What happens after we die? - Our place in this world

life4seekers homepage - our place in this world - What happens after we die?

Death is a taboo subject with a lot of people. How and when we die, and what then happens after we die can make it a difficult subject to tackle. Death is a real part of our life and no matter how painful the subject seems, we will all have experience of it sooner or later.

That after you die there is nothing - no Heaven, no Nirvana, no Paradise and no Hell for that matter. They do not believe in God or human immortality. They believe that is it possible to live a meaningful life while on earth, but see no continuation of themselves after that. Death is final.

Believe that each life is unique and that we have only one lifetime on Earth before we move on to an eternal existence in a spiritual state. We choose what kind of eternal state this will be by how we live our life on Earth, and whether we totally accepted God's love. If we did accept God then we will enjoy an eternity of bliss, if we totally rejected God then, by our own choosing, we will suffer in misery forever. This place of misery is called Hell.

Colour illustration by Elizabeth Wang:

Sheltered by His Glory

www.radiantlight.org.uk

Death is not a tragedy, but a natural course of events meant to help us reach our destiny.


	"Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box." Italian Proverb, taken from www.netword.org.uk

This is a website of the Catholic Enquiry Office; part of an Agency of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales

Pause for thought - Sunset landscape with the Moon visible in the sky

What do you believe and how are you preparing for death?

Most religions teach that, after life, only good spirits move to a heavenly place. For Catholics, to be able to enter heaven, their souls must be completely purified and refreshed before they can live with God. This is done in a place called Purgatory. You spend less time in Purgatory if you have fewer things to be cleansed of.

"I pray for souls in Purgatory every day. As a Catholic, I believe that any sacrifices or prayers I can offer on their behalf will speed up their time of purification or preparation."

The body you have used stays here until it naturally decays. Although spiritually we are always linked with our loved ones, the physical separation can be difficult to bear.

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What is the meaning of life?:
Life4seekers response

Your guide for this section is James, he asked the same questions. He is single, 36, and was born in Birkenhead Merseyside. Click here to read his story.

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