| Do you believe in life after death? |
| yes |
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33% |
[ 5 ] |
| no |
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66% |
[ 10 ] |
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| Total Votes : 15 |
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Lawrence  Experienced Gold Contributor


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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:38 pm Post subject:
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Mr. P
I was hoping you would read my blog (Lawrenceindestin), and post a comment. I've enjoyed reading your thoughts. I hope you find my essay interesting. Thanks, Lawrenceindestin. |
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Constance963  Intern

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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 1:42 pm Post subject:
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| Penelope wrote: |
I agree, it is the most wonderful thing to experience.
BUT - what about when the baby is born - not perfect....malformed in fact.. what happens when it is is your own baby....and you feel 'relief' as much as grief when that baby dies.
That is when you need to find some spiritual hand to hold......that is when you know you don't have the inner resources and need help and assurance from somewhere 'other'. |
Hi Penelope,
I do understand what you are saying here. My point was just that I don't think that belief or non-belief in God makes the wonders of life any more or less amazing.
Losing a child is horrible - unfortunately I know several people who have -and finding peace is difficult for all of them, but I can't generalize for all of them because they each handled their tragedy a different way. Some people do indeed need to find some kind of spiritual hand to hold however, others do not. |
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Mr. Pessimistic  Professor Silver Contributor


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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 1:52 pm Post subject:
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| lawrenceindestin wrote: |
Mr. P
I was hoping you would read my blog (Lawrenceindestin), and post a comment. I've enjoyed reading your thoughts. I hope you find my essay interesting. Thanks, Lawrenceindestin. |
I will check it out shortly. I have been crazy buzy for any lengthy reading/posting here. Work, volunteer stuff, sleep....
I have only finished ONE book this year! That stinks, but I am just too busy or tired lately.
Mr. P. |
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Lawrence  Experienced Gold Contributor


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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 2:55 pm Post subject:
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Roger that!
The reason I asked you to look at it is my essay deals with the subject of this topic in greater detail than posting would permit. Anyone posting here is also welcome to see what I had to say and why I said it. Best wishes, Lawrenceindestin |
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Frank 013  Embodiment of Reason BookTalk.org Moderator

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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:45 pm Post subject:
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Penelope
BUT - what about when the baby is born - not perfect... malformed in fact… what happens when it is your own baby... and you feel 'relief' as much as grief when that baby dies.
That is when you need to find some spiritual hand to hold... that is when you know you don't have the inner resources and need help and assurance from somewhere 'other'. |
Penelope, many of the things you say are common assertions of the church and religious believers in general; they also, when looked at honestly, seem to be false.
I would say that it is impossible to say for certain but from the studies I have seen the religious seem to be more likely to have emotional problems, and respond worse to those problems then their secular counterparts, for example… suicide is more common among the religious than among the non-religious despite the assertion that it is a unforgivable sin.
The question as I see it is… is this failing a result of people’s religious coddling, (The denial of the crisis because they are good worshipers and god would not do that to them?) or are those types of people drawn to religion because religions offer the support that those people need and cannot find within themselves?
Can we be certain that in the absence of religion those same people would have failed in life, or is it possible that they might have found the inner strength but were denied that opportunity?
If the latter is true, and I think it is for at least some people, isn’t religion doing those people a disservice?
This is a hard question to answer because the vast majority of believers are indoctrinated long before their strength as individuals can be assessed. Furthermore religions actively teach that what they offer is needed, and that people without religion are lacking in some manner.
If religion offers strength why is it that the religious tend to be the least capable of dealing with adversity?
To go back to your example of the malformed baby… from a secular perspective random mutation is to be expected from time to time and death is natural. The simultaneous grief and relief of the baby’s death are both natural. People are capable of recognizing the fact that the infant was probably spared tremendous hardship and ridicule which might have made its quality of life non existent. On the other hand it was still an innocent and not deserving of such a short and miserable existence.
If we humans had any say in the matter every baby would be born perfect with the opportunity for a successful and happy life. If there is a god he/she seems to be lacking in that basic morality.
I have to ask, is an entity so lacking in basic morality worthy of worship?
Later |
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Mr. Pessimistic  Professor Silver Contributor


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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:37 am Post subject:
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| Frank 013 wrote: |
If we humans had any say in the matter every baby would be born perfect with the opportunity for a successful and happy life. If there is a god he/she seems to be lacking in that basic morality.
I have to ask, is an entity so lacking in basic morality worthy of worship?
Later |
In regard to this point, it is humans and science, not god and prayer, that at least has a chance of finding a way to find and STOP undesireable mutations. The fight against and denial of what we have learned through evolution, mostly seen in religious realms, is keeping us in the dark and doing a disservice to us all. Does science have all the answers and can it do everything? No. No one says that. But it is at least an attempt in that direction.
And again, does it make sense to worship a god that allows deformed babies to be born? If you do believe in that god, well then WHY is that babies birth and quick death something bad? Is it not in "His" or "Her" plan? Are you questioning the higher power on the choice to make this child the way He has chosen?
Mr. P. |
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tarav  Stupendously Brilliant BookTalk.org Moderator Silver Contributor


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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:47 am Post subject: Spirits
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| I do not believe in life after death. The energy that remains would hardly be considered by me to be my life or the spirit of me. However, I do like to suspend disbelief to watch movies involving life after death and to go on ghost walks! |
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Penelope  Stupendously Brilliant Silver Contributor


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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:28 am Post subject:
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Frank said:
If we humans had any say in the matter every baby would be born perfect with the opportunity for a successful and happy life. If there is a god he/she seems to be lacking in that basic morality.
I have to ask, is an entity so lacking in basic morality worthy of worship? |
It seems obvious to me that life, evolution - has been set in motion and obviously the god force doesn't keep it all running along smooth lines. Errors occur......
I am not advocating belief in some power that sits in heaven creating us all like a baker making loaves.......
I don't believe that we are meant to 'worship' anything....what a useless practice that would be......
I don't make feeble offerings.......bribes......to a separate God.
I just believe that there is much more to life than appears on the surface. I believe there is a higher power and that we can source that power when we feel ready or we feel the need. I believe it is a power that is in all of us, not that I am anything special.
It doesn't really bother me if people don't feel the need. I am just defending my right to believe in something more than meets the eye.
I am absolutely convinced that the human mind is very powerful and that we don't realise its full potential.
I think we are wonderful......I think I am wonderful....because I can look at myself and the rest of the world and still laugh.  |
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Lawrence  Experienced Gold Contributor


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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:43 am Post subject:
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I'm still promoting my blog Lawrenceindestin Penelope, but to respond it sounds as though you want valadition to your beliefs. The answer is there is no answer, only belief. The individual, unique, and personal belief of each person who asks and answers the question "is there life after earth. Tarav can not be judged anymore "right or wrong" for his belief than you or I can be judged right or wrong. That is the nature of asking unanswerable questions.
The problems arise when as a social and political group we attempt to get everyone going in the same direction for the same reason. If I'm boring you or sounding pedantic please say so. L |
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Penelope  Stupendously Brilliant Silver Contributor


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Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 12:41 pm Post subject:
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Lawrence - How can you even think that you might be boring!!!
It is great to share ideas.
I just feel a bit sad that we are very swiftly coming to the end of the age of religion in this part of the world. Our lovely old churches and cathedrals remind me of stately old galleons sinking slowly into the sea - and with people abandoning ship in a sort of mass exodus.
We do seem to be fast approaching a new age and whereas I can see Frank and Mr. P's points of view, in that religion has been the cause of a lot of barbarism and bloodshed.....I do feel there should be some sort of compromise and meeting point between the out and out Atheists and the ones who feel convinced that there is much more to life than meets the eye. I want to keep our lovely old churches anyway.....they are good places to meditate.....when they are empty.
Look at Tibet and China as we speak. Religion will be blamed for that I expect.......but it really isn't to do with religion in this case. It seems to me to be the opposite problem....of an Atheistic society trying to force its ways onto a deeply spiritual society. |
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Lawrence  Experienced Gold Contributor


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Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 1:23 pm Post subject:
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My purpose in writing my essay which Chris is kind enough to let me post as a blog under Lawrenceindestin is to show that your concern of the power of the state obliterating individual choice (belief), is very real. The culprit is our presumption the use of force to impose our will on others is OK. For 7,000 years all that presumption has caused is strife and pain. That presumption underlies spousal dialogue, parenting, sibling relations, family, societies and nation states.
Once a person or society logically concludes it is appropriate behavior to impose one's will on another, there is no logical reason not to use all of the force available against the opponent until that opponent succumbs or is destroyed. That is the insanity that has prevailed for the recorded history of humanity. Unless we establish an interpersonal value system that acknowledges the reality that belief is a personal choice and imposing ones will on another is unacceptable behavior what evidence is there to support that things will change? The killing will go on. My essay is saying we must challenge the insane logic of our societies. I try to show why we are they thinking like that. What is the reason for such stinking thinking. If the conclusion I present in my essay is acknowledged as worthy of consideration, I will present a way AND THE MEANS to modify our attitudes.
I do understand why and how you enjoy the trapings of religion. What my essay shows is that so much of it was established for the wrong reason. However, that does not keep the music, buildings, incense and ritual from being a pleasant and stimulating experience for you now.
I say, enjoy. You owe no one an explanation. You do business with your belief system anyway you want (but not so as to impose your will on another). I should be able to send and receive PMs pretty soon if you would like to carry on there. Lawrenceindestin |
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bolsen1 Eligible to vote!
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:29 am Post subject: Afterlife
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I do not "believe" in life after death because 1) there is no evidence of it and 2) I had no "life" before I was born, either. After all, isn't life after death a contradiction in terms? The only existence I have ever known is "life", so if I exist, I must be alive...  |
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Lawrence  Experienced Gold Contributor


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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 7:50 am Post subject: It's all about belief
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| In chapter one of my booktalk blog lawrenceindestin, I show that questions like this can only be answered by belief. One person's belief is as good as another because it is personal it cannot be corporate. Welcome to BookTalk. I've found these folks kind and gentle. Lawrenceindestin |
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brikayla72 Newbie
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 8:11 am Post subject:
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| Well I am a Christian so I believe when I die I will go to heaven. I also belive there are spirits that roam the earth. People that are trapped for some particular reason or another. |
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bolsen1 Eligible to vote!
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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:22 pm Post subject:
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| brikayla72 wrote: |
| Well I am a Christian so I believe when I die I will go to heaven. I also belive there are spirits that roam the earth. People that are trapped for some particular reason or another. |
So, have you ever seen heaven, or have you known anyone who returned to tell you about it? Have you ever seen one of these spirits, or talked to it? Has it ever told you to do something, which you obediently followed?...  |
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