Thinking from God’s perspective decreases biased valuation of the life of a nonbeliever

a reply to: gosseyn

Everything is an intellectual construct

Certainly not.

there is nothing in our minds that is not a fabrication, a very limited and distorted version of the real thing. Our identity of ourselves as an individual is a fabrication, our idea of others around us is a fabrication, our idea of god is a fabrication.

And empathy is none of these things.

All intellectual constructs being equal, we can swap one for another, or just drop them all, or at least we can be conscious that all intellectual constructs are just that, fabrications.

If it were as easy as that, beggars would ride and pigs would fly.

The real problem is the emotional factor : we tend to cling to what we think we know, to our intellectual constructs. There is an emotional impact when we feel that our mind's fabrications are being attacked or questioned.

Speak for yourself, please, or paint with a finer brush.

It really doesn't matter if religion is objectively bad or good, because what matters is the image in the mind of the individual at a precise given instant.

I fear you are unworthy of my steel.

a reply to: Annee

I support an energy intelligence consciousness all is connected to. One. Science.

How widely distributed is this consciousness? Is it limited to Planet Earth or does it pervade the entire Universe?

And if the latter, how does is it integrated over interstellar, let alone intergalactic distances?

Science, ma’am.

a reply to: Bluesma

To me it just sounded like everyones concept of God is a description of their super ego, or conscience

Indeed.

originally posted by: Astyanax
a reply to: Annee

I support an energy intelligence consciousness all is connected to. One. Science.

How widely distributed is this consciousness? Is it limited to Planet Earth or does it pervade the entire Universe?

And if the latter, how does is it integrated over interstellar, let alone intergalactic distances?

Science, ma’am.

That's really kinda a different discussion, I think.

Stating my position, but don't wanna derail the thread.

a reply to: Annee

kinda a different discussion

Well evaded! A star for your slipperiness.

its impossible for a human to think in anything but human terms derived via human senses. as far as placing any kind of value on people, we are all priceless because there will never be another one of any person. unless you subscribe to the idea of an infinite universe, in which case, there is an infinite number of each of us. including whatever theological figures might be in question.

originally posted by: Astyanax
a reply to: Annee

kinda a different discussion

Well evaded! A star for your slipperiness.

NO!!!!!

Respect for the OP poster.

I have gone into detail about my energy belief in proper threads for it.

a reply to: gosseyn

I would have to disagree with him on a number of matters.

Im agnostic as well.

However how could you disagree with a god who may or not exist about something when you don't have the facts to know the meaning of life. Hence we lack the knowledge to see the big picture if their is any.to be had.

Until we see and factually understand the big picture we really can't say what is right or wrong. It might be wrong from our perspective but perhaps that's the intention of the big picture.

I was just thinking a few minutes ago before seeing this thread if I could have one wish what would it be.

My intention was to wish for something that would help humanity the most.

I ended up thinking the best way I could help humanity was to have all the facts availabe to me in order to see the big picture. Hence, My wish would be to know everything about everything.

Perhaps the world is perfect but just not from our perspective, hence fixing it from our perspective could actually be the worst thing we could do.


Having said that I agree with your premise that we don't need religion or a god to have empathy.

Actually I feel that a non religious person might be more capable of demonstrating a pure version of empathy

originally posted by: interupt42
a reply to: gosseyn

I would have to disagree with him on a number of matters.

Im agnostic as well.

However how could you disagree with a god who may or not exist about something when you don't have the facts to know the meaning of life. Hence we lack the knowledge to see the big picture if their is any.to be had.

Until we see and factually understand the big picture we really can't say what is right or wrong. It might be wrong from our perspective but perhaps that's the intention of the big picture.

I was just thinking a few minutes ago before seeing this thread if I could have one wish what would it be.

My intention was to wish for something that would help humanity the most.

I ended up thinking the best way I could help humanity was to have all the facts availabe to me in order to see the big picture. Hence, My wish would be to know everything about everything.

Perhaps the world is perfect but just not from our perspective, hence fixing it from our perspective could actually be the worst thing we could do.


Having said that I agree with your premise that we don't need religion or a god to have empathy.

Actually I feel that a non religious person might be more capable of demonstrating a pure version of empathy

you see the big picture every time you look at the night sky and realize half of those glittering dots are acually the size of the galaxy we live in, and all that space which gives the impression they are tiny diamonds and not massive swarms of burning gas and cosmic debris. here is a song to illustrate my point.

originally posted by: interupt42
a reply to: gosseyn

I would have to disagree with him on a number of matters.

However how could you disagree with a god who may or not exist about something when you don't have the facts to know the meaning of life. Hence we lack the knowledge to see the big picture if their is any.to be had.

Until we see and factually understand the big picture we really can't say what is right or wrong. It might be wrong from our perspective but perhaps that's the intention of the big picture.

While you say that, it seems to me that you are - perhaps unconsciously - assuming that we will one day find god and he will tell us what this is all about. But in reality we may never have this information. We have to work with the information we have because the possibilities are truly endless, and we can't make up this or that being and this or that knowledge, otherwise we will end up with a mountain of made up information.

Maybe there is no god, there is no plan, there is no grand design behind all this.

a reply to: gosseyn

otherwise we will end up with a mountain of made up information.

We already have 'ended up' with that.

Wish I could give you applause.

a reply to: gosseyn

While you say that, it seems to me that you are - perhaps unconsciously - assuming that we will one day find god and he will tell us what this is all about

That would be an incorrect assumption. I have no expectation or bias to ever knowing at least while I'm alive.

Especially a God of biblical proportion , although since I don't have the facts in front me I can't rule that out. However, I would put more weight into our God being a scientist type and us being a Petri dish perhaps in a lab experiment in some Alien high school than what religion tells us.

Maybe there is no god, there is no plan, there is no grand design behind all this.

Those are all valid Maybes , never said otherwise.

a reply to: interupt42

Yes but, it is affecting your way of thinking, is it not ? You said this : "Until we see and factually understand the big picture we really can't say what is right or wrong. It might be wrong from our perspective but perhaps that's the intention of the big picture."

Maybe our perspective is the only perspective that is worth taking into account ? Maybe we are the only intelligence worth of mentioning, and there is no god and the universe is just a big nothing ? So far, we haven't found any other intelligence that can decide what is wrong or what is right. And we have to work with that. You are proposing that we limit our intelligence just in case there is one bigger and better out there. It's like telling to someone who's classifying the different races of horses that his classification is wrong because he didn't take into account the possible existence of unicorns.