go read Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. He was a hardcore atheist that became Christian. Regardless of whether you believe any of it (from any religion for that matter), he does a fair job of laying everything out and addressing it from a critical thinking perspective. Nonetheless, I found it to be an interesting book.
the other day I got pitted with a great freind came out. ate the most delicious cheeseburger. smoked kush. what were we talking about? make it count.
There are three things in the universe. Matter, energy, and information. Matter and energy can be transferred into each other, information can be transferred but not lost. So it is the information that makes each of us unique. Therefore it is entirely possible that our information gets transferred to some other place when we pass on, esp. when you consider quantum entanglement. Whether this is true or not, and where you get transferred, who knows? We all will some day. In the meantime...fvck it, don't worry about it, go surfing. Everything will seem right and proper afterwards. At least it does for me.
@Gfootr - egocenter much? ****e, out of all the attempts on this tread, and that's it? You are the Center, Everything revolves around You?!? Here's the deal. Religion is a methodology: it is a series of repeat. One commits to a religion to stay on a path. EX: You get up every morning and go to work, you take a shower everyday "religously." Belief tho, is something far more serious, it's the sometimes unseen, and unsaid it's what's inside. God is the center of creation and it's not the same God that asks followers to erradicate others for their "beliefs." (Otherwise, a truly omnipitent Alpha Omega God wouldn't create "non-believers", duh). Yes there is life beyond Earth. Intelligent? Absolutely, because we are trying to qualify "intelligence" based on our own human achievements. HUMANS ARE IDIOTS. We lie, cheat, steal, murder for our Selves.
There is a big puffy cloud you go to and your childhood dog, your grandma, and Jerry Garcia are all there and its always fun. And smoking and drinking are good for you.
grain of sand, interesting capitalization of Selves....our lower nature, our animal nature made of matter, based on carbon...with 6 protons...6 neutrons and...low and behold....6 electrons....non isotopes of course....... wait, so matter is able to be transformed? it is the path of destruction? what lasts forever...information? information we gathered in our lifetimes?...the sum of our experiences....our souls perhaps? but you should have a certified holy man come between you and your beliefs...its safer that way, just watch yer bum
Did someone leave the seat up, or do you have a preference for sitting in turds, and lemonaid? Either way, I can see how that would scramble your brains, causing you to think Belmar was god, and solely preaching his (Belmars') greatness ever since. Btw, Congratulations on scoring a date with Wayne next summer! #wayne+h2oswellinginbelmar2015
ok, dropping in on this one...maker's mark has done it's job...i need a vent in the past year i have: 1. lost an early pregnancy (or wife did) and she had to get a chemo-esque treatment to get rid of the wrongly attached embyo...could've lost her too (she was given this diagnosis on her b-day, treatment 2 days later) 2. lost a 6 year old boxer (dog) to a brain tumor two weeks later 3. father in law diagnosed with some kind of treatable but uncurable blood cancer and was given 3-5 years to live 3 days before x-mas ...the last seconds your brain spits out electric impulses it is the sum of the kind of person you've been...i saw this in my dog's eyes and felt it in his fading heart beat in his waning moments. ...paddle out with intent & passion on whatever you do, and appreciate every second. if you do, your final few electric impulses will reward you well with a lifetime full of love & compassion.
Indeed, we need to "self-evaluate", introspect, and even listen and discern what others say.. walk circumspectly. That said, my 2 cents, FWIW, I would rather be judged by a loving merciful God than fickle and fallible humans. Beware of intermediaries that have not walked out of tombs.
^+1 good recommendation.. also C.S. Lewis "Screwtape Letters" is very good .. better to be read after MC.
Heaven is in your mind, when you die, if you are in good faith with your spiritual self you will live forever without your physical body. If you are a negative person then you will live in your own personal hell. Questioning stuff like this can actually lead to insanity... just surf every day and enjoy every moment
YP .. sorry to hear all this. Please know that you have my thoughts and prayers, as well many in the SI community. I wish I could say things will be better, but none of know or should say such things, but we do hope so. Hopefully you are through the brunt of this storm, and may you find the strength to persevere with grace and peace.
Bubonics, here is an amazing book to read: http://www.amazon.com/Proof-Heaven-Neurosurgeons-Journey-Afterlife/dp/1451695195 It is written by Eben Alexander M.D. A Duke University neurosurgeon. His brain completely shut down from a rare infection, and the machines read him as brain dead. He was kept alive while in this coma. He details his Near Death Experience of afterlife. He has nothing to gain from making this up, already had money from being a neurosurgeon, isn't a pastor looking for attention, or a 4 year old making stuff up to please his pastor daddy. Many people with Near Death Experiences describe a feeling of peace during and after their glimpse of afterlife. They also stop practicing organized relligion, realizing it is irrelevant. Just as a Child cannot really fathom what adult reality is like because all they have is child reality, it is unfathomable what else is out there other than what our puny senses tell us. NDEs give one a glimpse of the alternate reality.
This is an enjoyable thread. Real talk, some banter, but all in all its a good read. Its a shame that Radicals can kill the appreciation of spirituality, by jamming opinion down your throat. As a youngster I was hounded by youth groups and episcopal churches to change the music I listened to and the people I surrounded myself with. In college I was consistently harassed by those affiliated with christian way of life to the point where I was surrounded at my truck, called countless times a day, and left with mail in my student mail box daily trying to recruit me into the club. Thats the stuff that ruins it for people, and it happens on here still, and to this day I find myself resisting any words spoken to me about christianity. Upon working in wilderness therapy, I found myself in situations where spirituality was the only hope for some of my clients, and I learned to take a step back and look more so at having faith in something, anything, that allows the mind to heal. Identifying ones self is something that I have been working on, and thats as far as I want to take it at this point in my life. I dont see the need to answer to a higher power if I can't even figure out what makes me tick. Call it selfish, call it ignorace, but I have one life to live here on earth, and I will do so in a fashion that benefits my personal happiness, not a figment of someone elses imagination. I also think that every person of a church should take a class on world religion and realize that their story is much like most other stories out there.
Betty, puny senses? Really? Without our "puny senses", existance wouldn't exist. Everything around you is inadequate? Smells, sights, sounds, feelings, intuitions, and so on? I don't get that at all. DMT http://wondergressive.com/death-solved-by-vestigial-gland/
