1. Illinois
    Joined
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    06 Oct '08 07:24
    How do you think your life would be different if you knew that you had eternal life?

    That is, if eternal life were suddenly regarded as fact (in the same way gravity is fact), how do you think your life would be transformed as a result?

    And by "eternal life" I mean eternal life in the most positive sense, i.e., everlasting, full, overflowing, infinite, replete with joy, wonder, awe; perpetually revelatory, absolutely numinous, mysterium tremendum type stuff; an inconceivable level of self-fulfillment, continuing throughout eternity, realized in the perfect love of the One Who created you to be, above all other things, a receptacle for His love, etc.

    I'm curious, if you knew this life awaited you upon death, what would you do? How might you feel? How would your life be transformed, if at all?
  2. Standard membercaissad4
    Child of the Novelty
    San Antonio, Texas
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    06 Oct '08 08:13
    Originally posted by epiphinehas
    How do you think your life would be different if you knew that you had eternal life?

    That is, if eternal life were suddenly regarded as fact (in the same way gravity is fact), how do you think your life would be transformed as a result?

    And by "eternal life" I mean eternal life in the most positive sense, i.e., everlasting, full, overflowing ...[text shortened]... eath, what would you do? How might you feel? How would your life be transformed, if at all?
    Re-incarnation is eternal life. Actions in one life sometimes create a cosmic debt in another life, whether these this debt is positive or negative is directly the result of our choices.
    Welcome to Buddhism.
  3. Standard memberBosse de Nage
    Zellulärer Automat
    Spiel des Lebens
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    06 Oct '08 08:42
    Originally posted by caissad4
    Re-incarnation is eternal life. Actions in one life sometimes create a cosmic debt in another life, whether these this debt is positive or negative is directly the result of our choices.
    Welcome to Buddhism.
    Or, welcome to Origenian Christianity.

    http://reluctant-messenger.com/origen6.html
  4. Cape Town
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    06 Oct '08 08:492 edits
    Originally posted by epiphinehas
    How do you think your life would be different if you knew that you had eternal life?
    It would depend very much on what the conditions for obtaining said eternal life were. Your post implies no conditions ie it is guaranteed.
    I guess I would probably buy a gun, shoot my loved ones and then myself in order that we all may get there faster.

    I might also question my sanity for believing in something so obviously contradictory and illogical. I would ask the obvious question "what am I doing here in this God forsaken world?"
  5. Cape Town
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    06 Oct '08 08:511 edit
    Originally posted by caissad4
    Re-incarnation is eternal life. Actions in one life sometimes create a cosmic debt in another life, whether these this debt is positive or negative is directly the result of our choices.
    Welcome to Buddhism.
    That does not fit his definition of eternal life.
  6. Joined
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    06 Oct '08 09:23
    Originally posted by epiphinehas
    How do you think your life would be different if you knew that you had eternal life?

    That is, if eternal life were suddenly regarded as fact (in the same way gravity is fact), how do you think your life would be transformed as a result?
    I wouldn't take my safety belt on anymore.
    I wouldn't take any more life insurance.
    I would go to interesting and dangerous places. (I've always wanted to know how it's like at the deepest depths of the ocean, the highest mountain in the world, inside a live volcano, like Mt Etna, how it's like to fly without parashute from high altitude, see the Tjernobyl reactor from inside, and much more interesting things I would like to do.)
    I would take a bank loan higher than I could pay back for one normal life to finance my adventures.
    I would taste the fugu fish to see if it's as delicious as they say, and not having to bother its poison.
  7. Cape Town
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    06 Oct '08 11:11
    Originally posted by FabianFnas
    I wouldn't take any more life insurance.
    Thats a bit odd. Life insurance does not prevent you from dying, nor even increase your chances of survival. Its purpose is to improve the quality of life of your dependents or loved ones. Why would the existence of eternal life reduce the amount of benefit that you wish them to receive?
  8. Joined
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    06 Oct '08 11:13
    Originally posted by twhitehead
    Thats a bit odd. Life insurance does not prevent you from dying, nor even increase your chances of survival. Its purpose is to improve the quality of life of your dependents or loved ones. Why would the existence of eternal life reduce the amount of benefit that you wish them to receive?
    If my life is eternal, my life insurance will never fall out. Bad spent money.
  9. Cape Town
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    06 Oct '08 12:16
    Originally posted by FabianFnas
    If my life is eternal, my life insurance will never fall out. Bad spent money.
    I see. However, I suspect that epiphinehas still expects you to die a physical death and your insurance money to be collected, so it might not be such a bad investment.
    Why would you even continue to live if the afterlife is so much better (as suggested by epiphinehas)?
  10. Joined
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    06 Oct '08 12:57
    Originally posted by twhitehead
    I see. However, I suspect that epiphinehas still expects you to die a physical death and your insurance money to be collected, so it might not be such a bad investment.
    Why would you even continue to live if the afterlife is so much better (as suggested by epiphinehas)?
    Interesting thought.

    If my present life is eternal, why bother an eventual afterlife? This eternal one is long enough.

    Ah, you mean the lives are consecutive? So when one life is ended there will automatically be another one after this? Can this be garanteed? Does this mean this life is not the first one? Howcome I don't remember the life before then? So skipping this life to get another life, what's the point if I don't remember the current one?

    A better life after? Really? Where do I sign up for the good christian Jim Jones suicide sect?
  11. weedhopper
    Joined
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    06 Oct '08 20:311 edit
    Originally posted by epiphinehas
    How do you think your life would be different if you knew that you had eternal life?

    That is, if eternal life were suddenly regarded as fact (in the same way gravity is fact), how do you think your life would be transformed as a result?

    And by "eternal life" I mean eternal life in the most positive sense, i.e., everlasting, full, overflowing eath, what would you do? How might you feel? How would your life be transformed, if at all?
    Since I know I'm saved and going to heaven,

    Oops-----just noticed the post was directed at non-Christians.

    Never mind. 🙂
  12. At the Revolution
    Joined
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    06 Oct '08 20:381 edit
    Originally posted by epiphinehas
    How do you think your life would be different if you knew that you had eternal life?

    That is, if eternal life were suddenly regarded as fact (in the same way gravity is fact), how do you think your life would be transformed as a result?

    And by "eternal life" I mean eternal life in the most positive sense, i.e., everlasting, full, overflowing eath, what would you do? How might you feel? How would your life be transformed, if at all?
    It would not. I keep living like this whether there's an afterlife or not.

    Which, by the way, there isn't.
  13. Standard memberNemesio
    Ursulakantor
    Pittsburgh, PA
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    09 Oct '08 07:59
    Originally posted by epiphinehas
    And by "eternal life" I mean eternal life in the most positive sense, i.e., everlasting, full, overflowing, infinite, replete with joy, wonder, awe; perpetually revelatory, absolutely numinous, mysterium tremendum type stuff; an inconceivable level of self-fulfillment, continuing throughout eternity, realized in the perfect love of the One Who created you to be, above all other things, a receptacle for His love, etc.
    If I knew this with the certainty you describe, why the hell would I want to stay here, where
    things are never replete with joy, absolutely numinous, or inconceivably self-fulfilling?

    I'd end my currently life as fast as I could. Who wouldn't?

    http://www.adultswim.com/games/game/index.html?game=fiveMinutes

    Nemesio
  14. Subscribershavixmir
    Guppy poo
    Sewers of Holland
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    09 Oct '08 08:40
    Originally posted by epiphinehas
    How do you think your life would be different if you knew that you had eternal life?

    That is, if eternal life were suddenly regarded as fact (in the same way gravity is fact), how do you think your life would be transformed as a result?

    And by "eternal life" I mean eternal life in the most positive sense, i.e., everlasting, full, overflowing ...[text shortened]... eath, what would you do? How might you feel? How would your life be transformed, if at all?
    I'd certainly be less inclined to start a revolution and I'd probably kill myself with drugs and booze.

    Not too much difference there then...
  15. Joined
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    274
    09 Oct '08 23:08
    Originally posted by epiphinehas
    How do you think your life would be different if you knew that you had eternal life?

    That is, if eternal life were suddenly regarded as fact (in the same way gravity is fact), how do you think your life would be transformed as a result?

    And by "eternal life" I mean eternal life in the most positive sense, i.e., everlasting, full, overflowing ...[text shortened]... eath, what would you do? How might you feel? How would your life be transformed, if at all?
    So it is known that at the end of this life, everybody is guaranteed a far happier afterlife?

    Much as others have said, I would end my current non-perfect life as soon as possible in order to get to the perfect afterlife quicker.

    But, also as others have said, I would be tempted to give this gift of a quick entry to the perfect afterlife to as many other people as possible, before taking the journey myself. Maybe I would take a gun and visit a nearby school to spare young children from their long life of relative suffering... Or possibly I could band together with a few others, hyjack an airliner and fly it into a high-rise office building...

    That would seem to be the kindest, least selfish thing to do.

    --- Penguin.
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