RE: Question about meaning and perception of reality from a theist.
January 5, 2012 at 2:19 pm
(This post was last modified: January 5, 2012 at 2:29 pm by Shell B.)
(January 5, 2012 at 12:50 pm)amkerman Wrote: If you don't believe "meaning" is real, if you believe that meaning is just illusory, that's fine.
Actually, any answer is fine. You don't get to dictate how people respond to your tired old OP.
(January 5, 2012 at 12:11 pm)amkerman Wrote: Can life have meaning w/o God?
Yes. The great difference is that the meaning is not found in uniformity. We each find our own meaning in our own lives. Also, life does not have to have meaning. It just often does for many of us. You are operating on the assumption that life should have meaning.
Quote:I mean I understand how we could perceive it to be have meaninb w/o God, but that perception is just illusory isn't it?
No. Too often people will call something illusory to give it less meaning. Something that is illusory is intangible to others, in most cases. Remember, we're talking illusion, not delusion. I do realize millions of people can share a delusion. At any rate, say I were to become the President of the U.S. and by some miracle of my own doing brought about world peace. My life's meaning would be far from illusory and would have nothing to do with god. Lesser accomplishments that hold significant meaning to the individual are often equally as tangible, just on a lesser scale.
Quote:Without God aren't life and death ultimately meaningless?
I'm with leo. You don't need god to have meaning in life and death and you do not necessarily garner meaning with god. This is a foolish assumption of yours.
Quote:As far as I can understand EITHER life has real meaning and there must be something real which we call "God" or "meaning" OR any "meaning" in life is illusory and people choose to believe in the illusion of God to give their life meaning.
The bolded portion appears to be your problem. That, and trying to lend understanding to something that really just is.
Quote:Believing that meaning is real but that "God" is illusory doesn't make any sense.
That depends. Apparently meaning to you is synonymous with god. Of course, in your case, it would make no sense to believe one and not the other as they hold hands and sing kumbaya in your head. However, it is not like that for everyone. We are able to separate superstition from our lives.
Quote:It's exactly the same belief. It would just be another unverifiable belief for which the word "God" has been replaced with the word "meaning".
Haha, not at all. If my death's "meaning" was to give a lung or heart to someone who could be saved by it, you could not say my death's god was to give a heart or lung . . . They are not interchangeable words. That wasn't even a good try.
Quote:If someone could explain how life has real meaning without "God" I am all ears. Honestly I'm not trying to get into an argument I just want to hear the rationalization.
Oh, please. You try making a rational point first.
Quote:I AM NOT ATTACKING ANYONE's BELIEFS.
No, but you are shouting. Chill with the caps, bro.
Quote:Furthermore, since all of our understanding of reality is based upon our perceptions, isn't the belief in the validity of human "perception" exactly the same as a belief in "God"? They are both ultimately beliefs in the unverifiable.
I just cannot even begin with this. What a ridiculous idea.
