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Originally posted by Halcyon+On+On Does modern living offer any more certain of an answer though?

Nope. Eventually technological distractions will come to seem hollow, which is why I think people will return to religion.

Religion attempts to cure fear of death. If humans didn't die, or didn't know they were going to die, religion probably wouldn't even exist.

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Religion attempts to cure fear of death. If humans didn't die, or didn't know they were going to die, religion probably wouldn't even exist.

somewhat of a blanket statement don't you think? I know of little in Judaism that seeks to cure the fear of death.

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Originally posted by RickyM you're just a shit version of Moral Hazard. At least he knows what he's talking about.

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Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN lol, i love it when moral feels the need to lay the smack down

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Originally posted by Moral Hazard somewhat of a blanket statement don't you think? I know of little in Judaism that seeks to cure the fear of death.

True, Judaism doesn't have any official teaching on an afterlife. Although it does have ideas about resurrection and such -- just not "official" ones.

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Nope. Eventually technological distractions will come to seem hollow, which is why I think people will return to religion.

Well that seems awfully ill-advised.

And I think that you underestimate humanity's propensity towards shoveling faith into all sorts of hollow notions.

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Religion attempts to cure fear of death. If humans didn't die, or didn't know they were going to die, religion probably wouldn't even exist.

Perhaps whatever new method to cope with our mortality we devise shall become a new religion of sorts. I foresee a far more social (though the definition of this is rapidly changing) future in that mass communication will become more accessible to those in certain parts of the world. And by communication, I mean the general interface by which we interact with one another is likely going to shift into a digital sense of reality, over the spiritual.

Religion has, for as long as it's been around, served a very primary and adaptively agreeable need to socialize, fraternize, empathize, etc. within a given sub-group of people unified by behavioural code and a strong appeal to authority. I see this slightly jeopardized by facebook and twitter and virtual realities, where one doesn't need an authority, but the limitations of their bandwidth to define their perimeters for "moral" conduct. Maybe it's not exactly like this or like that, but I believe religion is largely threatened by the possibility of our being scanned and living in the ethers of a universe where we are Gods in our own right.

If anything, I see this furthering the economic gap that despairs certain cultural and ethnic regions, giving rise to more radical, fundamentalist mentalities. When one billion humans on the world can access the internet and relinquish not only earthly possessions, but earthly identities, the rest of the world will be polishing its AK-47s and scrounging for proper hut materials- not to rip off Snow Crash too terribly.

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There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

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Originally posted by Halcyon+On+On ...but I believe religion is largely threatened by the possibility of our being scanned and living in the ethers of a universe where we are Gods in our own right.

You mean "uploading" human minds to computer networks? While I suppose that's a theoretical possibility, I think it's also hundreds of years off, assuming it will ever be possible -- and therefore not very relevant to the current young generations.

We're both uploading a part of ourselves as we speak.

___________________
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

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Originally posted by Halcyon+On+On We're both uploading a part of ourselves as we speak.

Sure, we can store some static thoughts, but we're still quite far from figuring out how to get silicon circuitry to duplicate the dynamic activities of a typical biological brain.

No doubt, but regardless of whether or not we will someday be able to scan our minds and leave our bodies (which wasn't strictly what I was referring to), you cannot deny there is a strong tendency for people to live their social lives over the internet anymore. So long as there is money in it (for which there likely always will be), we aren't going to see it going away anytime soon; if anything, it will not only become more popular - it will become the new competence.

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There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

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Originally posted by Moral Hazard Perhaps but they are disproportionately present with the religious.... charitable organizations, for example; battered women's and homeless shelters are mostly administered/funded by religious organizations, same with food banks and public hospitals (we're talking globally here but for the most part it is true even in North America). Would people replace these charitable organizations with non-religiously affiliated ones? One would presume so; however, the very fact that this hasn't happened yet would suggest that this is by no means certain.

Agreed, but only because it has been cultured in our society for hundreds of thousands of years.

As for charities, it depends on what it is. As it pertains to shelters for battered women and the homeless, I totally agree. As to research, quite the contrary. It is mostly funded by private donations and grants from both Education and the government.

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Originally posted by bas Dual exhaust tips on dual exhaust = QUAD EXHAUST = 300 gain in horsepower. Duh

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Originally posted by bas Undies with a dickhole aren't good for guys. Your balls can get caught in them. That's why I prefer to go over the gate instead of through the fence.

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Originally posted by gehzumteufel As to research, quite the contrary. It is mostly funded by private donations and grants from both Education and the government.

Research funding is not charity; rather an investment.

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Originally posted by RickyM you're just a shit version of Moral Hazard. At least he knows what he's talking about.

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Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN lol, i love it when moral feels the need to lay the smack down

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Originally posted by Moral Hazard Research funding is not charity; rather an investment.

Agreed. I didn't think about that when I wrote it. I just consider R&D for cures or vaccines a charity of sorts. Even if it is for a profit enterprise.

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Originally posted by bas Dual exhaust tips on dual exhaust = QUAD EXHAUST = 300 gain in horsepower. Duh

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Originally posted by bas Undies with a dickhole aren't good for guys. Your balls can get caught in them. That's why I prefer to go over the gate instead of through the fence.