Could we already be dead?

[PsychoSarah]

It isn't purgatory then... it's just another life. If there's a net enjoyment over dislike, then it isn't a punishment.

We feel both good and bad emotions, both love and hate, sorrow and joy. I think it pretty much evens out.

 

[durangodawood]

Right from the top of my head I can´t think of any difference it would make.

???

God can be bargained with. The God of the OT, anyway. Thats makes the proposed scenario ENTIRELY different than our current lot, as it offers at least a glimmer of hope for eternal life.

 

[Paradoxum]

We feel both good and bad emotions, both love and hate, sorrow and joy. I think it pretty much evens out.

If it evens out it isn't purgatory. Purgatory would have to be a net negative.

Personally, my life has been mostly positive. Even when it hasn't been positive it's mostly been neutral.

 

[Archie the Preacher]

Sounds like a story someone would invent.

I just am putting that idea out there.

Too late. There are a couple - both in the science fiction/fantasy genre.

 

[PsychoSarah]

If it evens out it isn't purgatory. Purgatory would have to be a net negative.

Personally, my life has been mostly positive. Even when it hasn't been positive it's mostly been neutral.

I thought purgatory was sort of a neutral afterlife that is transitional between heaven and hell?

 

[Archie the Preacher]

No Sarah, this life isn't that bad for me at the very least. Further, from the data I collect, many others here seem to enjoy it. So, unlike your view, it's a net positive.

Of course, as long as we're delving into the philosophical and theological equivalence of 'Conspiracy Theory', it could be you're the one having such a rotten time and all us cheeful so-and-sos are just shills or some such.

That's really very complicated for just one miserable person, huh?

My thought is this is Boot Camp for Eternity. For those who haven't had the opportunity or pleasure, Boot Camp is organized, scheduled, insanity with endless pushups and big ugly people who scream at one all day. It makes absolutely no sense at all.

Unless one gets to a place where people are trying to kill one. Then it makes a good deal of sense indeed.



Change to Purgatory:

Purgatory is a Roman Catholic teaching, so one so authorized will appear shortly and correct my posting if I'm far from the mark.

From the 2005 Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

What is purgatory?

Purgatory is the state of those who die in God’s friendship, assured of their eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven.

Back to my thoughts:
Purgatory is based on the same word as 'purge'. It is a place of purging or cleaning. So while it is 'hope filled', it could be exhausting and a bit tormenting. Which seems closer to my Boot Camp theory.

 

[seeingeyes]

Is it possible that we are actually existing in purgatory or hell right now? We seem to be separated from any god, there is tons of pointless suffering around the world, we all live in fear of death...

So what if we were the souls that failed, and we don't even realize it, living in fear and suffering until we die again and are erased completely?

I believe that hell has a here-now and there-later quality, so this idea really isn't far off.

Though I don't believe that "failure" is necessary...the rain falls on the just and the unjust.

 

[Albion]

I thought purgatory was sort of a neutral afterlife that is transitional between heaven and hell?

No, it's a place/state of punishment for sin--much like hell but only temporary.

 

[Paradoxum]

I thought purgatory was sort of a neutral afterlife that is transitional between heaven and hell?

I thought it was temporary punishment, to make you ready for heaven.

If that isn't what it means, then I don't know.

 

[PsychoSarah]

I thought it was temporary punishment, to make you ready for heaven.

If that isn't what it means, then I don't know.

The only punishing part about it might be that it takes a long time. Other than that, I can see how we exist now as being like a purgatory, it makes the number of miscarriages and early deaths make more sense than this being actual life as desired by a benevolent god. The idea of purgatory is that the less close one was to being qualified to go to heaven (without being one who was destined for hell, necessarily) the longer you would have to stay there.

 

[Paradoxum]

The only punishing part about it might be that it takes a long time. Other than that, I can see how we exist now as being like a purgatory, it makes the number of miscarriages and early deaths make more sense than this being actual life as desired by a benevolent god. The idea of purgatory is that the less close one was to being qualified to go to heaven (without being one who was destined for hell, necessarily) the longer you would have to stay there.

But some people don't have miscarriages, or have many bad things happen, so I don't see how it can be purgatory. The point is punishment for sin isn't it? If people are just living normal, not bad, lives on earth, what's the point of being here?

I'd think this universe being God free would make more sense.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Is it possible that we are actually existing in purgatory or hell right now? We seem to be separated from any god, there is tons of pointless suffering around the world, we all live in fear of death...

So what if we were the souls that failed, and we don't even realize it, living in fear and suffering until we die again and are erased completely?

This is actually pretty good if it's "being dead". I mean if I'm dead now, I certainly don't remember being alive, so I've got nothing to measure it against. Seems rather nice to me.

Also, I wouldn't say I'm afraid of death so much...but I'm not looking forward to dying.

 

[PsychoSarah]

This is actually pretty good if it's "being dead". I mean if I'm dead now, I certainly don't remember being alive, so I've got nothing to measure it against. Seems rather nice to me.

Also, I wouldn't say I'm afraid of death so much...but I'm not looking forward to dying.

You'd have to have a pretty bad life to look forward to death.

 

[Ana the Ist]

You'd have to have a pretty bad life to look forward to death.

I'll agree with that. Is that what you meant, though, when you said "we live in fear of death"?

I took it to mean something else.

 

[PsychoSarah]

I'll agree with that. Is that what you meant, though, when you said "we live in fear of death"?

I took it to mean something else.

Well, we humans in general fear the unknown. Death is one of the few things truly unknown to us anymore. To be willing to face the possibility of ending your entire existence, one must either have something they feel is worth dying for, or feel they have nothing more to live for.

 

[pyramid33]

Well, we humans in general fear the unknown. Death is one of the few things truly unknown to us anymore. To be willing to face the possibility of ending your entire existence, one must either have something they feel is worth dying for, or feel they have nothing more to live for.

We all have something worth dying for. Our Maker.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Well, we humans in general fear the unknown. Death is one of the few things truly unknown to us anymore. To be willing to face the possibility of ending your entire existence, one must either have something they feel is worth dying for, or feel they have nothing more to live for.

My view is that it's generally like the way it was before I was born. I know there was a past and that things happened before I existed, so they will likely exist without me when I'm gone in much the same way. Non-existence just doesn't seem scary.

 

[pyramid33]

My view is that it's generally like the way it was before I was born. I know there was a past and that things happened before I existed, so they will likely exist without me when I'm gone in much the same way. Non-existence just doesn't seem scary.

If you knew it was eternal and never ending, not this perishing world, but somewhere, , would you understand that it is so important?


Christians are followers of a place where pain doesn't exist.

 

[PsychoSarah]

My view is that it's generally like the way it was before I was born. I know there was a past and that things happened before I existed, so they will likely exist without me when I'm gone in much the same way. Non-existence just doesn't seem scary.

In contrast to you, I am terrified. Plus, technically, if you want to go all Hindu or Buddhist about it, you could consider that we did exist before we were born in this body, we just don't remember it.

But anyways, not existing is beyond comprehension, eternally unknown. The closest I can think of to experiencing it would be sleep, but still most of our brain is conscious then, to various extents. Plus, what of the people you loved, and those in the future? To exist knowing they have ceased or shall do so is agony.

 

[PsychoSarah]

If you knew it was eternal and never ending, not this perishing world, but somewhere, , would you understand that it is so important?

The thing is though, nobody truly, completely knows for sure. Imagine for a moment that this life is completely all you have and ever will have.