1. The Ghost Chamber
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    05 Mar '16 21:48
    Originally posted by karoly aczel
    I've had so many coincidences in my life that they've turned into something else!
    Wrinkles?
  2. Standard memberkaroly aczel
    The Axe man
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    05 Mar '16 21:52
    Originally posted by Ghost of a Duke
    Wrinkles?
    I've notice there are different types of dreams. there are the easily forgotten garden varietal, then every now and then, (sometimes several years apart) I have these "realer than real, more present than normal,more vivid etc." dreams. Which leave my life forever changed.
  3. The Ghost Chamber
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    06 Mar '16 08:47
    Originally posted by karoly aczel
    I've notice there are different types of dreams. there are the easily forgotten garden varietal, then every now and then, (sometimes several years apart) I have these "realer than real, more present than normal,more vivid etc." dreams. Which leave my life forever changed.
    Can you give an example of a life changing dream?
  4. Cape Town
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    06 Mar '16 09:061 edit
    Originally posted by Ghost of a Duke
    Definitive perhaps to your own understanding.

    'Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur usually involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, as well as a subject of philosophical and religious interest, throughout recorded history.'
    Wikipedia isn't always right.

    If you want to understand dreams you have to understand how brains work. And not psychology - that is the study of the higher order brain functions whereas dreams are a result of lower level functions. Although there is some overlap.
    The brains basic functioning uses sparse data and temporal prediction machines. The brain not only is very good at ordinary static pattern recognition, but also temporal pattern recognition.
    Dreams are a process whereby scenarios are played out and different avenues are explored and patterns are solidified into permanent storage for later use. It is not necessary that they make much sense at the higher level as it is lower level patterns that are being analysed and stored.
    We tend to only be aware of the higher level patterns but our dream / processing includes a lot more than that. If you do a new physical activity a lot in one day that night your brain will go over and over the physical actions. The next day you will be better at it.
    A good example that most people should have noticed is if you go on a boat for a long time during the day. That night you will continue to feel the swell of the waves as you brain processes the new balancing information.
  5. Standard memberkaroly aczel
    The Axe man
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    06 Mar '16 20:42
    Originally posted by Ghost of a Duke
    Can you give an example of a life changing dream?
    Well it could be a dream similar to yours except maybe more vivid and more lengthy.

    Some dreams have changed my life in terms of being reassuring and hence have cemented changes in my waking life.

    changes such as the way I view the world and my commitment to a spiritual life 🙂
  6. Subscriberjosephw
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    06 Mar '16 21:06
    Originally posted by Ghost of a Duke
    Was only a few days ago i wrote, in the general forum, that i believed dreams had no meaning and were simply the brain's way of getting rid of unwanted information. (The reason dreams are random and soon forgotten).
    Lo and behold, last night i had what i can only describe as a religious dream. (Quite an achievement for an atheist insomniac!) I vivid ...[text shortened]... d by discussions here in these forums. Even so, i woke this morning feeling decidedly befuddled.
    This is interesting. I mean, I accidentally pushed the wrong button and found this. To my way of thinking I have no idea whether your dream was as a result of the discussion in the general forum thread, or if the dream was real. Ya, a real dream, but was it divinely inspired?

    I can neither affirm or deny. It might mean something. You might want to get confirmation. I mean, what if it was a sign. You could ask for another, if that doesn't make you feel too awkward.
  7. The Ghost Chamber
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    06 Mar '16 22:04
    Originally posted by josephw
    This is interesting. I mean, I accidentally pushed the wrong button and found this. To my way of thinking I have no idea whether your dream was as a result of the discussion in the general forum thread, or if the dream was real. Ya, a real dream, but was it divinely inspired?

    I can neither affirm or deny. It might mean something. You might want to get con ...[text shortened]... an, what if it was a sign. You could ask for another, if that doesn't make you feel too awkward.
    I am waiting rather for a second such dream. If God exists and truly knows my heart, he'll know i'm an especially stubborn atheist.
  8. Standard memberKellyJay
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    07 Mar '16 01:28
    Originally posted by Ghost of a Duke
    I am waiting rather for a second such dream. If God exists and truly knows my heart, he'll know i'm an especially stubborn atheist.
    Do you want Him for force you into submission?
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    07 Mar '16 01:58
    Originally posted by KellyJay
    Do you want Him for force you into submission?
    A revelation that can realistically embrace and involve all mankind is presumably not in the offing. The attempt by Christians to force people to subscribe to their beliefs by writing about eternal revenge and torture has not worked. "Force" doesn't work. It's been tried. There needs to be a convincing revelation ~ something that hasn't been tried yet ~ and then there would be no need for mundane talk of man made notions of "revolt", revenge", "punishment" and "submission".
  10. Subscriberjosephw
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    07 Mar '16 03:36
    Originally posted by Ghost of a Duke
    I am waiting rather for a second such dream. If God exists and truly knows my heart, he'll know i'm an especially stubborn atheist.
    Indeed He does. God knows also I am a very stubborn believer.
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    07 Mar '16 07:34
    Originally posted by KellyJay
    Do you want Him for force you into submission?
    Aren't we all forced into submission?
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    07 Mar '16 07:35
    Originally posted by josephw
    Indeed He does. God knows also I am a very stubborn believer.
    You are certainly very stubborn. However I wouldn't have the hubris to question your faith.
  13. Cape Town
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    07 Mar '16 08:211 edit
    Originally posted by KellyJay
    Do you want Him for force you into submission?
    I see that you, like a number of other theists on this forum, hold two contradictory positions:
    1. You hold that God has revealed himself to you in a convincing fashion.
    2. You hold that God would not reveal himself to me in a convincing fashion because doing so would violate my free will - which God values.

    Although, if I recall correctly, you have also expressed the position that God has revealed himself to all in a convincing fashion and we are without excuse.
  14. The Ghost Chamber
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    07 Mar '16 12:46
    Originally posted by twhitehead

    Wikipedia isn't always right...
    True, though the same goes for posters to this forum.

    I'm definitive about that.
  15. Subscriberjosephw
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    07 Mar '16 13:27
    Originally posted by divegeester
    You are certainly very stubborn. However I wouldn't have the hubris to question your faith.
    Aw common' geester! I don't care what you think, but I certainly wouldn't question your faith. Maybe some of your doctrinal beliefs, but I can't judge you like that. Don't be ludicrous. I never called you the son of the devil, and I never said you'd burn in hell either just because we don't agree on a few things. Give me a break. 🙂
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