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Thread: Souls

  1. #1
    A 40 Bag To Freedom E.A Rumfield's Avatar
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    Souls

    Some people believe that each person has their own unique soul. I'd even say most people do believe that their is some kind of after life. Does this just apply to people because I would think if a person had a soul so would an animal or a bug. So the Earth began as a lifeless planet. Than there were single celled organisms, than bugs and whatever and whatever and we got here. So 50,000 years ago there were 1 million people on Earth. 2,000 years ago there were 2 million.Today there are 8 billion. So where did all these souls come from? Initially there weren't any. Personally I believe its just a comforting thing to believe in when you know you will die someday, to believe that even death isn't forever. A different topic but similar thought process, dogs don't believe in God at least not to my knowledge. Why do people? We are so self important to think we are "Gods Children". From genetic engineering to the H Bomb, one thing is sure, if there is a God, God despises us.
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    BadWoolf JuniperWoolf's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by E.A Rumfield View Post
    Personally I believe its just a comforting thing to believe in when you know you will die someday, to believe that even death isn't forever. A different topic but similar thought process, dogs don't believe in God at least not to my knowledge. Why do people? We are so self important to think we are "Gods Children". From genetic engineering to the H Bomb, one thing is sure, if there is a God, God despises us.
    It's so refreshing to read such incredibly innovative points of view. Really, you just never see trailblazing opinions like this on the internet.*

    *sarcasm
    Last edited by JuniperWoolf; 09-09-2012 at 03:11 AM.
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    Wow, it's totally like, something I have never thought of, such eloquence such intellectual prowess; I mean you are a fvcking genius man !

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    (Why the hate guys? You gotta learn to stop being so douchey)

    I reckon the souls real, it's what makes us who we are. If we don't have a soul then we aren't anything, and I KNOW we are something. All humans have souls, I guess animals might as well.
    I know there is no science at ALL that says we have souls, but my gut feeling says we do. A soul isn't something science can explain.

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    Quote Originally Posted by E.A Rumfield View Post
    Some people believe that each person has their own unique soul. I'd even say most people do believe that their is some kind of after life. Does this just apply to people because I would think if a person had a soul so would an animal or a bug. So the Earth began as a lifeless planet. Than there were single celled organisms, than bugs and whatever and whatever and we got here. So 50,000 years ago there were 1 million people on Earth. 2,000 years ago there were 2 million.Today there are 8 billion. So where did all these souls come from? Initially there weren't any. Personally I believe its just a comforting thing to believe in when you know you will die someday, to believe that even death isn't forever. A different topic but similar thought process, dogs don't believe in God at least not to my knowledge. Why do people? We are so self important to think we are "Gods Children". From genetic engineering to the H Bomb, one thing is sure, if there is a God, God despises us.
    We are the only one's to believe in an afterlife because we are the only ones aware of death. Animals, bugs, whatever, don't understand that life is finite like we do, which is why they haven't create myths to make themselves feel better about dying.

    If there is a god, I don't think he despises us. He's just ambivalent. Free will and all that.

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    On a more serious note, I have always been keen on paganism for the mere fact that it's views of the God(s) seems to make far more sense than that of the Abrahamic religions. The abrahamic God, is one who loves us, who created us and who wants what is best for us. Upon first sight such an omniscient and omnipotent god does not seem to match his deeds to his words. There is a word for a man who says one thing and does the other. Naturally, complex theological debates have arises to answer the paradox - God loves us - yet life is cruel and unfair. Lets face it, were I a Jewish man, after the holocaust, I would have some doubts as to the fact that we are God's chosen and favorite peoples. Or maybe God was just putting his favorite peoples through and intense and spartan bout of natural selection.

    But the greco-roman pagan Gods on the other hand; they are capricious and unjust, one will destroy a civilization merely because he does not like it, and another will make one man a king merely because he thinks him beautiful. These God's are not sterile and beyond human, like the abrahmic God; they are all too human. They posses everything that is human but more and to extremes which amongst mankind could only be deemed madness. Yet such insolent, idle and frivolous God's and more representative of life as I see it, than any ordered, benevolent and all-powerfull god.

    Paganism just make more sense, it requires no complex and paradoxical theological debate in order to explain the relation of God(s) to the world.
    Last edited by Alexander III; 09-09-2012 at 02:39 PM.

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    TobeFrank Paulclem's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Volya View Post
    (Why the hate guys? You gotta learn to stop being so douchey)

    I reckon the souls real, it's what makes us who we are. If we don't have a soul then we aren't anything, and I KNOW we are something. All humans have souls, I guess animals might as well.
    I know there is no science at ALL that says we have souls, but my gut feeling says we do. A soul isn't something science can explain.
    I don't have a problem with a belief in souls - it may be a positive belief - but the question is what is the "we" you are referring to? What defines it? Also, if the soul is eternal, which part of the we is it because presumably an eternal part would not be subject to change?

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    Registered User Desolation's Avatar
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    I find these concepts substantially more useful when they're not taken too literally.

    I like the word "soul" quite a bit...It's a really fantastic word. I don't believe that it's a concrete thing that actually exists and keeps on going forever, but I do think that it's a great symbol of basic self-hood, humanity, and that deep realm of consciousness and feeling that we all have somewhere inside of us.

    Life after death, on the other hand, isn't an idea that I'm very fond of. Frankly, I find the idea of eternal life infinitely more frightening than death.

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    TobeFrank Paulclem's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Desolation View Post
    I find these concepts substantially more useful when they're not taken too literally.

    I like the word "soul" quite a bit...It's a really fantastic word. I don't believe that it's a concrete thing that actually exists and keeps on going forever, but I do think that it's a great symbol of basic self-hood, humanity, and that deep realm of consciousness and feeling that we all have somewhere inside of us.

    Life after death, on the other hand, isn't an idea that I'm very fond of. Frankly, I find the idea of eternal life infinitely more frightening than death.
    Ok but a lot rests on the definition of soul and whether it actually exists or not.

  10. #10
    confidentially pleased cacian's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by E.A Rumfield View Post
    Some people believe that each person has their own unique soul.
    I personally think that soul is something the spirituals believe in.
    I think the only unique tag humans have to their exclusivety is their exclusive dna


    I'd even say most people do believe that their is some kind of after life. Does this just apply to people because I would think if a person had a soul so would an animal or a bug.
    People believe there is an afterlife and so did the Pharoahs.
    Why encompass yourself with an animal?
    Animals do not care whether you do why should you? It is pointless even to think for them since you cannot have a conversation with an animal about it. I feel it is pointless to think something but cannot air it with views and opinions. Animals simply do not talk.

    So the Earth began as a lifeless planet. Than there were single celled organisms, than bugs and whatever and whatever and we got here. So 50,000 years ago there were 1 million people on Earth. 2,000 years ago there were 2 million.Today there are 8 billion.
    These are all suppositions. No one knows how earth began and no one will ever for sure because no one was there to see it or witness it.
    Everything scientists and people say or think is just pure speculations.

    So where did all these souls come from? Initially there weren't any. Personally I believe its just a comforting thing to believe in when you know you will die someday, to believe that even death isn't forever.
    I cannot talk of 'soul', apart from soul music, because I prefer the word 'people'.
    I am guessing that we all came from somewhere and death is just one stage of it. One cannot live forever on this earth because age is what is getting old.
    We are not drwhos and whatnot and so getting old is just saying you need a change of air. May be because there is something better out there somewhere and so the only is to age and die.
    The only time one is aware of 'time' is when a person gains in age.
    In other word a number becomes time.

    A different topic but similar thought process, dogs don't believe in God at least not to my knowledge.
    Again why should a dog believe in anything but survival. They cannot talk about it and so what is the point of thinking or believing anything for if they cannot express it. Oh ever wondered god is a anagram of dog.?
    Is that a coincidence fate or omething else? I am in for a conspiracy theory here.

    Why do people? We are so self important to think we are "Gods Children". From genetic engineering to the H Bomb, one thing is sure, if there is a God, God despises us.
    Whatever it is that God is or does or feel towards anyone is pointless he or she is not here to tell you about it.
    I do findhypocrytical to put a blame on something or someone when these are not here physically to be blamed.
    It is easy to suggests it is all God's doing when it is obvious the fault is with people.
    Last edited by cacian; 09-10-2012 at 05:32 AM.
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    Skol'er of Thinkery The Comedian's Avatar
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    Like Desolation, I find the idea (or "word") soul facilitating. But I'm a little agnostic about it, I guess. I wouldn't be surprised if we have/can have a soul of some sort, though I doubt that it would be much like what the major religions think it is or would be.

    But maybe it is. Who knows?

    I like to think of a soul as something we get. . . . that our body is something with the potential of being be-souled in some way, maybe by higher power.

    And hey. . . maybe dogs and mosquitoes don't worry about souls because they already have them. :-) Maybe it's just us that don't. :-)
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    Based on near-death and shared-death experiences something seems to survive the body at death. Whatever that is could be called a "soul". Raymond Moody, who studied and named these, refers to Plato for philosophic insight into what this might mean or at least as an example of this from the past.

    Would any one like to read Plato's Phaedo to look at this further? I haven't read it myself. It might be a good opportunity to go into this in more depth. Book 10 of Plato's Republic also describes a near-death experience and gives Plato's interpretation of it.

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    BadWoolf JuniperWoolf's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Desolation View Post
    I like the word "soul" quite a bit...It's a really fantastic word. I don't believe that it's a concrete thing that actually exists and keeps on going forever, but I do think that it's a great symbol of basic self-hood, humanity, and that deep realm of consciousness and feeling that we all have somewhere inside of us.
    This is how I use the word as well, it's a convenient word. If you were trying to explain to someone that you admire their self-hood, their enduring traits which affect all of their behaviours, the person they are at their core, it's much simpler to say that they simply have a good "soul."

    As for the afterlife, I'm one of those people who likes the notion of reincarnation. The whole heaven concept just seems so stagnant, whereas reincarnation is all about development. If there's an afterlife, I hope it's that. Or I hope we climb the tree of kabbalah through the planetary spheres of universal existance, that'd be neat too. Then again, it'd be cool to climb the mountain of purgatory, Dante-style. I like most of the afterlives humans have imagined over the years. Andy Weir thought up my favorite one in his short story The Egg.
    Last edited by JuniperWoolf; 09-11-2012 at 03:53 AM.
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    Registered User NikolaiI's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rumfield
    From genetic engineering to the H Bomb, one thing is sure, if there is a God, God despises us.
    Not exactly logical.

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