Philosophy Now Forum

Life is a death sentence, and a lonely one. How can there possibly be a good God?

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 11:06 pm Life is a death sentence, and a lonely one. How can there possibly be a good God?

You're assuming death is a negative, and that life is lonely, neither makes logical sense.

Also that gods are responsible for the above. A mildly interesting, somewhat popular opinion, unencumbered by any data.

LuckyR wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 12:12 am

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 11:06 pm Life is a death sentence, and a lonely one. How can there possibly be a good God?

You're assuming death is a negative, and that life is lonely, neither makes logical sense.

Also that gods are responsible for the above. A mildly interesting, somewhat popular opinion, unencumbered by any data.

My life is lonely, is yours not? Death is a negative to me. Does it not seem so to you?

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 12:15 am

LuckyR wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 12:12 am

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 11:06 pm Life is a death sentence, and a lonely one. How can there possibly be a good God?

You're assuming death is a negative, and that life is lonely, neither makes logical sense.

Also that gods are responsible for the above. A mildly interesting, somewhat popular opinion, unencumbered by any data.

My life is lonely, is yours not? Death is a negative to me. Does it not seem so to you?

Lonely compared to what? Your experience before life? I seriously doubt it. Lonely compared to others? If so your experience is not common, therefore doesn't warrant the generalization you seek.

If death is a negative, then life is by default positive, thereby undermining your central point.

As to the goodness of gods, I too question the logic of such entities, though on much more solid grounds than what you are citing.

LuckyR wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 12:41 am

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 12:15 am

LuckyR wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 12:12 am

You're assuming death is a negative, and that life is lonely, neither makes logical sense.

Also that gods are responsible for the above. A mildly interesting, somewhat popular opinion, unencumbered by any data.

My life is lonely, is yours not? Death is a negative to me. Does it not seem so to you?

Lonely compared to what? Your experience before life? I seriously doubt it. Lonely compared to others? If so your experience is not common, therefore doesn't warrant the generalization you seek.

If death is a negative, then life is by default positive, thereby undermining your central point.

As to the goodness of gods, I too question the logic of such entities, though on much more solid grounds than what you are citing.

Ok.

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 11:06 pm Life is a death sentence, and a lonely one. How can there possibly be a good God?

Saying that (Life is a death sentence, and a lonely one. And, How can there possibly be a good God?) Is simply happening.
And, there is nothing making this happening happen, nor can this happening, unhappen this.

Q: Where is this happening? A: In thought.
Q: Where is thought happening? A: No Where but Here.

What you ask for, and what you look for...Is what's asking and looking. IOW's..Your the whole dang thing/1.
And this 1 can never be anything but this 1, for even half this 1 is nothing other than the whole 1 believing in fragmentation.

( ''Thought'' apparently divides, albeit illusory)
Any number, except zero divided by itself is 1.
A number divided by 1 equals itself.

A mathematical symbol must have an actual value. Since zero has no value, it is of no value.

Thinking to believe, in value or good, negatively or positively is simply what's happening. And, there is nothing making this happening happen, nor can this happening, unhappen this.

Nothing is going to change this, because there is nothing to change this. This is simply what's happening and can never be what's not happening, nor can what's happening be any other way. Why, because everything happens spontaneously, and instantaneously irreversibly.


There is nothing that can change this unchangeable happening. Why, because this is the whole dang thing.

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 11:06 pm Life is a death sentence, and a lonely one. How can there possibly be a good God?

Take extra care not to lose what you feel
Apple you're eating is simple and real
Water the flowers that grow at your heel
Guiding your visions to heaven
And heaven is in your mind

Lyrics by Traffic

Lacewing wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 3:32 pm

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 11:06 pm Life is a death sentence, and a lonely one. How can there possibly be a good God?

Take extra care not to lose what you feel
Apple you're eating is simple and real
Water the flowers that grow at your heel
Guiding your visions to heaven
And heaven is in your mind

Lyrics by Traffic

Heaven is not in my mind. Either there is a heaven or there is not. Is there a heaven or is there not?

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 11:06 pm Life is a death sentence, and a lonely one. How can there possibly be a good God?

There probably isn't a God of any sort, and I can't imagine why you think there might be.

Harbal wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 3:43 pm

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 11:06 pm Life is a death sentence, and a lonely one. How can there possibly be a good God?

There probably isn't a God of any sort, and I can't imagine why you think there might be.

I don't think there "might be". I hope there is (albeit a good God or whatever).

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 3:35 pm Heaven is not in my mind. Either there is a heaven or there is not. Is there a heaven or is there not?

What must it look like?

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 4:00 pm

Harbal wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 3:43 pm

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 11:06 pm Life is a death sentence, and a lonely one. How can there possibly be a good God?

There probably isn't a God of any sort, and I can't imagine why you think there might be.

I don't think there "might be". I hope there is (albeit a good God or whatever).

I don't really know what you think about God; but I would say you think it far too much.

Lacewing wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 4:15 pm

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 3:35 pm Heaven is not in my mind. Either there is a heaven or there is not. Is there a heaven or is there not?

What must it look like?

I don't know. They are words that refer to whatever they refer to.

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 4:33 pm

Lacewing wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 4:15 pm

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 3:35 pm Heaven is not in my mind. Either there is a heaven or there is not. Is there a heaven or is there not?

What must it look like?

I don't know. They are words that refer to whatever they refer to.

So will someone else's answer apply to you?

Harbal wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 4:15 pm

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 4:00 pm

Harbal wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 3:43 pm

There probably isn't a God of any sort, and I can't imagine why you think there might be.

I don't think there "might be". I hope there is (albeit a good God or whatever).

I don't really know what you think about God; but I would say you think it far too much.

That could be. Ever since the woman I am in love with introduced me to Christianity I've been miserable. I was much happier and at peace with my lowly status as a "mentally ill" person before that. Now all I find that I can say to my "Christian" friends that I have made is, "I'm trying but God hasn't revealed himself to me yet."

Maybe these "Christians" are pulling a fast one on me? Playing "hide the banana" or something? (Just to clarify: "hide the banana" as used by me refers to below)

During an experimental study, Hirata and Matsuzawa (2001) observed deceptive “misleading” behaviors when chimpanzees attempted to obtain a banana hidden in an enclosure (see also Hirata 2006a). While the subordinate “witness,” who had seen where the experimenter had hidden the banana, initiated an approach to the hiding place, the dominant “witness-of-the-witness,” who had not directly seen the hiding event, began to run ahead of the witness. At the same time, the witness began to try to mislead the witness-of-the-witness by going to an area where there was no banana. When the witness-of-the-witness tried to run ahead of the witness and began to search the empty area, the witness returned to the correct location and found the banana. This study was based on the pioneering work of Menzel (1974), who observed similar deceptive episodes among captive chimpanzees. Matsuzawa (1991) conducted comparable chimpanzee research at another facility and obtained results similar to those of Menzel (1974). As discussed by Whiten and Byrne (1988), deceptive episodes tend to be anecdotal, but the above three cases indicate that the deceptive ability of chimpanzees emerges quite reliably under certain experimental conditions.

https://www.wrc.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/public ... mates.html

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