(July 2, 2014 at 5:07 pm)Purplundy Wrote:

(July 2, 2014 at 2:02 pm)whateverist Wrote: The world at large apparently begins and ends with the world of people. That strikes me as a little narrow.

If you are using the term 'world', I think it does specifically refer to our planet.
Are we a bunch of relatively intelligent carbon units in a potentially infinite universe? Yes.
But that doesn't mean that the human community should be any less valuable to humans, at least. I don't think a human being can have greater achievement beyond helping other people.

I wasn't thinking of anything extraterrestrial. We are one of many creatures on this very same planet. Like them we are DNA replicating mortal creatures with instincts bent on our own survival and like many of them we owe our success to our capacity for cooperation and the ability to place the good of the whole above our own

I don't think we need to devalue human community. I doubt we have that choice. However, if the peculiarities of our development really do make us exceptional, perhaps we should have a greater regard for the web of life of which we are part. This short sightedness in regard to non-humanity isn't unique to Christians or theists more generally. But it is pretty prevalent.

The problem could be that gullible people have been conned into believing in life after death by all of the vampire and zombie movies. Over the course of time such religious movies have brain-washed them into thinking that they can live after death.

The Pope keeps adding to the non-sense. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/07/02/...out-devil/

As the Bible points out, the Pharisees believed in ghosts, spirits, angels, demons, and resurrections (zombies). The Jesus character spewed that nonsense non-stop. And today we make religious movies about such things, which contribute to the brainwashing effect. Of course the zombies and vampires in the movies are nasty characters but so what? They are ambling around after death. No one ever said that they would be nice guys.

(July 2, 2014 at 6:24 pm)Wyrd of Gawd Wrote: As the Bible points out, the Pharisees believed in ghosts, spirits, angels, demons, and resurrections (zombies). The Jesus character spewed that nonsense non-stop. And today we make religious movies about such things, which contribute to the brainwashing effect. Of course the zombies and vampires in the movies are nasty characters but so what? They are ambling around after death. No one ever said that they would be nice guys.

I have no need or interest in defending any of these characters besides Jesus, who didn't talk much about zombies. I don't see a reason why Jesus couldn't have used the term "life after death" in the way that I just described it, devoid of undead monsters.
But, of course, the account says that Jesus DID come back to life after dying. I honestly couldn't care whether or not that is true, especially since the claim is impossible to defend or attack. Regardless, there is no record of Yeshua promising that the faithful would be zombies.

There is no life after death its eternal sleep period. The more we think about it the more complicated we make it be, and all those who are dead that we cared about should remain in our memories and they're stories to be passed on through generations. That's how I view it.

Eternal sleep would be okay so long as my back doesn't hurt and I don't have to get up to pee constantly.

(July 3, 2014 at 12:26 am)TechAtheist Wrote: There is no life after death its eternal sleep period. The more we think about it the more complicated we make it be, and all those who are dead that we cared about should remain in our memories and they're stories to be passed on through generations. That's how I view it.

It's a little less than sleep. No dreams. No nothing. Or as Twain put it, just like before you were born.

(July 3, 2014 at 12:25 am)Purplundy Wrote:

(July 2, 2014 at 6:24 pm)Wyrd of Gawd Wrote: As the Bible points out, the Pharisees believed in ghosts, spirits, angels, demons, and resurrections (zombies). The Jesus character spewed that nonsense non-stop. And today we make religious movies about such things, which contribute to the brainwashing effect. Of course the zombies and vampires in the movies are nasty characters but so what? They are ambling around after death. No one ever said that they would be nice guys.

I have no need or interest in defending any of these characters besides Jesus, who didn't talk much about zombies. I don't see a reason why Jesus couldn't have used the term "life after death" in the way that I just described it, devoid of undead monsters.
But, of course, the account says that Jesus DID come back to life after dying. I honestly couldn't care whether or not that is true, especially since the claim is impossible to defend or attack. Regardless, there is no record of Yeshua promising that the faithful would be zombies.

Even crazy Paul said that it's a stretch to think that there is a resurrection of the dead. But he built a religion based on zombies anyway.

(July 3, 2014 at 1:57 am)Wyrd of Gawd Wrote: Even crazy Paul said that it's a stretch to think that there is a resurrection of the dead. But he built a religion based on zombies anyway.

Well, now it looks like you're going to have to prove that Christianity promises zombification to its followers.

(July 3, 2014 at 2:23 am)Purplundy Wrote:

(July 3, 2014 at 1:57 am)Wyrd of Gawd Wrote: Even crazy Paul said that it's a stretch to think that there is a resurrection of the dead. But he built a religion based on zombies anyway.

Well, now it looks like you're going to have to prove that Christianity promises zombification to its followers.

Maybe not zombies they way they are understood. But Paul did talk about the resurrection of the body.

Guy, I know I'm stupid, but why even bother splitting hairs over technical details on anything written in the bible.
That's like having robust debate about whether Vader was a scruncher or a folder when he went to the toilet.