What exactly is reality?

this debate is very interisting. may i ineterject that humanity is flawed because we deside we are. we then look for ways to ether justify our flaws thereby removing the guilt of them, or we look for ways to better our self and remove the selfimposed guilt by removing what we feel guilty for. (i am personaly in for the betterment of the two as i find the rewards more lasting)
who then are we striveing to be like/ justify our selfs to??
if the existance we are currantly debating is the begining and the end of our whole exsitance thats rather sad. BUT if we are in the middle of a set of existances the existance we are in makes more sence. If we were something befor we were human it would explain our drive to belive there is more to "life" then what we have. If there is something after this plane of exsitance it would explain our drive to find out what it is and how best to accive a "good place" there.

these are only vege immages of the whole of my belife. just thought i drop them in and see how they are recived befor i got too deep

I like that train of thought.

I believe that all of us, be it humans or animals or plants or even inanimate objects, are conscious beings that decided to take form, whatever that form may be, to experience life on Earth.

But what we are, truly, is consciousness. That, I believe, more than adequately sums up what a lot of people refer to as the "soul".

I am impressed that such a sticky topic as religion is being discussed in a calm and respectful manner. I will keep an eye on this thread (as I am sure the other moderators will) and if everyone can remain well-behaved and courteous it will remain open.

Please think before you post, especially in this thread. :)

I will agree with foxybunny on this one. As much as religion is not a topic we are allowed to discuss in such deepth due to flaming occuring [lets hope a major religious person decides not to join and take anything anyone said to heart] I love that its remained calm and mature.

As for did God create us or did we create God I believe He created us. :)
And reality is a tricky concept, one I don't face much due to being on the computer far too often. Or being stuck in a book.

I believe that scientifically (not science as a rules and laws, but science as the form) that we are all particles of one consciousness, or the God consciousness, and spread out all over the universe like cells in the body. Because God is so powerful, these cells are sentient beings who grow to be flawed only for self-experience and learning, only to be united back someday. My view doesn't put God on a pedestal like many of today's religions. That there is a dependency between God and man. God creates as much through us as we do through him/her.

Reality is a dreamscape of sorts. And there are many dimensions. Here in this dimension all vibrations are slowed and therefore a person's dream lifestyle (Ex: I want to be an astronaut, or an athlete, or rich) takes time to manifest. That is why people become impatient and stray and never see their dreams come true.

This is why you see anamoly's or inconsistencies. Sometimes what one person experiences clashes with another person.

To answer your question: If a tree fell and nobody was there to see it, did it happen? It only happened because we believe it to be possible. Our eyes only see so much, but our beliefs are eyes that are so much wider. We already know things happen around us without our involvement. We think therefore we are.

I say reality is reality. The only thing that's different is the way people interpret reality. If two people look at a rock and one sees a bunch of minerals that came together and the other sees an object created by god it doesn't change the fact that the rock exists. It's the same way with everything. Same thing with belief. Whether you believe a tree that fell in the woods exists before it's seen by a person or not it doesn't change the fact that a tree fell in the woods. Beliefs don't change reality, they change how people see reality.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cyhort

If two people look at a rock and one sees a bunch of minerals that came together and the other sees an object created by god it doesn't change the fact that the rock exists.

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I'd be the guy who sees an object created by god and minerals.

Good to see a lot of views on this post :D

Have you ever thought about the various religions in the past and what they encompassed? Many religions began because humanity, at that time, could not explain events that occurred; thus the different gods & goddesses in polygamist religions...

"Where does thunder come from? Who knows, it must be made by a God."

More importantly, I think a larger reason for the creation of many religions has to do with the painful notion that there is nothing after physical death. The belief in an afterlife can rationalize a lot of things, such as infant death, cruel & unjust death, etc.

However, I think many Christians (for the sake of example) will say that their religion came into existence because God willed it so. I do not argue with that; everything I've said thus far deals only with possible explanations.

What do I believe?

I believe in the future. I believe in science. I believe religion and science should go hand-in-hand, and that God exists in the details that we cannot explain (such as where did the Big Bang come from... who created that?). I believe that sacred texts such as the Bible and the Koran should be read as a book of allegories, stories, and moral guidelines; not a stereo manual with step-by-step instructions.

When people begin clinging to their beliefs so strongly out of fear of the unknown, that's when humanity shows it's embarrassing side. As merely an example, I'll bring up the notion that the Earth was the center of the universe and the persecution that resulted when one person tried to prove that it wasn't so.

I choose not to believe any one religion or a mix of any because by doing so i am persecuting all other religions by saying i believe them false