Can you be dead, but not gone, or do you have to be dead and gone?

If you are dead and gone you were really dead as a person while alive

or you have been dead so long no one remembers you,

My feelings are, although we can believe where the soul went we really don't know, but I also believe if you have anyone who loves you then the spirit that was you lives on in the heart of your loved ones, they will from time to time remember fondly or even poorly but they will relive your time with them, so even alive all we really have of another person is the memory of them, but we do have the joy of inter acting with them daily

or a whole other attitude my Mom passed we had her cremated, however we had to wait for awhile to scatter her ashes, and well, she wasn't really physically gone because we knew were her physical remains were,

really is a random discussion, I may be losing this argument, I'm really not sure what position I am taking,

physically, can't be gone if at least one person knows where your body lies

Dead but not Gone (my position)

or maybe it is gone but not dead,

With my personal beliefs, this is simple to come up with the answer. You can die, but still be here but not physically. You're here as a spirit/ghost if you have things keeping you tied to the physical plane. Your body is now lifeless and is like an empty shell and could (maybe) have your spirit return to it and come back to life (zombie! Yikes.) but the body is already seperated from it's spirit/soul (something like that) so it will still rot and the soul/spirit can't remain there, because eventually it'll just be gone of all flesh.

Just my opinion, think whatever you like. Hope this helped somewhat...or...maybe not at all, ha-ha.

I lost my 33 year old son 4 months ago. I have no idea where he is. I had him cremated. And there is no answer to this question. I will say to you what I said at the funeral of another person who died after my beloved son:

None of us knows what there is after death. Some believe we are just dead. Others believe we are sleeping until the resurrection and yet others believe we go straight to our maker. Some believe that there is a hell and that some go there.

There is no answer to your question because none of us have been there. I do not have any idea where my son is. I wish I did.

When you're dead, you're dead. If everyone who knew you forgets you, you're gone.