Life, The Universe, and Everything

[Carnuth]

I am just...well, i am a confused person, generally about everything. It would be nice to have some ideas on how to figure thigns out. So I will ask some questions and see what you guys think.

1) Why would a perfect god create an imperfect Universe?

2) Why would a perfect god create a universe at all?

3) Whats the deal with time? How can it be passing?!? Maybe i need some kind of stephen hawking type person to help me out.... Uhh...anyone?

4) If reincarnation is real, and there is much evidence it is, does that disprove Heaven(eternal rest) and thus disprove god?

5) What is it that makes people reincarnate? meaning, when we die, what determines whether or not we do come back, and why would we even come back at all, and would we come back at any time in history or in the future?

6) What if I take the "im a brain in a jar" theory and say that everyone and everything is in my head, thus if i die, the world goes with it. Doesnt that make sense? --> If i die, an entire universe dies?

You dont have to answer everything, but i'd really appreciate some of your opinions.

 

[SnakeLord]

1) Even a perfect being needs something to drown, turn to salt, strike with lightning, and condemn to hell just for fun.

2) See above.

3) As time 'progresses it is theorized that we'll end up with another big bang resulting in total collapse of the universe. Things will go back to their starting point and eventually start all over again. It's liks an hourglass slowly filtering away.... Same as our own lives heh

4) Well it would just be twisted into the belief along with everything else. Something like: "Oh no reincarnation just proves there is a god, for instance: Corinthians blah blah"

5) According to Sumerian belief our soul, (Ka), would detach itself from above our heads when we died. If it had achieved a certain state of being, or certain result of knowledge the soul would go to a resting place as such and would be at peace. If we hadn't achieved that it would float around anxiously in limbo. Sometimes when a new child is born that wandering soul attaches itself to the newborn childs soul. They become intermingled.

6) The universe you see, yes.

 

[one_raven]

Let me start by saying that I am an Agnostic that leans toward a general philosophy and outlook on life and nature that is an amalgam of Buddhist and Taoist philosophies (among others and my own).

Originally posted by Carnuth 1) Why would a perfect god create an imperfect Universe?

That assumes that the universe IS actually imperfect.
I disagree with that assumption.
How is it imperfect (humanity may not be perfect, but the universe, in my opinion, is)

Originally posted by Carnuth
2) Why would a perfect god create a universe at all?

If "God" created the universe, I believe he simply created the root matter of all and the root energy, and let shit happen (extreme Deist viewpoint).
I think where most religions go wrong is assigning himan characteristics such as reason, intention, consciousness, intelligence, benevolence, cognizance(sp?) etc to their "Gods".

Let's say "God" is the Abrahamic version of a humanoid figure in space...
Why??
Boredom maybe?
Little science project?
Curious mind?
Infinite existence is a LOOOOONG time.

Originally posted by Carnuth
3) Whats the deal with time? How can it be passing?!? Maybe i need some kind of stephen hawking type person to help me out.... Uhh...anyone?

Think of it the OTHER way around...
What if time did NOT exist.
How could you communicate?
How could you move?
How could you think?
There would be no logical order.
2 would not come after 1 because there IS no before and after.
Try and say the word "blue" without time.
You can't merge the "b" and the "l" together without time because the "b" sound would have to come first.
I know it is a very simplistic response, but try to extraopolate that and apply it to everything.
There would be no movement Somthing would have to have been somewhere "before" and somewhere ELSE "now" for it to have moved.
I don't feel like I am explaining this right, am I?

Originally posted by Carnuth
4) If reincarnation is real, and there is much evidence it is, does that disprove Heaven(eternal rest) and thus disprove god?

No.
Not if you believe that you have a choice of whether to be reborn OR go to heaven.
Of ig you are reincarnated X amount of times, or until you achieve a specific goal before being allowed into heaven.

Let's combine the Vedantic philosophy of reincarnation with the Christian ideal of Heaven...
Hindus believe that when you live life you soul acquires and retains wisdom, however does not retain specific memories.
Therefore, with each reincarnation, your soul becomes more and more wise.
I have always liked this idea because of how it would explain why some children seem very wise ("old souls", as the expression goes) and some adults really seem to have no wisdom at all.
When, according to Vedantic philosophy, you soul acquires the required amount of wisdom, you will then be in Nirvana, and you will no longer be in the cycle of rebirths (somewhat similar to Buddhist beliefs, but Buddhism teaches that there IS no "soul").
Now let's combine those.
Let's say that your soul has to have a certain level of wisdom before you are allowed to enter Heaven (I REALLY hope that is true!!! ).
Let's say that Saint Peter, the bouncer with the velvet rope at Heaven does not jugde your actions and send you to Hell, rather he judges your widsom and send you back to earth to acquire more wisdom.

They don't HAVE to be mutually exclusive.

Originally posted by Carnuth
5) What is it that makes people reincarnate? meaning, when we die, what determines whether or not we do come back, and why would we even come back at all, and would we come back at any time in history or in the future?

Which religion?
See number 4 for a VERY rough view of the Hindu belief.

Buddhism states basically that we release ourselves from the cycle of reincarnation when we want to.
We achieve a state of "enlightenment" by freeing ourselves from desires to be here on this material plane.
When we lose desires for earthly pleasures and accept Nibbana we break free.
That is when you become a Buddha.
You can also choose NOT to break free from the cycle, rather come back as an enlightened person ( a teacher or a guide) to help others to realize the way.
That is a Boddihatsva(sp?).

Originally posted by Carnuth
6) What if I take the "im a brain in a jar" theory and say that everyone and everything is in my head, thus if i die, the world goes with it. Doesnt that make sense? --> If i die, an entire universe dies?

Like this is all a dream and I am a figment of your imagination?
Yeah, when you wake up, the dream dies.
But if you take that point of view, then you have to consider that you are a figment of MY imagination, and when I wake up (or even simply stop thinking about you) you and your whole world will disappear.

Orrrr, maybe the characters and places in your dreams go on without you and you just see tham when you join them on that plane.

I think it is fun to think about that last one, but no more.
I think existence is much more straightforward and "realistic" (for lack of a better word) than that.