The position supported by empirical evidence so far is that since your consciousness is an emergent property of your central nervous system, when that system ceases to function, your consciousness ceases as well.

Now, if you're into ignoring the evidence available to you, and you'd rather make-believe that we are magical being able to survive the death of our material shell, then all bets are off.

My favorite make-believe scenario would have to be the computer simulation hypothesis, which allows for a number of entertaining possibilities:

- the folks in charge of the simulation could be super-impressed by your artificial ape brain and decide to copy/paste it in other parts of the simulation, or even in other simulations altogether (tada, reincarnation AND heaven in one fell swoop!)

- you weren't actually an AI character, but you were a player in that simulation. You wake up, look at the time, and remember that you have a long meeting scheduled with X'chlansberg about a new space highway. Yawn.

- your first cycle of virtual incarceration is over. Prepare for 39 more cycles to expiate your high crimes against the space chancellor.

etc.

If we are to go with a simple scientific answer then it simply seizes to exist.

I have always been fascinated by the topic of near death experiences and how they might hint at there being an afterlife but recent studies have shown that when the brain is shutting down it releases chemicals that produce the dream like hallucinations that people claim to experience.

But other than that we really don't have anything to go by, so when I die I will be sure to come back and give a better answer :P

Starkly, when the brain ceases to function, that 'being' ceases to 'be'.

The motivation driving that unique combination of elements is no more.

A 'Spiritual Future' ????? - - - Pure self-indulgent fantasy!

The chemo-electrical activity of the brain - the MIND - is naturally prone to generate any illusive mirage.

If that imagery is not backed up by factual proof, it remains a fantasy!

To give any credence to life after death, one must be round the bend, if not well up the straight!

Natural cognition (common sense), affirms Life's future as solely dependent on reproduction!

Offspring are our future!

My name is alex. i have been questioning my belief of an afterlife. this is my conclusion. I believe in the copenhaegan interpretation which states that "reality is preception" this means simply, what you cannot percive is not real. i think that because this is true, if you truly believe in false preception than you have the power to make it real. seems crazy right? well, i dont know how we got here, there are many theories but i try not to focus on that. i think that because people could not handle the fact that they have no clue how they became, they created religion to cope with the unknowing. they put all their beliefs into a god they created and made it real. when you die a chemical called dextermorphan is released sending you into an eternal sleep. i think people use religion to plan the dream that will be after death.

I don't think anyone is able to provide a correct answer.