when does life begin?

[Blackguard_]

Really? Hmm. Why/how did you come up with this criteria?

thinking about personal identity. It actually ties in with the thread on dreams you have. I noticed in some dreams I for all intents and purposes have a different mind, I think and act unlike who I am awake, I often even have false memories. So from this I concluded the mind wasn't identical to the soul but tied to a mind, and so to me the soul is what percieves the mind or with the mind.

Or if that isn't coherent, imagine you want to know say, what Hitler was thinking. So your perception/soul is transported back in time to 1942 and Hitler's mind and you live out a week in his mind and act, see, think, etc. everything he did. It would seem just like if you drempt you were hitler wouldn't it?

Yes, because all if of God, and the soul is the connection to God--if all are connected, all have souls. What is your definition?

I define the soul as what is doing the percieving.

Have you never had time 'slow down' during something intense happening to you? Have you never had time 'speed up' and pass you by? Has time ever stood still for you while you pondered something? (see exercise above )

Well yes. I thought that had to do more with your perception than time actually skipping or changing speeds. For example when you zone out, as in your staring exercise, I am focused on the object and so my perception of time suffers.

Or, are you a trickster-god that steals time from those with pressing deadlines and piles it up on the bored?

Have you ever been touched by/enfolded by God and had a timeless moment?

I'm not sure what you mean, could you give an example? I can't help but think you mean 'memorable' and call it timeless like a "timeless work of art".

 

[Blackguard_]

You're thinking in finite terms, not eternal terms. We ALL exist within God, and separate (another illusion) for moments at a time... so to speak.

Would be true if I were a pantheist.

That's not necessarily true. We may be tapping into the universal knowledge that is God, that is existence.

I don't think this world is evil at all, but all is part of God....
Not at all. God is beyond such judgments; just because the Bible says something doesn't make it so.

Then what of what most people would call 'evil' then? Are you an amoralist?

In our oneness with God, yes. However, we choose to believe we are not one with God, and only tap into certain parts and aspects of the whole, yet we do have the potential--as Jesus did and taught--to realize our oneness.

I don't think so, as Jesus taught we could do miracles/tap into God's power by faith, and even then it is God working through you.

That's not what Jesus said; we already HAVE eternal life, we just have to realize it--faith being one of the biggest aspects of that realization/enlightenment.

I thought he said "I come to give life and give it abundantly"? Or did you mean the faithful already have it?

Maybe you should try studying particle physics and see about those galaxies.

Those mini-galaxies actually exist? Do you happen to know of a website about them? And I am way too bad with numbers to seriously study any science.

 

[Blackguard_]

oh yeah, the love is not a connection between the two people all the time but maybe their love has something to do with the thought of knowing there is a chance for their offspring to make it somewhere, that survival and the fealing that goes along with it, who doesnt love the fealing alone

According to your view it would seem all were created at the same time when God got the idea of you, and you could just say that idea was from love, especially considering "God is love", so finding love in human parents is unnecessary.

your statement of watching movies is quite funny but nuthing i speak of comes from any such thing
especially the one about will smith, i really dont watch those silly types of movies, and i know not of the one you speak of

I didn't think you got your ideas from it, it was a joke.

i can have an idea of a picture i want to paint, and then paint it
did that picture not exist before i painted it?
of course it did, and if i died before painting it, it would still exist in my memory, so ultimately it was and is a part of me, and always will be

the idea and painting are not identical. The idea of you is not you anymore than a blueprint is a building. Also, I don't know about you but I am not an idea.

so what about those that dont recieve the gift of jesus or have a chance to but choose not to recieve it, are they just counted out?

yes. They experiece the second death mentioned in revelations.

 

[Soul_Searcher]

Hi Blackguard,

"I noticed in some dreams I for all intents and purposes have a different mind, I think and act unlike who I am awake, I often even have false memories. So from this I concluded the mind wasn't identical to the soul but tied to a mind, and so to me the soul is what percieves the mind or with the mind."

Very cool perspective; thanks for sharing. I'm not sure the mind and soul are separate entities; I'll have to give this one some thought. I think our minds, in the dream state, are free to explore and create unlike when we are awake, for 'reality' doesn't interfere. I think this ties in nicely with the soul, or God-mind, which is total creativity.

"I define the soul as what is doing the perceiving."

I think we're on opposite ends on this one, as I see the mind perceiving (limited only by our own experiences and fears), and the soul having total knowledge--total connection with God.

"Well yes. I thought that had to do more with your perception than time actually skipping or changing speeds. "

I think it's both--I think we can alter time with our minds (perception) and actually slow it down or speed it up when we release ourselves from the collective perception (CP) of time. When we 'come out' of our focus we immediately check in with the CP and time snaps back to 'normal.'

"Or, are you a trickster-god that steals time from those with pressing deadlines and piles it up on the bored?"

I'll never tell.

"I'm not sure what you mean, could you give an example? I can't help but think you mean 'memorable' and call it timeless like a "timeless work of art"."

This is usually achieved in meditative states, but not limited to that. There have been times in my life when I've felt fully connected to everything (which I term God) and in those moments time has no meaning. All the illusions we hold fall away and there is just you and the infinite.

"Would be true if I were a pantheist."

And you can call me such if you're into labels, but through my journey I find God cannot be labeled, boxed, defined or quantified, which is what all religions do.

"Then what of what most people would call 'evil' then? Are you an amoralist?"

Not really, though I do believe that what we do on this Earth has no bearing beyond these lives. What we do here has no implications beyond our solar system; if we stopped judging and labeling we'd see we are all one, and if we saw, we might act accordingly, which is what Jesus taught when he said, "Love your neighbor AS yourself."

"I don't think so, as Jesus taught we could do miracles/tap into God's power by faith, and even then it is God working through you. "

Yes, Jesus continually gave credit to "Him who sent me," but in reality, there is no difference between God and us except the knowledge that we ARE one with God and everything. Right now we only can work with faith, but I do believe that faith can eventually turn to knowledge if we keep knocking and asking and seeking. Once we stop and say, "This is Truth," we stop growing.

"I thought he said "I come to give life and give it abundantly"? Or did you mean the faithful already have it?"

I make no distinction between the faithful and non-believers (of any creed, religion, spirituality.) I don't believe Jesus did either. We ALL have the potential to become one with God, to find the life eternal Jesus spoke of.

"Those mini-galaxies actually exist? Do you happen to know of a website about them? And I am way too bad with numbers to seriously study any science."

This is what particle physics and other sciences are delving into. I recommended a book for halfpastseven, "The Holographic Universe," and you may be interested in watching the movie, "What the Bleep Do We Know?" Check them out and see what you think.

Have a wonderful journey.

 

[halfpastseven]

"yes. They experiece the second death mentioned in revelations."

i thought god was the only one to make this judgement according to the bible

"faith can eventually turn to knowledge if we keep knocking and asking and seeking. Once we stop and say, "This is Truth," we stop growing."

thats exactly the way i feal

"Then what of what most people would call 'evil' then?"

god is the creater of all, and the all loving
so how could anything that happens or goes on be evil or wrong
this concept is hard to grasp at times, especially if you have had someone do something to you personally that would fall under the definition of evil or wrong, but that is also part of how i came to feal the way i feal about it
even if you believe in the devil, god still created him and has allowed him to do whatever one may believe he does, and it must be for some reason and part of gods plan, if god didnt want him to exist then he wouldnt
if god is perfect then how could anything that came from him be evil
me personally i dont judge things on a level of good or evil
everthing is everything, and it just is what it is

 

[Gomez]

jer 1:5 "before i was forming you in the belly i knew you..."

Are you saying God is talking about sperm and is this thread a joke?