OK. You said you did not want it. Infinity of time how boring, that is a view but why include time in the afterlife. If you are with God then as he is outside time, time being a construct that he made, then you would not be in time. The alternative is no different, not being with God for an infinity of now. That's sensory deprivation by your own choice.
Keep in mind that I wrote this when I was feeling punchy and it paints with rather broad strokes. That being said, you took the time to reply so I'll repay the courtesy and try to better articulate at least some of my thoughts.
One of the problems with discussing the afterlife is that there is no universal concept of it, much like god. I admit I am confounding several different ideas people may have. One of these is not the Christian heaven, but the world of spirits and hauntings. Some people may have a positive view of such a world, rooted in a belief that beloved ancestors are watching over them. Why is that comforting? There are obvious answers. Perhaps we don't want to say goodbye or like the idea of someone who loves us influencing our lives or dispensing wisdom from beyond. That's understandable, but my mind tends to extrapolate what that experience must be like for the ancestor. How is it to be bound to a place and to a particular emotional range, robbed of all the experiences of everyday human life? Such beneficient hauntings may be a comfort for the living, but sound like pure hell for the dead. At least to me. Others may differ, but we are here discussing feelings rather than facts. Take it or leave it I guess.
Beyond that, there is the far more complex question of what is life to begin with. This coupe apply to many concepts of the afterlife and perhaps it is a more fruitful discussion than taking a survey of those concepts and discussing them in turn. What I mean is: what does it mean to be human and how seperable is this from our physical exitence? We can talk about the continuity of consciousness outside the body - whether you call this a soul or whatever else - but is mere continuity all there is? The second point of my post, which I admit was not well said, is that I regard our lives as more than the memory contained in a single brain. We are connected and our identities are formed by the totality of our experiences, including all the ways we are connected to other s within the bounds of time. Yeah that's a mouthful and simply saying it does not make it true or even intelligible. It is something I would love to expand upon someday.
I am confused by your concept of time. What does it mean to exist outside of time? Just curious that's all.
OK. You said you did not want it. Infinity of time how boring, that is a view but why include time in the afterlife. If you are with God then as he is outside time, time being a construct that he made, then you would not be in time. The alternative is no different, not being with God for an infinity of now. That's sensory deprivation by your own choice.
Keep in mind that I wrote this when I was feeling punchy and it paints with rather broad strokes. That being said, you took the time to reply so I'll repay the courtesy and try to better articulate at least some of my thoughts.
One of the problems with discussing the afterlife is that there is no universal concept of it, much like god. I admit I am confounding several different ideas people may have. One of these is not the Christian heaven, but the world of spirits and hauntings. Some people may have a positive view of such a world, rooted in a belief that beloved ancestors are watching over them. Why is that comforting? There are obvious answers. Perhaps we don't want to say goodbye or like the idea of someone who loves us influencing our lives or dispensing wisdom from beyond. That's understandable, but my mind tends to extrapolate what that experience must be like for the ancestor. How is it to be bound to a place and to a particular emotional range, robbed of all the experiences of everyday human life? Such beneficient hauntings may be a comfort for the living, but sound like pure hell for the dead. At least to me. Others may differ, but we are here discussing feelings rather than facts. Take it or leave it I guess.
Beyond that, there is the far more complex question of what is life to begin with. This coupe apply to many concepts of the afterlife and perhaps it is a more fruitful discussion than taking a survey of those concepts and discussing them in turn. What I mean is: what does it mean to be human and how seperable is this from our physical exitence? We can talk about the continuity of consciousness outside the body - whether you call this a soul or whatever else - but is mere continuity all there is? The second point of my post, which I admit was not well said, is that I regard our lives as more than the memory contained in a single brain. We are connected and our identities are formed by the totality of our experiences, including all the ways we are connected to other s within the bounds of time. Yeah that's a mouthful and simply saying it does not make it true or even intelligible. It is something I would love to expand upon someday.
I am confused by your concept of time. What does it mean to exist outside of time? Just curious that's all.