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Does anyone have an opinion about this subject? Not looking for Bible thumper responses, but it would be interesting if thinking people who believe in God and reincarnation might address these questions. Thank you!
You learn lessons to gain wisdom. I believe in God and afterlife. but not reincarnation i think hindus believe they reincarnate in ANY form - animals, plants, human until they gained perfection or something.
I don't believe... but me thinks the point of living would still be the same.
The (ack!) story of Adam and Eve is a great illustration of why. We could frolic naked in the garden for eternity with no cares or qualms (which is allegorical to being non-sentient, like other life on the planet BTW), but we would accomplish nothing... be nothing.
It's only when we "partake of the tree of knowledge", are "cast out of the garden" and have to work "by the sweat of our brows" (meaning that we stop playing the "ignorance is bliss" game and instead become conscious, independent beings) that we can take a giant perspective leap, self-reflect and truly grasp the gravity of the meaning of being conscious.
It took billions of years of physics and evolution for the universe to "create" a creature who was capable of looking back at that same universe in wonder and realize the universe even exists...
...We are all in a literal sense, the consciousness of the universe... the minds of all that is.
That makes you, me and yes, even the fundies a most important part of the otherwise insignificant assemblage of atoms in the known universe.
I don't believe... but me thinks the point of living would still be the same.
The (ack!) story of Adam and Eve is a great illustration of why. We could frolic naked in the garden for eternity with no cares or qualms (which is allegorical to being non-sentient, like other life on the planet BTW), but we would accomplish nothing... be nothing.
It's only when we "partake of the tree of knowledge", are "cast out of the garden" and have to work "by the sweat of our brows" (meaning that we stop playing the "ignorance is bliss" game and instead become conscious, independent beings) that we can take a giant perspective leap, self-reflect and truly grasp the gravity of the meaning of being conscious.
It took billions of years of physics and evolution for the universe to "create" a creature who was capable of looking back at that same universe in wonder and realize the universe even exists...
...We are all in a literal sense, the consciousness of the universe... the minds of all that is.
That makes you, me and yes, even the fundies a most important part of the otherwise insignificant assemblage of atoms in the known universe.
I don't understand why the world needs our consciousness to expand. It doesn't require that of other mammals. I would rather be a carefree, unconscious dog than a semi-conscious human.
I have learned a lot - but it is all negative conditioning - like getting electric shocks . . . I have learned you can't trust hardly anyone (didn't know that as a kid), that people will hurt you (another one I had no clue about), that survival is difficult (and why would that be the case - there is something in the Bible about the birds in the trees and not wondering where their next meal is coming from) . . .
What is the point of all of this misery? Yes, I am "wiser" now than when I was an innocent babe - but I'd rather be that innocent babe - I feel I have been tainted by the world, so all of the lessons - what good are they? They didn't make me a "better" person - I was fine to begin with - the lessons just made me a sadder, more miserable person . . . smarter, but sadder. Please tell me how that benefits me or anyone else.
electric shock??????? you were instituted? why? you have not yet reached the wisdom to know those mundane things. i want to ask why you said survival is difficult. and your question on the birds and their meals. You know actually it is soooo true. what you lack is realizing that in the most simplest way God has provided FOR you. i want you to think, when you were at your lowest of the low, maybe a stranger, a neighbor, a relative from out of the blue offered you what you needed MOST during that time, no matter how trivial or mundane. reflect and think of that moment in your life, you will be amazed.
Last edited by fullofbull; 05-15-2012 at 09:40 PM..
I don't understand why the world needs our consciousness to expand. It doesn't require that of other mammals. I would rather be a carefree, unconscious dog than a semi-conscious human.
I have learned a lot - but it is all negative conditioning - like getting electric shocks . . . I have learned you can't trust hardly anyone (didn't know that as a kid), that people will hurt you (another one I had no clue about), that survival is difficult (and why would that be the case - there is something in the Bible about the birds in the trees and not wondering where their next meal is coming from) . . .
What is the point of all of this misery? Yes, I am "wiser" now than when I was an innocent babe - but I'd rather be that innocent babe - I feel I have been tainted by the world, so all of the lessons - what good are they? They didn't make me a "better" person - I was fine to begin with - the lessons just made me a sadder, more miserable person . . . smarter, but sadder. Please tell me how that benefits me or anyone else.
The dog doesn't comprehend misery or pain beyond what it feels for the moment, true.
But it also never experiences true joy, wonder, accomplishment and all the deeply positive emotions we know and crave... It only knows momentary base pleasure and physical satisfaction.
You can't have one without the other, and once you are a self-aware bipedal ape, you can't go back to being a dog (just like the Adam and Eve story and "original sin" which really is just a misinterpretation of the same observation... once made self-aware, humanity would never again know Eden, or non-sentience).
So you only have a couple of choices: end your life, which would be pointless if reincarnation is true...you'll just come back to try to learn the same lesson, be a floater who never goes anywhere or forget about chasing base physical satisfaction like a dog and reach for those higher perspectives that we alone among all life on earth are capable of reaching.
If what you believe doesn't make sense to you, maybe you should ask yourself why you believe it.
Why do you believe what you believe?
But even if you can answer those questions, it might not bring you a lot of comfort, but at least there won't be as much confusion.
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