I thought I'd get the ball rolling in the off topic section with a question about beliefs. Now I just want to reassure everyone that I'm not judging you on any of your beliefs so don't judge me on mine. This is NOT meant to start any kind of religious war on the board I just want to know how you guys feel.


Over the past few years I have switched back and fourth through religions, and pretty soon I'm planning on getting baptized so I will be catholic. But one thing hasn't changed in my beliefs since I was little. That is the theory of having past lives. My dad always raised us (me and my sisters) with the belief that we have many lives. That death isn't final, that we go on to other things once we die.


I was questioning this a few years ago and my dad gave me a book to read called "Many Lives Many Masters" and after reading that it gives me even more hope to life after death. Now I know Catholics don't really believe in reincarnation but my dad was raised Catholic and he believes in it, and just because I want to be Catholic doesn't mean I still can't hold my own beliefs.


As it is my dad says that I'm an "old soul" that I have been here many times before. He thinks that the reasons I have so many problems is because I need to learn lessons, maybe from other lives where I did something to someone else. Such as: I'm bipolar and Boarderline personality. I will most likely need to be on mood stablizers for the rest of my life...don't feel bad for me I've accepted that and it really doesn't bother me. ANYWHO, he says that maybe I have these disorders because I persecuted someone with mental illness in a past life. And maybe I have Emetophobia because I died of an illness or something. I think my dad may be right, but who knows?


I'm not looking forward to dying if that's what you think, just because I believe there is reincarnation doesn't make it true. Death scares me...a lot. I don't want to die I'm terribly afraid of death. What if that's all there is? What if there is nothing more? My friend says that it's not DEATH that scares me but the lack of KNOWLEDGE that comes with it.


Anyway sorry for the long post but I would like to see if anyone here agrees with me or not. Is there life after death? Do we live many lives? What do you guys think?


~Monica