Defending the Truth

That "never ending" process still being processed in eternity???

So you believe in purgatory.

OhDear

Nope.

I simply believe that the soul continues to learn, progress and grow after the death of the body. There are no literal, static places called Heaven and Hell.

In other words, in the afterlife, you're actually DOING something... not just sitting on your spiritual butt.

Oh Dear... here's a quick overview of the Baha'i view of life after death:


Heaven and hell: a Bahá'í view of life after death

As in the world's other religions, the Bahá'í concept of life after death is deeply integrated into teachings about the nature of the soul and the purpose of this earthly life.
Bahá'u'lláh confirmed the existence of a separate, rational soul for every human. In this life, He said, the soul is related to the physical body. It provides the underlying animation for the body and is our real self.
Although undetectable by physical instruments, the soul shows itself through the qualities of character that we associate with each person. The soul is the focal point for love and compassion, for faith and courage, and for other such "human" qualities that cannot be explained solely by thinking of a human being as an animal or as a sophisticated organic machine.
The soul does not die; it endures everlastingly. When the human body dies, the soul is freed from ties with the physical body and the surrounding physical world and begins its progress through the spiritual world. Bahá'ís understand the spiritual world to be a timeless and placeless extension of our own universe--and not some physically remote or removed place.
Entry into the next life has the potential to bring great joy. Bahá'u'lláh likened death to the process of birth. He explains: "The world beyond is as different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother."
The analogy to the womb in many ways summarizes the Bahá'í view of earthly existence. Just as the womb constitutes an important place for a person's initial physical development, the physical world provides the matrix for the development of the individual soul. Accordingly, Bahá'ís view life as a sort of workshop, where one can develop and perfect those qualities which will be needed in the next life.
"Know thou, of a truth, that if the soul of man hath walked in the ways of God, it will, assuredly return and be gathered to the glory of the Beloved," Bahá'u'lláh wrote. "By the righteousness of God! It shall attain a station such as no pen can depict, or tongue can describe."
In the final analysis, heaven can be seen partly as a state of nearness to God; hell is a state of remoteness from God. Each state follows as a natural consequence of individual efforts, or the lack thereof, to develop spiritually. The key to spiritual progress is to follow the path outlined by the Manifestations of God.
Beyond this, the exact nature of the afterlife remains a mystery. "The nature of the soul after death can never be described," Bahá'u'lláh writes.

Myt, I'm sure it would interesting for you to explain your thoughts on the details of the 'mechanism' between the nonphysical and the physical (if such a statement even holds any meaning).

I'm not sure it even exists in the terms of a "mechanism," Kat.

The analogy that works best for me (which is also from the Baha'i writings, btw) is like light that attaches to/reflects off a mirror. The light is evident and manifest in the mirror, but in no way actually connected to or depenant upon the mirror.

Actually, light reflecting off of a mirror is still within the realm of a physical mechanism.

I still have yet to hear an adequate explanation from a dualist exactly how a nonphysical self isn't completely illogical.

You just blew my mind. :P

Seriously, I think it's interesting to hear others' ideas of what happens after you die.

They are always more interesting than my belief, which is that when you die, you're dead, end of story.

When I think of the "mechanism" of "soul", I draw a blank. I'm almost curious what comes next after I die. I don't see how it's just "over". That's a component in what I think drives a person's desire for some sort of faith.
"Soul" itself is illogical. Why do humans have self awareness but so many other living things don't? Why are we so friggin special?

It's easy to make the rules when you write the rule book....

Hell, people even change "The Book" if they disagree with it as written.