Interesting thoughts...
Oh, btw, very nice measured response Millertime335.
And I understand completely Cowless, nice idea.
I would like to contribute by expanding on something that you picked up on, an element from 'the Theory of Relativity' and a proposal for a scientific study presented to the University of Bradford (Dept of Mathematics, Quantum Mechanics) in 1994 as part of our 'peer-group' project.
The critical concept here is 'belief' or, to rephrase 'belief', understanding.
Let me ask you to comtemplate 'Love' Does it exist or not?
Well, I think that we can all agree, that Love, is an abstract concept, yet it seems to have a similar meaning to us all. We understand, when someone says "I am in Love" just what it is that we are talking about.
However, to all of the people not 'in love' at that time, what they are thinking of is the 'ideal' of love, the abstract concept. They believe it exists and that someday, they will achieve it.
How is this any different from the reality that faces many prople that believe in God, or Eternal life?
Now, Imagine 'Time' this is also an abstract concept, and it too has a similar meaning to all. However, the mechanics of this concept can be proven to exist.
Yes, it is very abstract, measured by us in rotations and intervals (minutes, seconds) but it is real to us. Not only that, we are always concious of it, wether we know anything about it or not. Conciously (as a rational adult) or sub-conciously. (For example a as a 2 week old infant or perhaps a bird that decides that it is time to migrate.)
Now, I submit, that it is not you or I, or the bird that is concious, but the cells that make up our being. They have inate knowledge and they strive to adapt to serve themselves, hence evolution.
If one believes in a God, Supreme Being, Love, Time, or anything else, we dare question the validity, or the logic behind the belief, but not the belief itself.
Anything that you can imagine, can be proven to exist. If not to others, certainly to yourself. In all our minds, we are the constant.
And, now, for the controversial theory...
In fact time does not exist as we know it.
The life/death cycle does not exist.
There is nothing beyond the outer limits of the Universe, because there is no end.
There was no beginning.
Every atom that makes up every cell in us all has always existed.
And, it will always exist.
Now, I for one, find this concept far more exciting than simply believing in a God, but this concept is abstract too and perhaps what I am really describing to a religious person, is God.
Well, our suggestion back then, was that the belief in God it'self isn't far from the truth.
It's just the interpretation that is wrong.
God, is not independent.
We are God! ..... All of us.
If we use the 'big bang theory' to illustrate how this might be possible, given the conjecture above:
If we have always existed, and at some point all matter was concentrated at a single point, then, in thoery, if that matter had conciousness, and, if we were a part of it, then it certainly had the potential to have.
Then, we were once part of a singular conciousness, and omnipitent being?
maybe some day we will come to know the truth, perhaps it's locked away in our atomic
make-up, perhaps the quest to understand it, the drive that we all share to know more, is the very reason for our existance, and not the other way around?
Regards as always,
AOD.