thoughts on death

[Gex]

My background - Pretty strong Christian, brought up as a Catholic but thought it was all boring. Now as I'm getting older I'm becoming a firmer Catholic, though I can't say I'm that good of one.

The Baptists have a fine way of scaring the crap out of you at an early age.

You know, that's really weird. I thought Catholics were supposed to do that - but as a kid, God usually involved coloring books at Sunday school and lots of Hippie-peace stuff.

Take for example the ancient Sumerians: They had the same Noah's Ark story in their culture.

I think Native Americans did too, along with some others. There was some research done once saying that at one time there used to be a lot more water in the atmosphere or something, which somehow would've gone together with a giant flood loooong ago.

They even think of Catholics as being hell-bound.

Yeah, a lot of people do, it makes me sweat bullets. Maybe I'll get lucky and just go to purgatory for awhile. Oh crap, that's a Catholic thing, too.

First, there is no Hell that has burning, fiery pits, with snakes and chains and pools of acidic vomit.

Some people figure its more like Antarctica - really effing cold. Why? God's presence is no longer with you, your isolated from him, entirely.

There is a story where "they" say that if you have a dream where you fall off and cliff and hit you will die.

I stopped worrying about that (not that I ever did) the one time a had a dream and DID hit. It hurt like a bitch, even when I woke up. I don't remember the reason, my I'd cut the circulation off to my arm or fell of the bed or something, maybe nothing, I don't remember. I'm just pretty sure I did hit once. I laughed.

hope in a wonderful heaven is a perfect belief to impress on people like slaves and the poor because it keeps them in there place. They are told just wait until you die then youll be the ones in charge. If they didnt have this, the "downs" and such would have risen against the "ups" to try and make the only life they actually get more pleasant. Saying the meek shall inherit the earth is exactly what the meek want to hear because its a promise they dont have to work to get. Rather than standing up and making something of their lives they can meek out a mediocre existence hoping that god will reward them in the end.

Well, that's one view. I think of it more as a universal equalizer, sorta. You know, all things in nature aim for equilibrium (well, like heat and gas equilibriums and a lot of stuff in nature). Basically, what makes it even if you had an absolutely awful life, there has to be something, right? That's the opposite view. I'm probably somewhere in the middle there.

But I had been taking alot of caffeine through energy drinks thoes days and right before my beliefe of dying I was smoking shisha... but I am not completely sure either one of thoes drugs were the cause of my experiance.

Well, caffeine can eff up your brain chemical ratios (don't you all love my quasi-scientific terms?), but usually only after extended abuse. But if you add this into sleep deprevation (were you getting much sleep worrying all the time?), which results in your brain not being able to balance itself, and people have claimed some pretty weird stuff - some pretty scary stuff, like being torn apart.

[Gex]

Death is death. simply put, i don't think it is anything more than nothingness, complete nothingness.

That wouldn't be so bad. I mean, at least I wouldn't have picked the wrong religion =P Which, when you think about, if that's how it really is, you can hurt yourself by being a bit religious in some way. But really, complete nothingness sounds so blissful sometimes.

Something more along the Hindu lines of becoming one with god (i.e. everything) makes more sense.

I think that can fit into many denominations of many religions. And yeah, it does make sense.

Some people say there is no God.
My philosophy teacher can prove there isn't one.
But he still believes in one.

Yeah, mine too.

its amazing that touch,hearing,seeing,tasting, and smelling only contributes to 10% of actual reality. maybe we need to open up the other 85% of our brains and then we can truly know what "reality" is.

Well, not quite, as pboyle mentions, not all your brain is in use at the same time, and A LOT of it is actually maintenance cells (I think my Bio teach said that...). Since specific brain cells (ones designed to transmit visual info, etc.) are actually too specified to completely take care of themselves, other cells have to help maintain them. The good news? When we all go out and get trashed, effectively killing off parts of our brains, good chances are that it was just some excess cleaning cells. Not so good chances with long term abuse.

But the argument against the existence of God is from the perspective of evil, which in a simple explanation says if "God" created the universe, there wouldn't be any evil or else "God" would not be all-good. Because the definition of God makes him an omniscient, omnipotent, all-good creator, there can't be a God because of the existence of evil. God simply wouldn't be able to create it.

Pboyle, I really like your arguments, but as you cite Thomas (de) Aquinas at one point, I figure you'd realize that he countered this exact point a little more efficiently. In basic terms, there's no evil, for all of God's works work towards an all good end. So basically, your entire town just got wiped out by a lunatic 5 year old with a BB gun (for sake of better example) - you may call him evil, but in the end that small happening was necessary. Also, many people consider anything that leads to ones death as evil (tobacco...), but religious doctrine pretty much says death is a pretty cool thing. Like, you can finally go chill with God.

I'm not Thomas, and I haven't read much of his writing, so I can't fully defend this, but I thought I'd mention it.

This is why taking risks is the shit. It brings meaning to life and you don't waste it. Who knows what'll happen when we die, i feel like it's the 4th dimension or something lol. Just do whatever you can to make your life useful and you pretty much will die happy lol dont really know if there's such a thing but whatever. Hope yall live a good and happy life

Yeah, I used to be a bit of a Geek, like being successful in life is the msot important thing. Then I think I was introduced to Mario 64 or alcohol or something (alcohol? Sounds like Jim Morrison) and I pretty much decided living life balls-to-the-wall was a much better option. I've been doing it pretty well so far. Of course, I have my restrictions as I really do try to be as religious as possible, but I tend to take use that "All-Merciful" clause a lot. Which, if you think about it, Catholicism tends to turn to that clause a lot, so I'm not too worried. I don't plan on committing any unconfessed mortal sins anytime soon, so I should be good.

Uh-oh, time to skip my homework and go find a hookah bar...

[GordonMac]

I have two things that I think are most likely. First, You go to another dimension. (the astral plane) or my second theory, nothing happens. You simply die and do not exist as you were before you were born. All the religion stuff is extremely unrealistic for me. I have a hard time understanding how so many humans belive in that stuff.