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Does a God and an afterlife go hand in hand

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  • 19-04-2011 11:59am
    #1
    shadowcomplex
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,097 ✭✭✭


    Is it possible to believe in an afterlife without the belief in a God, or do the both go hand in hand?


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    #2
    MagicMarker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 32,865 ✭✭✭✭MagicMarker


    Are you just going to ignore this thread now that you've opened it, like all your other threads?


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    #3
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,310 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    shadowcomplex wrote: »
    Is it possible to believe in an afterlife without the belief in a God, or do the both go hand in hand?

    Yes.

    Well, that was easy.


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    #4
    Chuck Stone
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,030 ✭✭✭✭Chuck Stone


    shadowcomplex wrote: »
    Is it possible to believe in an afterlife without the belief in a God, or do the both go hand in hand?

    Of course and you could even add in elves fairies and moomins if you like - altough I'm pretty sure Moomins are actual mammalian creatures found in the mountainous regions to the N.W. of the Black Sea.


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    #5
    ShooterSF
    Registered Users Posts: 8,824 ✭✭✭ShooterSF


    shadowcomplex wrote: »
    Is it possible to believe in an afterlife without the belief in a God, or do the both go hand in hand?

    Can you give us a definition of god and an afterlife so we have something to work with?


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    #6
    Zombrex
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25,848 ✭✭✭✭Zombrex


    shadowcomplex wrote: »
    Is it possible to believe in an afterlife without the belief in a God

    Yes.

    /thread


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    #7
    Dades
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,558 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dades


    shadowcomplex wrote: »
    Is it possible to believe in an afterlife without the belief in a God, or do the both go hand in hand?
    People believe all sort of rubbish for the most whimsical of reasons so of course some people will believe in one, or both, or none.

    But just because you can, doesn't mean you should.


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    #8
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    Yah I presume there are people out there who believe in ghosts and things but not god... They'll probably say something about energy... life-force... etc.


    Interestingly, I was just about to start a thread (wasn't sure if I should do it here, psychology, or what) about consciousness, 'the self', and other such stuff... I fear you've taken the wind out of my sails.


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    #9
    CerebralCortex
    Registered Users Posts: 3,809 ✭✭✭CerebralCortex


    Dave! wrote: »
    Yah I presume there are people out there who believe in ghosts and things but not god... They'll probably say something about energy... life-force... etc.


    Interestingly, I was just about to start a thread (wasn't sure if I should do it here, psychology, or what) about consciousness, 'the self', and other such stuff... I fear you've taken the wind out of my sails.

    About whether it's physical or magical?


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    #10
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    CerebralCortex wrote: »
    About whether it's physical or magical?
    Presumably we're all pretty sure it's physical

    But I've been thinking a bit lately, and I'm finding it hard to articulate what I'm thinking :p Basically I'm thinking that when people say stuff like "you're lucky to be here", and talk about how if your dad pulled out a couple of seconds earlier you wouldn't exist. I'm not sure there is a unique "you" (woah, deep...). There's certainly a combination of different genes and things that make you look how you do, and that contribute to your personality and other things, but what we think of as "us" is pretty much just the sum total of our memories and experiences, as opposed to us being born with a unique combination of characteristics, which we then use as a vessel for navigating through life experiences, which are completely seperate from who we are. What we think of as our unique make-up and perspective is really only an illusion, and someone only really becomes "who" they are by having experiences.

    Does that make any sense? I've heard mention of the "illusion of free will", but I don't think I read much about it, so have I just unconsciously regurgitated something I got from somewhere else? :p

    Discuss....


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    #11
    CiaranMT
    Registered Users Posts: 4,092 ✭✭✭CiaranMT


    Chuck Stone wrote: »
    Of course and you could even add in elves fairies and moomins if you like - altough I'm pretty sure Moomins are actual mammalian creatures found in the mountainous regions to the N.W. of the Black Sea.

    Moomins:
    Moomin may refer to:
    Wiki

    Ya learn somthing new every day :pac:
    Dades wrote: »
    People believe all sort of rubbish for the most whimsical of reasons so of course some people will believe in one, or both, or none.

    But just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

    Sig material right there.


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    #12
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    Dave! wrote: »
    Presumably we're all pretty sure it's physical

    But I've been thinking a bit lately, and I'm finding it hard to articulate what I'm thinking :p Basically I'm thinking that when people say stuff like "you're lucky to be here", and talk about how if your dad pulled out a couple of seconds earlier you wouldn't exist. I'm not sure there is a unique "you" (woah, deep...). There's certainly a combination of different genes and things that make you look how you do, and that contribute to your personality and other things, but what we think of as "us" is pretty much just the sum total of our memories and experiences, as opposed to us being born with a unique combination of characteristics, which we then use as a vessel for navigating through life experiences, which are completely seperate from who we are. What we think of as our unique make-up and perspective is really only an illusion, and someone only really becomes "who" they are by having experiences.

    Does that make any sense? I've heard mention of the "illusion of free will", but I don't think I read much about it, so have I just unconsciously regurgitated something I got from somewhere else? :p

    Discuss....
    ThreadKiller.jpg


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    #13
    liamw
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,780 ✭✭✭liamw


    Dave! wrote: »
    Basically I'm thinking that when people say stuff like "you're lucky to be here", and talk about how if your dad pulled out a couple of seconds earlier you wouldn't exist.

    I think I know what you're saying. It's the anthropic principle again. If a different sperm had reached the egg first, there may be someone else here instead of you saying how lucky they are.
    Does that make any sense? I've heard mention of the "illusion of free will", but I don't think I read much about it, so have I just unconsciously regurgitated something I got from somewhere else? :p

    Discuss....

    How is this related to the first point? If events are deterministic then we were always going to be here posting this thread?

    I had sided on the side of determinism over true free will, but I need to rethink it. Is anything truly random or merely chaotic?


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