Amaranth

I was nice and brushed off your fortune cookie, non-sensical "wisdom" the first time, Designer. At the time, I had no reason to think you deserved to have your comical, naive ideas swatted in such a complete manner that it would appear insulting, no matter how I wrote it. Thank you for showing me how false this assumption was.

Soul? What soul? Removed by whom?

How would anyone know? You haven't even defined what a soul is, so it is relatively hard to check.

So the soul does nothing. How worthless. No wonder you didn't define, let alone prove, it's existance.

Unsupported assertion. All repeatable evidence points towards the end of concienceness at death, aka ceasing to exist. Your body will also cease to exist soon enough, thanks to decay. Thus, non-existance is not only something I can do, it is the only rational thing I can do. Deal with it.

And yet you feel able to refute anything I say about it? What astounding arrogance. How xian of you.

You know, if you knew what you were talking about, you might not have to resort to non-sensical rambling as a method of making a point. Sadly, this is not the case.

Because logic and psychology didn't exist before Star Trek.

I'm sorry, are you trying to look like a bitter fool who, his self-deception threatened, is lashing out with random venom? This is the only point you've made this whole post.

Sad.

Amaranth

wade-w

Amaranth: Keep it civil, please.

openeyes

The "Faith and Values" section of our local paper (StarTribune) asked this week "Is there life after death?" and got responses from three different leaders of various beliefs including an atheist.

(No Christians were asked this week. They were represented last week when the question was something along the line of "Do you believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus? All three denominations questioned said "Yes".)

To read, click HERE

Hail

I am thinking that you are just not finding this world to be much fun. To live forever in the same situation though is not an appealing prospect to me either. I think a longer life should exist only if it can be filled with nice or intriguing stuff.
One might consider too that it may be a which came first situation in that if we were prepared then put here then this may be the after life. If we come from and return to that previous state in circular cycle like the seasons then which would be first?
Given that time is the measurement of movement through space so if the previous state was not in a hard physical state then what movement would there be through what space? What I'm getting at is the whole idea of before and after does not exist in greater reality.
This other area some call the supernatural but there other ways to refer to it from place to place. I say there is existence period. Weather in this form or another. That part of you that hasn't really changed since you were a child is the core of you existence. It is at peace even when you are not. I'm not sure if everyone finds that noticeable, it just witnesses everything without concluding anything DURING your lifetime.
I think life itself may not be the problem but our present perspective may be it. We constantly grow and need more range of influence. I think we have outgrown the early constructions we have put up. Both mental and physical constructions. We are now having to move into new and unfamiliar territory.
I say hang in because the result will either reflect us more accurately or bust. Still in all our history we as a species have never really busted.
That is how I see it.

Cretinist

It'd take an eternity to experience what it would be like to sit in a dark room by yourself for an eternity.

I'd say the number of possible experiences is far 'more' infinite than eternity. Some possible experiences are mutually exclusive, like the experience of having an orgasm for eternity, and experiencing what it is like to never have an orgasm again, for eternity. You could never experience these two things.

So you're both wrong.

GrandDesigner

Greetings

Well, I guess though I said 'for fun' it was not read with humour in mind. When I said 'for fun' I meant it to be taken in an amusing way when read. Obviously I was wrong.

I could go on to say what I think having 'fun' is but I'd probably have as difficult a time of describing that as describing what a soul is. I dont ever recall professing I knew very much of anything but to me a soul is your self. How can you describe that? Thats tricky. Maybe when you look in the mirror and you look into your eye..then the other one...and you know you're not just looking at your eye. It's like it inspires your mind. Sometimes, for example, you'll look into your soul, in the mirror if thats the case, and ponder "why am I here?" You know? Can anyone define that? It seems that there are many people who read these boards who are very well educated. Can they define it in a better way? Who cares? Soul is just a word to describe that part of you hopes there is an afterlife, if it doesn't know it already. Wow, that really is a tricky thing to define. Thank you for asking and I'm sure I haven't come close to a definition of it but maybe I'll think more about how to decribe it. Nice!

You know what is really great about that? I imagine it may take an eternity to find the words or ways to describe the 'soul' properly. Do you see what you've done? I mean, already, eternity, to me, seems like not enough time. I am 32 years of age and I know, in this lifetime, there's no way near enough time to do everything I'm interested in. And I'm not even interested in a lot of things compared to other people. So, now I have a few great subjects to keep me busy for, as I said, an eternity.

I cant stand the confines of time. I know there must be reason time is how it is but I really wish there was more of it. I thought I could easily spend eternity figuring time out. Now, I have 2 more things on my plate. Souls, which I really thank you for prompting me to figure out, and fun. I mean, I could tell you having fun is when you're smiling and laughing. But maybe some people have more fun when they're pouting or whining.

I look forward to living an eternity. And now even more so. It seems I need 3 eternities. No wait...eternity is like infinity, right? So, it's 1 eternity + 1 eternity + 1 eternity...which gives you, if my math is correct.... 1 eternity. Just enough to consider those small things.
Oh, and sure, others may know what those terms mean or can describe what time is. But I mean it may take an eternity for ME to define it . As you can guess, that will take a very long time. I'm not too swift.

Have a great day.

Grand Ol Designer

Ronin

The noted and observable fact that we are born is an extremely bad omen for the case of eternal life.

babelfish

I know you said "For fun..."

But I think you really think people who don't believe the way you do are extremely arrogant. Arrogant because they think they've figured out that there is no soul residing in them that's gonna live forever.

So, okay, why do you find this arrogant? Just thinking "hmmm, after I die things will probably be the same for me as they were before I was born. I'll cease to exist," is not the same as thinking "Me Smart Human, Me Have It All Figured Out."

I think the arrogant are those who think that there is something intrinsically special about human existence. Something so special that there is an all-powerful being who actually cares about us. So special that there is a "meaning" to our puny lives. And that those lives will be allowed to go on, and on, and on.....

That's arrogant, Mr. Spock!

Hedwig

Niiiice! May I quote you?

Ronin

Freely...I would be honored.