Atheists and the soul

Discussion in 'Religion' started by DaveC426913, Sep 11, 2014.

?

Do you sign?

  1. Yes

    5 vote(s)
    33.3%
  2. No.

    10 vote(s)
    66.7%
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  1. Trooper Secular Sanity Valued Senior Member

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    Try telling that to my mother.

    Goodnight, Dave.
     
    cluelusshusbund likes this.
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  3. Kittamaru Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Adieu, Sciforums. Valued Senior Member

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    A curiously vicious, yet completely unfounded and unsupported, attack upon my knowledge.

    My definition is simple:

    In other words, you wish to withdraw from an argument now that you feel you are on the losing end of it... *shrugs*
     
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  5. Trooper Secular Sanity Valued Senior Member

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    I've questioned you before. You had to ask your wife, remember? Just be honest with yourself. You don't have the tools.

    That was an argument? Hardly, but whatever, Kittamaru.

    Yes, the deal with the devil trope is old.

    I don't have anything else to add. I'm done.
     
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  7. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    That is probably just as well. The very definition of 'forum' is that of a place where people come to speak and be heard. The idea of openly declaring that one's agenda is to silence and abolish one's opponents - this is the very antithesis of inclusive, constructive dialogue.
     
  8. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    I sign nothing without my lawyer looking it over first.

    Ever wonder what happens to those people that do not believe in an afterlife?
     
  9. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Same thing as everyone else.
     
  10. Kittamaru Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Adieu, Sciforums. Valued Senior Member

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    Dave - a bit off topic but, what are your thoughts on reincarnation/rebirth? Not necessarily in a spiritual meaning, but the thought of the energy that is your consciousness being reborn again?
     
  11. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Well, my thoughts are that our consciousness is an emergent property of our brain's biochemistry. When the processes stop, so does our consciousness.
     
  12. cluelusshusbund + Public Dilemma + Valued Senior Member

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    Are off topic discussions not subject to moderation in this thred now???... if so... i woud like to join in.!!!
     
  13. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    In my opinion, the initial thread has pretty much run its course - it was a poll after all. Anyone who has an opinion on the original topic - including me - has probably said their piece.
     
  14. wellwisher Banned Banned

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    5,160
    In Christianity, as well as other religions, the ideas of heaven, nirvana, reincarnation, etc., serve the function of helping people overcome the instinctive/primitive fear of death. The fear of death can paralyze many people and/or can cause the thoughts of their mortal death to influence their decisions and actions.

    When the brain writes to cerebral memory , aspects of the limbic system, in the core of the brain, attaches an emotional tag to the memory. The instinctive fear of death causes a fear tag to be attached, more often, than someone who is more distracted by thoughts of heaven or paradise. Whether heaven is true or not, faith can change the ratio of fear tags in memory. A small child in a war zone can still play because their young minds are not thinking of death but of life.

    If there is no heaven or no reincarnation, then there is no real need to prepare for a future beyond death. This changes behavior, since one will plan around the time limit they think they have. For example, say you are a freshman in college and learn you have a terminal disease, and will die by the time you graduate. Instead of thinking in terms of the original sacrifice and struggle for good grades, leading to a good job/career and family, you may decide why struggle, why not just eat, drink and be merry. You can't see any bright light at the end of the tunnel. Instead you see fear and the need to repress the fear with strong distractions.

    Interestingly, in western religion, before Christianity, when people died they went to one place; Hades. It was not heaven or Hell. This was due to the fear of death that lingered and controlled behavior. Divine punishment was mediate by man in real time, not in the future. They did not yet collectively have a self image beyond death, of a positive place, to alter the writing of memory with excess fear, into memory with far less fear. They were more atheists.

    The soul, symbolically, is analogous to our memory which defines all the stored data of who we are. The soul is traditionally static (memories) and is animated by the spirit (think back). The atheist memory is build more around fear and repression of fear because they are more natural like the old testament human; Hades.

    Fear, in modern religion is not connected to heaven, but to hell or a nasty reincarnation. Symbolically, the atheist build their memory grid more in the image of Hades/hell; fear. This could explain why they are always on the offensive being overly sensitive to little things; defensive fears.

    Christ said, unless you be as children you cannot enter the kingdom of God. The child is thinking in terms of life and immortality, living in the present, taking risk as though they will live, forever. Their memory grid is writing life to memory, at least .until their parent engrain fear so they lose their childhood; Hades. Religions begin to teach about that time and restores the lower ratio of fear to memory; for a soul in heaven, nirvana, positive reincarnation, etc.
     
  15. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Well THAT was an egregious error in judgement on my part...

    Talk about leaving a dangling thread, for anyone to yank on...

    Requesting thread-lock.
     
  16. Kittamaru Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Adieu, Sciforums. Valued Senior Member

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    Locked per OP request
     
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