The Belief Scale

[Bigdog13]

Why is this thread in the Dawgpit?? It doesn't contain any flames, and both parties seem to be fairly civil towards each other?

[hoppinmad]

Why is this thread in the Dawgpit?? It doesn't contain any flames, and both parties seem to be fairly civil towards each other?

Head over to pawletics...it's worse than live wrassling .

[Guisslapp]

There will probably be a break through before too long, but likely in the questions dealing with how final is death.

Currently it is irreversible.

[hoppinmad]

Currently it is irreversible.

Heh, heh, heh, but that's not the heart of the matter.

[Guisslapp]

Heh, heh, heh, but that's not the heart of the matter.

What evidence is there that would lead one to believe there is any more to it than that?

[hoppinmad]

What evidence is there that would lead one to believe there is any more to it than that?

It wouldn't surprise me if something like this has happened to other parents, even though it didn't happen to us, but I remember years ago someone mentioning to me and a few others ... one of her young kids having knowledge or talking about some events which happened years before the youngster was born. Out of the blue, the mother just started talking about it to us as if it was odd and interesting at the same time. She didn't appear worried about it, just perplexed about it coming out of a young kid.

I wouldn't personally conclude that her report is evidence that something is true or not true, but I would say that if someone concluded that the mother wasn't lying, then the child's knowledge may raise some questions, and one of those questions may be "is there a part of yourself that survives a physical death".

There's probably a therapist in Atlanta, call 'em up and see if they've heard or had it happen to people they work with.

[Guisslapp]

It wouldn't surprise me if something like this has happened to other parents, even though it didn't happen to us, but I remember years ago someone mentioning to me and a few others ... one of her young kids having knowledge or talking about some events which happened years before the youngster was born. Out of the blue, the mother just started talking about it to us as if it was odd and interesting at the same time. She didn't appear worried about it, just perplexed about it coming out of a young kid.

I wouldn't personally conclude that her report is evidence that something is true or not true, but I would say that if someone concluded that the mother wasn't lying, then the child's knowledge may raise some questions, and one of those questions may be "is there a part of yourself that survives a physical death".

There's probably a therapist in Atlanta, call 'em up and see if they've heard or had it happen to people they work with.

There are many possible explanations about where the young child got the knowledge of the events. I don't see what that has to do with "a part of yourself that survives physical death." Why would there be any part of you that survives physical death?

[dawg80]

Yes, I was.


But, the difference between you and me is that I believe she is healthy not because of a divine spirit blessing her mother during pregnancy and childbirth, but for the care her mother took during her pregnancy and the amenities of modern day healthcare.

I do not look down on anyone for their theistic (or atheistic) beliefs, nor do I try to convert anyone. I simply enjoy discussing religion from time to time.

She's a cutie! Congrats to you and your wife.

Raise her right....turn on Rush's radio show for her !

[dawg80]

I was reading some C.S. Lewis this morning and this thread came to mind...

We believe that the death of Christ is the point in history when something absolutely unimaginable from outside shows through into our own world. If we found that we could fully understand it, that very fact would show it not what it professes to be - the inconceivable, the uncreated, the thing from beyond nature, striking down into nature like lightning. What good will it do us if we don't understand? A man can eat dinner without understanding exactly how the food nourishes him. A man can accept Christ without knowing how it works. He certainly wouldn't know how it works until he accepted it.

I like C. S. Lewis. Have read a bunch of his stuff. Ah, more than his fiction...

[hoppinmad]

There are many possible explanations about where the young child got the knowledge of the events. I don't see what that has to do with "a part of yourself that survives physical death." Why would there be any part of you that survives physical death?

Well, at least we got the heart of the matter out of the way…..pretty catchy, huh? Yep, there may be many explanations, but finding “the explanation” may have some value for the rest of us.

Why would there be any part of yourself that survives a physical death? If it’s true, then there might be a payoff somewhere and that’s where I would probably start to look. About a billion or so people on the other side of the planet believe that we get many bites of the apple, many Christians believe we get one bite then we either bask in heaven or rot in hell, then our good friends in the middle east believe they get 40 virgins if they take out enough infidels. Somebody might be right on target.

Someone uncovered Ardi and someone will uncover something about this too…. probably sooner rather than later. If you ponder it a bit, maybe you’ll discover something of value, particularly about yourself.

[Guisslapp]

Why would there be any part of yourself that survives a physical death? If it’s true, then there might be a payoff somewhere and that’s where I would probably start to look. About a billion or so people on the other side of the planet believe that we get many bites of the apple, many Christians believe we get one bite then we either bask in heaven or rot in hell, then our good friends in the middle east believe they get 40 virgins if they take out enough infidels. Somebody might be right on target.

I think you hit the nail on the head. The heart of the matter is that people want to believe there is a payoff. That is why religion is so pervasive.

[hoppinmad]

I think you hit the nail on the head. The heart of the matter is that people want to believe there is a payoff. That is why religion is so pervasive.

A young child knows nothing about a payoff or religion either.

[Guisslapp]

A young child knows nothing about a payoff or religion either.

Yeah, but a young child can hear and remember stories.

[hoppinmad]

Yeah, but a young child can hear and remember stories.

And a clever attorney could probably discover whether the child was coached to recite something, and an unclever attorney probably couldn't.

[Guisslapp]

And a clever attorney could probably discover whether the child was coached to recite something, and an unclever attorney probably couldn't.

Not saying the child was coached. Just that the child heard someone tell the story before and remembered it.