(October 5, 2013 at 11:52 pm)Rational AKD Wrote: many atheists claim the afterlife is impossible since the mind and the brain are the same.
I haven't read this whole thread yet but this line confuses two subjects that are not necessarily related.
It is possible that a god exists and there is no afterlife. The ancient Hebrews seemed to think so. Many deists reject the idea of the afterlife. Just because there is a mind of some sort behind the universe doesn't mean we're important enough to preserve for eternity.
It is possible that there is an afterlife but no gods. Buddhists don't have any gods that I'm aware of but they do have a system of reincarnation. Just because the universe came to be through natural means doesn't mean that there isn't some natural mechanic behind our consciousness that survives the death of the brain. See my "if souls existed, they'd have properties that could be studied and understood and therefore would be part of the natural universe" part of our last discussion.
Gods and "souls" are two different subjects.
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
