If there is a life after death.....

[TagliatelliMonster]

You asked me a question and I answered it.

No, you just repeated the claim that was being questioned.

I did not say that the soul is an actual thing just because 'I believe' that it is. My belief has nothing to do with it.

Your belief has everything to do with it, since this "soul" only seems to exist within the context of your belief.
Just like The Force only seems to exist within the context of the story of Star Wars.

Logically speaking, a soul either exists or not, and just because it cannot be seen or proven to exist that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

And the same goes for the extra-dimensional unicorn or The Force.

Just because the soul is a mystery that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Is The Force a mystery?

“The nature of the soul after death can never be described, nor is it meet and permissible to reveal its whole character to the eyes of men. The Prophets and Messengers of God have been sent down for the sole purpose of guiding mankind to the straight Path of Truth. The purpose underlying Their revelation hath been to educate all men, that they may, at the hour of death, ascend, in the utmost purity and sanctity and with absolute detachment, to the throne of the Most High.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 156-157​

​

“Thou hast asked Me concerning the nature of the soul. Know, verily, that the soul is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men hath failed to grasp, and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel. It is the first among all created things to declare the excellence of its Creator, the first to recognize His glory, to cleave to His truth, and to bow down in adoration before Him.” Gleanings, pp. 158-159​

​

“And now concerning thy question regarding the soul of man and its survival after death. Know thou of a truth that the soul, after its separation from the body, will continue to progress until it attaineth the presence of God, in a state and condition which neither the revolution of ages and centuries, nor the changes and chances of this world, can alter. It will endure as long as the Kingdom of God, His sovereignty, His dominion and power will endure. It will manifest the signs of God and His attributes, and will reveal His loving kindness and bounty.” Gleanings, pp. 155-156​

​

So you say that your assertions of the soul existing has nothing to do with your beliefs and in the next breath you start to define it by quoting the scriptures of your beliefs........... Do you see the problem?

Of course, the same can be said of God - God either exists or not, and proof has NOTHING to do with it. Proof is just what some people WANT.
Just because God is a mystery for the most part that doesn't mean God doesn't exist.

And it certainly doesn't mean that it DOES exist.
Furthermore, you could say the exact same thing about ANY unfalsifiable entity or thing you can imagine and invoke. And we'ld be here talking about those thing till the end of time and make zero progress, as those things are literally infinite in number (only limited by human imagination).


Meanwhile, my initial point stands tall and remains unchallenged. Life = physical organic things that are alive.

You can certainly say that it's also "something else", but it wouldn't be different then talking about a type of wood that doesn't come from a tree and of which you can't give me a single example.

 

[Hermit Philosopher]

Other: life -worldly and spiritual- is cyclical.

Whether buried, burnt or left be, one’s body decomposes and disintegrates into soil (from dust to dust) - unless embalmed, that is …but lifeless; an intact body is a “soulless” corpse nonetheless.

One’s “soul” too returns to source: a “universal consciousness” that goes by many names - by some, referred to as “God”. There, all experience unites and perspective is all-encompassing.
Spirit -like organism- is ever evolving: the portion of “soul” that incarnates today, unconsciously carries and lives by all universal experience acquired so far and its experience of living from that perspective, shapes the universal wisdom of tomorrow.


Humbly,
Hermit

 

[Trailblazer]

This is the point I'm making. Me not believing in X shouldn't be an issue if X is actually real. All it takes is showing it is real and I'll believe it.
But until that is done, there isn't anything to talk about.

There is no way to 'show you' that the afterlife is real while you are still living in this world, not anymore than a baby in the womb world can know this world is real until that baby is born and sees this world.

If that is what you are waiting for you will have to wait until you die.
Then you will know that the afterlife is real since you will not be dead.

 

[Little Dragon]

Please Note: this question is based on assumption that there will be a life after Death

We go back to Otherworld. Where we came from. The Fortunate Isles, Asgard, Vyraj, Alfheim, Heaven, Paradise...
Apparently, according to indo european and semitic plus other theological consensus.

So, that's promising. It seems to be a common theme. Why that is so I do not know, skepticism would suggest a common origin, and or deep seated universal human death anxieties and fears. manifest. Maybe though there is something more to it. Something that might be connected with what people describe as supernatural and spiritual? phenomena.

 

[Little Dragon]

There is no way to 'show you' that the afterlife is real while you are still living in this world, not anymore than a baby in the womb world can know this world is real until that baby is born and sees this world.

If that is what you are waiting for you will have to wait until you die.
Then you will know that the afterlife is real since you will not be dead.

Aye!

 

[Trailblazer]

No, you just repeated the claim that was being questioned.

That is not being fair. I did answer your question and I answered it very directly.

You asked: Can you give me an example where "life" doesn't refer to physical things that are alive?
I answered: The life of the soul after death.

Your belief has everything to do with it, since this "soul" only seems to exist within the context of your belief.
Just like The Force only seems to exist within the context of the story of Star Wars.

My belief in a soul that lives on in the afterlife has nothing to do with whether a soul actually exists or not, since beliefs do not create reality.
If a soul exists it exists and that is reality. If a soul does not exist, it does not exist, and that is reality.
The same applies to God.

And the same goes for the extra-dimensional unicorn or The Force.

The same thing does not go for The Force as for the soul.

The Force is fictional. We know it does not exist since we know it is made up for Star Wars, purely for entertainment purposes.
By contrast we do not know that the soul does not exist, or that it was made up, and you cannot come up with a 'reason' why anyone would make it up.

Is The Force a mystery?

No. The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the Star Wars fictional universe.

So you say that your assertions of the soul existing has nothing to do with your beliefs and in the next breath you start to define it by quoting the scriptures of your beliefs........... Do you see the problem?

I said whether the soul exists or not has nothing to do with what I believe about the soul. More to the point, the soul does not exist because I believe it exists. It either exists or not. If I was not a Baha'i who believed it exists it would still exist if it exists.

I did not say that my belief in the soul is not 'associated' with my religious beliefs. It is.

And it certainly doesn't mean that it DOES exist.

I never said it means God DOES exist.

Furthermore, you could say the exact same thing about ANY unfalsifiable entity or thing you can imagine and invoke. And we'ld be here talking about those thing till the end of time and make zero progress, as those things are literally infinite in number (only limited by human imagination).

The fact that I could say the exact same thing about ANY unfalsifiable entity or thing I can imagine and invoke is irrelevant.
Just because a entity or thing is unfalsifiable that does not mean it is true or false. It could be true or false.

Meanwhile, my initial point stands tall and remains unchallenged. Life = physical organic things that are alive.

You can certainly say that it's also "something else", but it wouldn't be different then talking about a type of wood that doesn't come from a tree and of which you can't give me a single example.

The commonly accepted dictionary definition of life is physical organic things that are alive.
However, in a religious context, life can mean spiritual life or life beyond the grave..

I already gave you an example. The life of the soul after death. Another example is spiritual life which we can have in this life.

 

[Bird123]

One cannot Discover the real truth about God by looking in this world.

You cannot copy God because you cannot see God or know what God is doing.

Through your life you will find those who will tell you what you can and can not do. Some value the petty thing mankind holds so dear in Control. Your attempt at control might limit some, however there are many who just must Discover for themselves.

I can't count all the things I have done that I was told could not be done. I say it's a mistake to try to limit oneself and others out of Fear. Who gave you permission to quit simply because it might be a little scary? God nor I did not. How much are you blind to see simply because you place limits on yourself out of fear?

Question: Why are you so afraid of God that you insist on having middlemen in order to keep your distance? Perhaps, it's time to analyze yourself and Discover why you are making the choices you make. Discover who you really are. Stop running from your pain and understand why it hurts. It's the only way to solve the real problems you are hiding from yourself. Learn the lesson. Stop condemning yourself for it.

That's what I see. It's very clear!!

 

[Trailblazer]

I can't count all the things I have done that I was told could not be done. I say it's a mistake to try to limit oneself and others out of Fear. Who gave you permission to quit simply because it might be a little scary? God nor I did not. How much are you blind to see simply because you place limits on yourself out of fear?

How do you know that I place limits on myself? I can't count all the things I have done that most people would never do. They would not even try to do all the things I do, and they think I am crazy for trying. They think I should just give up and throw in the towel to make my life easier, but I never give up. I just keep on going, day after day. Even though I have fears and anxieties I push through them.

Question: Why are you so afraid of God that you insist on having middlemen in order to keep your distance?

I don't believe in Messengers because I am afraid of God. I believe in them because I want to know about God, God's will for me and God's message.

I do not keep my distance from God, God keeps His distance from me.

Perhaps, it's time to analyze yourself and Discover why you are making the choices you make. Discover who you really are. Stop running from your pain and understand why it hurts. It's the only way to solve the real problems you are hiding from yourself. Learn the lesson. Stop condemning yourself for it.

You don't know a thing about my personal life. I am not hiding anything from myself. I have been analyzing myself for most of my life and I know full well why I make the choices that I make. I also know full well why I hurt. I never run from pain, I walk into it and work through it.

 

[CG Didymus]

Your belief has everything to do with it, since this "soul" only seems to exist within the context of your belief.

And every religion that believes in an after-life, believes something different. A Baha'i doesn't believe in the heaven and hell of Christianity or the reincarnation of some Hindus.

But a belief in an after-life can be used to get people to act in a certain way. Do good and follow the beliefs of the religion, and the person gets some kind of reward. Don't believe and/or do wrong, and the person doesn't get the reward, or, with many religions, gets severely punished.

With Baha'is, the more good a person does, the closer to God they get when they die. Not a bad reward. For the person that does wrong, and depending on the degree of wrong things they do, they end up further from God. Not as big a threat as the hell-fire Christians have.

But it could easily be something invented by religious people to get the followers to obey. Kind of like a parent telling their kids that if they do good the fairy Godmother, or Santa Claus or Jesus or somebody will reward them. And if they do bad? The boogeyman or the devil will come get them. Those things don't have to be real. But, for the kid, they believe they are real, because their parents said so. And, with religions, their prophet and their Scriptures said so, therefore it is true.

At least with this particular Baha'i, she admits it is just a belief, unlike how some people, especially some Christians, will say things like "The Bible says so. And the Bible is the inerrant word of God." But Baha'is do believe the same type of thing. Their prophet and his writings can't be wrong. So, if he says there is life after-death, and what that life will be like... to them, that is the truth.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

There is no way to 'show you' that the afterlife is real

You know what other things are impossible to show to be real? Things that aren't real.

Having said that, referring to what I said earlier by pointing out the definition of the word "life", talking about "life" after death has occurred only seems self-contradicting.

If that is what you are waiting for you will have to wait until you die.

What else is there to do in your opinion?
"just" believe it?
Then why don't you believe in The Force? Or any of the potentially infinite other unfalsifiable things?

Then you will know that the afterlife is real since you will not be dead.

See? Self-contradicting. You're dead but not dead. So undead?

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

You asked: Can you give me an example where "life" doesn't refer to physical things that are alive?
I answered: The life of the soul after death.

It's like when you claim that you have a wooden chair of which the wood doesn't come from the tree.
And I then ask "what kind of wood doesn't come from a tree?" and you reply with "the wood my chair is made from".

You're just repeating the claim, not actually answering the question.

Like I said: just because you can string english words together to talk about something, doesn't make it sensible.
I can talk about "energy" that deviates from any physical definition of energy, and you would not know what I am talking about.
I can talk about "wood" that doesn't come from trees.
I can talk about "plastic" that grows out of an unknown plant.

How do you distinguish these things from sheer imagination?

My belief in a soul that lives on in the afterlife has nothing to do with whether a soul actually exists or not, since beliefs do not create reality.

You can certainly say that again....................

Exactly the point. So what are you talking about?

The same thing does not go for The Force as for the soul.

The Force is fictional. We know it does not exist since we know it is made up for Star Wars, purely for entertainment purposes.
By contrast we do not know that the soul does not exist, or that it was made up, and you cannot come up with a 'reason' why anyone would make it up.

No. The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the Star Wars fictional universe.

The point went flying over your head.

I said whether the soul exists or not has nothing to do with what I believe about the soul. More to the point, the soul does not exist because I believe it exists. It either exists or not. If I was not a Baha'i who believed it exists it would still exist if it exists.

Yet here you are, talking about it as if it factually exists.
So how do you propose to find out if it exists or not?
Why do you believe it exists?
"just because"?

I did not say that my belief in the soul is not 'associated' with my religious beliefs. It is.

I never said it means God DOES exist.

The fact that I could say the exact same thing about ANY unfalsifiable entity or thing I can imagine and invoke is irrelevant.

I think it is extremely relevant, because it exposes that there is exactly zero reason to believe it or take it seriously.
To believe one such thing over another such thing at that point becomes completely arbitrary.
To not believe A while believing B then exposes double standards.

It only gives me reasons to not take it seriously.

Just because a entity or thing is unfalsifiable that does not mean it is true or false. It could be true or false.

Sure. But how would you find out? Why believe unfalsifiable thing A over unfalsifiable thing B?
Why believe any of them?

The commonly accepted dictionary definition of life is physical organic things that are alive.
However, in a religious context, life can mean spiritual life or life beyond the grave..

And why would I care? Why should anyone?

I already gave you an example. The life of the soul after death.

Like the wooden chair of which the wood doesn't come from a tree.

Another example is spiritual life which we can have in this life.

Which would be an abstraction of physical life which only makes sense in context of physical life.

 

[Trailblazer]

You know what other things are impossible to show to be real? Things that aren't real.

That is true but irrelevant. The point is that just because something cannot be shown to be real, that doesn't mean it is not real.

Having said that, referring to what I said earlier by pointing out the definition of the word "life", talking about "life" after death has occurred only seems self-contradicting.

Life after death does not mean physical life after death, not unless you are a Christian who believes that physical bodies will be raised from the grave. I do not believe that. I believe that the soul continues to live after the death of the physical body, and it crosses over to the spiritual world, where it takes on a new form and continues to exist forever.

1 Corinthians 15 New Living Translation

44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!

This is no different from what Baha’is believe. We will have another kind of body after we die.

“The world beyond is as different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother. When the soul attaineth the Presence of God, it will assume the form that best befitteth its immortality and is worthy of its celestial habitation.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 157

“The answer to the third question is this, that in the other world the human reality doth not assume a physical form, rather doth it take on a heavenly form, made up of elements of that heavenly realm.” Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 194

What else is there to do in your opinion?
"just" believe it?
Then why don't you believe in The Force? Or any of the potentially infinite other unfalsifiable things?

You should not believe it unless you believe it for what 'you consider' to be a good reason.
I believe it for what I consider to be a good reason, because it was revealed in scriptures.
I do not believe in The Force since it is intended to be fictional rather than something that actually exists.

See? Self-contradicting. You're dead but not dead. So undead?

I said: "Then you will know that the afterlife is real since you will not be dead."

The important point is that you are not your physical body. You are a soul. So you (your soul) will not be dead. It will simply take on another form, a spiritual body.

What is referred to as 'the afterlife' is is just a continuation of the life we lived in this world. It means after physical life, referring to another life that is not physical.

 

[Bird123]

How do you know that I place limits on myself? I can't count all the things I have done that most people would never do. They would not even try to do all the things I do, and they think I am crazy for trying. They think I should just give up and throw in the towel to make my life easier, but I never give up. I just keep on going, day after day. Even though I have fears and anxieties I push through them.

I don't believe in Messengers because I am afraid of God. I believe in them because I want to know about God, God's will for me and God's message.

I do not keep my distance from God, God keeps His distance from me.

You don't know a thing about my personal life. I am not hiding anything from myself. I have been analyzing myself for most of my life and I know full well why I make the choices that I make. I also know full well why I hurt. I never run from pain, I walk into it and work through it.

Your quote: How do you know that I place limits on myself?

My Answer:If you say it is impossible to see God's actions or understand God's action in this world, you LIMIT yourself. You now will not even try. You close your mind to possibilities.

If you really seek God, would not you be open to Discover new avenues?

Your actions and choices speak for themselves. You might hide from yourself, however your actions speak louder than your words.

God's actions and choices speak to who God is yet you are blind to any of God's actions. Why do you choose to be so blind? What are you afraid of seeing?? For one who seeks, you seem to ask way too few questions. Accepting is NOT seeking!!

That's what I see. It's very clear!!

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

That is true but irrelevant.

I don't think it's irrelevant at all.
How do you know that the thing you believe to be true that can't be shown to be real, in fact can't be shown to be real because it is of the category of "not real"?

The point is that just because something cannot be shown to be real, that doesn't mean it is not real.

Sure, but as said, you can say that about any unfalsifiable thing your imagination can produce.
So how does it help your case?

Life after death does not mean physical life after death,

Like my wooden chair doesn't mean it's wood from a tree?
What is "non-physical life"? How is it a thing? What are you talking about?

not unless you are a Christian who believes that physical bodies will be raised from the grave. I do not believe that. I believe that the soul continues to live after the death of the physical body, and it crosses over to the spiritual world, where it takes on a new form and continues to exist forever.

I believe my wooden chair is made form wood that doesn't come from a tree.
That makes just as much sense.

1 Corinthians 15 New Living Translation

44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!

This is no different from what Baha’is believe. We will have another kind of body after we die.

“The world beyond is as different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother. When the soul attaineth the Presence of God, it will assume the form that best befitteth its immortality and is worthy of its celestial habitation.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 157

“The answer to the third question is this, that in the other world the human reality doth not assume a physical form, rather doth it take on a heavenly form, made up of elements of that heavenly realm.” Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 194

You should know by now that religious scriptures are of no relevance to me at all.
These are all just more claims that don't clarify anything.

You should not believe it unless you believe it for what 'you consider' to be a good reason.
I believe it for what I consider to be a good reason, because it was revealed in scriptures.

I said: "Then you will know that the afterlife is real since you will not be dead."

That doesn't clarify anything again. You're just going in circles.

The important point is that you are not your physical body. You are a soul.

I disagree.

So you (your soul) will not be dead. It will simply take on another form, a spiritual body.

I don't believe in ghosts. I have no reasons to.
Show me a ghost.

What is referred to as 'the afterlife' is is just a continuation of the life we lived in this world. It means after physical life, referring to another life that is not physical.

All this is indistinguishable from imagination.


I'm done now. We have reached the end of the conversation. Everything that will come after this will just be you continually running around in circles.
I've lost interest

 

[Trailblazer]

It's like when you claim that you have a wooden chair of which the wood doesn't come from the tree.
And I then ask "what kind of wood doesn't come from a tree?" and you reply with "the wood my chair is made from".

No, it s not like that.

You're just repeating the claim, not actually answering the question.

You asked: Can you give me an example where "life" doesn't refer to physical things that are alive?
I answered: The life of the soul after death.

The life of the soul after death doesn't refer to physical things that are alive?

I answered the question but you did not understand the answer I gave since you believe only physical things are alive.

Like I said: just because you can string english words together to talk about something, doesn't make it sensible.
I can talk about "energy" that deviates from any physical definition of energy, and you would not know what I am talking about.
I can talk about "wood" that doesn't come from trees.
I can talk about "plastic" that grows out of an unknown plant.

How do you distinguish these things from sheer imagination?

We can imagine many things, but just because we can imagine them that doesn't mean they are not also real. They might be real or not. People imagine all kinds of things that are real.

Is there a reason to believe there is "wood" that doesn't come from trees.
Is there a reason to believe there is "plastic" that grows out of an unknown plant.
I don't think that people imagine these things since there is no reason to believe they exist. If people imagine things they have a reason to thing they exist.

You will know the afterlife is real when you experience it firsthand. Before that all you can do is believe it exists and imagine what it might be like.

You can certainly say that again....................

Exactly the point. So what are you talking about?

A belief I hold.

The point went flying over your head.

No, MY point went flying over your head.

The same thing does not go for The Force as for the soul since we know The Source is fictional but we do not know that the soul is fictional..

The Force is fictional. We know it does not exist since we know it is made up for Star Wars, purely for entertainment purposes.
By contrast we do not know that the soul is not real, that it was made up, and you cannot come up with a 'reason' why anyone would make it up.

Yet here you are, talking about it as if it factually exists.
So how do you propose to find out if it exists or not?
Why do you believe it exists?
"just because"?

It is not a fact that the soul exists, since it can never be proven to exist. It can only be believed that it exists.
Nobody can 'find out' whether a soul exists since the soul is a mystery of God that no mind can ever hope to unravel.

“Thou hast asked Me concerning the nature of the soul. Know, verily, that the soul is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men hath failed to grasp, and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel.”​

Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 158-159​

​

“Verily I say, the human soul is, in its essence, one of the signs of God, a mystery among His mysteries. It is one of the mighty signs of the Almighty, the harbinger that proclaimeth the reality of all the worlds of God. Within it lieth concealed that which the world is now utterly incapable of apprehending.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 160​

I believe a soul exists because my religion teaches that it exists. In spite of the fact that we can never know the nature of the soul we know some of the functions of the soul since they have been revealed in the Baha'i Writings..

I think it is extremely relevant, because it exposes that there is exactly zero reason to believe it or take it seriously.
To believe one such thing over another such thing at that point becomes completely arbitrary.
To not believe A while believing B then exposes double standards.

It only gives me reasons to not take it seriously.

The only reason you would believe A over B and take it seriously is if you believe in the religion that teaches that A exists.

Sure. But how would you find out? Why believe unfalsifiable thing A over unfalsifiable thing B?
Why believe any of them?

Again, the only reason you would believe A is if you believe in the religion that teaches that A exists.

And why would I care? Why should anyone?

I did not say anyone should care. You would only care if you wanted to know about spiritual life and the afterlife.
If you do not believe in those things then you would have no reason to care, not unless you are open to exploring the possibilities that they might exist.

Like the wooden chair of which the wood doesn't come from a tree.

No, it s not like that.

Which would be an abstraction of physical life which only makes sense in context of physical life.

In a sense that is correct, since spiritual life begins in this physical life, so we need a physical body to acquire spiritual attributes that lead to spiritual life.

 

[McBell]

Except that I do. Here's the dictionary definitions of "life":

View attachment 83989

Actually, that is "a" dictionaries definitions of the word life.

Here is another ones:

life​

1 of 2

noun​

ˈlīf

plurallives ˈlīvz
Synonyms of life
1
a
: the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body
b
: a principle or force that is considered to underlie the distinctive quality of animate beings
c
: an organismic state characterized by capacity for metabolism (see METABOLISM sense 1), growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction

2
a
: the sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual
children … are the joy of our lives—Agnes S. Turnbull

b
: one or more aspects of the process of living
sex life of the frog


3
: BIOGRAPHY sense 1
the life of George Washington


4
: spiritual existence transcending (see TRANSCEND sense 1c) physical death
his craving … for the release into the life to come—Rodney Gilbert


5
a
: the period from birth to death
b
: a specific phase of earthly existence
adult life

c
: the period from an event until death
a judge appointed for life

d
: a sentence of imprisonment for the remainder of a convict's life

6
: a way or manner of living
the life of the colonists


7
: LIVELIHOOD
The fishing village drew its life from the sea.


8
: a vital or living being
specifically : PERSON
many liveswere lost in the disaster


9
: an animating and shaping force or principle
the life of the constitution … has been not logic but experience—F. A. Ogg & Harold Zink


10
: SPIRIT, ANIMATION
saw no life in her dancing


11
: the form or pattern of something existing in reality
painted from life


12
: the period of duration, usefulness, or popularity of something
the expected life of the batteries


13
: the period of existence (as of a subatomic particle) compare HALF-LIFE

14
: a property (such as resilience (see RESILIENCE sense 1) or elasticity) of an inanimate (see INANIMATE sense 1) substance or object resembling the animate quality of a living being

15
: living beings (as of a particular kind or environment)
forest life


16
a
: human activities
b
: animate activity and movement
stirrings of life

c
: the activities of a given sphere, area, or time
the political life of the country


17
: one providing interest and vigor
life of the party


18
: an opportunity for continued viability
gave the patient a new life


19
capitalized Christian Science : GOD sense 1b

20
: something resembling animate life
a grant saved the project's life


adjective

1
: of or relating to animate being

2
: LIFELONG
a life member


3
: using a living model
a life class


4
: of, relating to, or provided by life insurance
a life policy

Source: Merriam Webster.com

Again, the assumption is entirely on your end. And it's not a sensible assumption

It is only not a "sensible" assumption when you cherry pick through definitions....

 

[Trailblazer]

Your quote: How do you know that I place limits on myself?

My Answer:If you say it is impossible to see God's actions or understand God's action in this world, you LIMIT yourself. You now will not even try. You close your mind to possibilities.

No, that is not true at all. I do not believe we can SEE God's actions in this world. All you have is a belief and I have a different belief.
There is no reason for me to believe that we can see God's actions in this world just because YOU believe that.

I will not try to look for God's actions in this world since I don't believe that we can ever know what God is DOING at any time, so even if God was acting in this world, we could not know what those actions were.

God's actions and choices speak to who God is yet you are blind to any of God's actions. Why do you choose to be so blind? What are you afraid of seeing?? For one who seeks, you seem to ask way too few questions. Accepting is NOT seeking!!

Nobody knows what God's actions or choices are.
That means you do not know what God's actions or choices are, you only believe you know.
You are blind to any of God's actions since God's actions can never be seen.

That's what I see. It's very clear!!

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

Actually, that is "a" dictionaries definitions of the word life.

Here is another ones:

Source: Merriam Webster.com


It is only not a "sensible" assumption when you cherry pick through definitions....

All the definitions in your quote concern physical living things, except 1 and there it concerns a religious idea, which is exactly the one I'm questioning and which can't be properly defined or demonstrated at all.

: spiritual existence transcending (see TRANSCEND sense 1c) physical death
his craving … for the release into the life to come—Rodney Gilbert

 

[Bird123]

No, that is not true at all. I do not believe we can SEE God's actions in this world. All you have is a belief and I have a different belief.
There is no reason for me to believe that we can see God's actions in this world just because YOU believe that.

I will not try to look for God's actions in this world since I don't believe that we can ever know what God is DOING at any time, so even if God was acting in this world, we could not know what those actions were.

Nobody knows what God's actions or choices are.
That means you do not know what God's actions or choices are, you only believe you know.
You are blind to any of God's actions since God's actions can never be seen.

That's what I see. It's very clear!!

You are choosing to limit yourself through the belief you choose for yourself. You also assume I am using beliefs in order to justify your belief so you can keep the limits you seem to want and need so badly.

Why do you do this?

That's what I see. It's very clear!!

 

[Valjean]

One cannot Discover the real truth about God by looking in this world.

You cannot copy God because you cannot see God or know what God is doing.

Yes. It takes large, particle physics research facilities like CERN.