Immaculate Heart Retreat Center will host a Day of Prayer entitled, “Afterlife 101: What Happens When Our Earthly Pilgrimage Ends?," led by John Fencik, on Jan. 14, 2015, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
My first conscious memory of pondering an afterlife came at the death of my profoundly disabled, brain damaged older brother. He died at 13 years old, slipping away one winter night from pneumonia.
As someone who is a practical materialist, who does not believe we possess any supernatural spirit apart from the self-awareness generated in our brains, and who furthermore does not believe in any supernatural deities, my answer is a general no.
Did you ever believe in a god, and if so, why did you change your mind? What hope do you have when you and your loved ones die and why are you OK with that?