Hi Inventech,

You go to the area of the afterlife that most matches your beliefs.
(If you had no religion, what would form and encourage your beliefs--TV commercials? Buddies?  "I believe I'll go get a pizza for supper.''    )

Religions teach us and remind us of our highest convictions, or are supposed to do so. (Anti-religions use fear rather than reminders of faith.) 

If your beliefs and convictions don't match any religion you've found, then you are hopefully a seeker, and what you seek will lead you to your place in the afterlife.

Bets

We are consciousness, which is basically an information system. Consciousness is continually evolving with the purpose of improving itself and has developed processes that facilitate its growth. Our existence within the greater system is a part of that process. The greater consciousness system has evolved into a brilliant being of love because that is the most beneficial way for it to grow and evolve. Out of this greater system has evolved countless belief systems (religions) that facilitate spiritual growth in the same direction that the greater system is evolving, our learning to BE love.

Randomness and duality are very much a part of the evolving system. Duality (good/evil, right/wrong, love/fear, etc.) is a very effective and efficient system to promote spiritual growth. The seed of the greater consciousness (God) is carried within each of us at the core of our being. This is our example, this is what tugs, pushes, nudges us to grow spiritually. Opportunity to grow is always right in front of us no matter what situation we find ourselves to be in.

What is important to our growth is our intent. When our intent is love based and not fear based we grow spiritually. Everyone is always doing the best they can at any moment in time. Spiritual growth is a process, an evolutionary process of which we each participate in.

Kathy

Inventech,

50% of NDEs are hellish according to cardiologist Maurice Rawlings.  Many astral explorers have confirmed the reality of hellish planes.  Basically, New Age perspectives on what traps souls in hellish planes are little more than mindless dogma, fueled by wishful thinking and poorly reinforced by a few alleged retrievals, which, even if genuine, barely scratch the tip of the iceberg.  

World religions contradict each other on the criteria for entrapment in a hellish plane.  But you would agree with me, I'm sure, that it is crucial to learn as much as possible about the truth behind this mystery.  The claims of the various religions are clearly relevant and based on direct experience, even if you ultimately decide they are false!  Just don't quickly dismiss what  you don't understand and haven't researched.  

Don  

Religion is not necessary for happiness to flourish.

An ocean is always beautiful - a living jewel.

Old Dood wrote on Apr 21^st, 2009 at 3:49pm:

I am not religious at ALL! But highly spiritual. I find that the more I delve in this area, the more "aware" I become.

I had my first OBE the other day and I shared the experience in the OBE forum. I am 99% convinced that I did and it was amazing. I hope to be able to do so again!

But to the topic at hand, I don't think you need to be apart of any type of religion.

The more spiritually aware you are before you die, will help you when you cross, regardless of religious identity. So if you don't "land" where you think you should, you will have the knowledge to help you get where you want to be.

I hope that made sense.

Is "some old man behind a pulpit" sort of like a man behind a curtain, ala Oz?