Life After Death

[JDFP]

i'd agree. i deny that anything happens for any metaphysical/spiritual/religious/supernatural etc. reason. things are determined by causality. for example, you get cancer because you've smoked, been exposed to something harmful or have bad genes, etc. you don't get it as some sort of punishment for things you've done wrong. the "just world" idea in which bad things happen to people because of actions they've taken is among the most childish conceits a person can engage in. I agree with this as well - I don't buy "just world" nonsense - even scripture is full of this being bogus bullshit (The Book of Job) for example which is fascinating as a character study even if one doesn't accept it on a literal level, me thinks. As for me, I think the reason is nature, nurture, and environment - a little of all three as I listed above in my post. Things happen not by accident or by some "Metaphysical" mumbo-jumbo (though I guess some could argue that, I don't, my religious views don't enter into it) but because of the equation being set in just the right way through various factors. j.p.

[krakenslayer]

I think it appears extremely unlikely given what we know. There is zero reliable evidence on this. I won't rule it out entirely, as both the phenomenon of consciousness and the quantum universe are bizarre and unpredictable enough that nothing can be taken for granted (and absence of evidence is not evidence of absence), but let's just say I don't hold out much hope of seeing my gran again. Even if we make a massive assumption for argument's sake and say there can exist some form of consciousness in the absence of the functional physical structures that support it in the case of organic life, there is no reason to believe that such an existence would be in any way analogous to the one we currently experience, or that a consciousness separated from its host organism would have any need for or interest in the social connections of organic beings. I don't mean to be nihilistic, but things like love, friendship, family and relationships are driven by emotions, and emotions are governed by hormones released in response to environmental stimulus. I would not expect non-biological consciousness to have any use or capacity for emotions or relationships as we know them, so I would not necessarily expect my (theoretical) post-death consciousness to seek out even those I currently cannot live without. People's thinking on this subject is always clouded by the details of established religious belief, whether or not they themselves are religious. Also, there is no supernatural. There is only existence and non-existence. If it were shown that (say) ghosts existed, even on some weird "other level", then they exist and that's that. Supernatural is an arbitrary term, essentially euphemism for two separate states of inquiry: "not currently understood" or "no evidence".

[rongravy]

I put that I will live on after death because I plan on using voodoo to put my essence into a doll and Chuckying the fudge out of anyone who gets into my way or knows the truth... That, or anyone who tries to cut a backdoor hole in me and stuff the stuffing into/out of me. Never again... Kidding, but excluding the whole GAWD thangie, pretty much everything has recycle-bull possibilities. So maybe my schnizz floats around for billions of years waiting for life to be started somewhere/somehow in another galaxy in the vast universe. Then myself gets inserted into the situation, a memory need not get involved. Or maybe, just maybe, I'm stuck right here in the rat race of spermlife trying to get reborn again... Alot of reincarnated life could be a 99.9% failure of sperm too slow to swim. Sure, J.P. has a "I don't believe in Jesus" complex right now, I'd love to hear how he feels when he's seriously faced with mortality(as many do/did, including my once severely athiest parents), but in truth he's somewhat right. As far as a supreme being is concerned... Nahhhhhh. Look at the bigger picture in a universe NOT based on a book being written when the Earth was considered flat. Does anything anywhere end up no longer existing materialwise? Even submicroscopic particles eventually tend to clump together. I don't even PRETEND to think we are like computers. That is a man made thangie. Sure, what makes us up is a super rare happening, but stranger still, unexplained things come together and VOILA!!! Even Hawkings revises his schnizz. If parallel universes DO exist, there is more than enough vast possibilities to tide our sorry asses over. Sure this argument is pointless, but so is arguing whether or not Romero has lost his touch, or whether Blair Witch sucks ass or not, which I personally think it does... Sorry for the dig, J.P., but dayumn does that movie suck ass. And yes, I resaw it last night for the first time again... Right now you seem like the guy who'd be pissed off that someone put up a Nativity scene, because it excluded your personal feelings. Yeah, GAWD doesn't exist, but chill and have another drink... And so will I. I am a firm believer in Zappa, but even he's been wrong from time to time.

[JDFP]

Sure, J.P. has a "I don't believe in Jesus" complex right now, I'd love to hear how he feels when he's seriously faced with mortality(as many do/did, including my once severely athiest parents), Now where from my earlier posts did you get the idea I have anything against Christ or that I'm an atheist in any way? I've said that I don't believe the question of whether there is or isn't an afterlife matters. I think it's a silly discussion that really doesn't have much merit in asking it. But for the record, I am a Christian and I believe in Christ as my personal savior and try (although I usually fail) to emulate His life and teachings - I believe that Christ was the Son of God. For what it's worth. I don't expect others to accept it - to each their own. It's just my belief. I'm certainly not an atheist at all. As far as your comments on "The Blair Witch" we'll just have to disagree - people who love it are right and people who didn't like it are just wrong. So that's all there is regarding that subject. j.p.

[EvilNed]

I agree with this as well - I don't buy "just world" nonsense - even scripture is full of this being bogus bullshit (The Book of Job) for example which is fascinating as a character study even if one doesn't accept it on a literal level, me thinks. As for me, I think the reason is nature, nurture, and environment - a little of all three as I listed above in my post. Things happen not by accident or by some "Metaphysical" mumbo-jumbo (though I guess some could argue that, I don't, my religious views don't enter into it) but because of the equation being set in just the right way through various factors. j.p. But what you describe is not a reason. It is a cause.

[Rottedfreak]

Oh at some point I imagine with genetic engineering we could tell our bodies to stay 20 or 30 for ever... Then things would get interesting/messy! Molecular Nanotechnology maybe? people could create a paradise on Earth for humans and then change what it means to be human (like eliminate aging and sleep, heighten sensations etc).

[shootemindehead]

i'd agree. i deny that anything happens for any metaphysical/spiritual/religious/supernatural etc. reason. things are determined by causality. for example, you get cancer because you've smoked, been exposed to something harmful or have bad genes, etc. you don't get it as some sort of punishment for things you've done wrong. the "just world" idea in which bad things happen to people because of actions they've taken is among the most childish conceits a person can engage in. I have to agree. The universe is chaos. It's the natural "order" of things. I can't believe that there's any "reason" to a lot of the happenings that occur. It's just way too random.

[Mike70]

I have to agree. The universe is chaos. It's the natural "order" of things. I can't believe that there's any "reason" to a lot of the happenings that occur. It's just way too random. the nature of most things is chaotic but order can still arise from chaos. our solar system and all the other star systems we've found are proof of that. there is a reason for that too - the action of gravity. things tend to stick together in space. that was proven by a few simple experiments done on the space station. there need be no supernatural or metaphysical reasons for order arising from chaos either.

[AcesandEights]

Thought this was interesting and poignant. Some of you guys may have already heard of this in the news. Not posting it to debate whether this kid was experiencing a trip to heaven or a peaceful chemical dump in his brain as he spiraled into death. Just thought it was worth seeing. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/sick...death-15248830

[Mike70]

did anyone have the cassette version that did the weird cut thing where part of the the second side was on the first...oh wait...wrong thread. guess we are fighting on the beaches somewhere else.

[Kaos]

Back by popular demand: The eternal truth that haunts Terran to this day.

[Mike70]

Back by popular demand: The eternal truth that haunts Terran to this day. that's it! trips me out every time i listen to it.

[shootemindehead]

Back by popular demand: The eternal truth that haunts Terran to this day. Sticky mouth motherfucker. I hope he's dead. Drove me mental trying to listen to that. Jesus...clear your feckin throat before you speak.

[AcesandEights]

Sticky mouth motherfucker. I hope he's dead. Drove me mental trying to listen to that. Jesus...clear your feckin throat before you speak. Didn't bother me, I found it distinctive and fitting. *Shrug* And don't worry about wishing him dead...he will die and so...will...you. Me? They're going to freeze my severed head in carbonite and hang me on a wall in some intergalactic crimelord's palace. I just hope they don't hang me next to any Patrick Nagels.

[shootemindehead]

It's just a physical trait (habit) some people have that drives me nuts. I'm not going to die though. I've put too much effort into this life to simply have it taken away but something as trivial as death.