How many of you believe that humans are more than mortal beings?

Question

Seriously, I wanna know your opinion. I've heard people mocking several religions for their ideas that people can become immortal after death, even becoming angels or gods and yet, when I say that humans are simply beings of flesh and blood I get criticised.

So, are we mortal or do we hold potential of becoming "divine"? Please give your own opinion and reason therefor.

reply to a_blvr
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Umm.. you're joking right? Flesh animates flesh. Didn't you do biology at school?

Seeking Answers:
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If you don't understand then don't leech the 2 points to say that. No offense and stuff. And no you can't pet me, I'm not that kind of puppy.

Answer 1

Not me!

If our existance is so complex that a God had to create us, then just how complex is God? For that reason, God existing is the improbability!

Answer 2

I believe we are mortal. The reason for this is mainly what I know about neuroscience. I think it is very unlikely that we would have such a brain if it were not really necessary. When we lose just some functions of this brain, if some parts of it get damaged, we can lose our memory, our ability to speak, etc. So I can't imagine that our "soul" could live on when the whole brain is dead. However I know that my reasons will not be convincing for anyone who has faith in the immortality of the soul and in God, and I don't mock people for believing this, because I don't really have a proof that I am right, it is just what seems logical for me. It also plays a role that I was never raised in a religious way, so I have never had a strong belief in an afterlife and it was never a big shock for me to think that I will cease to be one day.

Answer 3

On earth we are mortal and bound by time and death. They are two things out of our control. We are however a higher form of creation than angels but lesser than God. When Jesus walked the earth He was like us having flesh & blood. Blood is the corruptible part in a human that keeps us mortal. If you notice once He was resurected and Thomas doubted..Jesus said to him "I am flesh and bone" .. not blood. A subtle distinction granted but the thing that kept Him mortal was now gone... the blood. We will be immortal in heaven and God will be stuck with us for a long time so He is picky. It is my personal belief we will populate the universe and learn about some of Gods other projects but first we must be cooperative just as NASA would pick a team. Earth to me is a training ground for a wonderful eternity.

Answer 4

I believe, as a Wiccan, that we have an immortal Spirit that continues on after death on another plane that only some of us who are sensitive to it can see while living. Our Spirit returns through many lifetimes, learning lessons on earth to achieve greater closeness to the Goddess and God and greater comprehension of the Universe and how everything is connected. I don't believe we become Goddess or God, but we come closer to them with each lifetime, so we do have the potential to become...I guess demi-gods is the closest thing it could be termed. We won't ever BE the divine force, but we will come closer and closer to it if we learn our lessons each lifetime.

And honestly, if we're simply beings of flesh and blood, I won't be around to lament being wrong, and I'll have lived a good life anyway.

BB
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Answer 5

I believe that we all have a spirit that doesn't change but does expand in intelligence.

I believe that we are here on Earth to learn how to deal with adversities that we choose before we come, much like taking classes in school.

I believe that our physical bodies are much like a car. We simply use it for transportation, and when it wears out, we return home with our new understanding. We then decide whether we want to stay home or buy another car and go back to school.

I believe that, even though our thoughts are transmitted electrically through our brains, that our minds could not possibly be considered anything but pure energy. Just like a light bulb will be dark until the electricity is sent through it. Without the essence of the electricity which has another separate source, the light bulb is just glass, wire and metal that cannot do anything on its own.

So to answer your question, our physical bodies are mortal but our minds, spirits, that which makes us who we are is indeed immortal and cannot be destroyed. Only relocated.

Answer 6

I was born as a Christian and I am atheist or agnostic since the age 14. Although I don't believe in a any kind of religion, I do believe we are spiritual beings. It is an intuitive feeling I have. I am not scared of dying and I am 100% sure that God doesn't exists in a way that is shown in the Bible or Quran or other religion. I have feeling that Earth is not the only place with intelligent beings, and all this places (Earth as well) are places we learn (we love, we hate, enjoy and dislike...). There are no rules here in Earth, but to live life peacefully and with joy. I am 100% sure I am right.

Answer 7

I believe we are transient. I'm basing it on my faith (Christianity) my education (Physics) and my philosophy (Taoism).

God created human in his image and gave him Life.
Physics suggests that matter and energy don't just appear or disappear.
Taoism believes in balance.

Now, the 2nd and third pretty much support one another. The first... well, I kind-of doubt one could synthesize a human body starting from atoms and expect it to as much as get up and walk without giving it some... essence.

Also... it might just be me yet I do feel sometimes that the body I occupy is but a shell, a temporary vessel... so in all...

Perhaps we were given the mortal coil as a test to see how we do. Once the body expires.... well, we move on. As the body transforms to other materials, so must the spirit somehow turn into something else. That might be... returning to God.

Answer 8

What an awesome honest question. I'm glad people like you are out there who are not out to point the finger at anything, just thinking about stuff and wanting to see different people's views on things. This is the beauty behind this site that gets lost at times.

To answer your question, personally I feel we are mortal and are not much different than other animals in that we are given life from life that is already existing (our parents egg and sperm), and this tradition carries on and on. As for becoming divine, or godlike, I feel people try and try to be something more, which can be great, but it's pretty futile in my eyes.

I had thought for a long, long time that we are NO different from other animals on this earth. But just recently, the other day, I realized after reading some Dostoevsky, that the real difference between animals and humans is that animals are innocent, and we are not.

I realize that seems mildly off the point, but it is healthy to think about what this means. To me it means that we are in control of ourselves. And to me to be in control of myself is to be the god of myself. So in that sense we are each individually divine from the start. We just have these damn addictions that make it hard to stay divine (or in control). Any comments? I should post this as a new topic. I think I will.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnSC.1N8dsFjsqguBo.SxAHsy6IX?qid=20061227021014AAqBQ2n

Answer 9

I don't know what you mean by mortal beings. Anyway "puppy" can I pet you? LOL

After really reading, I can say yes, people are way more than just mortal beings. We are spirits under this flesh. No puppy I am not looking for points, and as for petting you, I was just joking. You get offended easy I see. At least I didn't say that I was going to ring your doorbell and run away like that guy in the devil suit does.

Answer 10

On earth we are mortal and fallible beings, but in the afterlife we are consumed by either the sinful nature or the Holy Spirit (depending on our choices on earth) and we become immortal (whether we go to hell or heaven, we don't feel pain, though in hell you still feel sorrow, regret, etc). We are all children of God and heirs to his kingdom (though he will never die so we can't inherit it) and we are on a higher standing than the angels in heaven. The angels are not the children of God, they are just mere messengers.

Answer 11

All evidence points to us dieing, and no one disputes that. What rational thinkers have to say is, i really do not know what happens afterwards, so there is no particular reason to believe i will live. There is also no particular reason to believe that we are reincarnated. From what we know about being alseep/unconscious and from near death experiences, it seems that nothing happens, but that cannot at the moment be proven.