Sudden enlightenment and realisation of death...

[Things change I've changed]

I'd love to have a strong faith.....

You can have strong belief and faith in yourself, that's how I try to live my life, I don't have any clever answers on the meaning of life or how we should live, I've studied all kinds of religion and scientific explanations for our existence and nothing has given me any definitive answers, all the books I've read, everything I've learnt, and yet if I just sit still and close my eyes and be at one with myself every fibre in my body tells me to just to be a good person, to do the right thing in the face of adversity, sometimes I really think it's that simple, if we try to be good and pure then it effects other people, the way our children are brought up and how they have an effect on the world, the choices we make, ultimately the world becomes a batter place and we evolve quicker, where we evolve to though would be nice to know, hopefully to the stars.

 

[Skidder]

It is interesting topic indeed. The issue I have with basing everything around science is that we depend on scientific advances to come to conclusions. What did the people do in the years before we had good technology? Like before we had science labs did people all have some form of faith? I just wouldn't like to have to rely on potential evidence that will be discovered in my lifetime but the poor people from 1509 wouldn't have benefitted from! Thats why I put faith and science on completely different levels.

why not! If you're happy that way, that's great.

If we had perfect understanding faith would not exist, just knowledge....the facts. I don't know the stats but I imagine atheism and agnosticism are doing rather well for themselves given our progress over the past couple of centuries.

Our understanding is certainly imperfect - the gaps I mentioned earlier - so we either plug them by finding out more facts, or we make stuff up (religion).

 

[KaHn]

I realised long ago that my excistance in this life is meaningless and as such I should put my efforts into making myself and those I love happy. Oh and try not to kill anyone in the process

KaHn

 

[Delvis]

With everything like this you can never be 100% certain, just have faith in what you believe in. Do you never wonder what if you're wrong?

I think if I prepare myself for the worst, what's the worst that can happen? Apart from hell of course

Even if he was wrong...he wouldn't know if he was wrong

Because the general belief of being re-incarnated is you do not remember your past self (although some people say they remember past lives)

I can't imagine dieing, I look at death and think...How can I die? I can't die.

yet obviously I can I think of jumping off a cliff, landing, and surviving...I just can't imagine dieing...It's a weird concept.

 

[Mik3]

You can have strong belief and faith in yourself, that's how I try to live my life, I don't have any clever answers on the meaning of life or how we should live, I've studied all kinds of religion and scientific explanations for our existence and nothing has given me any definitive answers, all the books I've read, everything I've learnt, and yet if I just sit still and close my eyes and be at one with myself every fibre in my body tells me to just to be a good person, to do the right thing in the face of adversity, sometimes I really think it's that simple, if we try to be good and pure then it effects other people, the way our children are brought up and how they have an effect on the world, the choices we make, ultimately the world becomes a batter place and we evolve quicker, where we evolve to though would be nice to know, hopefully to the stars.

I think it was Carl Sagan who said "Where made out of Star stuff pondering their own existence" that's a humbling thought, and when our Star dies our atoms will be part of the next cycle of life. Thats enough for me.

I you think about it you die every night when you go to sleep, losing consciousness is like dieing is it not?

 

[4T5]

Thread title should have an EMO WARNING!!!!

Which other member lives closest to the O.P. as he needs a visit from the Macho squad

 

[ringo747]

why not! If you're happy that way, that's great.

If we had perfect understanding faith would not exist, just knowledge....the facts. I don't know the stats but I imagine atheism and agnosticism are doing rather well for themselves given our progress over the past couple of centuries.

Our understanding is certainly imperfect - the gaps I mentioned earlier - so we either plug them by finding out more facts, or we make stuff up (religion).

Yeah exactly - we never will have perfect understanding. My belief is that God is the only one know knows it all and therefore our responsibility is to have faith in him. If for example we found out facts in 100 years time about the after live or how we get to heaven etc then those of us who have already gone will be screwed! Anything that rules out groups of people past or present I cannot grasp.

I don't know what the 'entry requirements' are for other religions but the Bible would tell us that anyone can be a Christian - there are no prerequisites. I would imagine that other religions require some kind of subscription or something? Maybe not. This is the issue I see with believing science or facts. We will never know facts, but even a child can exercise faith! I know people can be curious to work out things today but I believe faith is easier than fact finding - especially if the facts haven't been discovered yet!

 

[benneh]

You'll die, and you'll be dead.

Most likely the last thought running through your head will be something to do with the fact that you can feel the stoney weight of your blackening stopped heart hanging in your chest. There will be some darkness, on account of none essential functions shutting down, tinnitus and deafness, and then I suppose you lay there realising you're dying for a minute or two whilst your brain begins to shut down. I personally would rather blow my brains out and end it quickly, my friend on the other hand wants to experience the final moments; because there's every chance that these moments (slowed down infinitely by a dying brain) are the essence of the afterlife. I find it all very scary.

 

[ChrisJSY]

I believe in re-incarnation

So, know anyone that's reincarnated?
Infact, by that way of thinking why aren't you already a re-incarnation of yourself, or do you think you are, do you remember your past life?

If not, it doesn't matter.

I you think about it you die every night when you go to sleep, losing consciousness is like dieing is it not?

Ahaha sorry.
No, your brain enters a meditated like state(different levels), your muscles relax, but your brain is still running into auto mode keeping everything in check, sometimes you dream, sometimes you don't. It is not dying.

 

[platypus]

Having almost died twice recently, I still haven't changed my beliefs - in that I have no idea whats going to happen. I'm not an atheist, but I'm not a theist.

My approach to things has changed though.

 

[Delvis]

So, know anyone that's reincarnated?
Infact, by that way of thinking why aren't you already a re-incarnation of yourself, or do you think you are, do you remember your past life?

If not, it doesn't matter.

Why would you know someone that's re-incarnated? You don't come back as yourself every time

And not everyones knows if they have....just a select view have faint memories of 'a past life'.

 

[uber soldat]

 

[MookJong]

As a Panthiest I believe all matter is part of one unified force which I have always been part of and always will. Part of this force is currently in a human configuration called MookJong in years to come it will change into something else.

The idea of the self is just a passing illusion

 

[ringo747]

probably-no-god-double-decker.jpg

I read about those posters before. If this said there is no Allah it would have been all over the news as a racist thing! The UK is officially a Christian country and yet nobody says boo to this!

 

[I get around]

I see all religion as popular cult. I believe that when you're dead, you're just dead, end of, no heaven, no hell, no reincarnation.
Proove me wrong when I die but it doesn't make any kind of logical sense to me.

 

[Mik3]

So, know anyone that's reincarnated?
Infact, by that way of thinking why aren't you already a re-incarnation of yourself, or do you think you are, do you remember your past life?

If not, it doesn't matter.



Ahaha sorry.
No, your brain enters a meditated like state(different levels), your muscles relax, but your brain is still running into auto mode keeping everything in check, sometimes you dream, sometimes you don't. It is not dying.

But you lose consciousness, your no longer aware of reality and your existence, basically you cease to exist, especially after a few beers.

 

[Skidder]

Yeah exactly - we never will have perfect understanding. My belief is that God is the only one know knows it all and therefore our responsibility is to have faith in him. If for example we found out facts in 100 years time about the after live or how we get to heaven etc then those of us who have already gone will be screwed! Anything that rules out groups of people past or present I cannot grasp.

I don't know what the 'entry requirements' are for other religions but the Bible would tell us that anyone can be a Christian - there are no prerequisites. I would imagine that other religions require some kind of subscription or something? Maybe not. This is the issue I see with believing science or facts. We will never know facts, but even a child can exercise faith! I know people can be curious to work out things today but I believe faith is easier than fact finding - especially if the facts haven't been discovered yet!

So we agree, but have totally oposing views! I like it.

Re entry requirements/subscriptions, most (big) religions are much the same as Christianity, Judaism makes a bit of a song and dance about getting involved if you're not born into it.

I can't say I follow your logic particularly, but that's no bad thing. I don't really get the leap from, "we don't know everything" to therefore "there must be a god that does know everything". Personally I feel no need to make that leap / break with logic and reason in that manner.

You say faith is easier than fact finding and I certainly agree with that and do think that religion is essentially a bit of a lazy cop out. "I don't uderstand X?" - "well that's god you see, he probably did it."

I also think that to bow to organised religion requires relinquishing intellectual autonomy, allowing others to tell you how to think without questioning it. It goes against the grain for me.

Geography is a massive determining factor in people's faith of choice and that has never rung true for me either.

 

[Skidder]

I read about those posters before. If this said there is no Allah it would have been all over the news as a racist thing! The UK is officially a Christian country and yet nobody says boo to this!

Thankfully, Britain is in the early stages of growing to accept diversity in people's views.

I don't kick up a stink everytime our local churh has a banner about Jesus walking among us or similar. It's the same.

 

[platinum87]

TO FEAR DEATH IS TO LIMIT LIFE!

i'll never accept death, i will fight whatever until the very last second.

at the end of the day, your either a fighter or a quitter.

 

[ringo747]

SNIP

Fair points indeed but I do think that the posters thing is a big far fetched. My opinion here is that the guy who organised this has no fear of Allah being real and therefore his only concern is to try to convince people there is no God. I believe that every person has some form of God consciousness and in some people it is this internal shying away from this that causes these actions. If this guy knew there was no God why would he be so bothered to put it on a bus? Obviously he doesn't believe in Allah and therefore he doesn't put a 'there is probably no Allah' on the bus. If he had there would have been a major outcry as it is downing someones religion, however, if it is Christianity it doesn't seem to come across as discrimination any more! Quite strange. Interesting thread - think I will leave it now to go watch cricket!