What if God is real (when you die)?

Saturday · 03-11-2013, 11:52 PM

What would you do if the Christian/Muslim/Jewish God is real when you die?

I read the Last Answer by Isaac Asimov many years ago and I still find my mind wandering to it. It's an incredible piece. You can find it here for those that haven't read it yet: http://www.thrivenotes.com/the-last-answer/

So if we die and find that God or a God-like being does in fact exist and we find that he is a rather unsavory fellow that wishes us to praise him for eternity among other things-

What could we do? What will we do?

My first thoughts are in agreement with Asimov. I would probably devote my eternal existence to thinking of a way to destroy him, thereby succeeding or forcing him to destroy me first.

A more interesting question is do you guys think that would be possible with all eternity to ponder on the question? I am thinking that eternal existence is an incredible power, perhaps even a type of omniscience and following that, a type of omnipotence. Off the cuff, I think we'd have a chance in succeeding.

Thoughts?

Smellyoldgit · 03-12-2013, 01:24 AM

I'm dead.
How do I detect this shitstain?

Davin · 03-12-2013, 07:41 AM

If I found out I was immortal, after a while I'd start to find a way to kill myself.

ghoulslime · 03-12-2013, 12:54 PM

It's an interesting hypothetical situation. I would certainly be shoulder to shoulder with Asimov.

Sinfidel · 06-19-2015, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Davin wrote

If I found out I was immortal, after a while I'd start to find a way to kill myself.

No need, really. Think about it - eternity? Sooner or later you'd die of terminal boredom.

Smellyoldgit · 03-12-2013, 01:07 PM

Dr Who seems to be coping ok, but he's only done about 900 years - he'll be bored shitless after a million or two.

Saturday · 03-12-2013, 06:59 PM

Yes, if I did find myself in that situation I would be with Asimov as well.

-
Hmmmm finding myself immortal while living in this universe?

I probably wouldn't mind it for a very long time. I can imagine seeing how humans evolve or destroy themselves and subsequently what other life evolves in what forms on this planet. And then eventually gaining enough knowledge from centuries of study, myself, to build a ship or something and extend my senses to explore this universe.

In the words of Battlestar Galactica, I would like to feel the cosmic winds of a supernova wash over me.

I don't think I would be bored on the matter of millions of years but perhaps on the scale of billions. Maybe I would come back after some billion years to this system where my existence started to see the sun expand and engulf Mercury and evaporate the Earth's atmosphere if it wasn't gone already.

I hadn't really thought about it until now but there is already some sort of morbid beauty in natural eschatology even without religion adding to it.

PanAtheist · 01-17-2014, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Smellyoldgit wrote

Dr Who seems to be coping ok, but he's only done about 900 years - he'll be bored shitless after a million or two.

Seven series did me.

Smellyoldgit · 01-17-2014, 06:05 PM

Quote:

PanAtheist wrote

Seven series did me.

Give Mr Capaldi a few episodes - he'll soon ~~abuse~~ talk you round!

PanAtheist · 01-19-2014, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Smellyoldgit wrote

Give Mr Capaldi a few episodes - he'll soon ~~abuse~~ talk you round!

Malcolm Tucker is Doctor Who!

Michael · 01-20-2014, 02:14 AM

I don't really watch Dr. Who, but if it's anything like that trailer suggests, perhaps I focken should.

PanAtheist · 01-29-2014, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Smellyoldgit wrote

Give Mr Capaldi a few episodes - he'll soon ~~abuse~~ talk you round!

If only. Peter Capaldi is fantastic. It's a great bit of casting. But it's the writing that is the problem. It's total bullshit now, and there's nothing left to care about. As an "explanation" and culmination of Matts Smith's era, his finale episode was lamer than a steam-rollered jellyfish. And no disrespect to Matt Smith, because he did great, but if the writing was as good as he keeps saying it is, I don't think he'd have walked.

I was excited about Moffat's premiership, because his episodes in the RTD era promised more sci-fi, and intelligence-satisfying plots. But now the show is magical bullshit nonsense where nothing makes any sense whatsoever. He has given almost the reverse of what I expected.

The golden rule of Who is : you can have outrageous nonsense as long as it's fun. But the most recent series was mostly dire and dour.

There's no doubt Moffat has had some great hits, but less than half the episodes are any good at all now. Shame, but Moffat simply hasn't lived up to his promise.

DW needs to be a show that celebrates rationality. It needs to get back to that. And back in the RTD era, the show seemed to be about something. It seems to have little to say now. It's almost become as irrelevant as Police Boxes.

lostsheep · 03-20-2013, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Saturday wrote

What would you do if the Christian/Muslim/Jewish God is real when you die?

I read the Last Answer by Isaac Asimov many years ago and I still find my mind wandering to it. It's an incredible piece. You can find it here for those that haven't read it yet: http://www.thrivenotes.com/the-last-answer/

So if we die and find that God or a God-like being does in fact exist and we find that he is a rather unsavory fellow that wishes us to praise him for eternity among other things-

What could we do? What will we do?

My first thoughts are in agreement with Asimov. I would probably devote my eternal existence to thinking of a way to destroy him, thereby succeeding or forcing him to destroy me first.

A more interesting question is do you guys think that would be possible with all eternity to ponder on the question? I am thinking that eternal existence is an incredible power, perhaps even a type of omniscience and following that, a type of omnipotence. Off the cuff, I think we'd have a chance in succeeding.

Thoughts?

My first thought, before reading the story you linked, was that the thought of eternal life/consciousness frightens me as much as the thought of eternal oblivion. So obviously this story spoke to me!

Three other stories come to mind:

"I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream" (http://pub.psi.cc/ihnmaims.txt)
"The Portal" (short story by Steven King)
"The Last Question" (also by Asimov: http://www.scifi-review.net/isaac-as...st-answer.html)

9opiles · 05-14-2013, 12:17 PM

I would declare myself God.

Saturday · 05-14-2013, 01:15 PM

Quote:

9opiles wrote

I would declare myself God.

in relationship to the other thread, you should read "The Last Question" by Asimov from lostsheep's link above if you haven't already. It's superbly written and it has to do with the implications of immortality.