaven or hell then in various incarnatioons making you go through a life of rag picker or obama.

Funny that you should mention this. I AM a rag picker because of Obama…

Don’t the incarnations eventually stop? Isn’t the idea to find perfection in one of them, and live forever in peace and happiness with no more incarnations?

#7

[QUOTE=thomas;41212]Funny that you should mention this. I AM a rag picker because of Obama…

Don’t the incarnations eventually stop? Isn’t the idea to find perfection in one of them, and live forever in peace and happiness with no more incarnations?[/QUOTE]

sorry i couldn’t put it better, what i mean is-- one is born poor or rich, powerful or week, its only because of his karmas.

yes, this is the idea, that’s what yoga is all about. not hatha yoga though, what we usually discuss in this forum, but raj yoga. nirvana as a Buddhist will call or liberation, a Hindu’s call.

#8

[QUOTE=kareng;41208]Oh come on Tom Cruise?.. now I know your talking crap yogiadam[/QUOTE]

Yes, well I thought that was obviously a joke… the Tom Cruise bit, I mean.

#9

[QUOTE=YogiAdam;41214]Yes, well I thought that was obviously a joke… the Tom Cruise bit, I mean.[/QUOTE]

I know…just bantering yogi:D

#10
  1. Do you believe in God?

Yes, but not the bearded old man in the clouds

  1. If yes, do you believe God is a “person” in the sense that he/she knows and loves?

No, not a person but a presence in all.

  1. Do you believe God is omnicient and omnipresent? Is there anything that has ever happened or ever will happen that God does not know?

If God is in each of us, then yes, all knowing.

  1. Do you believe you can communicate with God and that God hears your prayers?

Yes.

  1. Do you believe you have a soul that will continue to live after your body dies, and if so, do you believe there will be a continuity of your memory and a sense of being the same person but in a different state?

I believe in a spirit that continues. If prompted and open, past memory will unfold.
6) Do you believe in reincarnation?

  1. Do you believe there is a Heaven where the soul will live happily and eternally?

No. Heaven is not physical.

8 ) Do you believe there is a Hell for those who reject God and where the soul will live eternally but unhappily?

No! If God is loving, it matters not whether you accept or reject. Hell for me would be having to listen to both Red Hot Chili Peppers and Smashing Pumpkins for eternity. Sorry if there are any fans!

#11

  1. Do you believe in God?

  2. If yes, do you believe God is a “person” in the sense that he/she knows and loves?

  3. Do you believe God is omnicient and omnipresent? Is there anything that has ever happened or ever will happen that God does not know?

  4. Do you believe you can communicate with God and that God hears your prayers?

  5. Do you believe you have a soul that will continue to live after your body dies, and if so, do you believe there will be a continuity of your memory and a sense of being the same person but in a different state?

  6. Do you believe in reincarnation?

  7. Do you believe there is a Heaven where the soul will live happily and eternally?

8 ) Do you believe there is a Hell for those who reject God and where the soul will live eternally but unhappily?

  1. Yes, I believe in the divine

  2. Yes…not a physical person in how we might think…and yes loves and knows, the divine

3… Absolutely

  1. Absolutely

  2. Yes the soul continues but doesn’t have to if one seeks the way of not being reborn again …and for mostly children it is possible for some to remember parts of previous life

  3. Yes I believe in reincarnation

  4. I know there are other dimensions, good and bad.

  5. I know there are other dimensions, good and bad…I don’t believe that the divine rejects us, but we might reject the divine principles for life and soul

#12

Hi,
just started “filling” the questionnaire, but have found that my answers are the same as lotusgirl`s.
Except RHCP and partially Smashing Pumpkins.:wink: They have some good songs.

#13

I was hoping more would share, but in reading other posts, it’s clear that except for me and our beloved atheist, everyone believes in reincarnation.

Are we the only exceptions who do not?

#14

yes but your not alone with us in spirit, in that we are together.

#15

[QUOTE=thomas;41602]I was hoping more would share, but in reading other posts, it’s clear that except for me and our beloved atheist, everyone believes in reincarnation.

Are we the only exceptions who do not?[/QUOTE]

It’s kind of like asking how many people believe in a flat earth vs a round earth.

#16

Hi,
just started “filling” the questionnaire, but have found that my answers are the same as lotusgirl`s.
Except RHCP and partially Smashing Pumpkins. They have some good songs.

Sasha,

Sorry I don’t share you appreciation of the above groups! I do love red hot chili peppers, just not the singing variety! lol

I did forget to answer the ? about reincarnation I noticed. My answer is YES. Sorry dear Thomas!

#17

Maybe I should have asked who does NOT believe in reincarnation.

The answers surprise me because I don’t know anyone in real life who does.

#18

[quote=thomas;41685]Maybe I should have asked who does NOT believe in reincarnation.

The answers surprise me because I don’t know anyone in real life who does.[/quote]

Thomas,

It shouldn’t surprise you, you are afterall on a YOGA forum. I am sure if you go to a christain forum and pose the same question that the answers will be more in line with your own belief. You can’t blame the leopard here for its spots friend!

#19

Everyone (except SD) says yoga is not a religion, yet just about everyone here accepts reincarnation as fact and talks about it as if of course anyone doing yoga believes in reincarnation.

The belief in reincarnation certainly is a religious belief, so I don’t think there is anyone here, with few exceptions, who does not practice yoga as a religion.

If that’s what it is, then that’s what it is, but it’s disingenuous for the yogi to say yoga is not a religion and all religions are welcome, and then to preach reincarnation and discuss it as a matter of faith.

#20

Thomas,

A bit of clarification. Buddhism is not a religion. It is not a system of faith or worship and does not believe God has the power over your destiny. I said in my answer that I believe in God. I do. I believe in the nature of God. Not a God itself who created or judges.

Reincarnation. There are Buddhists who say reincarnation and rebirth are synonymous. They say modern interpretations have skewed the Buddhas message. Tibetan Buddhists are more likely to ascribe to reincarnation. But for most, the believe in rebirth. The Buddha taught anatta (no self) We do not have en eternal soul. When we die, the energies do not die with us. They just assume another form. This is based on Karma. But there is no transmigration of the soul, because the soul is an illusion. The goal is to see past that illusion. So my understanding is Buddhists believe in rebirth because there is no soul or self to carry on. The only thing that is carried on is energy. Reincarnation has to do with soul in Hinduism.

So, from a Buddhist perspective, if Buddhism is not a religion then rebirth or reincarnation is not considered religious. It simply IS. No faith required.