Do you believe humans have souls?

[Chun Liroy]

Nope, and ghosts are all explainable phenomena.

[ronin sparthos]

Like most religious claims, the physical evidence isn't there (for souls) and points to the "soul" being a fabrication of the human brain.

On living morally/amorally? You don't need religion for that. Amoral people tend to end up in trouble because of the decisions they make, supernatural punishments have never done much to stop the faithful from being moral or amoral and overall it pays to draw your own conclusions from the world around you rather than believing one specific set of rules set forth by one specific religious faith.

[Cantih]

Not only do I have a soul, but I'm going to spend my years out of office discovering a way to communicate with the dead

A-ha, Chicago politics.

[Guitarman]

I'm more agnostic than anything, which to me basically just means "I don't know."

Because, I really don't.

I've tried to reason out many different viewpoints, encompassing different religions and even atheism. But to me, none of them make perfect sense. Being completely honest, I especially have trouble making sense of most religions... I just feel that there's such an arrogance in asserting you know 100% for sure that you're right and everyone else is wrong (but I guess that's just faith). However, I do still respect and strongly believe that everyone can and should have their own ideals/choices in that, and don't judge/look down on anyone that believes differently as long as they don't judge others.

At the same time though, I just have trouble understanding how everything could possibly come to be. Yeah, yeah... evolution, physics, elements of life, and the big bang... all of which I believe in... but I still can't help but feel there might be something greater than all of that at play. What about before the big bang? Other unexplained events/occurrences (though I'm sure science will soon leave little unexplained)?

The thing is though, even if there was something greater at play, I also have trouble believing that there would be a personal interest taken in every single living human being on our insignificant little planet. As much as I'd love that to be the case and I want to tell myself it is (because let's be honest, it makes us all feel so much more important/special to think that), it just seems too far-fetched; so in that sense I suppose my answer would be leaning towards a no.


tl;dr: Not quite decided either way, but if I had to say... no

100% agree (except i think we might have "souls" though maybe not in a way major religions phrase it). You said it much more eloquently than I could've.

[Ashmada]

A-ha

?


Warning: video contains high amounts of "80s" and is unsuitable for consumption by all, but particularly dangerous to those who weren't brought up in those dark days of mullets, synth-pop, nonsense and norwegian prettyboys.



I don't believe in souls nor ghosts and I get my ethical framework from Dungheap Steve, so I have no need for another bearded, incoherent and vagrant morality-imparting figure.

[Cantih]

?

Well, I'm always happy to see some 80s, as you may have guessed.

But if you truly are confused, A-ha can also be an exclamation ammounting to "Ah, I see".
Such as, "A-ha, so that's your game".

[Enedin]

As a practicioner of the scientific method, I believe that that, which humans perceive as a soul, is nothing more than a mix of various chemicals on the brain at certain times.

[hey]

[kuronosan]

Nope.

[Haiko]

I believe anyone who buys 50 cent headphones with their souls.

[orson]

My biggest gripe about souls (from a religious POV) is that it doesn't leave room for intelligent life outside of humans. If man was made in the image and likeness of God, where does that leave E.T.? Do they have a soul, too? How is that even possible?

Just as a note the image of God is just alleged interpretation. Obviously very little in the bible can be taken in a literal or scientific sense. Apart from bible thumpers I wouldn't say most modern day Christians believe it is in any way a scientific document. From the same argument as any believer in God uses, "God" could have just as easily being referring to a soul or some other aspect like sentience (sort of the whole we're all pink on the inside.) If I recall certain religions considered other races at certain times in history to not have souls. God is just an explanation of things not understood though, no logic or set rules really need be applied unless you're actually part of a specific believe.

Just add as well like RKenshin was saying, realistically the concept of God is becoming more and more a blind watchmaker concept. The only reason I believe that there may be something or somethings out side of our understanding is science at this time still is trying to understand how we beat the astronomical odds of coming into existence. Really though as long as you aren't trying to shove your believes down my throat I don't really care what you believe.

[Knightmare]

Ghosts are fake.

Souls are real, they came into existence when man first became able to ponder his own existence. Animals do not have souls and neither did neanderthals (or any previous evolutionary being).

Also I don't consider souls to be related to religion at all.

I'm not sure if there is such thing as good and evil so morality would be completely subjective.

[Yugl]

The only reason I believe that there may be something or somethings out side of our understanding is science at this time still is trying to understand how we beat the astronomical odds of coming into existence.

I don't understand why our particular existence is astronomical as opposed to anything else. Shit, people didn't even exist for a good amount of documented time, so it's not as if existence was necessary.

[hey]

The only reason I believe that there may be something or somethings out side of our understanding is science at this time still is trying to understand how we beat the astronomical odds of coming into existence.

It just happened. It's hardly surprising, given how many chances there were for life to form, and how much time it had to happen. I don't understand why this is so hard to believe. If you roll 1000 20 sided dies enough times, eventually you'll get all 1s.

[Not Kuno]

It just happened. It's hardly surprising, given how many chances there were for life to form, and how much time it had to happen. I don't understand why this is so hard to believe. If you roll 1000 20 sided dies enough times, eventually you'll get all 1s.

I think this was best explained to me as follows:

If you watch static on a TV, you will eventually see something that looks like an image of someone. If you watch the static forever, you will eventually see an entire episode of the bold and the beautiful. Given infinite time, anything that can exist in the universe, will.

[Weeks]

I get a kick out of the assumption that consciousness is a metaphysical phenomenon. Like God was up in Heaven designing human life, and he came up with these really intricate physical phenomena to govern cellular respiration, cell division, and neurons, the endocrine system, and other intracellular communication. Then he gets to consciousness and he's like, "Fuck it, for that I'm using magic."

[orson]

It just happened. It's hardly surprising, given how many chances there were for life to form, and how much time it had to happen. I don't understand why this is so hard to believe. If you roll 1000 20 sided dies enough times, eventually you'll get all 1s.

I think this was best explained to me as follows:

If you watch static on a TV, you will eventually see something that looks like an image of someone. If you watch the static forever, you will eventually see an entire episode of the bold and the beautiful. Given infinite time, anything that can exist in the universe, will.

That's causality not understanding. Even based on that there is some indication of something being infinite. Even if that's just the odds, the universe and/or multiple dimensional planes it's still currently outside of our understanding. As it stands to my knowledge (I'm no expert) there's still unanswered questions about the formation of the earth as we see it today. Again this isn't any sort of proof of any higher power and to be honest I'm not really for the idea of a God having a hand in everything. I see contradiction between saying, "Oh God's there for you if you need him" and "God gave us free will." If there is by any stretch a higher being then he'd have to give us full autonomy to truly have free will. Also if your belief in a higher power makes you say from a scientific stand point, "Oh well God just did it" you stagnate scientific research which in my opinion is wrong.

[Kaylia]

It just happened. It's hardly surprising, given how many chances there were for life to form, and how much time it had to happen. I don't understand why this is so hard to believe. If you roll 1000 20 sided dies enough times, eventually you'll get all 1s.

That our world appeared out of chaos is hardly surprising like you said, however, it doesn't explain why the chaos is there in the first place. It's not possible to find a logical (or scientific) explanation to the question "where are we from" if you look at the chain of causality. The same question will applies to the first cause.

The true, and only answer is: we don't know. There is no rational knowledge that are possible here.

And dr.pepper is the only beverage.

[orson]

Dr.pepper is the only beverage.

Yes Dr Pepper is fucking delicious just remember it's not a doctor, lol.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-185ThxvFd6.../Dr+Pepper.png

[solanis]

I'd like souls to be real, but not in the catholic sense. idk