Do YOU qualify as a 'Sentient Life Form'?

[AVG-JOE]

What's your religion? And I don't mean the label - Label shmabel!

Everyone has a religion... even if you don't leave the house of NFL on Sunday, you have a religion. Simply put, religion is the dynamic answers to the base questions to qualify as a Sentient life form: What are my origins? & What happens when I die? If you understand those questions and how to apply them to yourself, you my friend are Sentient. Congratulations! You may continue with this post.

By 'dynamic', I mean that it's perfectly legal, and quite common, to change your answers - Sentience means you understand the questions, not that you have the answers. (insert your preferred Deity here) knows I've changed my answers over the years!



So, currently speaking.....

How do you think Sentient Beings came to be on this wet rock, yourself among them?
and
How starts the next chapter of your personal essence when the time has come for your flesh to be laid out on a cold slab, staring into space?

What's your 'religion'?
Remember: "I dunno." is a perfectly valid answer to either question, but I'll bet $1.00 that Momma's little bastards are pretty opinionated on the subject


How about Prophecy? Any revelations from your preferred Deity for the next generation and beyond?

 

[AVG-JOE]

I attribute "Earth", as we know it to time and luck. I attribute the fact that I can know its history and discuss its future to Mom's tough love over the last few billion years.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HBON9hBDQo]Earth - A pale blue dot, your home in space HD - YouTube[/ame]

We, The People are Mom's lucky little bastards.



Me, myself and I when I die?

I don't believe anyone knows, but I ponder it..... therefore, I am Sentient.
​

 

[Zoom-boing]

Do YOU qualify as a 'Sentient Life Form'?

Not today, Joe. Today I am just a blob life form, as too much turkey and stuffing has rendered me unconscious. Zzzzzz . . . . . .

 

[ABikerSailor]

What's your religion? And I don't mean the label - Label shmabel!

Everyone has a religion... even if you don't leave the house of NFL on Sunday, you have a religion. Simply put, religion is the dynamic answers to the base questions to qualify as a Sentient life form: What are my origins? & What happens when I die? If you understand those questions and how to apply them to yourself, you my friend are Sentient. Congratulations! You may continue with this post.

By 'dynamic', I mean that it's perfectly legal, and quite common, to change your answers - Sentience means you understand the questions, not that you have the answers. (insert your preferred Deity here) knows I've changed my answers over the years!



So, currently speaking.....

How do you think Sentient Beings came to be on this wet rock, yourself among them?
and
How starts the next chapter of your personal essence when the time has come for your flesh to be laid out on a cold slab, staring into space?

What's your 'religion'?
Remember: "I dunno." is a perfectly valid answer to either question, but I'll bet $1.00 that Momma's little bastards are pretty opinionated on the subject


How about Prophecy? Any revelations from your preferred Deity for the next generation and beyond?

How did they come here? Well, several ways actually..........one could have been strands of DNA from deep space that came here on a comet or an asteroid (and yes, there is one from Mars that was found which had fossilized bacteria in it), or, we could look at a Chariots of the Gods scenario, as there are many stories over history where people have suspected that we have been visited several times before. Matter of fact, in much medieval art, there is always an object in religious paintings that could be considered UFO's.

And, since it states that God created Adam and Eve, well..........did anyone ever consider that selective breeding by beings from other planets could qualify as well?

Interestingly enough by the way, they've found a second reference to the Mayan 2012 calendar, which was on a brick that was turned the wrong way, and it states on that brick, Dec 21st, 2012 is when "he/she/it will come back".

How starts the next chapter of personal essence for my belief system? Well.......the 1st law of thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, and your body runs on electricity, many who think that electricity is your soul. As soon as I leave this meat suit, I'm probably gonna go back to wherever I came from and ask for another shot, as well as the possibility of remembering what I did in this life so that I can do better next time. Many different theologies believe in reincarnation btw.........Judaism, Buddhism, Tao, Hindu, just to name a few.

As far as my religion goes? I started as a Christian, but got tired of the lies that I kept getting told, and went off in search of my own brand of spirituality. Currently, I consider myself a Taoist who likes to study Buddhist and Judaic theology.

As far as prophecy? Well..........in Judaic theology, the 2 properties of the soul are telepathy and precognition. Anyone can prove telepathy to themselves quite easily by going into a room where people are looking away from you and staring at the back of someone's head, because if you do, I can guarantee they will turn around and look at you. Same for you being able to tell when you're being observed, even though you're not looking in anyone's direction.

As far as prophecy? Ever hear those stories of people who had a really bad feeling about something (getting on a plane, taking a trip, etc), and decided not to go based on how they felt, only to hear of a horrible accident or tragedy later that they would have been involved with had they gone? That's prophecy on a personal level.

And yes..........both prophecy and telepathy exist.

 

[lizzie]

I pretty much follow my own religion, lol. I don't want any followers though.

It's possible that nothing happens when I die, but I tend to expect I'll just go on in a journey of soul evolution. It may be a little difficult to understand, and even more difficult to believe, but I identify more strongly with my heart and mind than my body- always have. To me, people are souls who just happen to inhabit a temporary body, and not bodies that just happen to have a soul.

 

[ABikerSailor]

I kind of look at religion as a sort of "spiritual kindergarten" where you are given the basics of how to do your own search for God. But, since some theologies are a bit more involved than others, you could almost say that some are like grade school, and some are like high school, but as we all know, you can't remain in school forever..........eventually you're gonna be expected to make your own way with what you've learned.

Personally? I really don't think that God intended for us to have a specific religion, just a firm belief in Him and how He wants us to do things.

And.......it's not much more complicated than the 7 Noahide Commandments or the 10 Commandments, both pretty much say the same thing.

Or...........you could make it really simple and remember Yeshua's 2 greatest commandments.

 

[alan1]

What's your religion? And I don't mean the label - Label shmabel!

Everyone has a religion... even if you don't leave the house of NFL on Sunday, you have a religion. Simply put, religion is the dynamic answers to the base questions to qualify as a Sentient life form: What are my origins? & What happens when I die? If you understand those questions and how to apply them to yourself, you my friend are Sentient. Congratulations! You may continue with this post.

By 'dynamic', I mean that it's perfectly legal, and quite common, to change your answers - Sentience means you understand the questions, not that you have the answers. (insert your preferred Deity here) knows I've changed my answers over the years!



So, currently speaking.....

How do you think Sentient Beings came to be on this wet rock, yourself among them?
and
How starts the next chapter of your personal essence when the time has come for your flesh to be laid out on a cold slab, staring into space?

What's your 'religion'?
Remember: "I dunno." is a perfectly valid answer to either question, but I'll bet $1.00 that Momma's little bastards are pretty opinionated on the subject


How about Prophecy? Any revelations from your preferred Deity for the next generation and beyond?

I am no longer sentient.

 

[zzzz]

GOD created everything as we know it.

Now how GOD created things, the earth, life, human beings is what we are arguing about today. We cannot comprehend GOD and GOD's ways because we are GOD's creations. Can any creation comprehend it creator?

In my humble opinion humankind was created by GOD through evolution. GOD created evolution as the tool to populate the earth with life and mankind was part of this process. GOD did not create earth in one day but over eons, yet to GOD an eon is but a day. We are given something more than life when we are born into this world. GOD gave humankind a soul and it is this entity that survives after our mortal body is jettisoned and it is this soul which lives for eternity, another incomprehensible aspect of GOD's plan.

 

[AVG-JOE]

Do YOU qualify as a 'Sentient Life Form'?

Not today, Joe. Today I am just a blob life form, as too much turkey and stuffing has rendered me unconscious. Zzzzzz . . . . . .

I suppose it is a bit heavy as turkey weekend discussion fodder.

Good thing these posts last forever... [SIZE="-2"]forever...[/SIZE] [SIZE="-3"]forever...[/SIZE]

 

[AVG-JOE]

What's your religion? And I don't mean the label - Label shmabel!

Everyone has a religion... even if you don't leave the house of NFL on Sunday, you have a religion. Simply put, religion is the dynamic answers to the base questions to qualify as a Sentient life form: What are my origins? & What happens when I die? If you understand those questions and how to apply them to yourself, you my friend are Sentient. Congratulations! You may continue with this post.

By 'dynamic', I mean that it's perfectly legal, and quite common, to change your answers - Sentience means you understand the questions, not that you have the answers. (insert your preferred Deity here) knows I've changed my answers over the years!



So, currently speaking.....

How do you think Sentient Beings came to be on this wet rock, yourself among them?
and
How starts the next chapter of your personal essence when the time has come for your flesh to be laid out on a cold slab, staring into space?

What's your 'religion'?
Remember: "I dunno." is a perfectly valid answer to either question, but I'll bet $1.00 that Momma's little bastards are pretty opinionated on the subject


How about Prophecy? Any revelations from your preferred Deity for the next generation and beyond?

I am no longer sentient.

It's not having the answers MountainMan, it's understanding and pondering the questions - which I believe you do.

 

[alan1]

What's your religion? And I don't mean the label - Label shmabel!

Everyone has a religion... even if you don't leave the house of NFL on Sunday, you have a religion. Simply put, religion is the dynamic answers to the base questions to qualify as a Sentient life form: What are my origins? & What happens when I die? If you understand those questions and how to apply them to yourself, you my friend are Sentient. Congratulations! You may continue with this post.

By 'dynamic', I mean that it's perfectly legal, and quite common, to change your answers - Sentience means you understand the questions, not that you have the answers. (insert your preferred Deity here) knows I've changed my answers over the years!



So, currently speaking.....

How do you think Sentient Beings came to be on this wet rock, yourself among them?
and
How starts the next chapter of your personal essence when the time has come for your flesh to be laid out on a cold slab, staring into space?

What's your 'religion'?
Remember: "I dunno." is a perfectly valid answer to either question, but I'll bet $1.00 that Momma's little bastards are pretty opinionated on the subject


How about Prophecy? Any revelations from your preferred Deity for the next generation and beyond?

I am no longer sentient.

It's not having the answers MountainMan, it's understanding the questions - which I believe you do.

You give me more credit than I deserve, Mr Joe.

 

[AVG-JOE]

I am no longer sentient.

It's not having the answers MountainMan, it's understanding the questions - which I believe you do.

You give me more credit than I deserve, Mr Joe.

It's ca$h only buster! Call me on pay day.

 

[cbirch2]

Lets start from the complex and break it down. The word sentient implies higher thought, the things we would say make us "human" or "intelligent". But these things are just anatomic features of the human brain. Thought is a chain reaction of ions entering thousands of neurons in your brain, and the response that causes. So humans truly are entirely matter, the concept of a soul is antiquated. Thought is understood very well.

And that makes sense. Humans seem to be no different on a cellular level than plants (excluding the obvious chloroplasts and such). Theyre both a collection of matter in the form of DNA and proteins that replicate to form a predictable structure. Not many people would claim cells are sentient, certainly not single cells.

Cells can be complex, but life get broken down even further. But if we include viruses life seems even more similar to matter. Viruses are essentially just strands of RNA. Certain segments of that RNA code for single proteins that form that capsule, so even a complex virus in a capsid shell is no more complex than a single strand of RNA. Surely a single strand of RNA isnt too complex as it has to be divine.

Even think about it further. Pathogens exist smaller than viruses. Viroids are naked segments of RNA that mostly infect plants. sometimes they can be just 5 genes long. Surely a sequence of 5 genes, a collection of maybe a couple hundred very simple nitrogen bases, doesnt need to be divine...

life is a perpetual biological factory that has evolved over a long period of time. This is very obvious to see.

 

[AVG-JOE]

Lets start from the complex and break it down. The word sentient implies higher thought, the things we would say make us "human" or "intelligent". But these things are just anatomic features of the human brain. Thought is a chain reaction of ions entering thousands of neurons in your brain, and the response that causes. So humans truly are entirely matter, the concept of a soul is antiquated. Thought is understood very well.

And that makes sense. Humans seem to be no different on a cellular level than plants (excluding the obvious chloroplasts and such). Theyre both a collection of matter in the form of DNA and proteins that replicate to form a predictable structure. Not many people would claim cells are sentient, certainly not single cells.

Cells can be complex, but life get broken down even further. But if we include viruses life seems even more similar to matter. Viruses are essentially just strands of RNA. Certain segments of that RNA code for single proteins that form that capsule, so even a complex virus in a capsid shell is no more complex than a single strand of RNA. Surely a single strand of RNA isnt too complex as it has to be divine.

Even think about it further. Pathogens exist smaller than viruses. Viroids are naked segments of RNA that mostly infect plants. sometimes they can be just 5 genes long. Surely a sequence of 5 genes, a collection of maybe a couple hundred very simple nitrogen bases, doesnt need to be divine...

life is a perpetual biological factory that has evolved over a long period of time. This is very obvious to see.

I'm trying to keep this simple. Do you understand the questions:

1) What are MY origins?

2) What happens to ME when I die?​

Just understanding how those two questions apply to self makes for a Sentient being.

Do you understand the questions?

If you do, you're Sentient - what are your latest and greatest answers?

 

[ABikerSailor]

Lets start from the complex and break it down. The word sentient implies higher thought, the things we would say make us "human" or "intelligent". But these things are just anatomic features of the human brain. Thought is a chain reaction of ions entering thousands of neurons in your brain, and the response that causes. So humans truly are entirely matter, the concept of a soul is antiquated. Thought is understood very well.

And that makes sense. Humans seem to be no different on a cellular level than plants (excluding the obvious chloroplasts and such). Theyre both a collection of matter in the form of DNA and proteins that replicate to form a predictable structure. Not many people would claim cells are sentient, certainly not single cells.

Cells can be complex, but life get broken down even further. But if we include viruses life seems even more similar to matter. Viruses are essentially just strands of RNA. Certain segments of that RNA code for single proteins that form that capsule, so even a complex virus in a capsid shell is no more complex than a single strand of RNA. Surely a single strand of RNA isnt too complex as it has to be divine.

Even think about it further. Pathogens exist smaller than viruses. Viroids are naked segments of RNA that mostly infect plants. sometimes they can be just 5 genes long. Surely a sequence of 5 genes, a collection of maybe a couple hundred very simple nitrogen bases, doesnt need to be divine...

life is a perpetual biological factory that has evolved over a long period of time. This is very obvious to see.

Sorry, but cells and plants don't dream and have aspirations. They don't really "love" by choice but rather because they are forced into it by instinct.

And no.........the concept of a soul isn't "antiquated".

 

[cbirch2]

Lets start from the complex and break it down. The word sentient implies higher thought, the things we would say make us "human" or "intelligent". But these things are just anatomic features of the human brain. Thought is a chain reaction of ions entering thousands of neurons in your brain, and the response that causes. So humans truly are entirely matter, the concept of a soul is antiquated. Thought is understood very well.

And that makes sense. Humans seem to be no different on a cellular level than plants (excluding the obvious chloroplasts and such). Theyre both a collection of matter in the form of DNA and proteins that replicate to form a predictable structure. Not many people would claim cells are sentient, certainly not single cells.

Cells can be complex, but life get broken down even further. But if we include viruses life seems even more similar to matter. Viruses are essentially just strands of RNA. Certain segments of that RNA code for single proteins that form that capsule, so even a complex virus in a capsid shell is no more complex than a single strand of RNA. Surely a single strand of RNA isnt too complex as it has to be divine.

Even think about it further. Pathogens exist smaller than viruses. Viroids are naked segments of RNA that mostly infect plants. sometimes they can be just 5 genes long. Surely a sequence of 5 genes, a collection of maybe a couple hundred very simple nitrogen bases, doesnt need to be divine...

life is a perpetual biological factory that has evolved over a long period of time. This is very obvious to see.

Sorry, but cells and plants don't dream and have aspirations. They don't really "love" by choice but rather because they are forced into it by instinct.

And no.........the concept of a soul isn't "antiquated".

Only an absolute idiot would think i said cells dream and love.

What i actually said, is that things like dreaming and loving are electrical signals between neurons in the brain. They seem complex but in reality their base is just the same matter were made of.

And yes, the concept of a soul is antiquated. All mental activity, conscious or subconscious, is a measurable electric current traveling along millions of neurons in certain sections of your brain eliciting certain reactions from the peripheral nervous system.

 

[ABikerSailor]

Lets start from the complex and break it down. The word sentient implies higher thought, the things we would say make us "human" or "intelligent". But these things are just anatomic features of the human brain. Thought is a chain reaction of ions entering thousands of neurons in your brain, and the response that causes. So humans truly are entirely matter, the concept of a soul is antiquated. Thought is understood very well.

And that makes sense. Humans seem to be no different on a cellular level than plants (excluding the obvious chloroplasts and such). Theyre both a collection of matter in the form of DNA and proteins that replicate to form a predictable structure. Not many people would claim cells are sentient, certainly not single cells.

Cells can be complex, but life get broken down even further. But if we include viruses life seems even more similar to matter. Viruses are essentially just strands of RNA. Certain segments of that RNA code for single proteins that form that capsule, so even a complex virus in a capsid shell is no more complex than a single strand of RNA. Surely a single strand of RNA isnt too complex as it has to be divine.

Even think about it further. Pathogens exist smaller than viruses. Viroids are naked segments of RNA that mostly infect plants. sometimes they can be just 5 genes long. Surely a sequence of 5 genes, a collection of maybe a couple hundred very simple nitrogen bases, doesnt need to be divine...

life is a perpetual biological factory that has evolved over a long period of time. This is very obvious to see.

Sorry, but cells and plants don't dream and have aspirations. They don't really "love" by choice but rather because they are forced into it by instinct.

And no.........the concept of a soul isn't "antiquated".

Only an absolute idiot would think i said cells dream and love.

What i actually said, is that things like dreaming and loving are electrical signals between neurons in the brain. They seem complex but in reality their base is just the same matter were made of.

And yes, the concept of a soul is antiquated. All mental activity, conscious or subconscious, is a measurable electric current traveling along millions of neurons in certain sections of your brain eliciting certain reactions from the peripheral nervous system.

Yes, they are electrical signals, but do you want to explain why mankind is the only ones that are able to reason and build civilizations? It's much more than just the same "base matter we're made of".

And no, the idea of the soul is not antiquated, it's just that we're able to measure it now. In the 1930's there was an individual who weighed tuberculosis patients at the moment of death. Know what happened? They ended up being 21 grams lighter.

 

[cbirch2]

Sorry, but cells and plants don't dream and have aspirations. They don't really "love" by choice but rather because they are forced into it by instinct.

And no.........the concept of a soul isn't "antiquated".

Only an absolute idiot would think i said cells dream and love.

What i actually said, is that things like dreaming and loving are electrical signals between neurons in the brain. They seem complex but in reality their base is just the same matter were made of.

And yes, the concept of a soul is antiquated. All mental activity, conscious or subconscious, is a measurable electric current traveling along millions of neurons in certain sections of your brain eliciting certain reactions from the peripheral nervous system.

Yes, they are electrical signals, but do you want to explain why mankind is the only ones that are able to reason and build civilizations? It's much more than just the same "base matter we're made of".

And no, the idea of the soul is not antiquated, it's just that we're able to measure it now. In the 1930's there was an individual who weighed tuberculosis patients at the moment of death. Know what happened? They ended up being 21 grams lighter.

"Yes, they are electrical signals, but do you want to explain why mankind is the only ones that are able to reason and build civilizations?"

Well humans arent the only ones able to reason. animals reason as well. When my cat hears my door open it reaches the reasonable conclusion that i am about to come out of the room and runs to meet me. That is reasoning.

The difference is that the human brain has a much more developed structure. It has a thick cerebral cortex where our higher learning takes place, everything you deem to be "intelligent". It also has many more folds, and consequently much more surface area, so neurons can make more connections.

But the fundamentals are the same, regardless of the complexity of the structure.

"it's just that we're able to measure it now. In the 1930's there was an individual who weighed tuberculosis patients at the moment of death. Know what happened? They ended up being 21 grams lighter."

Sorry, but thats pure bullshit. Your claims that we can measure the soul is strange. How? Because your example in which you physically measure the body is total bullshit. If anything, modern science has provided an explanation for phenomena we once regarded as the soul.

Emotion actually has its roots in the reptilian brain, the amygdala and the hypothalamus. Higher thought is created in the cerebral cortex. We can even pin point the areas you use to read, or write, or speak, or do math. We can even reconstruct the image a person is seeing based totally on brain activity.

The "soul" is simply complex electrical signals between neurons in the brain and how we experience them as they effect the other systems of the body. This is why brain surgeons can make peoples body parts move during surgery. The motor cortex is a section of the cerebral cortex that controls each body part, stimulating certain parts of the motor cortex make certain muscles flex. If your soul was a purely metaphysical phenomena, why would a surgeon be able to overcome your will power and force your limbs to move, just by stimulating part of your brain?

 

[AVG-JOE]

Interesting. Sort of...




So, how do you think humans came to be here?

Any thoughts on what happens when flesh fails and life ends?​

 

[cbirch2]

Interesting. Sort of...




So, how do you think humans came to be here?

Any thoughts on what happens when flesh fails and life ends?​

Well i guess to sum up i believe in evolution, and i even somewhat believe in abiogensis.

But i do believe in god. The type of god einstein believed in, i think he called him "the grand watch maker". In the sense that the universe operates according to a fundamental set of laws and those laws not only allow, but necessitate the formation life.

In the universe with billions of galaxies, each with billions of stars, each most likely with a solar system like ours, life has to form somewhere, it probably exists anywhere in the universe with earth like conditions. That is: organic compounds (lipids, amino acids, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates; the four types of molecules life is made of), and liquid water.