Physicist Stephen Hawking has dismissed religion once again as he deemed heaven a "fairy story" aimed at appeasing those afraid of death.
The author of 1988 international best-seller "A Brief History of Time" said in an interview with The Guardian that his views were partly influenced by his battle with motor neuron disease.
"I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first," he told the newspaper in an interview published on Monday.
"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."
Hawking's stance on religion has hardened since the publishing of his seminal work.
Previously, he wrote that the laws of physics meant it was simply not necessary to believe that God had intervened in the Big Bang.
He wrote in A Brief History ... "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then we should know the mind of God."
In his 2010 book, "The Grand Design" he said the 1992 discovery of a planet orbiting another star other than the Sun helped deconstruct the view of the father of physics Isaac Newton that the universe could not have arisen out of chaos but was created by God.
"That makes the coincidences of our planetary conditions -- the single Sun, the lucky combination of Earth-Sun distance and solar mass, far less remarkable, and far less compelling evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings," he writes.
Since 1974, the scientist has worked on marrying the two cornerstones of modern physics -- Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which concerns gravity and large-scale phenomena, and quantum theory, which covers subatomic particles.
IMO, Religion is nothing more than a control system to keep the sheeple on the reservation......Stephen Hawking agrees. Not bad company to have on an idea.
On this point I disagree. I think this notion evolves from man's ego, which is extremely limited and prone to anthropomorphize. I don't buy the ol' bearded man in a cloud routine.
Actually I disagree there. Well sort of. I do agree that man is prone to anthropomorphizing God and thus we make God in the image of a man. That is not what I'm talking about. I do not even attribute human thought processes to God. I think the made in his image part goes beyond the human vs nonhuman part.
Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
I think the made in his image part goes beyond the human vs nonhuman part.
So, which part is made in His image? I don't attribute base human though processes to God so much either. What Horse was speaking of was the supra-conscious, the interconnecting aspect of all of creation. When he speaks of part of the mind, this is the part he is referring to, of which I agree. This part is also called the Universal Consciousness, which is the alpha and the omega of all creation. An aspect of God that is ever present, but not attainable through the base/ego levels of the human conscious in which most people are bogged down in.
" If you cannot govern yourself, you will be governed by assholes. " Randge, Poet de Forum, 1/11/11
I didn't say it wasn't attainable.......I said it wasn't attainable through the base/ego levels of existence. The frequency is too weak at that level, but this is the level that a good dose of humanity dwells most of the time.
" If you cannot govern yourself, you will be governed by assholes. " Randge, Poet de Forum, 1/11/11
Hmmm, I might agree with that but I would have to explore this idea more to make sure we are on the same page. You know how semantics can change what is said.
Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
In that funny computer voice? Man, that'd be AWESOME!
Godfrey Smith: Mike, I wouldn't worry. Prosperity is just around the corner. Mike Flaherty: Yeah, it's been there a long time. I wish I knew which corner. My Man Godfrey (1936 2011)
I sure hope I'm not. Spending eternity with a bunch of groveling rapture monkeys would surely be Hell.
Let me put you at ease and grant your desire. Based on your behavior on here, you won't be going where the rapture monkeys are going as you called them.
And under what authority or power can you do that? Are you "god"?
Based on your behavior on here, you won't be going where the rapture monkeys are going as you called them.
And based on your assumption of knowing something, and I'm sure you know nothing other than what your Scofield bible tells you....you are an ignorant rube that will share the same fate as me after your useless body's biochemistry stops working.
Deal with it.
"The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally not a 20 percent traitor" - Ronald Reagan
#52. To: Flintlock, angK, ambi, Armadillo, farmfriend, Artisan, all (#15)
What makes you think you were on the list?
I sure hope I'm not. Spending eternity with a bunch of groveling rapture monkeys would surely be Hell.
I don't think you're in any danger of that happening at this point in the game.
"Sometimes when I'm faced with an atheist, I am tempted to invite him to the greatest gourmet dinner that one could ever serve, and when we have finished eating that magnificent dinner, to ask him if he believes there's a cook." ~ Ronald Reagan
On this point I disagree. I think this notion evolves from man's ego, which is extremely limited and prone to anthropomorphize. I don't buy the ol' bearded man in a cloud routine.
I just thought that maybe, just maybe, you would appreciate a sincere comment/question based on everything you have performed for mankind and not limited to 4um either; I want to thank you for your diligence and untiring efforts to support a single modal concept of chit-chat.
I just can't believe I get to touch a thread based on your own comment such as, Rock it Out!!; for me, since I am often kicked around and thrown into the pits of despair, you are raising my hopes for a new concept about humanity and the rising Phoenix representing all of us. I just have one (and only one) question for you; do you really pronounce 'eh as 'ah or is this a popular misnomer?
"In a free society we're supposed to know the truth," ... "In a society where truth becomes treason, then we're in big trouble. And now, people who are revealing the truth are getting into trouble for it" -- Ron Paul, circa 2010-12-02
You cannot see God, because God is what you see with. I define God as your mind at its deepest level. God is a level of mind where there is no illusion of a subject object split which is beyond the ego.
I think the mind is the soul, and the soul can experience things beyond physical reality. All minds connected, past, present, and future, here on Earth and elsewhere, make up what some might consider to be God.
For Hawkings to think since he knows so much he can outright dismiss the possible existance of yet unknown and undefined forces within this universe and beyond, well, his ego has overcome his ability to reason.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
On this point I disagree. I think this notion evolves from man's ego, which is extremely limited and prone to anthropomorphize. I don't buy the ol' bearded man in a cloud routine.
Actually, the original Hebrew text says "God created Mankind in THEIR own Image, Male and Female THEY created Them."
So, in line with the original intent, the text is saying that God created Mankind (and every other living thing), in THEIR own image, MALE and FEMALE.
This corresponds with the Duality of Nature, where everything in Nature is either masculine or feminine (or a combination), in terms of not only living things, but physical things such as negative and positive electical charges, hot or cold, north and south magnetic polarity, etc.
From what I've read, the actual meaning is that the Human Soul is a microscopic reflection of the Soul of God in this Universe, where it is not only masculine or feminine, it mirrors various "intelligences", or energies which relate to Chakra within the body, or Sephiroth in terms of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.
Apparently, not just from the obvious flaws with the various translations from Hebrew which made it into the modern Bible, Genesis itself was probably a rewrite of various ideas concerning Creation from past civilizations, where it changed each time it was passed down from one language to another.
Who knows what the original message was, who it came from, or if it was all just a fairy tale to start off with.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
Time, space, motion and distance are ideas in your mind but not in the Mind of God which is that deeper level of Mind that is Your Self.
I didn't say MY mind, I said ALL of the minds that have existed, do exist, and WILL exist, in this Universe AND Beyond.
I don't mean just human minds.
"The real deal is this: the royalty controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
This garbage has been posted before. & actually, the "religion is a control mechanism" arguement originated & was propagated by your controllers, who hate God & morality. You felll for their tripe.But there is still time to seek truth.
"Even to the death fight for truth, and the LORD your God will battle for you".Sirach 4:28
IMO, Religion is nothing more than a control system to keep the sheeple on the reservation......Stephen Hawking agrees. Not bad company to have on an idea.
In the final analysis it won't be about the beliefs of Hawking or you, Plato or me, Stalin or Pope John Paul II, there is an ultimate truth.
Like you, my Dad thought religion was simply a control tool. Religion as we know it is what man does to reduce a perpetual / continual creation process larger than his ability to perceive it down to a size his pea brain can handle. Then gurus representing the universe of differing views, idea and opinions use religion to further their own agendas.
It's difficult for someone to journey down the path of knowledge without thinking that they've gained some superior knowledge and are somehow entitled to an opinion that either their ego or peer pressure / acceptance causes them to express publicly. (Sometimes these intellects are simply seeking accolades for their brilliance).
In the end I'd agree that "religion" has always been used to control people in a million ways. These religions originated in ancient writings that have been handed down to us over time, with our technological knowledge base ever increasing, we have a tendancy to think we know something and I'd opine that even the most brilliant amongst us know nothing much worth knowing.
Man is the micro living in the macro and he not only can't see/know the earthly things that exist right in front of his face, he also knows there are other dimensions that exist that he can barely detect but remain a mystery to him while some intelligent force uses these dimensions to operate our solar system and a million others.
But when you want money for people with minds that hate, All I can tell you brother is that you have to wait.
Coming from Hawking I wouldn't call it garbage. If you know of another Human who has a better understanding out our world and universe please tell us who he is.
The fact that you disagree with Hawking doesn't make your "faith based" ideas valid vs Hawking's fact based ideas.
"The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally not a 20 percent traitor" - Ronald Reagan
You quote The Great Helmsman when is suits you then ridicule him on other threads? That coming from someone who comes from a county that has only produced one great statesman in the form of René Lévesque, and Levesque tried to lead his followers to secede from your country. Of course when secession was in their grasp, like typical Canuckistanis they didn't have the balls to do it.
Lack of balls. That describes Canuckistan to a "T" and you are no exception.
"The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally not a 20 percent traitor" - Ronald Reagan
Like you, my Dad thought religion was simply a control tool. Religion as we know it is what man does to reduce a perpetual / continual creation process larger than his ability to perceive it down to a size his pea brain can handle. Then gurus representing the universe of differing views, idea and opinions use religion to further their own agendas.
And like my dad too. He was one of those guys that walked away shaking the dust off his feet. He saw too much war and blamed religion, among other things, for the gullible state of mankind that allowed them to be led into it.
I differ with him in thinking that religiosity is an arbitrary state of affairs, a cloak that we can merely cast off as it pleases us. Religion is in our bones.
Take a shipwrecked load of unbelieving crew and passengers and dump them on an uncharted island somewhere lost in the Pacific. Give them seventy five or a hundred years or so to populate that island. If they haven't hacked each other to death in that time, they will have created a religion, complete with ceremony, a seasonal festal system, taboos and injuctions,and a code that is anterior to the common law, which they are also bound to create.
You can't SEE electricity, but have the common sense to know if you immerse yourself into an INVISIBLE STREAM OF 220 VOLTS, things like Heysus will no longer be an issue for you.
U.S. Constitution - Article IV, Section 4: NO BORDERS + NO LAWS = NO COUNTRY