Do you really know?

[sealybobo]

How we got here, what our purpose is and what happens after we die?

 

[presonorek]

Three votes for no so far.

 

[sealybobo]

Three votes for no so far.

When you put it the way I put it it's either yes you do know because the bible told you so or you aren't really a Christian if you have any reservations about the bible and what it says. It tells you God did it and he did it all for us

 

[sealybobo]

Three votes for no so far.

II just can't believe how many grown, smart and successful people who buy into it.

But everyone is different. I'm sure some of the members are questioning it all and even they have there doubts. And they want it to be true so they have cognitive dissonance.

But it's good theists can admit they don't know either. That's a good start.

 

[alang1216]

Yes. To a certainty of 99%.

 

[Mr Natural]

Mom and Dad got together and nine months later out I popped.

What's my purpose? To live my 80 so years to the best of my ability and check out forever more.

 

[Bonzi]

Who said yes? I want to hear the "answer"...

 

[Bonzi]

What happens after we die is key.
Depends too on our definition of "know" is -
I assume you mean it to be: To regard as true beyond doubt

... then "regard" is the word that comes into question......

Regard: To think of or consider in a particular way

It's complicated. But people can believe they "KNOW" something, but not be able to prove it.
I KNOW I love my child, but I can't prove it.....

 

[sealybobo]

Yes. To a certainty of 99%.

That's pretty bold to think you:

Know how we got here
What our purpose is
What happens after we die

I'm sure you can see why we are skeptical, right?

I told my nephew about my friend who's an atheist and he said he didn't like him then. Do you understand how unfair that is? You theists can't even stand us atheists who don't believe in your gods and you brainwash your children from a very young age to think that not believing is bad or evil when it is not. But that's what cults do I guess. Got to have a good hook.

So I didn't tell him I don't believe in god. I'll probably wait for him to turn 18 before I tell him he's brainwashed. But for now I have to pretend I share his delusion because telling him the truth would hurt his feelings and possibly ruin our relationship. Why? I have lots of friends who are Christian/Muslim/Jewish and I don't hate them for being naive/gullible/stupid. I'm friends with them anyways. So why can't they be friends with non believers? Is the delusion that strong? That important?

 

[sealybobo]

What happens after we die is key.
Depends too on our definition of "know" is -
I assume you mean it to be: To regard as true beyond doubt

... then "regard" is the word that comes into question......

Regard: To think of or consider in a particular way

It's complicated. But people can believe they "KNOW" something, but not be able to prove it.
I KNOW I love my child, but I can't prove it.....

Just be honest. Do you really claim to know what happens when we die? Do you really claim to know how we got here? Scientists don't even know that. But you know?

 

[Bonzi]

What happens after we die is key.
Depends too on our definition of "know" is -
I assume you mean it to be: To regard as true beyond doubt

... then "regard" is the word that comes into question......

Regard: To think of or consider in a particular way

It's complicated. But people can believe they "KNOW" something, but not be able to prove it.
I KNOW I love my child, but I can't prove it.....

Just be honest. Do you really claim to know what happens when we die? Do you really claim to know how we got here? Scientists don't even know that. But you know?

I can not prove it.
I don't believe we die. Our bodies die (obviously) but what happens then? Nope, can't say that I know for sure.... even if I said I "knew" there was a heaven and a hell, I could not say what happens in each place, only speculate ....

I can't say what my purpose is either because I have not discovered it. I think we all have various purposes, but, I feel you can know YOUR purpose, individually.

Most people will claim to know how we got here. I believe we were placed here. The science does not support an "accidental" occurrence......

 

[alang1216]

Yes. To a certainty of 99%.

That's pretty bold to think you:

Know how we got here
What our purpose is
What happens after we die

I'm sure you can see why we are skeptical, right?

As well you should be since I can't offer any proof. Can you honestly say you don't have an answer to each of these questions?

 

[Steven_R]

How we got here, what our purpose is and what happens after we die?

1) How the universe started, how life started, or how we got from single celled organisms to hairless apes with a big brain? Not entirely, not entirely, and evolution.
2) Who says there is a purpose?
3) Nothing. Lights out and the atoms in your body get used by something else.

 

[yiostheoy]

How we got here, what our purpose is and what happens after we die?

These are essentially questions for speculative philosophy, although religion has had a corner on this market throughout history and prehistory however.

Plato's speculation about the Greatest Good, Aristotle's speculation about the Prime Mover, and San Tomas Aquinas' speculations about the First Cause all point to how.

Progress throughout history seems to be the what.

And immortality seems to be the after.

If you are a smart person you can figure these out on your own simply as Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas did.

But you need to study Philosophy first.

 

[yiostheoy]

Who said yes? I want to hear the "answer"...

I said yes.

See my response supra.

You need to study Philosophy however to understand it.

 

[yiostheoy]

Mom and Dad got together and nine months later out I popped.

What's my purpose? To live my 80 so years to the best of my ability and check out forever more.

This is called Epicureanism and it is the best practical answer that the philosophers have come up with.

It applies during good times in history.

It's opposite is Stoicism which applies during hard times in history.

 

[alang1216]

Who said yes? I want to hear the "answer"...

How we got here? We evolved through natural processes.

What our purpose is? To carry our genes into the next generation.

What happens after we die? The same thing that went on before we were born. Nothingness.

We may wish for something more out of life but you know what they say about wishes...

 

[Meriweather]

That's pretty bold to think you:

Know how we got here
What our purpose is
What happens after we die

I'm sure you can see why we are skeptical, right?

I told my nephew about my friend who's an atheist and he said he didn't like him then. Do you understand how unfair that is? You theists can't even stand us atheists who don't believe in your gods and you brainwash your children from a very young age to think that not believing is bad or evil when it is not. But that's what cults do I guess. Got to have a good hook.

So I didn't tell him I don't believe in god. I'll probably wait for him to turn 18 before I tell him he's brainwashed. But for now I have to pretend I share his delusion because telling him the truth would hurt his feelings and possibly ruin our relationship. Why? I have lots of friends who are Christian/Muslim/Jewish and I don't hate them for being naive/gullible/stupid. I'm friends with them anyways. So why can't they be friends with non believers? Is the delusion that strong? That important?

1. My grandfather was clear enough on his convictions to let it be known to us small kids that the was an atheist.

2. Atheists need to be open to the prospect they are the ones who are brainwashed.

3. We are here to learn to know God, love God, and serve God...to learn, and to have fun.

4. Comparing our afterlife to our physical life: Our afterlife is the true reality. By comparison/analogy, the afterlife is life in the light whereas by comparison this life is life in the shadows. If you are familiar with photography another analogy: This life is the negative and the next life, the print.

 

[sealybobo]

Yes. To a certainty of 99%.

That's pretty bold to think you:

Know how we got here
What our purpose is
What happens after we die

I'm sure you can see why we are skeptical, right?

As well you should be since I can't offer any proof. Can you honestly say you don't have an answer to each of these questions?

I don't have an answer to any of those questions.

 

[Mr Natural]

Out of all the billions upon billions of people who have died since the beginning of time, I would think that at least one of them would have found a way to get back and tell us what goes on after we're gone.