Why does every culture believe in the AFTERLIFE?

Question

The Kung in Africa do too.

Answer 1

Oooooh. Maybe because instinctively, we know there is one.

Answer 2

All animals seek to avoid death, so humans don't have a monopoly in this regard.

However the ability to comprehend the finality of death leaves the door open to embrace promises of eternal life, and this has historically proven to be a great tool for manipulating the ignorant masses, and then concept of centralisation of beliefs and therefor the political power base led to the "one god" for all concept.

The promise of an afterlife is still fervently embraced by the foolish and/or ignorant today, and they'll deny and attempt to falsify ANY information or evidence that may threaten the credibility of their belief structures, and their right to live forever..

In light of modern mainstream scientific understandings and principles, only the MOST ignorant and foolish can believe such nonsense, even when the divisiveness and bigotry of their particular deity worship group is clear for all to see..

Such is the result of knowing, deep down, that we are all mortal, as is all life..

Answer 3

I think because the fear of death is strong.

I will tell you though that even scientists are beginning to wonder if this may be the case. There was an article in "Discover" I think last month (maybe this month's issue) where they explore this possibility. Actually, they are searching for the human soul.

Of course there are skeptics who will not buy into it no matter what. But I think that more and more scientists (analytical types) who are able to step out of the realm of numbers for a while are not so quick to dismiss the idea. I have not heard any of them claim to believe in a God who is waiting up on a cloud for us to die BUT they are basing much of their research on the idea that energy simply changes forms.

I've heard other research claiming that energy simply exists and then it simply doesn't.

Personally, I don't know. I don't tend to buy into religious rhetoric but I think something beyond us is possible.

To claim otherwise is arrogant. Regardless of who you are, there simply is no way of knowing.

I had a friend once who told me that death was the ultimate journey.

Since it's one we are all destined to embark upon, we will all one day find out.

Answer 4

Because the most part of the human beeings don't accept the fact that one day we all will be anihilated. The most part opf us think at death as a horrible thing. If they don't accept this fact, they invented the myth of afterlife, because this belief brings some comfort and hope. We call this phenomenon wishfull thinking. Tha fact is that there is no proof of the existence of life after our death.

Answer 5

Ego. People like to think they'll live forever
Note that many also think that not only they'll go to an afterlife..but that the world will end in their time or shortly after

Answer 6

I don't think, matter fact I know that EVERY culture DOES NOT believe in the afterlife.

P.S. Just for the record, words like "always", "every", "never", etc. are exagerrations. Be careful how you use them :P

Answer 7

Because things like this keep happening to people.


Several years ago I had an unusual experience concerning an uncle, a distant relative who lived over a thousand miles away.

While driving my car I suddenly felt the unmistakable presence of this relative that I hardly even knew. He was more like someone I had heard about than someone I knew. It was very strange; it felt as though I was momentarily lifted right out of my physical body. I seemed to be suspended somehow beyond space and time, bathed in a love so intense It felt like I could have just disappear into it at any moment if It would have let me. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it seemed to last forever at the same time. I realize how crazy this must sound. The experience was so strong that at first I was afraid I was loosing my grip on reality. I finally managed to chalk it up to an over active imagination.

Three days later I got a call from my aunt telling me that this uncle we are talking about had gone into a coma and died the day I had the experience. It felt like ice water had been poured down my back when she told me this. I had lost any real ideas of God or faith and had become somewhat of an atheist. Needless to say this experience caused me to rethink some of the conclusions I had come to.

I feel blessed to now understand that even in our darkest confusion something loves us so much that it went out of its way to assist me and bring me back to a state of absolute certainty about Gods love for us.
During the experience it seemed like there was a vast amount of information that I was somehow allowed access to. One thing that I came away from this experience understanding beyond any shadow of a doubt was that any Idea that God is unhappy with us or would judge or allow us to be punished for any reason is simply impossible.

I can’t explain the love I felt with words. They simply don’t make words big enough or complete enough to do this. The only way I can begin to convey this love to you is to say that there was simply nothing else there. Nothing but love. No hint of judgment, no displeasure of any sort. It is as though God sees us as being as perfect as we were the day we were created. It is only in our confused idea of ourselves that we seem to have changed.

I hope this is of some help to you. Good luck. Love and blessings.

Your brother don

Answer 8

I cannot answer for every cultute, not even my own.

What I can answer is why Christianity believes in the afterlife.
First, Jesus Christ died, as He predicted, and returned, as He predicted, and ate with, talked with, encouraged, and instructed people before He ascended back into heaven. Over 500 people reportedly witnessed Him after His death.

This kind validates everything else He said was True.

And, millions of folk, like me, can testify to His living presence in our present day lives.

That's more than any other culture/faith can claim.

Answer 9

maybe because no one knows what it is like to not ever have been.... even though they realize that they did not exist on earth before they were born... they feel a sense of immortality like that have always existed

and

they cannot imagine that death would mean the end of existance...

so the bigger question is what is the difference between your existance and life on this planet ...whoa...

Answer 10

Because to a lot of people it's scary to think that this life is the only one you get and there might be nothing afterwards. People fear mortality.

Answer 11

No one want to admit the finality if life .
Man has always wanted to find immortality and they do this with folklore and religion .