Because we're all made in the image of God, and imbued with a spirit. God is the eternal "I AM", so that is our perspective..we are, just as He is. You're you because He made you to be you. We can't imagine anything else because there isn't any such thing as non-existence..we're all eternal, the only question is where you'll spend eternity.

(October 12, 2010 at 5:58 pm)R-e-n-n-a-t Wrote: Being conscious individually, as I assume everyone else is, the question comes to mind; why do I exist from a 1st person point of view? Obviously I couldn't exist from a 3rd person POV, but when I die it'll seem to me as if the world ends; MY world will end. How can I explain this... When you sleep without dreaming everything is nonremembered, and seems 'black'. If death is the same, then it'll be lights out for eternity, and therefore I'm wondering why I'm conscious to begin with. Why me? Why here? Why now? Why at all? etc.

Any answers or ideas? I've asked my friends and family, but they don't really grasp the concept of the question.

Why are you you, let me check the record...

It seems when souls were gathering to take human form you delayed to try your luck with one of the supervising angels. Unfortunately when you got to the splodkenet yours was the only human form left. Sorry we should have thrown it away aeons ago, it had always been just left behind previously.

I'm sorry but what can I say?
We were really busy that day and we were caught short, shore the boss is omniscient but he has sharing issues.

Sorry.

(October 12, 2010 at 5:58 pm)R-e-n-n-a-t Wrote: Being conscious individually, as I assume everyone else is, the question comes to mind; why do I exist from a 1st person point of view? Obviously I couldn't exist from a 3rd person POV, but when I die it'll seem to me as if the world ends; MY world will end. How can I explain this... When you sleep without dreaming everything is nonremembered, and seems 'black'. If death is the same, then it'll be lights out for eternity, and therefore I'm wondering why I'm conscious to begin with. Why me? Why here? Why now? Why at all? etc.

Any answers or ideas? I've asked my friends and family, but they don't really grasp the concept of the question.

I am glad you did not ask one of the hard questions. I have yet to read any of the responses here yet, but I am sure the theists have all the answers.

I have wondered on those same questions myself. Who knows how many universes there are. We just happen to be in one that evolved consciousness. In true nihilistic form, my answer is simply "Because it is. It could be nothing else or we would not be here and soon we will not.". The fear of this is what drives theists to their gods, but in the end, there is no payback, no reward, no heaven, no hell. Just Oblivion.

---

(September 16, 2011 at 10:08 pm)lucent Wrote: We can't imagine anything else because there isn't any such thing as non-existence..we're all eternal, the only question is where you'll spend eternity.

Of course "non-existence" exists. Where were you for eons before now? Tell me about that time. Myself, I did not exist and when this body passes, I will pass again into "non-existence" for all eternity and so will you. So, quit wasting your life on a 'fairy tale' and kick back and enjoy this short time for all that is worth.

I don't just mean my non-existence, I mean *any* non-existence. There has never been any such thing as nothing. Something can't come from nothing, therefore, if there ever was nothing, there couldn't be something. So existence is eternal.

To your probability argument..if you have enough time (billions and billions of years), and enough different Universes in your worldview, you can make life seem normal or even probable. That's just your narrative, though. Life isn't normal. There is nothing normal about anything that is going on..life is exactly the most improbable thing ever conceived..there are no odds to quantify it, because it doesn't just happen. Universes don't form by themselves (come on..this is elementry), and people don't develop out of goo, and glorified random apes is a fairytale that helps sinners go to sleep at night.

(September 17, 2011 at 11:47 pm)IATIA Wrote:

(October 12, 2010 at 5:58 pm)R-e-n-n-a-t Wrote: Being conscious individually, as I assume everyone else is, the question comes to mind; why do I exist from a 1st person point of view? Obviously I couldn't exist from a 3rd person POV, but when I die it'll seem to me as if the world ends; MY world will end. How can I explain this... When you sleep without dreaming everything is nonremembered, and seems 'black'. If death is the same, then it'll be lights out for eternity, and therefore I'm wondering why I'm conscious to begin with. Why me? Why here? Why now? Why at all? etc.

Any answers or ideas? I've asked my friends and family, but they don't really grasp the concept of the question.

I am glad you did not ask one of the hard questions. I have yet to read any of the responses here yet, but I am sure the theists have all the answers.

I have wondered on those same questions myself. Who knows how many universes there are. We just happen to be in one that evolved consciousness. In true nihilistic form, my answer is simply "Because it is. It could be nothing else or we would not be here and soon we will not.". The fear of this is what drives theists to their gods, but in the end, there is no payback, no reward, no heaven, no hell. Just Oblivion.

---

(September 16, 2011 at 10:08 pm)lucent Wrote: We can't imagine anything else because there isn't any such thing as non-existence..we're all eternal, the only question is where you'll spend eternity.

Of course "non-existence" exists. Where were you for eons before now? Tell me about that time. Myself, I did not exist and when this body passes, I will pass again into "non-existence" for all eternity and so will you. So, quit wasting your life on a 'fairy tale' and kick back and enjoy this short time for all that is worth.

(September 18, 2011 at 6:32 am)lucent Wrote: I don't just mean my non-existence, I mean *any* non-existence. There has never been any such thing as nothing. Something can't come from nothing, therefore, if there ever was nothing, there couldn't be something. So existence is eternal.

The light in my room, as I am typing this, did not exist until I turned on the light switch. Did it come from nothing? of course not, but it still did not exist. The light bub itself did not exist until the manufacturer made it from other things, but the light coming from the light cannot exist until I turn it on. What? You think your god is sitting there with a handful of light beams waiting for me to flip the switch and then throws them my way? Does it make light bulbs too?

Our existence is a product of the big-bang and evolution. It did not come from nothing, but it still did not exist until the proper assembly of the chemicals necessary for life were arranged and developed a brain that generates your awareness. when your body dies, you will cease to exist.

(September 18, 2011 at 6:32 am)lucent Wrote: To your probability argument..if you have enough time (billions and billions of years), and enough different Universes in your worldview, you can make life seem normal or even probable. That's just your narrative, though. Life isn't normal. There is nothing normal about anything that is going on..life is exactly the most improbable thing ever conceived..there are no odds to quantify it, because it doesn't just happen. Universes don't form by themselves (come on..this is elementry), and people don't develop out of goo, and glorified random apes is a fairytale that helps sinners go to sleep at night.

It is not a probability issue. We are here. Moot point.

Your sky-daddy is what "helps sinners go to sleep at night" so they do not have to accept the reality that this is all there is to life. A random event in a random world in a random solar system in a random galaxy in a random universe. No plan, no purpose, it just is.

The light in my room, as I am typing this, did not exist until I turned on the light switch. Did it come from nothing? of course not, but it still did not exist. The light bub itself did not exist until the manufacturer made it from other things, but the light coming from the light cannot exist until I turn it on. What? You think your god is sitting there with a handful of light beams waiting for me to flip the switch and then throws them my way? Does it make light bulbs too?

Our existence is a product of the big-bang and evolution. It did not come from nothing, but it still did not exist until the proper assembly of the chemicals necessary for life were arranged and developed a brain that generates your awareness. when your body dies, you will cease to exist.

None of that address the ultimate cause for lights, and light bulbs and dark rooms and you. The creation of the Universe is the cause for everything you're talking about. However, we know that something doesn't arise from nothing. So, there is something which caused the Universe which pre-existed the Universe. This something has to be eternal. Non existence never was.

(September 18, 2011 at 10:59 am)IATIA Wrote:

(September 18, 2011 at 6:32 am)lucent Wrote: I don't just mean my non-existence, I mean *any* non-existence. There has never been any such thing as nothing. Something can't come from nothing, therefore, if there ever was nothing, there couldn't be something. So existence is eternal.

The light in my room, as I am typing this, did not exist until I turned on the light switch. Did it come from nothing? of course not, but it still did not exist. The light bub itself did not exist until the manufacturer made it from other things, but the light coming from the light cannot exist until I turn it on. What? You think your god is sitting there with a handful of light beams waiting for me to flip the switch and then throws them my way? Does it make light bulbs too?

Our existence is a product of the big-bang and evolution. It did not come from nothing, but it still did not exist until the proper assembly of the chemicals necessary for life were arranged and developed a brain that generates your awareness. when your body dies, you will cease to exist.

(September 18, 2011 at 6:32 am)lucent Wrote: To your probability argument..if you have enough time (billions and billions of years), and enough different Universes in your worldview, you can make life seem normal or even probable. That's just your narrative, though. Life isn't normal. There is nothing normal about anything that is going on..life is exactly the most improbable thing ever conceived..there are no odds to quantify it, because it doesn't just happen. Universes don't form by themselves (come on..this is elementry), and people don't develop out of goo, and glorified random apes is a fairytale that helps sinners go to sleep at night.

It is not a probability issue. We are here. Moot point.

Your sky-daddy is what "helps sinners go to sleep at night" so they do not have to accept the reality that this is all there is to life. A random event in a random world in a random solar system in a random galaxy in a random universe. No plan, no purpose, it just is.

Gods don't address any ultimate causes either: They are simply excuses for those who don't want to put in the time and effort to investigate reality.

To the OP: Read Daniel Dennett and John Searle on consciousness. They do some incredibly good work describing how consciousness and identity seem to work.

God makes sense as the ultimate cause of reality, much more sense than any theory I've heard postulated by man. Not that I am conceding anything as far as truth, but really I don't know how people could be so skeptical about God but not about the nonsense people say caused the Universe. As a theory, it explains quite a bit about reality, in fact it can explain everything about it, from macro to micro. It explains morality, it explains why the Universe appears designed and fine tuned for life, it explains how a well organizaed and infinitely precise Universe arose from something chaotic, and that out of nothing. Truth, beauty, reason, logic..even things like altrusim, God resolves all of these philosophical dilemmas. Some people may use it as an excuse, but there is a rich history of philosophical discourse here which you are underwriting unjustly.

(September 18, 2011 at 7:31 pm)Epimethean Wrote: Gods don't address any ultimate causes either: They are simply excuses for those who don't want to put in the time and effort to investigate reality.

To the OP: Read Daniel Dennett and John Searle on consciousness. They do some incredibly good work describing how consciousness and identity seem to work.

(September 18, 2011 at 7:20 pm)lucent Wrote: The light in my room, as I am typing this, did not exist until I turned on the light switch. Did it come from nothing? of course not, but it still did not exist. The light bub itself did not exist until the manufacturer made it from other things, but the light coming from the light cannot exist until I turn it on. What? You think your god is sitting there with a handful of light beams waiting for me to flip the switch and then throws them my way? Does it make light bulbs too?

Our existence is a product of the big-bang and evolution. It did not come from nothing, but it still did not exist until the proper assembly of the chemicals necessary for life were arranged and developed a brain that generates your awareness. when your body dies, you will cease to exist.

None of that address the ultimate cause for lights, and light bulbs and dark rooms and you. The creation of the Universe is the cause for everything you're talking about. However, we know that something doesn't arise from nothing. So, there is something which caused the Universe which pre-existed the Universe. This something has to be eternal. Non existence never was.

You said "I mean *any* non-existence.". I gave an example of non-existence. You did not ask for the ultimate cause, but a quick answer is

(September 18, 2011 at 11:20 pm)lucent Wrote: God makes sense as the ultimate cause of reality, much more sense than any theory I've heard postulated by man. Not that I am conceding anything as far as truth, but really I don't know how people could be so skeptical about God but not about the nonsense people say caused the Universe. As a theory, it explains quite a bit about reality, in fact it can explain everything about it, from macro to micro. It explains morality, it explains why the Universe appears designed and fine tuned for life, it explains how a well organizaed and infinitely precise Universe arose from something chaotic, and that out of nothing. Truth, beauty, reason, logic..even things like altrusim, God resolves all of these philosophical dilemmas. Some people may use it as an excuse, but there is a rich history of philosophical discourse here which you are underwriting unjustly.

(September 18, 2011 at 7:31 pm)Epimethean Wrote: Gods don't address any ultimate causes either: They are simply excuses for those who don't want to put in the time and effort to investigate reality.

To the OP: Read Daniel Dennett and John Searle on consciousness. They do some incredibly good work describing how consciousness and identity seem to work.

Santa explains the reality of Christmas a helluva lot more compellingly than Jeebus. Does that make him real?