How can smart educated people (I'm thinking most of the USA) literally believe in the Judgment Day concept?

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/end-times/what-is-the-final-judgment-of-god-what-happens-on-judgment-day.html

To believe this, God must have a magical super-gigantic database of the lives of all humans ever on earth (good deeds, bad deeds, sins, crimes, repentance, and an entire life of activities)

I mean, it just doesn't make sense. No logic to it.
(and many other religions besides Christianity have some variation on the life-after-death concept)

I do understand why many humans over the many centuries believe in life-after-death: they simply have a preference to believe that death is not the end and the "spirit" can continue existence.

Granted, many "Christians" are totally nonreligious, but there's still a ton of believers in the USA and around the world.
“In the United States, Christians will decline from more than three-quarters of the population in 2010 to two-thirds in 2050.”

Africa must be the Christian hot spot of the world.
“Four out of every 10 Christians in the world will live in sub-Saharan Africa.”



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2020 07:23AM by mrx.

this is stunning

I found this on Wikipedia (so . . . it must be true . . .)

Only 9 million Christians were in Africa in 1900, but by the year 2000, there were an estimated 380 million Christians.

9 million Christians out of 140 million Africans in 1900 = 6%
380 million Christians out of 811 million Africans in 2000 = 47%

European Colonialism brought Christianity with it. Better means of communication and a fair amount of argumentum ad baculum cemented its spread.

Tyson

“I do understand why many humans over the many centuries believe in life-after-death: they simply have a preference to believe that death is not the end and the "spirit" can continue existence.”

Lots of people have had near death experiences. They usually don’t have a judgement bar. If there is such a thing, try to die during happy hour.

The church uses fear to keep people in line. What does an organization that uses fear to control you have to do with God? If that’s your God, Atheism is a big improvement.

Better yet is to realize that God is not separate from you. It’s not physically possible. You are divine consciousness in form. That would make you your own judge, if that’s in your belief system. It’s a restatement of karma. The attachments that you set up draw you in. So there is a transcendent reality to some of the church rules, but the church has become so stagnant as to be unbearable.

A judgement bar isn’t a bad metaphor for a 19th century religion. Law is the foundation of civilization. It wouldn’t work in today’s prison industrial complex unless you believe God never intended slavery to go away. But then if you get your endowment, you get to be a master in heaven and the less valiant are your servants.

Near death experiences are, by definition, not death experiences.

You can believe in life after death without being a Christian. You can also believe in life after death without necessarily believing in a God or gods.

It has to do with the saying, "improving the time", or refusing to "squander time, for that's the stuff life's made of" in contrast to "Passing the time." We even have this concept of daylight savings time. But at any rate this is why folks are successful, why British America did so well is because they had this instilled fear of wasting time which centers on a fear of judgement day. Every hour is to be accounted for.

I think there is something to judgement day, but it maybe more simple than looking over every minute of our lives and trying to find fault. Perhaps it's more the big sins that determine destiny, those who die defiled in the flesh get punished worse. This is why I don't have tattoos.

If a tattoo is defiling your flesh it is very poorly done.

Amen.

The idea of infinite punishment or reward for finite actions (or inaction) is the main reason I gave up on religion.

The research I have done and based on some experiences many experiencers, experience a 'life review'. A life review is similar to a 'self judgement with others helping' but doesn't mean going to 'heaven' or 'hell' just a review to see what future actions are needed and what was accomplished.

As far as where the 'information' comes from. Our 'consciousness' is really much more than 'science' has any idea of. It cannot only remember with the right stimulation what occurred in this life but past lives as well. Which, when attached to a gizmo, according to 'experiencers' is displayed on a screen like a movie of the incident under review.

"It's not a dream, you moron. It's real. I know the date it happens! On August 29th, 1997, it's gonna feel pretty f**king real to you, too! Anybody not wearing two million sunblock is gonna have a real bad day, get it?! You think you're safe and alive? You're already dead! Everybody! Him, you, you're dead already! This whole place! Everything you see is gone! You're the one living in a f**king dream, Silberman! Because I know it happens! It happens!!"

https://youtu.be/qwLCwJPHiN4



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2020 10:57AM by anybody.

I personally believe our Creator is going to erase everything and start over with a better creation. I have come to find that most people I've talked to don't really care where they'll end up when they did anyway. The Mormons and christians think they know. Years ago, my Mormon grandma was on her death bed and her dying words were that the devil had her and she was really scared. For the most part we never hear the whole story of Mormons and christians true last words on their death beds. I also don't think our true Creator is Mormon, Christian, or satanic. I also think our true Creator didn't start this chaos but aims to finish it. The mystery is how chaos entered in the first place. A loving Creator wouldn't put its creation through a cruel test on a dying planet.

What's not logical about a super-giant database with everybody's actions recorded in it? First of all, that is what Christians believe by and large, though they consider the database to be the mind of God. An actual separate database wouldn't bother them all that much IMHO.

In theory I see nothing prohibiting such a database. Right now our ISPs have a record of every web page we've ever loaded, and our cell phone provider has a record of every cell tower our phone has connected to, and that's all fairly crude technology.

Even the tv show The Good Place had a final judgement. They eventually decided it was not that great an idea, though the replacement was still a form of decision making.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2020 12:23PM by Brother Of Jerry.

The Akasha, or quantum vacuum, is the storage medium of our existence as described in “DEMYSTIFYING THE AKASHA Consciousness and the Quantum Vacuum” by Ralph Abraham and Sisir Roy. Although we experience consciousness in the brain, the brain is basically a wetware interface to an eternal realm of consciousness that doesn’t die with the body.

What does "totally nonreligious" mean ?

could mean a lot of things

Hardcore atheist
Person who attends church socially, but doesn't believe
Apathetic about religious matters
Bad experience with religion, and therefore taking a break
and more

What does "hardcore Atheist" mean ?
Are you a hardcore religious nut ?

Dave the Atheist Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What does "hardcore Atheist" mean ?

Someone who treats their irreligiosity the same way vegans treat their food taboo?

Someone who takes a literalist interpretation of everything?

Someone who thinks the scientific world is some kind of utopia rather than a data gathering set run by people with varying levels of integrity?

Dave, Tico is just Jordan. He was here again several days ago and had that account shut down. This is just his most recent asthmatic gasp.

Well here's what I believe, lol

The idea of a database is not a big deal, imo. Everybody could have there own flash drive.

I believe there is a redemption possible, but after you serve time in spirit prison, as per Jesus said he went to preach to persons in prison that had been disobedient during Noah's time.

Jesus also said that to get into heaven your righteousness has to exceed that of the Chief Priests, Scribes and Pharisees. Matt 23 give a good summary of them.

He also said that whoever exalts himself will be abased, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted. The atonement only works with humility, you stand far off, bow your head, smote your chest and ask the Lord for forgiveness.

With the first commandment being to love Jesus with all your heart might and mind. So we probably have to get to the point of what Jesus did, taught and his example.

He didn't do things to be seen of men, for money, he didn't take advantage of his female followers, or the disadvantaged. Everything he did was to help, heal, feed, teach, lead by example...out of love for others.

He didn't drive into Jerusalem in a 24 carrot chariot pulled by clidsdales, eat at the finest restaurants in Nazareth, hang with only the elite...

He walked through fields of grain eating raw barley and he washed his apostles feet.

6 iron Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> He walked through fields of grain eating raw
> barley and he washed his apostles feet.


Re fields of barley:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXPqCv9dV6g

“He didn't drive into Jerusalem in a 24 carrot chariot pulled by clidsdales, eat at the finest restaurants in Nazareth, hang with only the elite.“

He didn’t have a $100B personal slush fund either. After the second coming, he’ll be tooling around like a Saudi prince.

In my not so humble opinion
The concept of a JUdgement Day is another gear in the mind control spoke

Yeah, because if you believe God knows the end from the beginning, then the judgment is rather pointless. He'd know what to do with you without the formalities. It was obviously something invented by humans to scare followers and keep them in line.

Religion invented the word "Omniscient" just so they wouldn't have to deal with your critical questions about their God.

Their Bible which MUST be believed tells us that God knows everything right down to how many hairs are on your head and that is impressive when you are losing many per day. And it only follows he's got your armpits and other areas covered as well.

Besides, our guardian angels are following us around and putting black marks by our names. Their names are Alexis and Siri.

"To believe this, God must have a magical super-gigantic database of the lives of all humans ever on earth..."

If you believe God is omnipotent, then nothing is impossible.

Try this on for size

You are standing in front of the judgement seat and the time has come.
The judge looks at you and says "Well you led this kind of life so I think that you will be happier with that group over there." And there he sends you for ever and ever

Give that somethought!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2020 04:16PM by thedesertrat1.

I think the problem is that you start with a false premise: "How can smart educated people (I'm thinking most of the USA) . . . "

Bad boy. Emma should give you a good whippin'.

Yeah! That girl is pretty wild. The girl's a super freak. The kind of girl you read about in church magazines . . .

Super freaky.

Darn it, I had you pegged as James Brown!

I'm whomsoever she wants me to be. :)

No wonder she likes you so much!

Hahaha!

The way things are going it will be subcontracted to Google by Zion. After all, we let them know every single thing about us and their quantum supercomputer will turn into Skynet.

What counts as a good deed and how many do you have to reach to get into heaven?

Answer: no one knows so keep serving and keep giving us money just in case, forever.