Of another world

[drigel]

But then what you mean by an 'afterlife' would bear no relation to what we know, or could possibly conceive of. How, then could you feel any desire for it? Such an afterlife is a meaningless, abstract, concept as far as I'm concerned. What you seem to be suggesting is something that bears no relation to Human existence as we know it at all, & in such a state we wouldn't actually remain 'human' in any recognisable sense.

Interesting question. For myself, it was a subject I was trying to approach in a non-demoninational way, I suppose. And yes, those terms (that describe our physical universe) would have no meaning at all. Yet, I believe that does not deprive my existence in the afterlife of meaning. Abstract - yes absolutely, in terms of us humans and what our 5 meager senses can fumble about with. Meaningless - absolutely not. Human in any recogizable sense - possibly, but human in terms of 2nd cousin of a chimpanzee, or human in terms of Athens, Tchaikovsky, Bhudda, the Pyramids of Giza, et al? What I am driving at is that my spirit that is housed in my human body is both what defines me as human, yet cannot be defined by humans.

Can one define heaven? It seems to me that by taking the definition that you described of an afterlife, I would agree with your initial conclusion: going on forever and ever drifting on a cloud, sitting at the mead table of my forefathers, perpetually out hunting in Elysium for the Divine Kine, even the 34 virgins.... would get a little stale after a while. Joining with departed loved ones and the body/spirit of God for Christians is what I expect most would define as heaven. But then (IMO) creation is of the body of God, all its dimensions and realities. Yet I feel I still have meaning in the midst of that.

Hence 'you', the person who lives your life now, likes the particular type of food you do, has the interests, loves, hates, hopes & fears you have, would be gone forever. Whatever survived into this afterlife, it wouldn't be you any longer.

I agree with you surprisingly in the former, but not the latter. There is no flesh. My soul cannot be vanquished. The Fire remains.