If God exists.

[slimmouse]

If "God" exists, and our consciousness is truly eternal, then what is the point of this mortal coil ?

I ask this question in the lounge, cos I dont want to fight with those who dont believe in the infinity of consciousness, or my belief that I, and every other sentient being is an integral part of it.

This is simply a casual thread to talk about "God"


Or to argue, in a relaxed kinda way, that Im talking outa my butt

[chillin]

Infinity is really really big and we don't want to get bored. It's fun to make little autonomous gods to offload some of the responsibility, we're in school (or hell if you prefer).

[slimmouse]

Infinity is really really big and we don't want to get bored. It's fun to make little autonomous gods to offload some of the responsibility, we're in school (or hell if you prefer).

Strikes me as were singing from the same hymnsheet here

But , if we are to imagine our "true" selves as freed from this mortal coil, would we actually miss it ?

Im thinking the sense of feel, touch, emotion, and all the rest of it ?

Those who claim to have experienced true Nirvana say that it supercedes anything that this mortal coil has to offer.

Im kinda straying from where I hoped this would go, but interesting ( hopefully) all the same

[Joe Hillshoist]

The point? To go for a ride?

Eventually someone will work out that we exist cos in the beginning God was not conscious and wants to be or something. Then they will make a religion about it, and someone else, thinking they may be right but have betrayed the concept, will work out the other reasons.

[Username]

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Interesting (for me) to visit here tonight and find your thread mouse, because I was reading through the reviews at amazon of a book I happen to find at a thrift store and read years ago titled Deceptions and Myths of the Bible by Lloyd Graham.

Here (thanks)

Graham's book managed to blow my concept of God right out of the water.
After reading at it, I remember how insecure I felt preparing to turn in for the night as a fierce windstorm whipped through the tall pines over our house. Normally I could have mustered up a prayer to ask God to protect us from impending disaster, and somehow would have felt "safer" by doing so, but not anymore.
My prayer that night went "pfffft" and damn, did I ever feel alone and vulnerable.
This may or may not have anything to do with what you are trying to accomplish in this thread, but I thought I would throw it in here because I noticed several copies of this book available for under a dollar at amazon.

[monster]

If "God" exists, and our consciousness is truly eternal, then what is the point of this mortal coil ?

Well it had to be something... if we were on the astral plane right now, you might be asking "What's the point of this astral plane? Why don't we have bodies?"

Whatever the "point" is, it's self-fulfilling, even if it's not evident. It's on auto-pilot. For example, our "mortal coils" have built-in feedback systems which encourage proper behaviors. Although they can be abused, the biochemical reward mechanisms work remarkably well, and you don't have to think about them.

In the same way, the proper spiritual behaviors are encouraged by Karma and intuition. There's no need to completely understand the spiritual Big Picture (though that would be nice!) in order to develop and grow. It's a built-in mechanism, you just follow your inner compass.

Of course, the spiritual feedback is more subtle than the material, which can make it more difficult to respond to. There's no mistaking the body's commands - when I'm hungry I eat, when I'm horny I fuck, etc. But if the spirit is unwell you might just feel a general malaise, without knowing what the problem is. Or, you might feel full of life and energy, but not understand the best way to share it with others.

Anyway, the "why" is not necessary for growth. We are born with all the tools we need.

[chillin]

But , if we are to imagine our "true" selves as freed from this mortal coil, would we actually miss it ?

Im thinking the sense of feel, touch, emotion, and all the rest of it ?

One time at band camp... I honestly couldn't tell you if was just the drugs, but I was in this yellowy place where every particle was like an exploding orgasm and a IV hit of E all mixed together. I got the impression if I didn't leave quickly maybe I'd just stay there. Later I saw God and his wife too, but figured they were busy so I didn't bother them. I learned a bunch of cool secrets that I probably won't remember unless I flirt with madness again.

Actually it wasn't band camp, it was a hospital ER last Christmas It was so funny because before I got admitted (my wife thought I was losing it so she sent me to the hospital), the waiting room had a Deepak Chopra interview that was awesome:

Q: So are you a prophet
A: No I'm a profit... then he spells it...p r o f i t

EDIT Hey Username, L2Hyperlink, you broke the thread if you put your mouse over the URL button it shows how to make a link into just URL text (blue hyperlink text)

[slimmouse]

This may or may not have anything to do with what you are trying to accomplish in this thread, but I thought I would throw it in here because I noticed several copies of this book available for under a dollar at amazon.

I have always held deeply spiritual beliefs and feelings for as long as I can actually remember.

It was about 15 years ago that I first came to dismiss the whole idea of God as some kind of bloke with a beard who is waiting to judge us upon our "death" as beyond any logical remit. It was actually kinda liberating to me, to face this reality as I saw it, because it meant I needed to carry on trying to work the whole deal out.

Meanwhile It was about 6 years ago, when the walls of exoteric consensus reality truly began to fall down around me, and this proved to be an invaluable catalyst in me arriving at where I am today with regards to exactly what I believe "God " is, for reasons that are too long to go into right here. But its almost as if that whole deal in itself was more than just "chance".

Ive copied this from my Ten random facts post, which should give you some insight into why I say it was way beyond random chance ;

Having spent all my life in the consensus reality bubble, I seemed to have had my life very neatly organised into working, walking my dog for 3 hours a day, and generally enjoying my life.

Then, I had my heart broken on Friday 14th September 2001 – The national day of mourning for 9/11. I was walking my dog , and he was attacked and killed by another dog. This now left a three hour daily void in my life, which I decided to fill by doing some reading online. The rest as they say….is history


The entire sychronistic nature of where I am today is actually far more intricate than just that, but Im trying to be brief

So besides "going behind the curtain" exoterically, I start to read more about the esoteric side of things. Again to cut a long story very short, I read about the experiments conducted by Cleve Backster, and see the pictures captured of ice particles subjected to different human emotions ( by a japanese guy called Imoto). I also read about the truly mindblowing revelation, that human beings actually begin to execute any given task something like half a second ( a relative eternity in neurological terms) before the brain activity associated with this task actually begins. I also learn that everything within the universe percievable to human beings is simply energy - since the atom is little more than a minute ball of energy - and of course everything is made of atoms

My conclusion therefore is that essentially everything is simply energy, but that all energy is essentially consciousness. I believe that this is what "God" is - The consciousness of everything. I also believe that this "infinite consciousness" is actually independent of this physical biocomputer I call my body. ( although of course by definition the body is ultimately simply consciousness itself)

Now of course, if everything has consciousness, from a vial of water to a plant to a human being, I come to understand that this also applies to Mother Earth, and of course to the Sun , which I believe holds the consciousness of everything within this particular Solar system - I guess you might call that "Christ consciousness" - And of course "Christ" or The Sun is the true saviour born every year on the 25th of December (after the midwinter Soltice.)

I could ramble on and on, but I might confuse people even more. The real reason I started this thread was to learn the thoughts of others on the whole subject.

MONSTER ;

Just to answer your question - I believe this mortal coil is a vessel for our Orb or soul. I believe we are here to Grow, and eventually achieve our own "Christ" consciousness status - As the centre of a new solar system.

Hows that for cooky lol ?

[chillin]

To me God would be pretty much beyond my imagination, so some old dude in a hospital is as likely as anything else.

... Hows that for cooky lol ?

I'd rate it medium, you could get into the "High" range if you start trying to convert people tho =)

[slimmouse]

To me God would be pretty much beyond my imagination, so some old dude in a hospital is as likely as anything else.

... Hows that for cooky lol ?

I'd rate it medium, you could get into the "High" range if you start trying to convert people tho =)

Oh dont worry, the mouse cult isnt on any of my upcoming agenda's just now

Just found this on google video ( I thought it wasnt available ) The truly excellent presentation based on the work of Itzhak Bentov called from atom to cosmos. He probably concurs with you about God being the old dude in in a hospital, along with the rest of us.

http://video.google.co.uk/videosearch?q=itzhak+Bentov

[blanc]

God is most probably a story we invent to contain the needs we have which are not served by material acquisitions. the idea incorporates our concepts of good and evil, themselves concepts which were developed in becoming the human species, good being largely that which is species sutaining and evil that which is individual sustaining without regard to the rest of our species. prayer and its relation to consciousness, individual or universal is more complicated, but still can be kind of squashed into this frame. the god story is going on on the surface, and in a way distracts from the deeper level of shared consciousness, but is easier to handle.
(my tupenny philo)

[theeKultleeder]

What a cool thread. Everyone has something interesting to say.

The problem of immortality and what amounts to spiritual omnipotence is a really tough one. Assuming it, one also then cracks open all the important questions.

Why am I stuck in a body?

Why am I here?

Who the hell are my parents, really?

Why do I get sick?

How come my memory fails me?

What do my dreams mean?

How come I can't avoid falling asleep?



***



Then bigger questions, like:


What would the world be without conflict?

Think about that one. How do you make a video game without conflict? How is a sports game interesting without conflict? What the hell would a person do if it weren't for trials and struggle?


***

Yeah, there is "learning." and all that. But, the fact is spiritual consciousness already knows everything, past, present and future (what Buddhists call "the three times.")

So, the "game" is to help others out of suffering - to make one's self better and to make the local environment better. It's a win-win game, and after a small to middling enlightenment, there is no other game to play.

[OP ED]

A friend of mine in high school had a psychology class. In it he learned that the higher the intelligence of an animal is the more likely it is to kill itself. He attributes the existence of everything to this idea. Basically God put us here in a horrible world to make us angry and hard, so that some day we will be capable of putting him out of his miserable existence.

My friend is in the army now.

[Joe Hillshoist]

Fuck thats truly scary.

[compared2what?]

The Jains have a nice non-explanation for every non-thing. They don't really have a God qua God, tho.

I just has an idea! I'm going to make a series of T-shirts that say:

"It's a Jain Thing. You wouldn't Understand."

And then sell them to Jains, who would be the only ones to get the joke.