Theists, God-believers... are you prepared to answer?

Question

Human consciensious, (i.e., our ability to experience through our senses and reason with our minds,) has a yet undescovered physical and chemical nature to it. These questions of physics are likely to be solved or at least become much better understood following a few more decades of research.

How will you respond when science tells you with certainty that physical death includes a definitive end to consciensious? Will you still insist that "life after death" is possible? Will you continue to claim that there is a "soul" and a "spirit" with the ability to live on after all conscious ability is obliterated?

If consciousness depends on physical and chemical support to exist, (which it does,) then how could it ever exist without a living body to maintain it?

Answer 1

Why do you think I have serious doubts about the existence of any afterlife?

Answer 2

Think of what you just said. Could that undiscovered physical and chemical nature that you are talking about be spiritual of which the soul has a separate ability from the body and mind.

Do you agree that we could have more than 5 or 6 senses?

Instead of us asking "what if" questions can't we just wait for a few more decades and see if science catches up with God.

I declare to you at this very moment that the Holy Spirit lives within me and I claim that there is a "soul" and a "spirit" with the ability to live on (eternal life) after all conscious ability is obliterated as far as this carnal body is concerned.

Do you know that Asthma has nothing to do with what you breathe? Something is happening deep inside the human body that's being triggered by something internally. No dust, pollen and dog dander have nothing to do with Asthma. Fear, anxiety and stress cause Asthma and the scientist have known this for over a decade. Fear of abandonment coupled with insecurity can cause Asthma attacks. The body attacks the body because the person is attacking themselves spiritually in self-rejection, self-hatred, and self-bitterness. That is a high price to pay for not loving yourself. When you don't love yourself, it is like slapping the Creator in the face.

There is a soul and a spirit. And the most wonderful One is the Holy Spirit.

Answer 3

What will you say when they prove that the soul does exist?

(The question is just as fair as yours)

That the soul and spirit interact with the body has never been denied by the Christian faith. Nor that certain physical and chemical processes are involved. But the Christian faith holds that something exist beyond those processes. Science probably will a some point come to understand most of those processes, what couases them, how they work, and even be able to control or alter peoples personalities by changing those processes. (You have heard of "mind altering drugs", right?)

But even when ever since physical and chemical process is understood, it will not answer that question as to whether anything lies beyond those processes. How would test sceintifically for such a thing? Stop all the physical processes? Then the person is dead and can not tell you what happens afterwards. Stop and restart a person's heart? How long do they have to be dead before they would see and understand? Would they remember the other side? Etc.

Science probably will within a few years come to understand many of the processes of the human mind, as it has come to understand many (not all) of the processes of the human body. But that will not answer the question of what lies beyond the body. That is like saying that because you have come to understand every process in how a car runs, that there is no manufacturer or designer beyond the car.

Answer 4

You are a man of tremendous faith, my friend. You see, you have put a lot of stock in what scientists will discover, not knowing that they ever will. In any case, they can research a dead body all they want, and they will never discover the consciousness ceases to exist. All they will do is enforce the belief that it leaves the body and takes residence elsewhere. The body is like an earth suit. Your body is not who you are, your "consciousness" is. Once it leaves your body, your body will die. But it's just a suit. If you've ever gone to a formal function, and worn a suit you can understand what I'm saying. The suit isn't you. When you remove the suit, you remain exactly who you were when you were wearing the suit. Others may perceive you differently when you're wearing the suit, thinking you're someone you're not, but you remain the same. But it doesn't matter what they think, right. You know who you are, with or without the suit. Interesting parallel to your body and your spirit, don't you think?

Answer 5

When catapillars become pupae, and then when the pupae open and the being comes out to become a butterfly, it has to pull itself, with great pain and difficulty, out of the cocoon. It turns out that when sympathetic humans are watching, and cut open the cocoons so that these creatures can get out without pain or difficulty, their wings never properly form. The pain and the difficulty are required so that the creature can fly. The One seems to love symbolism, metaphors, and puns - - - they exist all throughout creation. The ideas and words of the One are larger than any mortal can perceive, but those who sincerely try can percieve parts, which are necessarily not the whole truth. The part you perceive is the truth that most fits your being. It is not meant for anyone else. Studying the truths meant for others that have been written down cannot inform you as the One intended. But listening to the One is a skill that must be learned and developed. If it were automatic then every volitional who has chosen to come have 'adventures in limitation' in this area that we call 'the' Universe would be a mystic. Not every volitional wants to be a mystic. I don't know what you should do, you have to choose that for yourself. Your 'not believing' in God cannot hurt God, it only hurts you (if you are going to be a mystic), so I don't know if you have to apologize.

Answer 6

Yes, I would. Will they then put God in a test tube to prove that he's real? I still have faith that he's real and so is reincarnation. Look at how Jesus was sent to earth to be born then returned to heavan. Is that not possible for anyone? Anything's possible.

I'd like to add that there is a brain that controls your functions and causes your feelings and actions. A brain that keeps track of things. Then there is 'consciousness' that they call the mind. You can't put that in a jar or track it or even define it. That's what spirituality is all about. Ideas and consciousness are not things. Einstein says that energy doesn't end. It just changes form. There is so much we don't understand about life and the nature of God. So many differring views......

Answer 7

how can consciousnes exist without a soul ,the living force?
at death, consciousness is transferred, not destroyed.
its like in physics, the law of conservation of energy. energy can never be created nor destroyed.
So the soul is the living force of the body, our source of energy.

Human consciousness is not made of ONLY chemicals and physical elements; it is made of - energy from the soul. This will never be proven wrong. You say in a few decades. The deadline will continue to be postponed...forever, and your imperfect understanding of science will never be proven.

here, read this:
(and if you have more questions, see - http://www.krishna.com/main.php?id=493 and ask your questions to them in the live chat
or email them here -
http://www.krishna.com/main.php?id=421

We Souls
All living beings, whether plants, animals, or humans, possess consciousness and exhibit it in varying degrees. Consciousness does not arise from matter but is a symptom of the soul, which is an irreducible element of reality. Try as they may, scientists cannot create life in a laboratory by mixing lifeless chemicals.

We are the conscious spiritual soul within the body, and our departure from the body is called death. The phrase “passed on” is, therefore, an accurate description of what takes place when someone dies.

Consciousness means self-awareness, or the sense of “I am.” It also means awareness of our own thoughts and sensations. No computer—no matter how sophisticated—is conscious.

Ordinary science cannot study spirit and its characteristic, consciousness, which are outside the purview of matter. Spirit can be studied through a spiritual science, such as that given in the Vedas.

In our original pure state, we are conscious of our eternal identity in relationship to God. Now our consciousness is absorbed in matter, and we think we are whatever body we inhabit at the moment.

Besides consciousness, other evidence suggests that our identity is separate from our bodies—for example, past-life memories and out-of-body experiences.

Answer 8

Consciousness deals with chemical reactions in the brain... when the brain dies, "consciousness" dies. You are trying to equate consciousness with life.... do trees have consciousness in the same sense we do? No. Does this mean trees are not alive? Not hardly.

Prove that the spirit is only capable of existing when the consciousness is alive and functioning. And while science is trying to prove this (which is odd, because they just had documentary on Discovery Channel where many doctors are coming forward talking about "life after death experiences"... obe... etc... and how they believe that is proving that there is a life after death).... maybe science can finally prove dark matter is there - considering our technology can not detect it but so many scientists believe it does exist.

Sound familiar? =)

Answer 9

My God is the spirit of Goodness..doing good things... like volunteering for CMHA, helping people with problems, helping people save money, donating to the poor when I have the $'s to do so! I also believe that the devil is the spirit of bad things.. those that cause disbelief, or misslead or bash people they think might be something they don't like, wrong doers.. those without decent morals! Realistically nothing is good or bad.. it depends on how you use what you use whether you use it for good or for bad!
You say conscious and soul be obliterated? I never seen that any where! Our body is just a vehicle.. if we had no soul.. we'd be just walking robots.. we'd not be mentally aware of what we are doing.. we'd be sorta like a number that fills a purpose say 7 without that number there'd be no 7th day! Anyone saying there's no spirit or soul must be a robot or the walking dead!

Answer 10

MY experience of being clinically dead twice for far too long than conventional medicine could remedy made me realize that after many years that i had been given Divine assistance from a power i shall never fully understand, but that i know did not emanate from within my own being. The only thing i can say is that all of the disbelievers better hope they are right.Because if you are right, i lost nothing because if the human mind is capable of ANYTHING by virtue of its ability to create then i will be able to create a place to go without worry. If, on the other hand we ( the believers are right ) the non-believers, by virtue of their mental capacity, have condemned themselves by their contempt prior to investigation. If God exists, and is vengeful, sorry for you. If God exists and is Merciful , then you are fortunate indeed, to be included in God's Mercy, Grace, and love.

Answer 11

When we as Christians die, our mortal bodies are left where we died, and we are given a new one, one that is a heavenly body, that does not have any physical or chemical qualities to it. We will be changed in " the twinkling of an eye" to be like Him, which is Spirit. The Bible says that God is Spirit, and so we should worship Him in spirit. The Bible also says about our death, and where our "soul" will go " Absent from the body, present with the Lord " Wow ! That is totally awesome ! My friend, can I pray for you ?--------- I will anyway !