VYCanisMajoris
New member
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2010
- Messages
- 39
- MBTI Type
- ENTP
- Enneagram
- 897?
I'm asking here cause i'm curious how many NTs will agree with me on a topic that not many people seem to agree with me on.
Let me be clear and start by saying that i'm not speaking in any way of "Soul" as in the MUSIC or your personality that is the product of your time and experiences on Earth as well as passed down genetically from your parents. I am not talking about THE SOUL in that sense at all. I am talking about the SOUL as in something that can exist without your body.
I'm an agnostic I always have been. Well, actually when I was a kid and my wonderful grandma was my Sunday school teacher I was actually... an Atheist. I never had the heart to tell her I thought the whole thing sounded as ridiculous as Santa Claus. And I never did throughout her whole life.
I call myself an Agnostic now because I follow the definition of atheism as one who DENIES the existence of a god and agnostic as one who DOUBTS the existence of a god. And personally I don't know anything for sure besides what I had for breakfast.... and I quite like it that way because that means that I have more to learn about in the universe. In many ways I view Atheism as bad as religion. I do feel that humans have the capacity and will one day paint a pretty accurate picture of what the universe actually is. I do think religious views make it harder for humans to grow and learn as a species and i'm glad our society is slowly waking up from this.
Anyway, I just felt my perspective on religion might be necessary to explain so that my question here might not be considered divisive.
THE MEAT
For me, like many people, growing up the idea of a SOUL was always just a given... It wasn't really questioned. I questioned God but the idea of a SOUL seemed more difficult to disbelieve. However, whenever I've actually thought about it i've realized. There really is just as much proof in God as there is in the soul..read: NONE. There is no proof so why do most people believe in it? There seems to be a bit of a stigma in our society where if you believe in having a SOUL then you are a Spiritual person, a warmer person a caring person. It's very similar to the stigma of being religious that is slowly dimming. When I tell people that I don't believe I have a soul. In the literal sense of those words. I am saying I believe I am a lifeless, uncharismatic person. Which actually isn't true at all. Basically, it isn't cool to not have a soul, to be soulless. Thus why you don't often hear people talking about it. I personally don't give a fuck. Thus, why i'm speaking of it here.
What i've come to believe of "the soul". Is that it is definitely very connected to the idea of religion. It's no coincidence they have such similarities. Here is my very rough estimation of how the whole thing came to be and WHY so many people believe in the soul today. Remember, this is just my opinion.
-Our ancestors lived their lives and had no idea what would happen themselves and their loved ones after they died.
-Humans, all life, by nature, FEAR death. Humans FEAR what they don't understand. Ever notice that? People literally FEAR things they don't know or understand. Gay people, heavy metal music, rap music, Windows, Macintosh. Whatever it may be. The ultimate unknown though is DEATH.
-So our ancestors invented an idea that would ease that fear. That idea was, THE SOUL. Notice that Many, many almost ALL religions incorporate a similar idea into their religion. With zero proof of it.
To me this fear of death is actually what gave rise to the idea of the soul... after the idea of the SOUL they needed to invent something that EXPLAINED it. Each tribe of our ancestors started concocting their own views of that. This was RELIGION. A mythology created to explain and make sense of the idea of the soul. Such as: Where does my SOUL go when my body dies? Oh, it goes to a place called heaven where everything is peaches and cream. Your SOUL goes to that farm where Rover is and it stays there with Rover for all eternity. Your SOUL is moved forward or backward through time and put into a new body or a new type of animal depending how pleasant you were here on Earth. Your soul stays here on Earth wandering aimlessly trying to resolve unfinished tasks, solve crimes committed against you or your family. Usually though, the outcome of where your soul goes (in most mythologies of the soul) is dependent on your actions here on Earth.
-There's no wonder that the idea of God is questioned so much because its FOUNDATION is based off of something which never existed.
So what about the unexplained? What about it? The universe is a vast and amazing place most of which we know nothing about. There is bound to be things that are unexplained. Why invent supernatural things to explain it? To me the SUPERNATURAL does NOT exist. Everything in our universe is a part of NATURE. We humans by tradition have always considered that which we don't understand (such as LIFE ITSELF) as to be a SUPERNATURAL thing. That which we create "synthetic" and unnatural. Where in REALITY. There is no such thing as supernatural. I think when my body dies, this sense of being and all the memories that are held within my body will be gone as well and I still think it's a beautiful thing.
So... do you believe in the soul? the idea that when you die.. your energy, spirit, soul, what have you continues to live and that your sense of being still thrives without your brain... just in another form?
I'll end with a Douglas Adams quote:
"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?"-Douglas Adams
Let me be clear and start by saying that i'm not speaking in any way of "Soul" as in the MUSIC or your personality that is the product of your time and experiences on Earth as well as passed down genetically from your parents. I am not talking about THE SOUL in that sense at all. I am talking about the SOUL as in something that can exist without your body.
I'm an agnostic I always have been. Well, actually when I was a kid and my wonderful grandma was my Sunday school teacher I was actually... an Atheist. I never had the heart to tell her I thought the whole thing sounded as ridiculous as Santa Claus. And I never did throughout her whole life.
I call myself an Agnostic now because I follow the definition of atheism as one who DENIES the existence of a god and agnostic as one who DOUBTS the existence of a god. And personally I don't know anything for sure besides what I had for breakfast.... and I quite like it that way because that means that I have more to learn about in the universe. In many ways I view Atheism as bad as religion. I do feel that humans have the capacity and will one day paint a pretty accurate picture of what the universe actually is. I do think religious views make it harder for humans to grow and learn as a species and i'm glad our society is slowly waking up from this.
Anyway, I just felt my perspective on religion might be necessary to explain so that my question here might not be considered divisive.
THE MEAT
For me, like many people, growing up the idea of a SOUL was always just a given... It wasn't really questioned. I questioned God but the idea of a SOUL seemed more difficult to disbelieve. However, whenever I've actually thought about it i've realized. There really is just as much proof in God as there is in the soul..read: NONE. There is no proof so why do most people believe in it? There seems to be a bit of a stigma in our society where if you believe in having a SOUL then you are a Spiritual person, a warmer person a caring person. It's very similar to the stigma of being religious that is slowly dimming. When I tell people that I don't believe I have a soul. In the literal sense of those words. I am saying I believe I am a lifeless, uncharismatic person. Which actually isn't true at all. Basically, it isn't cool to not have a soul, to be soulless. Thus why you don't often hear people talking about it. I personally don't give a fuck. Thus, why i'm speaking of it here.
What i've come to believe of "the soul". Is that it is definitely very connected to the idea of religion. It's no coincidence they have such similarities. Here is my very rough estimation of how the whole thing came to be and WHY so many people believe in the soul today. Remember, this is just my opinion.
-Our ancestors lived their lives and had no idea what would happen themselves and their loved ones after they died.
-Humans, all life, by nature, FEAR death. Humans FEAR what they don't understand. Ever notice that? People literally FEAR things they don't know or understand. Gay people, heavy metal music, rap music, Windows, Macintosh. Whatever it may be. The ultimate unknown though is DEATH.
-So our ancestors invented an idea that would ease that fear. That idea was, THE SOUL. Notice that Many, many almost ALL religions incorporate a similar idea into their religion. With zero proof of it.
To me this fear of death is actually what gave rise to the idea of the soul... after the idea of the SOUL they needed to invent something that EXPLAINED it. Each tribe of our ancestors started concocting their own views of that. This was RELIGION. A mythology created to explain and make sense of the idea of the soul. Such as: Where does my SOUL go when my body dies? Oh, it goes to a place called heaven where everything is peaches and cream. Your SOUL goes to that farm where Rover is and it stays there with Rover for all eternity. Your SOUL is moved forward or backward through time and put into a new body or a new type of animal depending how pleasant you were here on Earth. Your soul stays here on Earth wandering aimlessly trying to resolve unfinished tasks, solve crimes committed against you or your family. Usually though, the outcome of where your soul goes (in most mythologies of the soul) is dependent on your actions here on Earth.
-There's no wonder that the idea of God is questioned so much because its FOUNDATION is based off of something which never existed.
So what about the unexplained? What about it? The universe is a vast and amazing place most of which we know nothing about. There is bound to be things that are unexplained. Why invent supernatural things to explain it? To me the SUPERNATURAL does NOT exist. Everything in our universe is a part of NATURE. We humans by tradition have always considered that which we don't understand (such as LIFE ITSELF) as to be a SUPERNATURAL thing. That which we create "synthetic" and unnatural. Where in REALITY. There is no such thing as supernatural. I think when my body dies, this sense of being and all the memories that are held within my body will be gone as well and I still think it's a beautiful thing.
So... do you believe in the soul? the idea that when you die.. your energy, spirit, soul, what have you continues to live and that your sense of being still thrives without your brain... just in another form?
I'll end with a Douglas Adams quote:
"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?"-Douglas Adams