In Greek mythology, Lethe was one of the five rivers of Hades. Also known as the river of oblivion, the Lethe flowed around the cave of Hypnos (meaning sleep) and through the Underworld, where all those who drank from it experienced complete and total forgetfulness. (Kind of like Dumbledore when he drank the waters of he who shall not be named).

For most of my life I knew what would happen when I died. I'd meet Joseph and if he liked me then meet Jesus, and if Jesus liked me then meet Elohim and give him a secret handshake, and then I'd either have seed (a penis) or not. It was pretty simple. Be righteous, keep your junk and use it for eternity or not, amen.

As an exMormon, I have no idea what will happen to me when I die or if there will even be a me. The thought that I may entirely cease to exist scares the hell out of me, yet somehow gives me comfort. I mean, if I don't exist I won't care right? Much like I don't care about whatever may have or have not happened in the Jurassic era (no offence Raptor, I'm sure you evolved and ate lots of shit and stuff, but you're extinct and all that matters to me is that my car gets 30 miles to the gallon off you and your meal's corpses).

I think that for a lot of Mormons they can't leave because it admits that death is really, really, fucking scary. Because nothing is more scary than that which we do not know. "To sleep, perchance to dream – ay, there's the rub: For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil..."

We do not know what happens to us, nor do we know if there is even an "us" after we die. What is it like to be eternally oblivious? Does it mean that our life, no matter how significant, awesome, or bad-ass it was, was futile? Does it mean that even though we exist now, it will be as though we never were? Will we know the difference? Does it mean that everything that means something, means nothing?

I wish I knew.

There are a few things that I do know. I know I am a good man. I know that I love truth even if the truth is unpleasant. I also know that I did my best to be true to myself and to be loyal to those whom I know and love, even if I am ostracized from them for my curiosity and love for truth. Probably most importantly and significantly, I learned most of this from an animal, who may or may not exist in any form of consciousness today.

I don't know. And that is the most intelligent and honest thing I can say.

Those who claim to "know" are lying or insane.

Life is pain. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.

Perhaps this can help:
http://livingwithoutreligion.org/

Something that occured to me one day is that from a mathematical point of view, we are eternal beings.

In an eternity, where there is absolutely no beginning or end to time, the odds of us existing today for 100 years is infinitely small. It is 0. The odds of us living today for 50 trillion years is also infinitely small. So I figure that we are eternal beings or we do not exist.

The only way it could be otherwise is if time is somehow circular in a way that I cannot comprehend.

...not knowing what you're supposed to do with your life. A lot of Mormons depend on the church to give their life direction and meaning. It's their personality type. They're followers. They're not independent and confident -- those people wander off from the church. The Straight and Narrow Path doesn't just lead unto life eternal, it supposedly keeps them safe form the evils of this life and it means they don't have to make any huge decisions. The thinking has been done for them by the agents of the Good Shepherd. Hurray! Everything is going to be okay! That's what the GAs mean when they say obedience to the gospel (to them, actually) means freedom. Freedom from having to figure it all out by your clueless, bumbling self.

Take away the Great and Powerful Oz and the followers panic. Where should we go? What should we do? Oh NO! We're going to end up in the gutter! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/31/2011 08:24AM by Stray Mutt.

I don't believe any organized religion anymore. Don't believe in Jesus, or any of that, but I have very much enjoyed the life after life websites and stories. My son and I have been pretty avid about traveling and collecting mysterious and bizarre experiences from supposedly haunted and or mystical locations. Mostly it's a hoot and a glorious waste of time, but also fun since we are together.

Bottom line is I have gone from knowing everything about the afterlife, like you said, who I would meet, and what time lunch is served, to knowing nothing at all "hypnos".

My kids are doing better than the kids from my first (Kolobian) family. I believe the Morg effed them up, and Rogertheshrubber, if you can save your child from it my hats off to you, sincerely.

We talk about our souls, character and intelligence. We live surrounded by beauty, and nurture ourselves all we can, with food, friends, guiltless loud laughter, and a new sense of life that feels a lot more real to me than the morg ever did.

Thanks to all of you for being here. I have been out a long time, but you all help me remember we are not alone, and sanity can be a painful choice when so many that we love are not only crazy, but require crazyness for access to their world.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/31/2011 11:02AM by roflmao.

Either there is nothing, or something. If there is nothing, that's not scary. It might be sad, but it's not frightening.
All things being equal, it is more likely that there is nothing.
But if there is something, is there any reason to think it is going to be horrible? Only because religion tells you that it is going to be horrible if you don't assent to their particular set of unjustiable propositions (and the unpleasantness of the afterlife is one of their unjustifiable propositions).
So...there is no reason to be afraid of death, unless you accept the teachings of religion. Religion is not the cure for fear od death, it is the cause.

(I am not referring to fear of pain of the death event, or of sadness of missing future events and relationships, simply fear of not knowing if there will be unpleasantness in the afterlife)

Or would that be our personal postlude?

I just want to go as quickly, peacefully and painlessly as possible.

I decided death will be exactly like the pre existence. Peaceful oblivion. It helped me put that all to bed and move on to the only important topic - how to live.

Tell us more about the animal from which you learned most of your important knowledge, please.

It was pretty
> simple. Be righteous, keep your junk and use it
> for eternity or not, amen.
>
I LOVE this line, MiB! GREAT post. I especially like that you got HP AND Princess Bride into such a short post.

If I can't make it witty I usually don't post it, because it just wouldn't be worth your time.

I also slipped in Hamlet.

Can personal experiences outweigh the imperical evidence of science ?? YES/NO

According to science, if its not able to be replicated then it can't be true, or at least must remain in the unproven catagory

HOWEVER

Within my life two or three totally unexplainable, exceptional experiences happend, which were, and still are as real and as tangible as someone can experience.

I guess for most people's part, science would win out...But that for me is not the case ???

JB