There is no heaven, it ‘is a fairy story,’ Stephen Hawking says

[petros]

There's a starman waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us
But he thinks he'd blow our minds
There's a starman waiting in the sky
He's told us not to blow it
Cause he knows it's all worthwhile
He told me:
Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie

He says: “There is no heaven or afterlife for broken-down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.”

Even on a dead hard drive the data is still recoverable. Why would thoughts, feelings, and experience not forever be floating through the ether forever and ever?

 

[Unforgiven]

Here's te only thing I had posted in this thread before you decided to get insulting.
As I said, who started this thread again?

I started the thread Gerry, because one of the leading minds in the country made a profound statement so I post it.
While others were busy with the eye rolling and that retcansol and his nefarious chicanery (lol) and after you gave me the neg rep for the "nigga please" pic, I invited everyone to go ahead and post the proof I know they don't have. That you hadn't said much but made your feelings known to me in such a brief manner I included you to throw down with your good argument and persuasion.

While you can say how offended you are and how hurt by all the insults, I know it's nothing more than positioning for your argument designed to set me off my game. If you were as sensitive as all that you would have been out of here long ago.

After all is said and done, it's just religion. Nothing wrong with some spirited banter but no one should feel confronted or hurt among us. If you sincerely are nursing hurt feelings, I apologize mate. You're a good guy and I don't need to have a falling out just to be right.

With that, the truck she is a calling and the AC won't fix itself.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

Even on a dead hard drive the data is still recoverable. Why would thoughts, feelings, and experience not forever be floating through the ether forever and ever?

What's on a dead hard drive doesn't float through the ether for ever and ever, it's localized in the device. Why would what's recorded in a brain be any different?

 

[karrie]

There is no more proof of a god than there is of big foot, ghosts or psychic abilities.
The lot of you, you too Gerry, can bring all the solid indisputable proof right here to knock this smile off my face.

Till then,

If you are not willing to discuss the subject, please reiterate that fact so I can lock this thread for you.

Posting threads about subjects you are unwilling to debate/discuss, is odd behaviour on a discussion forum.

personally, I see nothing wrong whatsoever with Hawking having come to the conclusion he came to. Everyone has a right to walk their own spiritual path. it's unfortunate he had to take it to the low place he did though and insult the intelligence of his peers. But, that's his call, his soul, his life. He's free to do with it what he will.

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

What's on a dead hard drive doesn't float through the ether for ever and ever, it's localized in the device. Why would what's recorded in a brain be any different?

Hard drives are not apt to emotion or love, to art or music without the guidance of man.

We are not machines, but self aware beings who possess a myriad of difference from that which is hardware.

Perhaps when life ends the synapses in our brain peter out and there's nothing. But then again, perhaps not.

 

[El Barto]

Hard drives are not apt to emotion or love, to art or music without the guidance of man.

We are not machines, but self aware beings who possess a myriad of difference from that which is hardware.

Perhaps when life ends the synapses in our brain peter out and there's nothing. But then again, perhaps not.

Umm i argue about 'we are self aware ' part.
Many of us are merely zombies going from one crysis to another or one thrill to another . React to certain stimulis like what is said on this forum.

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

Umm i argue about 'we are self aware ' part.
Many of us are merely zombies going from one crysis to another or one thrill to another . React to certain stimulis like what is said on this forum.

Nobody where you go or what you do there's always some smuck who wants to bring up zombies.

 

[petros]

What's on a dead hard drive doesn't float through the ether for ever and ever, it's localized in the device. Why would what's recorded in a brain be any different?

Is you brain sheilded from allowing the electricity of a thought escaping into the ether?

 

[Praxius]

And at one time flying was a fairy tale, as was the earth being round or being able to leave this earth to explore the galaxy. While Hawking may be a brilliant man, he doesn't have all the answers.

Keep in mind that it was religion such as Christianity that surpressed our development in many of those concepts you mentioned for centuries, where "if we were meant to fly, God would have given us wings" or in regards to the Sun Revolving around the Earth, and so on.

To even attempt to tie the existence of God & Heaven with the above is almost insulting.

However, I do agree with you on your assesment of Hawking acting like what he says is fact, when he doesn't know anymore or less then the rest of us on this matter and should stick to his black holes & other crap.

We now know there are means to fly, sail around the world and leave the planet, but we still do not know either way if there is any means of existence beyond the lives we currently know..... be that heaven, a God, or waking up from a dream, nobody knows with truth either way.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

Is you brain sheilded from allowing the electricity of a thought escaping into the ether?

Only when I'm wearing my tinfoil hat. A hard drive's I/O activities aren't shielded any better than my thoughts.

Perhaps when life ends the synapses in our brain peter out and there's nothing. But then again, perhaps not.

Yes, perhaps not, but there's no evidence to suggest that.

 

[taxslave]

There's a starman waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us
But he thinks he'd blow our minds
There's a starman waiting in the sky
He's told us not to blow it
Cause he knows it's all worthwhile
He told me:
Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie

Even on a dead hard drive the data is still recoverable. Why would thoughts, feelings, and experience not forever be floating through the ether forever and ever?

So thats where they went. How do I get them back inside my head?

 

[petros]

What type of foil do you use to keep your thoughts and emotions from escaping into the ether?

Oh I forgot to ask. Does that help with static cling?

Static cling must be mind blowing for a spiritual being who is having a human experience. It'll be fun returning to the heavens and sharing stories with old spiritual friends and the ones made along the way while being a human.

 

[Unforgiven]

If you are not willing to discuss the subject, please reiterate that fact so I can lock this thread for you.

Posting threads about subjects you are unwilling to debate/discuss, is odd behaviour on a discussion forum.

Horse Sh!t! You know exactly what I am talking about and it has nothing at all to do with being unwilling to discuss this subject. Anyone who is unable, and it seems there are a few, of discussing it without turning to some unverified threat that anyone who isn't religious is dumb and ultimately in trouble for it. Enough passive aggressive bull.

personally, I see nothing wrong whatsoever with Hawking having come to the conclusion he came to. Everyone has a right to walk their own spiritual path. it's unfortunate he had to take it to the low place he did though and insult the intelligence of his peers. But, that's his call, his soul, his life. He's free to do with it what he will.

Some people need to wake the hell up and get over the religious crap they carry on with day to day. Short list is the Evangelist swindlers, Allah's Muslim bombers, Junior Cult Suicide planers and the God Hates Fags retreads.

I don't see Hawking's taking it to a low place, he pointed out that there has never been a single piece of actual evidence supporting religion and a whole lot of problems from the actions of those who use it as a tool to force subjugation and swindle weak minded into not just following along but doing their bidding.

So how about we leave the threads you don't personally like alone to become what they become.

 

[gerryh]

and you don't see the hypocracy of your own post I imagine.

 

[karrie]

Horse Sh!t! You know exactly what I am talking about and it has nothing at all to do with being unwilling to discuss this subject. Anyone who is unable, and it seems there are a few, of discussing it without turning to some unverified threat that anyone who isn't religious is dumb and ultimately in trouble for it.....

You might like saying that people believe something only because they're scared of the dark?

Sorry, but Unf, how do you not see that Hawking did the same thing?

 

[Unforgiven]

You might like saying that people believe something only because they're scared of the dark?

Sorry, but Unf, how do you not see that Hawking did the same thing?

There is a difference between belief and knowledge. It's fine to have faith and believe in something, no one says any different. It's when that belief crosses over to knowledge without the trials of proof that problems get started. When they start to go from something you believe to something I have to abide then there is serious trouble.

Hawking, in the midst of all the war going on over religion right now, points out that there is nothing at all that shows there is a heaven, a god or any such thing. Not one tiny little shred of proof. Not one. Never has been. For all the thousands of years, not a single speck of proof. While we've found all kinds of proof for all kinds of other stuff, good indicators that draw us to investigate in great detail and close inspection to find out the truth of the matter, religion zip.

While some say we have to go to war and kill a lot of people because that's what God wants, Hawking points out that not only does no one have the slightest clue as to what God wants, there isn't even a God to want anything. So we should knock off all the religious crap and stop killing each other over it. As a few people here have said, there is a warning that comes form God of what will happen to my soul if I don't kowtow before the word. Like the boogie man, like the devils imp, like the communists and like the terrorists. To the point that the book had to be rewritten to get rid of some of the totally insane bull that no one was going to believe anyway.

Not once has religion passed beyond the take my word for it point. While it's entertaining to go there sometimes, even possible to learn a lesson or two, it's down right ****ing retarded to take that on as the meaning, purpose and
only point to life and live accordingly. Worse take that unarguable position and do harm to others because they don't agree with it.

Now if Hawking wanted to do the same thing, he would have to commit so many atrocities, he would need a staff in the millions just to get through it all before his kids die of old age. Assuming he would use modern technology to speed up the process. So to say it's the same thing, not fu cking hardly.

and you don't see the hypocracy of your own post I imagine.

You shouldn't even use that word.

 

[karrie]

And insulting people as an opener gets them to listen to any of that? No. Not one bit. BTW... Hawking never said any of that in the article you posted. He merely threw out an insult, and said he's in no hurry to die. Not a very deep insight into the role of religion in the world and all.

 

[mentalfloss]

While some say we have to go to war and kill a lot of people because that's what God wants..

I'm not really going to comment on Hawking, but I just wanted to chime in to have us think about the future. A future wherein a horrified society will actually look back into their past (our present) with contempt and disgust. Our children's children will duly be horrified (and amazed) at how primitive we were to slaughter each other over something that didn't have any verifiable merit.

 

[petros]

Humans are two beer away from being feral.

 

[karrie]

I'm not really going to comment on Hawking, but I just wanted to chime in and have people looking to the future. A future wherein a horrified society will actually look back into their past (our present) with contempt and disgust. Our children's children will duly be horrified (and amazed) at how primitive we were to slaughter each other over something that didn't have any verifiable merit.

The religion thing is a cop out anyway.... the people who climb to the top of religion to try to control the world, once religion no longer does, will instead climb to the top of whatever has replaced it. 'Religion' essentially used to mean government, and those same power hungry, war mongering humans, are here, whether atheist or religious. They will climb to the top, and they will find ways to justify war.