where are my loved ones?

Why would they be burning in hell?!! Are you related to Jack the Ripper?

Of course there is no hell.

Do you really think your loved ones were evil?

There always has to be the possibility that our spirits do not die like our bodies do. There is a chance that we move on in spirit to somewhere else. No one can prove otherwise. But I personally, do not believe in any golden city. And certainly not in an eternal furnace!

I struggle too Cherry, church upbringing, convent schooling yet now I find myself unable to equate God with what's going on in the world, enormous sadnesses and inequalities.

Does one 'believe' as a sort of hedging your bets thing or just say there isn't anything out there?

I'm a christian but don't think I'm a Christian if that makes sense.

Forget it. Go with the flow.

Cherry - your loved ones are in your heart. Every bit of love they gave to you, you pass on to those around you; every good example they set is reflected in your behaviour, which in turn passes on to others. I believe that love does not die - it flows from each of us to those we leave behind; and they in their turn pass it on.

I do not believe in the devil - but I do believe that there is the potential for badness in all of us.

I also do not distinguish between body and "spirit" - I recognise personalities, and that each person is special, precious and unique.

The concepts of Heaven and Hell are simplistic, and we could not be judged on just one life, it would be too unfair.Whatever is out there is too complicated for us to get our heads around.Try not to worry about it.

I don't believe in the burning fire of hell

They are stardust.

I sometimes wish that I were a believer as could then hope to again meet my father who died when I was four.

But in reality I know he's long gone and that's it.

I am a Bahá'í (which means I accept all the major religions) and we believe that the soul which manifests itself as the mind, lives for eternity. As your body obviously decomposes, if, during your life you only gain happiness by things to do with your body's appetites, then after death your mind will not be equipped to cope with life without your body and former material pastimes, and your existence will be very limited. However, if during you life you have found pleasure in learning and loving others, these things will stay with you. We often use the analogy of birth - if a baby does not develop limbs and organs in the womb, it will not be equipped to get the most out of life after it is born, but if it can think in the womb, it may wonder what they are for! Likewise after death, we do do not need the body but we still have our mind, our thoughts and feelings. Negative feelings will not be relevant as they all come down to greed, hatred etc which have their root in bodily desires, but our positive, or 'spiritual' thoughts will still exist in our minds and we will still have ways to express them, and continue an existence of discovery and helping others.

I believe your loved ones are living on in your heart, your memory. Their lives had meaning, however long or short. There is no hell.
Take Care.

I think JamJar1 is right - when the last memory of someone is extinguished, then they are gone... We perceive ourselves as we perceive others, electro-chemically in our brains. Said brain is very quick to decompose post mortem... where else could our 'spirit' be hosted?

I am a Christian. Hi. Hell and the devil exist. Even Christians have to be careful when talking about the d word, so I shall just refer to d as a letter.
At the moment, your loved ones are sleeping.
There will be judgement day, when everyone will be judged.

soontobeWell, now I do believe in reincarnation, I'm sure in a previous life you used to be rosewhite

My father would quote "it is easier to for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for man to enter The Kingdom of Heaven" so if this is the case, where are my loved ones who have passed on now??

Cherrytree59 the quote is actually about a 'rich man' and apparently there is a story behind this:
www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-25583,00.html

As long as they weren't rich (or gave away their riches!) and led a good life I shouldn't think they are in hell.

Where are they sleeping? What part of them is sleeping, as their bodies are long gone?

What do you mean by 'even Christians have to be careful when talking about the d word'? Is it like mentioning Voldemort in the Harry Potter books? Do you mean that it's even more dangerous for non-Christians to mention the devil? Why?

I'm sorry, I know many Christians but none have such strange beliefs.

soontobeWell, now I do believe in reincarnation, I'm sure in a previous life you used to be rosewhite
bohemian if stb was rosewhite she must be very clever indeed because stb and rosewhite posted on the same threads within hours of each other

rosewhite's beliefs are even more extreme.

Oh that's ok then, they'll both be there on the Judgement Day [thiconfused]

...where's the elf with the black hat gone

Wot this one

Sorry bohemian I think you meant this one

soon, why is it necessary to refer to the devil as d ? Devil, satan, lucifer , it does't matter soon, too much fear in you , let in more joy , no room for both