If there is no life after death...

[fredwiggy]

Just now, Lacessit said:

You obviously understand statistics as well as a Middle Ages peasant understands an internal combustion engine.

And you always think you're right when you go by opinions. I prefer to read up on subjects to gather evidence and don't assume.You have no idea how much I know about stats.

[Lacessit]

2 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

You don't have to have credentials in anything to understand it or have knowledge of it. Reading helps , making guesses or going by some other's opinions doesn't work.

Reading the Bible to the exclusion of any other thought doesn't work, period.

[fredwiggy]

5 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

You obviously understand statistics as well as a Middle Ages peasant understands an internal combustion engine.

https://www.csvr.org.za/sex-behind-the-bars/.................https://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/prison/report4.html

[fredwiggy]

Just now, Lacessit said:

Reading the Bible to the exclusion of any other thought doesn't work, period.

No , but reading thousands of books and articles on psychology does.

[James105]

35 minutes ago, novanova said:

In a sane world. people would say, "Well, such a god is a vile entity; I will have nothing to do with nonsense like that". But they don't, because they have been brainwashed as small children and cannot think clearly.

 

Meanwhile, you maintain that missionaries save lives by telling idiotic stories! Wow.

 

I grew out of religion when I discovered that Santa Claus was a lie told to children to make them behave under threat of Santa not delivering presents to naughty children, and religion was just the same kind of ruse to convince people that if they didn't behave in a certain way they would suffer in the afterlife.  It was a useful tool prior to civilization and laws so I can understand why the intelligent folks of the time used it to control their illiterate and uncivilized populations in much the same way my parents used Santa Claus on me.  I am not surprised stupid people believe in religion as you can convince stupid people of just about anything,  but I am somewhat bemused why the otherwise intelligent people I know still believe in this stuff.   

[connda]

1 hour ago, fredwiggy said:

That you and others expend so much energy trying to convince others to believe your way, is naive, as you aren't going to change believers beliefs. No science has debunked anything about God. We can't prove he exists and non believers can't prove he doesn't. You'll find out soon enough.

"We can't prove he exists and non believers can't prove he doesn't.
You'll find out soon enough." (snicker snicker snicker) 👈 I love the implied threats.  "Big Daddy in the Sky is gonna get you unbelievers!  Just wait!!!" (snicker snicker snicker) "God is gonna get 'cha!"

That's just sad imho.  Buddhism is in fact atheistic (Latin: atheus ("godless," from Greek "a-" [without] + "theos" [god]).
Buddhism is not about the worship of a god.  It's about following the path to end suffering.  Siddhartha Gautama Buddha was very much a man.  I'd technically be correct to say that in Buddhism followers don't worship Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, but unfortunately many do (worship him like a god) which completely misses the entire point of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha's teaching.  And Siddhartha Gautama Buddha is only one Buddha within an infinite incarnations of Buddhas (study quantum physics and you can get a better feel for that statement). 

Siddhartha Gautama Buddha existed.  He taught. He died.  His teaching (dharma) stands the test of time. Yet even in the Buddha's teaching he acknowledges that the dharma is cyclical.  Everything is cyclical.  Anicca - everything changes. Nothing is permanent.  But there is no worship of a single, eternal God of gods per-se. In actually, the Buddhist Pantheon includes a diverse number of gods in celestial realms. And some Buddhist, especially in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions do pay homage to them as a number of these entities are considered to be Buddha's incarnate. And some of these gods are as scary as the "wrathful, jealous god" of the old Testament, who all good Christians are promised will throw all non-Christians into eternal Hell (snicker snicker snicker - "You'll find out!!!  Just wait!") It's sad when humans have more compassion then the "wrathful, jealous, vengeful god" of the Old Testament.  Hey!  I'm a fan of Jesus of Nazareth. His teaching have more in common with Buddhism than the teachings of other Abrahamic religions.  He was compassion incarnate.
 

So I apply the KISS principle to my Buddhism (Keep It Simple Sāmaṇera) and concentrate on the core teachings encompassed in the 4 Noble Truths. And I acknowledge that there is a pantheon of gods among all of the other sentient begins - seen and unseen - which inhabit this particular incarnation of reality.  But the core teachings of Buddhism have nothing to do with worshiping any of these gods.

By the way.  I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything.  You gotta figure it out on your own.  Believe what you want.

[fredwiggy]

1 minute ago, connda said:

"We can't prove he exists and non believers can't prove he doesn't.
You'll find out soon enough." (snicker snicker snicker) 👈 I love the implied threats.  "Big Daddy in the Sky is gonna get you unbelievers!  Just wait!!!" (snicker snicker snicker) "God is gonna get 'cha!"

That's just sad imho.  Buddhism is in fact atheistic (Latin: atheus ("godless," from Greek "a-" [without] + "theos" [god]).
Buddhism is not about the worship of a god.  It's about following the path to end suffering.  Siddhartha Gautama Buddha was very much a man.  I'd technically be correct to say that in Buddhism followers don't worship Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, but unfortunately many do (worship him like a god) which completely misses the entire point of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha's teaching.  And Siddhartha Gautama Buddha is only one Buddha within an infinite incarnations of Buddhas (study quantum physics and you can get a better feel for that statement). 

Siddhartha Gautama Buddha existed.  He taught. He died.  His teaching (dharma) stands the test of time. Yet even in the Buddha's teaching he acknowledges that the dharma is cyclical.  Everything is cyclical.  Anicca - everything changes. Nothing is permanent.  But there is no worship of a single God of gods per-se. In actually, the Buddhist Pantheon includes a diverse number of gods in celestial realms. And some Buddhist, especially in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions do pay homage to them as a number of these entities are considered to be Buddha's incarnate. And some of these gods are as scary as the "wrathful, jealous god" of the old Testament, who all good Christians are promised will throw all non-Christians into eternal Hell (snicker snicker snicker - "You'll find out!!!  Just wait!") It's sad when humans have more compassion then the "wrathful, jealous, vengeful god" of the Old Testament.  Hey!  I'm a fan of Jesus of Nazareth. His teaching have more in common with Buddhism than the teachings of other Abrahamic religions.  He was compassion incarnate.
 

So I apply the KISS principle to my Buddhism (Keep It Simple Sāmaṇera) and concentrate on the core teachings encompassed in the 4 Noble Truths. And I acknowledge that there is a pantheon of gods among all of the other sentient begins - seen and unseen - which inhabit this particular incarnation of reality.  But the core teachings of Buddhism have nothing to do with worshiping any of these gods.

By the way.  I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything.  You gotta figure it out on your own.  Believe what you want.

It isn't a threat. I just said you'll find out when you pass, like all of us will. Buddha was a man, and had some good ideas. That he left out God in his teachings, although not saying he didn't exist, has most of his followers believing God doesn't exist, which can have complications, all depending on God's final judgement. Yes, believe what you want.

[Lacessit]

1 minute ago, fredwiggy said:

And you always think you're right when you go by opinions. I prefer to read up on subjects to gather evidence and don't assume.You have no idea how much I know about stats.

Judging by the posts you have made thus far, infinitesimal.

 

Your argument re prisoner populations was ample proof of your ignorance on the subject. Being a minority does not change probabilities.

[Lacessit]

7 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

No , but reading thousands of books and articles on psychology does.

Reading and understanding are two different things.

[fredwiggy]

Just now, Lacessit said:

Judging by the posts you have made thus far, infinitesimal.

 

Your argument re prisoner populations was ample proof of your ignorance on the subject. Being a minority does not change probabilities.

Which only explains that you aren't up to snuff on those subjects and only have your opinions, which mean nothing. You have no idea. Try reading the links on why people in prison rape others.

[fredwiggy]

Just now, Lacessit said:

Reading and understanding are two different things.

Yes, and I understand what I read, and don't go by other's opinions unless they have evidence backing them up.

[novanova]

3 minutes ago, James105 said:

 

I grew out of religion when I discovered that Santa Claus was a lie told to children to make them behave under threat of Santa not delivering presents to naughty children, and religion was just the same kind of ruse to convince people that if they didn't behave in a certain way they would suffer in the afterlife.  It was a useful tool prior to civilization and laws so I can understand why the intelligent folks of the time used it to control their illiterate and uncivilized populations in much the same way my parents used Santa Claus on me.  I am not surprised stupid people believe in religion as you can convince stupid people of just about anything,  but I am somewhat bemused why the otherwise intelligent people I know still believe in this stuff.   

 

You are right - religion was a useful tool for control, as well as being an explanation for adverse events - why did my crops fail, etc.

 

That otherwise-intelligent people cannot discard such absurd waffle is tribute to the power of brainwashing small children. Controlling education allows the Church two important things:

- a source of compliant suckers

- a source of children to molest and bully

 

Imagine if religion were taught in later school, alongside physics and chemistry. Virgin births! Parting of seas! The earth was created before the sun! The kids would laugh themselves sick.

[fredwiggy]

4 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Judging by the posts you have made thus far, infinitesimal.

 

Your argument re prisoner populations was ample proof of your ignorance on the subject. Being a minority does not change probabilities.

Why pedophilia starts.................https://psychcentral.com/disorders/causes-of-pedophilia#genetics

[Lacessit]

1 minute ago, fredwiggy said:

Which only explains that you aren't up to snuff on those subjects and only have your opinions, which mean nothing. You have no idea. Try reading the links on why people in prison rape others.

My opinions are fact-based. Your opinions are based on a being that exists in your imagination.

[fredwiggy]

6 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Judging by the posts you have made thus far, infinitesimal.

 

Your argument re prisoner populations was ample proof of your ignorance on the subject. Being a minority does not change probabilities.

Being a minority means less will be in any places, including the prison system. Most who are in jail are believers because believers are a much higher percentage of the population. When 85% of people believe in God, that means more who believe will be in jail than those who don't. Simple.

[fredwiggy]

6 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

My opinions are fact-based. Your opinions are based on a being that exists in your imagination.

Your opinions have no factual basis. It's what you believe. I go by facts, evidence, and not my opinion. You stated that the Catholic church is somehow responsible for making priests into pedophiles, which is ignorance. I stated pedophilia begins at home, which is factual. It's from environment, possible genetic factors, and hormones but childhood abuse is the main cause.

[connda]

11 minutes ago, novanova said:

Virgin births!

Virgin birth is a reality.  Parthenogenesis.

[save the frogs]

What if we no longer die? (apart from suicide, murder, accidents)

 

Longevity Escape Velocity is a term being used by folks in AI who claim they will cure all diseases and reverse aging. So Longevity Escape Velocity means every year you keep yourself alive, the technology keeps you alive x years longer until it becomes infinite and you live "forever" .... 

 

Could be science fiction nonsense ... are they just trying to sell stocks?

 

 

[connda]

2 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

Science is right in many things. Things they have proven. Guesses and hypotheses aren't proven. There is no way to prove otherwise, so that's where most of us uses faith. People being hypocritical means they say one thing and live another way. Belief isn't hypocritical but actions are.

Science is only as effective as the tools used to measure phenomenon.  If phenomenon can't be empirically measured, its discounted as fiction and fairy-tales.  So most of physics 120 years ago was nothing but fiction and fairy-tales until the tools were developed to make quantitative measurements. Little more than grumpkins, snarks, and quarks.  Think about that.  🤔

[Lacessit]

4 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Being a minority means less will be in any places, including the prison system. Most who are in jail are believers because believers are a much higher percentage of the population. When 85% of people believe in God, that means more who believe will be in jail than those who don't. Simple.

"Studies and data from correctional facilities in the US (such as those from the Federal Bureau of Prisons) consistently show that atheists and agnostics are significantly underrepresented in prison populations compared to their proportion in the general population. Some sources even suggest they are represented at a rate many times lower than expected".

 

What part of "compared to their proportion in the general population" don't you understand?

[simple1]

6 hours ago, SoCal1990 said:

Then where does our consciousness go after we die?

 

Or are we just pretending not to be afraid of the answer?

 

Atman is the individual soul, the essence of self within each being, while Brahman is the ultimate reality, the universal consciousness, or the divine essence of the universe. Advaita Vedanta, a school of thought within Hinduism, teaches that Atman and Brahman are essentially one and the same, the individual self being a manifestation of the universal Brahman. 

[connda]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

Would you like me to start listing the crimes committed in the name of religion and faith?

Like the genocide of Amaleks because god told his prophets to wipe them off the face of the earth in "his" name? 
And still happening to this day. 

[Lacessit]

15 minutes ago, connda said:

Virgin birth is a reality.  Parthenogenesis.

IIRC they did not have test tubes in Roman times.

[connda]

49 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

If you are going to pretend Christians are more virtuous, I guess you are lining up for a Trump bible.

 

Studies have shown atheists and agnostics are very much underrepresented in general prison populations.

 

So how does that jibe with your assertion faith is necessary to prevent crime?

I was wondering who long it would take to inject "Trump" into the conversation.

 

"I guess you are lining up for a Trump bible."
Translated:
Donald Trump lives in your head rent free and you can't exorcise him no matter what you do. 

You should probably find a priest to help you.

 

"Agggghhhhhh - You're mother sucks MAGA socks in the Oval Office!"

[Negita43]

The odds are not long for me now on this earth. But to be honest it's no longer a world I am comfortable with - whatever happened to humanity?

PS I'll let you know about the the answer to the question sometime in the future😁

[dinsdale]

What do you mean by "If"?  You die and you're dead. End of life and end of story. 

[dinsdale]

16 minutes ago, simple1 said:

 

Atman is the individual soul, the essence of self within each being, while Brahman is the ultimate reality, the universal consciousness, or the divine essence of the universe. Advaita Vedanta, a school of thought within Hinduism, teaches that Atman and Brahman are essentially one and the same, the individual self being a manifestation of the universal Brahman. 

Sucker. 

[fredwiggy]

20 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

"Studies and data from correctional facilities in the US (such as those from the Federal Bureau of Prisons) consistently show that atheists and agnostics are significantly underrepresented in prison populations compared to their proportion in the general population. Some sources even suggest they are represented at a rate many times lower than expected".

 

What part of "compared to their proportion in the general population" don't you understand?

Yes, less religion, or the twisting there of, means less violence, as many crimes have been committed in the name of religion, which is just their narratives and not what religion is supposed to be about. True that most people in prison are believers.

[dinsdale]

1 hour ago, connda said:

If you ever dabbled in chemically altering your consciousness, you begin the first steps to question the nature of consciousness: what it is, how it arises, what are its boundaries.

Rubbish. I was amazed by the hallucinogenic affects. Didn't give a crap about the rubbish you've said. 

[fredwiggy]

The question was, if there is no life after death, where does our consciousness go. Some think we die and that's it. Most think we will see God, that there's a heaven. No one can prove otherwise, so it's best not to argue the subject.