If you believe all that there is, is material, and this material is never created or destroyed?

Question

why not believe in reincarnation, or at least a continuance of life? since your body does not dissapear or turn into nothing after it dies, but rather becomes part of the ever-continuous cycle of nature, why not believe that your consciousness does the same?

Answer 1

Metempsychosis is a traditionally eastern idea. As with many of their pet theories; there is a core which resembles naked truth, swathed in about 7 layers of nonsense.

Lots of the post-modern, pseudo-scientific, anti-wise philosophers enjoy pointing out "facts" that point to how these supposedly "deep" propositions are supported in surprising ways by findings in science. With metempsychosis, these folks always point to thermodynamics and cognitive science. Their argument runs thusly, "Energy cannot be created or destroyed...Each of us has a brain which functions because of energy...Therefore We are Energy...Therefore We will survive our own death (opening the possibility of being reborn as someone/something else)."

It is partially true that what "we" are is energy. And it might even be true that energy cannot be destroyed. However, this does NOT lead to the possibility of life after death or reincarnation. Because the energy that activates our brains is not special. It is not delimited. It is not individually and unequivocally "us". The holistic, four-dimensional, combination of energy, pattern, time, and constitution of our bodies and brains is what makes up our soul. You need each and every piece, the energy alone is not omni-important.

Even though energy is contained in our brains and is not destroyed at the time of our death, it certainly does not survive death in any meaningful way that would resemble in ANY respect, ourselves in this life. Our consciousness is far too fragile to "survive" the death of our body. Consciousness only takes place when the energy inside us works its way through the physical pattern of our brains, so that same energy outside of our brains would have absolutely zero resemblance to our consciousness as of now.

Metempsychosis is nonsense based on another uniquely eastern misunderstanding of the truth of the universe. It's a better myth than many, it's a cool idea, it can lead people to strive for desirable ends...but it is bull-honkey.

Answer 2

First, consciousness is not how you describe it as your living state, rather it is more thought of as a state of mind.

Second, Your body isn't reincarnated, your soul is said to be reincarnated into another body, that is created off the same natural materials that are god given. Well at least that is part of the views of buddists, and other religions. I however believe that when you die, a thing that is unseen. Like an invisible aurra decends or asends into a place of rest and closure. Known as heaven, or the after life.

So in other words. Anything that happens to your body does not affect your soul. Which is why I believe that reincarnation is possible, but not practiced.

Hence one of my many beliefs.

Answer 3

How then can any inert material THING, such as a rock, be different than a LIVING ORGANISM ?? Why are there sudden spiritual experiences of Truth-seekers that are transcendent of your former lower state? and often both-in-and-out-of-body ?

If we all were just material beings, there would never be any conflicting religions or philosophies. It takes God-given freewill Personality to see things in an unique, individual manner, and to willfully strive to promote them.

At death your physical body is destroyed ! Yes the atoms are still here -- but where are YOU ?

Reincarnation is such a terrible, pessimistic, false belief, Do you REALLY want to have to come back here to earth and start over and over many times as just a helpless, crying baby ? Or a bug ? or worm ? and have to go over and over again through many grade- and high-schools ? Get beat-up in each "reincarnation" here by hundreds or thousands of school-yard bullies? Have to do your federal and state income taxes thousands of times ? Yuk Yuk Yuk Yuk etc etc Ha ha or sob sob ... you choose the emotion. Matter has no emotion !

Thank God and Jesus that They Each do not allow any human to ever go backwards or down to a lower estate !

The loving Invitation-Command of God and Jesus, One in Spirit here, IS:

"Be you perfect, even as I AM perfect."

This proves that no human son of God can ever go backward in the eternal ascending and perfecting Carreer into infinite Paradise Final Destiny ! Thank You our loving and merciful Father and our God !

Maybe you were falsely taught that there is a literal "Hell-fire and damnation"; and are thus seeking an inferior Eastern religious belief to avoid that possibility ? Peace, my Brother in the Family of God ! There is no real "hell"; never was, never will be. The word "hell" in the Bible is from the words "sheol" = gravesite, for the richer Jews and "gehenna" = garbage dump, for poor Jews and criminals; for sanitation purposes it was frequently burned.

Peace and progress,
Brother Dave, a Jesusonian Truthist
http://www.PureChristians.org/
large Good News website

Answer 4

"There is only one fundamental alternative in the universe: existence or non-existence—and it pertains to a single class of entities: to living organisms. The existence of inanimate matter is unconditional, the existence of life is not; it depends on a specific course of action. Matter is indestructible, it changes its forms, but it cannot cease to exist. It is only a living organism that faces a constant alternative: the issue of life or death. Life is a process of self-sustaining and-self-generated action. If an organism fails in that action, it dies; its chemical elements remain, but its life goes out of existence..."

Answer 5

Sounds similar to what Neitzsche was trying to get at in his idea of "eternal return." Howeverenticing this vision of reality might appear, it seems nothing more to me than a nightmare that has no end.

Answer 6

Ecclesiastes: 1:9, as I remember.

Answer 7

Because matter and Spirit are not the same thing.

Maggie

Answer 8

The only basis I have to judge and retain ANY belief is whether that belief is pleasing to me.

Some things please me because they work. Some things please me because they are entertaining. Some things please me because they are familiar. And so on.

Is there really any other reason for any belief?