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RE: Is Consciousness external to central nervous systems?
August 11, 2010 at 4:41 pm
Atheism has nothing to do with whether or not "souls" exist.
Sam Harris has speculated on the possibility of reincarnation while taking the stance that we simply don't know what happens to our conscious selves when we die.
I've known one other atheist who stated a positive belief in reincarnation.
The ancient Jews were theists but, judging by the OT, they didn't believe in any afterlife.
Buddhists don't believe in any god but do believe in an afterlife and reaching "Nirvana".
I've known other deists who deny the possibility of an afterlife.
Just because God exists, doesn't mean It gives a crap about preserving your consciousness.
Just because God doesn't exist doesn't mean there isn't a natural process of consciousness that survives the death of the brain, whatever that might be.
The two are different topics.
Btw, are theists unwelcome in this forum or was there another reason why he was banned?
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
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RE: Is Consciousness external to central nervous systems?
August 11, 2010 at 5:12 pm
He was someone that had previously been banned permanently and had come back somewhat covertly. Adrian figured out who he is and... *poof*... he's gone. Other than that, he was a seriously hyperbolic asshole, but that wasn't getting him banned (yet), and even he seemed surprised by that.
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RE: Is Consciousness external to central nervous systems?
August 11, 2010 at 5:25 pm
(August 11, 2010 at 3:52 pm)Tiberius Wrote: Just to let everyone know (including Edward if he reads this), but we have banned Edward the Theist, otherwise known as the ex-member and previously *permanently banned* member 'Edward'.
Sorry Eddie, but permanent means permanent. You almost had us fooled, but linking back to the website you created the last time you were here (after your amazing conversion from atheism to theism within the space of about 2 posts) was quite a stupid thing to do. Try harder next time...or don't; you aren't welcome here.
Hell, it's about time.
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RE: Is Consciousness external to central nervous systems?
August 11, 2010 at 5:31 pm
he's confusing sentience with conscience, sentience is the ability to percive the surrondings
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RE: Is Consciousness external to central nervous systems?
August 11, 2010 at 5:49 pm
(August 11, 2010 at 4:41 pm)DeistPaladin Wrote: Btw, are theists unwelcome in this forum or was there another reason why he was banned? Not at all. Theists are more than welcome here. Previously banned theists who came along, trolled, and then attempted to delete all their posts (ruining several pages of discussion on the way), aren't.
For more details see this post.
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RE: Is Consciousness external to central nervous systems?
August 11, 2010 at 6:11 pm
(August 11, 2010 at 4:41 pm)DeistPaladin Wrote: Btw, are theists unwelcome in this forum or was there another reason why he was banned? I personally, love debating with theists.
"Ed" aka Edward wasn't banned for being a theist, or for being a troll, he was and still is a complete and utter ass-hat for damaging and disrupting the forums by deleting his comments in a bid to permanently screw up the message board.
Thankfully we have people like Adrian who can undo the antics of such "individuals".
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RE: Is Consciousness external to central nervous systems?
August 11, 2010 at 7:40 pm
I'm not sure what i'm more upset about, the fact that this moron will undoubtedly go around spouting this nonsense to whomever is willing to listen, or that he did not respond to my direct response from him in his other thread.
"In our youth, we lacked the maturity, the decency to create gods better than ourselves so that we might have something to aspire to. Instead we are left with a host of deities who were violent, narcissistic, vengeful bullies who reflected our own values. Our gods could have been anything we could imagine, and all we were capable of manifesting were gods who shared the worst of our natures."-Me
"Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation; all of which may be guides to an outward moral virtue, even if religion vanished; but religious superstition dismounts all these and erects an absolute monarchy in the minds of men." – Francis Bacon
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RE: Is Consciousness external to central nervous systems?
August 11, 2010 at 7:42 pm
(August 11, 2010 at 7:40 pm)SleepingDemon Wrote: I'm not sure what i'm more upset about, the fact that this moron will undoubtedly go around spouting this nonsense to whomever is willing to listen, or that he did not respond to my direct response from him in his other thread.
Well, his views are in the minority and he even stated that he's been banned from pretty much every forum he's preached at. I'm sure he'll try, but perhaps he'll eventually settle where he'll belong. At the conservapedia forums (if they even have them).
If today you can take a thing like evolution and make it a crime to teach in the public schools, tomorrow you can make it a crime to teach it in the private schools and next year you can make it a crime to teach it to the hustings or in the church. At the next session you may ban books and the newspapers...
Ignorance and fanaticism are ever busy and need feeding. Always feeding and gloating for more. Today it is the public school teachers; tomorrow the private. The next day the preachers and the lecturers, the magazines, the books, the newspapers. After a while, Your Honor, it is the setting of man against man and creed against creed until with flying banners and beating drums we are marching backward to the glorious ages of the sixteenth centry when bigots lighted fagots to burn the men who dared to bring any intelligence and enlightenment and culture to the human mind. ~Clarence Darrow, at the Scopes Monkey Trial, 1925
Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first. ~Ronald Reagan
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RE: Is Consciousness external to central nervous systems?
August 12, 2010 at 9:52 am
DeistPaladin Wrote:Sam Harris has speculated on the possibility of reincarnation while taking the stance that we simply don't know what happens to our conscious selves when we die.
And I agree with him. Just as I speculate on the possibility of God's existence. We don't know whether God exists or not either. I do think God almost certainly doesn't exist though, and I also find it extremely implausible to say the least that consciousness exists after death.
You can speculate on the possibility of anything.
That's what's so great about speculation and possibility.
Probability is different to possibility. Just because something is possible of course doesn't mean it's probable.
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RE: Is Consciousness external to central nervous systems?
August 12, 2010 at 10:52 am
(August 11, 2010 at 2:42 pm)Edward the Theist Wrote: Below is a link to a paper I wrote detailing the reasons I believe consciousness exists external to central nervous systems. I realize atheists may have a problem with this notion but I don't understand why.
Even if consciousness is external to the CNS, that doesn't mean God exists, certainly not in the religious sense, anyway. However, it may imply that humans and animals are more than just dirt, and I know atheists hate the idea of that.
At any rate, here is my paper. It's short and easy to read. And if you have any comments on it, I'd love to read them.
http://www.veridican.com/paper1.pdf
Wow I mean really wow.
This "paper" seems to not contain one shred of suportable fact, just a mish mash of baseless and potty opinion.
I suspected it would fail, but I am surprised it was on such an epic scale.
At least it gave us an insight into your "mind" before you were sent packing.
I must admit though that I found your posts in the past fascinating, in much the same way as a fatal traffic accident on the other side of the road is.
Its appalling but you cant look away.
Goodbye and I hope you get the treatment you so obviously need, tell one of your co-workers about this paper and see how quickly the lithium comes your way.
You can fix ignorance, you can't fix stupid.
Tinkety Tonk and down with the Nazis.
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