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Q: What do most people in China think happens to you when you die?
Since it's an atheist country, what are the views on death? It seems to be conflicting because on the one hand the country defines itself as predominantly atheist, on the other people are ultra superstitious and even dig up corpses to accompany their deceased loved ones in some kind of netherworld.
Well, if you are talking about atheists don't atheists believe that nothing happens. I heard they think once you die you die you don't go anywhere you just don't exist. I don't think atheists believe in spirits or anything either. They probably think it's some made up word, but it's really not!
Scandinavian:
technically all words are made up, otherwise they would not be
mikael84:
I am an atheist and I believe that nothing happens when you die. You just stop living. Like sleeping, except without the dreams.
mArtiAn:
Mikael, i'm not sure I agree. I don't know why, i'm not religious, but it just seems too strange to me. On the shore of existence our lives are an atom in a grain of sand. Infinity stretches out on either side of us. The odds against existing to have this conversation are silly, we should by rights not exist at all.
Personally I like the late great American comic Bill Hicks take on the question of life and death. He claimed he was taken aboard a spaceship and told that "Everything is one, there is no death and we are all God experiencing itself subjectively." I think he was on acid when it happened. Doesn't really help the credibility of the story, but I like it anyway.
I have heard three different lines of thought, depending on whom I am talking to:
1.- Those who do not have religious beliefs think they just fade away.
2.- Those who think that depending on their existing lives will reincarnate if good into a new baby, or if bad into a lower life form, like a dog or cat for example.
3.- And those who believe that current life is just temporary, eternal life is achieved after death.
Just take your pick. But the detail of whatever is their particular belief is very different from what westerners may think.
mArtiAn:
Really? I can just take my pick? Ooh, goody, what was the third one again? Eternal life? Sounds ok. But do they have cheeese? Eternal life doesn't sound bad, just as long as I can have a spot of cheese of an evening. I do love a spot of cheeese.
I know that, according to the contract that a High School in Henan tried to get me to sign, they will pay for my life insurance and it will be paid to the school in the event of my death, and they will also force my family to pay for return airfare for my body.
MissA:
Wow, whatever idiot they eventually convince to sign that contract will need to be REALLY careful walking down steep stairs.
My dad is an atheist and he says death is like a candle loses its light.
Confucius actually avoided to answer that question: when people asked him about death, he answered:"未知生,焉知死!" It means we don't even know about life yet, how could we know about death! It shows a very pragmatic attitude I think.
But China is not a predominantly atheist country, despite the gov't defines it to be so. Superstitions widely exist amongst Chinese people. Set aside the Buddhists, Christians and Muslim people, the "Chinese" Chinese sort of have ancestors worship. Some Chinese believe that their ancestors' spirits are watching over their offspring at somewhere.
When my neighbor passed away his daughter described to me how his spirit out of control once like a personality disorder. Sounded like someone else controlled his soul. It's creepy.
Where do you think all those disposable chopsticks come from? Soilent Chopsticks, I tell you.
I don't know what Chinese believe. I think we just fade away like a dying battery, but I lived in an old haunted house once. I can't explain the things that happened and my cats fur would stand on end when things were going on, so it wasn't my imagination or something in my water.
mArtiAn:
I went through years of experiencing hauntings. It got so i'd recognize the feeling that accompanied them. One time I saw a little girl run screaming across the room then vanish. In the end it got so bad that I was afraid for my sanity so i just said 'this is all a load of bollocks' and it stopped. The way I see it is that if you believe in that stuff you are open to and inviting the experience of it. Then of course it could all be in your head. It's difficult to know. My grandmother used to leave her body and go flying. Haha. That sounds fun.
TedDBayer:
I see girls run screaming through my place once in awhile, usually after they use my bathroom.
I think most just believe you are dead. They miss their loved ones and of course those still living have memories of their life.
Funnily enough for a race that to me a least lacks logic in many ways they are far ahead of the majority of other races in this area with very few hanging on the hope of some imaginary sky person to give them eternal life. They think the same thing that any rational person would believe. You no longer exist and you rot away and turn back into carbon and a few other elements.
SwedKiwi1:
That is indeed the most rational approach to the question of what happens after you die. But the question is whether most Chinese people really believe this.
I would say that most Chinese probably have some belief in either their ancestor's spirits or some mix of Buddhist and neo-Confucian thoughts about death.
Many of my friends claim to be Atheists, BUT they believe in ghosts....
You ever wonder what is the mystery meat in all those cheap dumplings you like to eat? Yeap.. now you know.. mmm dumpling.. 
This is an interesting thread. More so due to the strange paradox where many foreigners including me laugh at the Chinese for believing that TCM works, that women after giving birth can not wash work or go outside for a month etc while on the other hand they don't bat an eyelid when they or the vast majority of many cultures think that after one dies &their brain and organs rot away they somehow make a comeback of sorts. Even stranger is that they think this is directly related to the way they have behaved while alive.
Scandinavian:
uh, mentioning TCM. that requires the balls of someone with very big balls
Why not accept Gods gift of eternal life through Jesus the Christ and die happy and live in Gods presence eternally. Sounds like the best way to go.
woody:
You know you almost got me there. I come close every time I hear about the eternal life stuff but it all goes pearshape when those whoi are selling me the fable belong to some of the richest organisations on earth. Organisations that are ever expanding into the third world to keep the coffers topped up. If they were all about what they preach they would sell the lot until either there was no cash,land, gold etc left or there were no sick people without health care, no starving people etc. Sure they give some back but not as much as they rake in.
woody:
Oh and I almost forgot. They wouldn't cover up for kiddy fiddlers either.
Samsara:
@ BiLi
Because I don't want to waste my entire life talking to an imaginary friend.
Thanks for the "gift", God, but I've got better things to do with my time and my brain.
Religion is such a sore subject because there are so many different views, not to mention the threat of potential violence from this subject. I guess the only fair thing to say is that sooner or later we will all find out what the truth is.
Most Chinese are superstitious. Many believe in an afterlife. Some are buddhists, muslums, confuscionism, daoism, and many more are becoming Christians, catholics ect.
You can walk around and see many statues that they pray to and burn incense too. Even the holidays are dedicated to a worship of a foreign god or to drive a way demons. My belief is that there is definately an afterlife, a supernatural realm, angels, and demons, and a Heaven and a Hell. My belief is there is only one way to Heaven and that is through believing and having a real relationship with Jesus Christ.
Contrary to popular belief, when we die we all go to Hell, which is the grave. Even Christ went there and conquered Hell, which is why now if we believe we have the promise of eternal life after the grave. However, Christ was one of the first fruits of eternal life, probably the first, if one believes the Bible book, "Hebrews" chapter 11. Today, Christ stands at the right hand of God's (YHWH) throne, as is stated 24 times in the Bible. However, nowhere in the Bible does it say that we will go to Heaven, rather that Heaven, in the form of New Jerusalem, will come down to the New Earth, and that ALL will be resurrected, not just the believers, because Christ indeed died for all of mankind; some resurrected to life eternal, others, after denying salvation a second time, to eternal damnation, NOT eternal punishment. Organized religion today has through tradition perverted most of this TRUTH. Read the Bible, pray for the answers, find salvation, because indeed the time is at hand.
woody:
Or on the other hand you could just think for yourself, use logic and let what you know is right help you to make lifes decisions.
Samsara:
@FuturePrimitive
"Read the Bible, pray for the answers..."
If I read Lord of the Rings instead, and look on wikipedia for the answers, will everything be OK?
"...because indeed the time is at hand."
Time for what? I hope it's nothing serious. Lord of the Rings is a fairly lengthy read, so could we push back the deadline a little?
@Woody
That was an excellent and concise answer.
While I am having a dig at religion I am in no way having a go at them all. Just the violent ones. You know, the big two.
Buddhists on the other hand demonstrate by their actions peace and humility and they do not try to force either by violence or the threat of eternal damnation their beliefs on others.
Those photos are taken in Rudong County, City of Nantong, Jiangsu Province.
They are mini villas built by the locals for their deceased family members to put their ash in.
This really astonishes me and makes me sick and scared...I'm sorry I can't edit the photos size here they won't change even after I reset them
Source link is http://news.qq.com/a/20120405/001487.htm#p=1
I am not sure what the Chinese think happens to you when you die. I do know that in Guangxi province they visit the graves of the dead and burn fake money, incense and leave food and drink for the one that had died. Personally I think that religion is a bunch of mumbo jumbo. We all have a god gene? why? maybe it helps us survive? Nothing was written about Jesus till over thirty years after he ???? A lot can happen to stories in thirty years. The crucifixion? If Jesus new he was the son of god then it all looses any meaning. He was just a good man. Buddhism at least has some merit to it, not like the money making catholic church. Personally I think that two seconds after you are dead you do not even know you ever existed. The Pope? Gods representative on earth. You must be kidding. Franck3
The romans had written records of Jesus before it was included in bible. The 500 wintnesses saw him after he rose from the dead. If that is a fairy tale than tell me if there stories were all fabricated, you would think that there stories would not have been consistent. The 500 witnesses stories were all consistent. They all told the same story, it didnt change. also many of those 500 witnesses who saw Jesus after he died and rose from the dead were persucuted and killed for their message about Jesus. Why would people be willing to die to protect a lie?
Samsara:
Were their stories consistent, or did someone more recently say their stories were consistent? How do you know?
Samsara:
Hundreds of Tibetans have chosen to self-immolate because of their religion (and because the CCP is a giant poo). Does that verify their beliefs about Buddha?
They believe that after 14 days you will be reborn, at first I thought it was only for buddist but was told that it stands true for Atheists which adds to their contradictive thought process because if you can be reborn, there must be a higher power.
China is not an Atheist country, Mr. Mao banned religion after the win of the revolution, you have to admit, religion is a bit of a crutch and has caused mass riots, wars, murder, and theft, more so than anything known in history, China isn't without religion, depends on how something can benefit them.
My Chinese family has no religious beliefs... but on Tomb Sweeping Day ...Qingming festival on or about April 5th ...... they certainly do express their gratitude and appreciation to dead people.
explain this to me please???
