Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Worthless Words on October 19, 2010 at 9:19am

I might be able to consider myself a deist. As for an afterlife, I hope there is one - I'd love to keep the friendships I'm building in this life, but I'm not going to put all my efforts in this life into trying to earn a reward in the next life. I think that is the most important distinction between and "atheist" and a religious believer. The other thing is that believers have a very hard time understanding why it is bad to put all their eggs in the "next-life" basket. They don't see that doing so can lead to missing some of the most important opportunities in this life.

Permalink Reply by MikeUtah on October 19, 2010 at 9:23am

Yeah, I definitely agree that if there's a next life, it's not something that has to be earned or is rewarded based off our Earthly performance.

Permalink Reply by Worthless Words on October 19, 2010 at 9:26am

Yeah, that's pretty much the point for me. I don't think you need any "good sense" talked into you if you like to think or even hold out hope for an afterlife of some sort. I think you only need good sense talked into you if you are wasting this life preparing for the next one. :)

Permalink Reply by Enlightened on October 19, 2010 at 10:05am

I personally would hate to think that "this is all there is" -
I like the idea of an after life and it has nothing to do with my past beliefs/indoctrination, whatever -
I just don't see the point in living a life with no hope beyond it.
As no one has ever come back to tell us either way I will continue being optimistic with the hopes that the relationships I have fostered in this life will be something that don't end with death.
I believe, as humans, we possess an awareness of what is right and what is wrong, and many of these values I feel have absolutely no purpose in a creature whose existence is only temporary.
So I will live this life as well as I can and if there IS something more, well then that will be an added bonus - I don't think one should live this life based on it being of benefit in the next though.

Permalink Reply by MikeUtah on October 19, 2010 at 10:10am

DEEPESA: As no one has ever come back to tell us either way I will continue being optimistic with the hopes that the relationships I have fostered in this life will be something that don't end with death.

Some would consider those who have had near death experiences (NDEs) as believable testimonies of life existing outside of the body. I find them interesting and the commonalities between them as possible indications of consciousness not being solely brain based, but still unprovable. You can find many a NDE here: http://www.near-death.com One particular NDE that I find most interesting is this one.

Permalink Reply by Enlightened on October 19, 2010 at 10:19am

Thanks for the sites Mikeutah - I will read them at leisure - they sound interesting - however, until I personally have a NDE I find it difficult to base my hopes/beliefs on that of anyone else --- maybe being cautious this time around makes me say this. ;-)

Permalink Reply by MikeUtah on October 19, 2010 at 10:21am

Completely understandable Deepesa. At the same time, don't let fear keep you from reading or investigating anything you want. Now that you've been in a cult and opened your mind to critical thinking, you'll be able to better avoid such dogmatic belief systems as those found in religion and choose your own beliefs as they suit you.

Permalink Reply by Roz on April 20, 2011 at 2:27pm

Love this!  totally feel the same

Permalink Reply by Edward Casey on October 19, 2010 at 10:27am

It boggles my mind, but I am convinced that this sense of, "spirit," is a manifestation of being alive. If you have ever seen someone die, one thing notable is that the, "light," goes out of their eyes. So I am convinced, but not comfortable at all with the,"fact," that there is no spirit that lingers on after the brain goes dead.

There are common stories of out-of-body experiences, often in the operating room. To test this theory, since it is common that folks who have had these experiences describe floating above everyone, seeing the room. Researchers put a large easel with a picture on it, in the operating room. It was placed so the doctors and patient only saw the back side of the easel, yet would be easily seen if one were looking down on the room. Of the few dozen patients who had self-described having had an out-of-body experience, they were asked, what did the see on the easel? None of them had any idea. The conclusion was the patients were not really out of body, but in a mental state feeling that way. Their memories of what they saw are of those things they saw going into the room. They did not see things out of eye contact from the position where they were lying.

Deja Vu' is another strange phenomenon that I have personally experienced number of times in my life. I recall reading one research article that explained that there was a flood of some chemical in a certain area of the brain when this phenomenon occurred, and using direct stimulus of that region, they could initiate in subjects, this deja vu' experience.

So being an enthusiastic reader of science, it is the accumulated knowledge of everything I have learned that had lead me to the conclusion that when I die, who I am is dead. There is no afterlife. There are no spirits in another dimension. We are a higher form of life with the largest ratios of brain to body size of any creature known. The brain is amazing. So I guess I am amazed.

I have come to believe what I believe today.

Permalink Reply by MikeUtah on October 19, 2010 at 10:30am

Thanks for the comment Edward. I am also comfortable with the idea that this may just be all there is and the only immortality of sorts is whatever legacy we can leave behind in the minds of those we loved or through our works to improve human existence etc.

Permalink Reply by Enlightened on October 19, 2010 at 10:44am

WOW!!
If there is any truth in that you are judged by the company you keep then I must be judged rather bright today! he he! This is going beyond my scope of intelligence so I think I will bow out gracefully and continue doing/believing that which makes me content and happy - I don't want to confuse this "old" brain of mine any further..... Life is good to me - I love life - and being of the opinion that "if it ain't broke then don't fix it" I will continue as such. Doesn't mean that I can't continue being interested though....

Permalink Reply by MikeUtah on October 19, 2010 at 10:46am

Love the animations you post Deepesa! I can certainly respect that. Do what works for you and makes you fulfilled and happy.

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