cptkirk ... think in trillions of quadrillions of years. infinity.
I would like to but my brain struggles to think more than one year ahead!
or could we be immortal?.
what is consciousness?
is it not the formation and function of the organ we call the brain?
cptkirk ... think in trillions of quadrillions of years. infinity.
I would like to but my brain struggles to think more than one year ahead!
or could we be immortal?.
what is consciousness?
is it not the formation and function of the organ we call the brain?
Most people accept that the atoms they are made of will be reused and one day end up as stardust. I made a post to this effect a couple of days ago.
Recycling unconscious molecules or atoms does not equate to our brain surviving or us ever being conscious again a s cognisant beings . The likelihood of my brain molecules ending up being used to make another brain are remote. I am more likely to end up as a bin liner not a Bin Laden.
We come from dust and we return to dust. Even the bible states this. It also states that it is only by belief in Jesus and god’s grace that we can be redeemed and live again. So far I have yet to hear a voice in my head from Allah, Christ or Jehovah convincing me that this it true.
It would please me to think that that I will live again in some far of galaxy but alas - Beam me up Scotty - only apperas to happen in fiction.
does it bother you thinking that you are saved and others are damned?.
Cheer up Startingover - Jesus can be anything you want him to be.
Revelation depicts him as riding on a white horse with a long sword coming out of his mouth. My I’d like to see that. He would go down well in the Roman arena and impress Caesar. The next most appealing image of Jesus is him turning water into wine for me.
More loving people prefer to think of him as a kind man in sandals healing and giving out free fish. Whatever you want he is the man of your dreams!
i have been giving a lot of thought to the young people who are leaving the watchtower organization in recent years.
last night, i was reading the thread posted by jwfacts a while back in which he provided some statistics and graphs showing the rapidly declining growth in the watchtower.
one factor that was discussed at length was the high number of young people who do not stay in the organization.
I wouldn't advise any young person to walk away from the Watchtower Society and all that it offers.
Run...!
lets just suspend belief for a moment and assume that we do belive in god.. he supposed to be almighty but he feels the need to prove to his mortal creations that he alone has the right to rule.
he decides to do this by allowing them to suffer unspeakably for centeries.
then he sends his son to earth, so that his son can suffer unspeakably and die too.. his son dying is supposed to atone for the creations sins, but instead of calling it quits there, god allows them to continue suffering.
So therefore faith=stupid.
If I had said that I would understand you being riled. But I didn't - you did!
Now stand in the corner until you have cooled down.
In answer to whether I believe the sun will fail and the Earth will break up, just like
my pitiful body - Yes! But the sun will last around 4.5 billion years longer than my pitiful body.
and may you all have peace!
this is another general question for the board and i ask your indulgence because i am trying to understand how others think.
if there truly is no god/god... what is wrong with the existence of religion?
Paulapollos your post was very good and well thought out. You last paragraph summed up the situation very well.
Western society no longer uses Christianity as a template for laws and behaviour. We are rapidly moving towards a secular society. Unfortunately Muslim countries are not. Even so, if Muslims had no religion to attribute their harsh treatment of wrongdoers and abuse of women to, they would still act in the same way. Blaming their religion is just a smoke screen.
The Roman Catholic Church did much the same for many years of its history. Every society has had its way of doing things but religion has allowed them to shift the blame by claiming they were acting as agents of god. Even if I believed in the existence of one god who created the world, I wouldn’t blame him for mankind’s selfish behaviour.
As a gladiator I urge you to - ask not what you can do for your god but what your gods can do for you.
lets just suspend belief for a moment and assume that we do belive in god.. he supposed to be almighty but he feels the need to prove to his mortal creations that he alone has the right to rule.
he decides to do this by allowing them to suffer unspeakably for centeries.
then he sends his son to earth, so that his son can suffer unspeakably and die too.. his son dying is supposed to atone for the creations sins, but instead of calling it quits there, god allows them to continue suffering.
I’m a mortal man so god doesn’t need to prove himself to me. I have already accepted that I shall die that will be the end. My atoms will be recycled and one day become stardust again.
All belivers need is to meet is an immortal man and god will have proved himself to them. Waiting until they are dead for proof that they will live forever is not a smart move. I know its all about faith but evidence trumps faith in the game of life.
and may you all have peace!
this is another general question for the board and i ask your indulgence because i am trying to understand how others think.
if there truly is no god/god... what is wrong with the existence of religion?
shechaiyah - It’s gracious of you to still talk to me after I likened you to a spider losing legs.
Glad you are still around.
does anyone here think this command still applies in force today as it did 2000 years ago?.
There's not much in the bible that makes any sense to me but this edict from Paul, that most modest of men, is as apt and timely as his advice that wives should be submissive and in subjection, being as they are the weaker vessel.
and may you all have peace!
this is another general question for the board and i ask your indulgence because i am trying to understand how others think.
if there truly is no god/god... what is wrong with the existence of religion?
Frank Sinatra, when asked what he thought of religion famously said, “ I'm for anything that gets you through the night - be it prayer , tranquilizers or a bottle of Jack Daniels. ”
Alcohol and religion induce illusion and many people, including me, need a little illusion in their life. Religion has done much harm but also provided millions of people with hope and comfort. They died believing they would live forever in heaven and once dead were incapable of realizing they had been tricked.
The Roman Catholic confessional was a cunning plan to make the church money. On the other hand it enable people, for a small fee, to go on their way feeling validated, redeemed and free from the burden of guilt. Psychotherapy provides a similar service. Religion, like many of the crutches used to help us through life, can be a force for good or bad. Used in moderation it is likely a positive force and provides a social and spiritual service for the community and individuals.
Many times on this forum I have said that I have no problem with people believing that a loving god is watching and caring for them. If it helps them to be more loving, so be it. I also envy people who are able to have faith that they will survive physical death. Alas without a belief in a god I shall have to stick with Sinatra’s plan ‘c.’
A slave of life who won his freedom then lost the plot.