Just wanted to add... this topic is of a great concern to some.. specially now since he's gone, and they wanna feel somehow that he is Indeed in a better place. ...what happens to a particular soul when it flies away, and where it will go. ...
Autumn, it is what God perceives as being correct, ultimately, not one or the other, He is the One to confirm it to all on how we are/were supposed to believe in Him. The Judgement Day will establish that clearly. This is a selfless thing to want. Which is why some deeply, deeply want the best for a loved one, especially one that's not among the living anymore. Because their afterlife is the one that always was most important, and it is based on how you live this life here that you'll live your next. One can't choose whatever belief suits them or floats their boat. .. ...
I guess I am puzzled as to the concern, particularly among those that profess to have a belief in 'God'.
What in the world would make me doubt the fact that MJ would be continuing on in a place that reflects him?
Is this a worry about oneself- or Michael? Both?
All religions share one truly universal aspect- the acceptance of the continuity of existence. (I'm trying to apply a vocabulary that is more expansive than Heaven or Nirvana).
The details of that continuity of existence vary greatly.
('sleep' until the resurrection, tian, nirvana, bhuva loka/swarga loka, firdaus/paradise, olam haba/the world to come).
But all religions acknowledge the continuity of existence after physical death.
I'm honestly puzzled. I would gather that the stronger one's own beliefs- the more assured one would be that Michael is home where you'd expect him to be?
His physical death very much sparked similar explorations for me, reading just about anything that is of that wisdom. I find it liberating, very liberating.
Or let me ask the question this way: If one is concerned, wouldn't the impulse be to attempt finding out
every possibility about the ifs and whys of the continuity of life?
If one finds themselves asking precisely that question- what seems like a likely approach? Try to find out absolutely everything you can regarding that topic- or sit down in worry?
It seemed like Michael considered himself having a basis and from there on he seemed to explore pretty freely. I do have certain beliefs (and in some aspects they are more than just beliefs, but a more personal experience and the changes in oneself- which kinda tends to happen with near-death-experiences, lol)- but in no way, shape or form would I feel bothered by MJ having been a Jehovah's Witness, North American Protestant, Catholic, Muslim or 'New Ager'. He's MJ, you are Alma and I am Pace.
... He had questions, men couldn't answer. smart of him indeed.
...
Getting an answer requires asking the question, doesn't it? Seems natural. I tend to think that faith and knowledge don't exclude one another.
Some do want others to be what God wants them to be. Period.
...
Michael Jackson is probably one of the very few people where I have absolutely no iota of doubt that he understood himself precisely they way 'God' (I have tremendous issues with the anthropomorphism of God) a meant Michael to be.
Michael is so much himself, that he paid a tremendous price for simply being himself. He didn't budge an inch when it came to his perception of 'right living'- always willing to love whom he considered in need of help and love.
He lived his life very much the way he considered it to be 'right living'- and geez, if anyone was attacked for doing what he considered the right thing to do- it's Michael Jackson.
I don't proclaim MJ to be an infallible saint without fault, that's not the point. My point is that if anything we should be encouraged to dare to be so true to ourselves.
I do not worry about Michael in that sense- at all.
If anything I feel encouraged to please get to the bottom of what it is that I feel inclined to do and not be held back by the worries of others.
If anyone is what God means for him to be- it's MJ, no joke.
Sometimes I feel anxious about something and I worry if I did the right thing, sometimes I even worry if I reacted harsher toward my child than I should have- and exactly then I can sometimes feel his smile peak through behind me, and I feel an almost amused sense of "relax, girl, geez, relax. It's fine. You know where you want to go, just keep that in your heart, alright. Just don't trip over yourself, okay?"
I also consider it one of the great blessings that this forum mirrors the diversity in all of us. This is the human family here right now- and while we all seem pretty human on the surface, we are different from one another.
This artist manages to unite so many different cultures, colors and creeds- it's astounding.
There's a reason MJ's audience is so diverse. And while a Christian belief is shared among many, there are plenty of other beliefs out here as well.
Could it be that 'God' meant for us to be diverse- and that different believes are not a 'failure in picking-and-choosing-one's God'?
There are also those who do not believe at all in either God or the continuity of life. One can share the road politely.
I realize that the thread says "MJ's religious beliefs", but there have been so many points raised alongside that question.
