Is a deity a prerequisite of an after life?
What about something like reincarnation?
I consider that to be an after life. Is a Deity a prerequisite in such a scenario?
The promise of an afterlife, ie Heaven is so that we abide by the rules in this life? So in that instance we require a supreme being to judge our performance in this life.
If there is a different sense to afterlife, life as a ghost, life as an animal then ut is just unexplained and we are unable to fathom it perhaps.
Reincarnation in a way does occur (in a physical matter sense not spiritual). Just as our Sun is a 3rd generation star, we are all made up of stardust.
It’s the circle of life.
3 Likes
Sorry, I misinterpreted your reply. Your view is that if an after life doesn’t necessitate a God you can be an Atheist and also believe in an after life, right?
Do you believe in an after life?
Someone mentioned earlier that science gives religion less places to hide. Not sure that is true.
We like to think of ourselves as knowledgeable but science tends to show us the opposite. The more we understand, the more we realise how little we understand.
The laws and mathematics we generate fall within of understanding and perceptions of the world around us. Take the absolute basics of our universe gravity and time. They highlight our ignorance.
Mathematically gravity as a force should be much stronger. Its one of the rationale behind string theory and multiple dimensions (the lack of force explained by gravity transversing dimensions)
Gravity is intertwined with time, how mind bending is it that time is not universally standard. A stop watch in space runs slower than on earth.
One of the reasons why Big Bang is so difficult to explain is the laws of physics do not apply. Including time, gravity and multiple dimensions. It’s fascinating and wonderful.
We try and use our limited understanding of world around us, and mental models to explain what see. But human race has a long way to go before we can answer the big questions.
Be it the Big Bang, Consciousness, the laws of nature.
4 Likes
Didn’t say it was. But while they’re happy to see her later, I want her kept alive NOW because I know I have a now.
Absofuckinglutely.
Snap
And for those who believe in an afterlife, it can be both.
We simply asking different (/harder) questions now but the amount of questions without answer remains similar, is that what you’re saying?
Sure, we know the earth is round(ish), it orbits the sun, we’ve harnessed electricity, visited the moon, understand the weather, earthquakes, evolution, disease etc etc. But now we’re searching for dark matter, anti-particles, can we harness dark energy etc…
But those questions don’t tend to lead me to think: we don’t know, maybe it’s God?
The ones that, for me, lead in that direction are those of a philosophical nature rather than physical.
Individual consciousness being the big one. The chance of this particular consciousness (mine) being created. Can it only have existed in this body, at this time, etc etc?
Is that suggestive of a higher force? How did everything originate? Why do we love? What emotions are uniquely human?
Nope. It would be a nice idea, to get another spin on the wheel, but I think we die and that’s that.
I have never really thought about until you asked, but I suppose you could imagine a natural process of reincarnation that doesn’t involve a god.
1 Like
I was referring to the big boat with all the animals and the subsequent incest
1 Like
I think after death will be exactly the same as pre-life.
What that was like I cannot remember.
3 Likes
You can actually become a minister of this church just by signing up. I did years ago. It seems just as valid, if not more so than some other religions.
2 Likes
In a sense, yes.
I always liked this graphic
Its meant to provide some perspective for PhD students of their work. We know so little, and when we get answers frequently what happens is we discover the world is more amazing than we ever envisaged. Things that defy what we thought we knew creates far more questions, than answers.
I spoke about gravity and the connection of time. If we start going down the rabbit hole you start with Newton, to Einstein to Hawkings and others today we end up with likes of String Theory and Loop quantum Gravity. These discoveries don’t make the world less astonishing/less inspiring. They do the opposite.
Take something like Loop Quantum Gravity its not my area but my bastardised understanding, proponents argue what if time does not exist ? simply a construct or illusion our simple brains have to make sense of the world. I know it seems absurd, but there are those physicists that don’t believe in time as a fundamental property. Instead, it is simply entropy. We see it through the lens at a superficial level. However we are only seeing the effect. A bit like a how a movie is an illusion, the reality is multiple frames, like a flipbook.
I struggle to get my head around it. But as our knowledge advances to include concepts of multiple dimensions, the absence of gravity or even time. Things are simply construct we use to make sense of the world. Thats a higher level of thinking/understanding for me does not preclude spiritual concepts or that we are moving away from that being possible. Given we are so far removed from actually understanding our universe.
(Sorry that’s quite philosophical)
7 Likes
In light of recent discussions. Maybe we need a science thread.
2 Likes
Wow. That could really be a game changer as far as understanding life goes.
I’ve always agreed with the understanding that simple single celled life is probably abundant in the universe. But complex might be a one in a trillion freak.
Buddhism. Reality is nothingness.
1 Like