starlingslimnet:
The Point is?

AllNaijaBlogger:


There are troubling implications in for religion when one considers the implications of common science fiction tropes. Read the op.

texanomaly:
Modified:

I'm sorry for not addressing the op and For my LB comment. Here are my thoughts.


I have not problem with SyFy movies. I love them actually.


1. The idea of time travel intrigues me.

2. It's just a movie. I don't believe Man will create "conscious" robots. Robots that are programmed better and better, I believe.

3. I enjoyed Chappie and all the Final Destination movies. That doesn't mean I believe it can happen.

4. Prometheus is another great movie. Loved it. Again...I don't believe it, but it is an interesting concept.

5. Another really cool concept. Do I believe it? Of course not, but great movies.


I don't have a problem with SyFy. As I said I really like them. I think what we all need to keep in mind is that they are only movies. Another thing to keep in mind is that there is nothing wrong with stretching your imagination. Remember, "It's just a movie!"

AllNaijaBlogger:
As a christian, I cringe at times when I consider the messages that science fiction movies and novels try to pass on. It is not that science fiction is a dull or ridiculous genre of art and literature- in fact, science fiction has actually given scientists some inspiration for many inventions. The problem comes when some sci-fi stories end with chilling implications.

So, here are 5 troubling implications for religion that some sci-fi movies and novels have;


1) Changing history with time-travel; changing history through time-travel is a common trope in science fiction. However, the implication of such is that one could go to the past and kill anyone in order to change history. Well, that means that one could kill Martin Luther King, past popes and any prophet during biblical times.


2) Trying to become a creator; another common occurrence in sci-fi stories is the creation of conscious beings (usually robots). In essence, scientists are trying to become God by being able to fully understand consciousness and create conscious beings like humans.


3) Cheating death and the afterlife; continuing with the idea that humans can understand consciousness and create conscious beings, there is the implication that one day, humans could live forever because we would be able to transfer our consciousness into another being when our bodies are weak. This literally happened in the movie “Chappie” where a conscious robot transferred his human mother’s mind into a robot’s body.


4) Aliens are our gods; There is the “space engineer” or “space Jesus” theory that posits that religious deities were actually aliens from space who came to give man technology and guidance. This is heavily used in the movie “Prometheus” which overtly tries to say that humans were created by an alien race called the engineers.


5) There is no spoon (we don’t exist); This is the central message in “The Matrix” movie. The movie plays with the idea that humans are not exactly in the real world. The movie explains that what we as humans are experiencing as real life is actually a computer simulation and that we are actually asleep in some farm lab as guinea pigs.





cc
Plaetton
Joseph1832
Deepsight
onetrack
johnydon22
texanomaly
muskeeto
francistony
nihilist




Source; http://allnaijablog.com/5-reasons-why-science-fiction-and-religion-do-not-mix

johnydon22:
[b][size=20]1[/size]Time travel is a scientifically plausible phenomenon predicted by the General theory of relativity.. . But in the same breathe the same theory shows us how that phenomenon is impossible to us.

The Speed of light travels at 299,792,458m/s, and if you can achieve this speed of light or something faster you can travel back and forth in time because in science time is a quantum dimension

But if you achieve the speed of light the mass of the body in motion will run at infinite and so is the energy required thus E=mc² Alas time travel through that means may be far fetched to unless we somehow discover an infinite source of energy.

The calculations of the theory of relativity also predicts a point in the cosmos where gravity, time and space are intertwined, more like a short tunnel that you can enter through one point and emerge to a far more distant part of the universe or time as a matter of seconds.. The wormhole or Einstein rosen-bridge.

curiously enough the early Scandinavians mentioned a bridge the God's (odin, thor and co) used to travel from their own realm down to earth called the Bifrost (you may see this in some Sci-Fi movies but this is actually a real mythology of the Vikings) So it is Curious how the theory of relativity predicted such bridge and the Vikings also have it in their old mythologies. . . the possibilities are breathe taking.


[size=20]2[/size]Consciousness in Biological entities are as a result or is the source of perception. . Every biological organism we can think of is conscious ranging from micro organisms like Amoeba, Euglena, Paramecium, trees, plants and ultimately large animals where man falls under.

This consciousness is as a result of interactions and activities in the perceptive cells of the organism, consciousness is not limited to man it's a trait every biological entity share. . Recreating perceptive abilities in robots to the extent that they achieve human-like intelligence or characteristic still doesn't make them biological entities it is still a form of artificial intelligence... Man is a creator already doesn't necessarily need to recreate consciousness.


[size=20]3[/size]First i don't buy the ancient idea of an Afterlife, the Hindus and later Egyptians who came up with that idea where only acting on their selfish desire to live more. . . Since our consciousness have not been infinitely around backwards without our body how in the world do we still think it will be around infinitely forward without our body, consciousness of every living organism depends on its neuroperceptive activities and when that stops (dies) it is gone.

Transferring a human mind to a robotic entity may be plausible to conceive because many hypothetical ways this can be achieved comes to mind But again so many ways this is short-come(d) comes to mind
(e.g)transferring and sustaining a human brain in a robotic body, human consciousness is not dependent on brain alone so this alone kills the idea that the result will be of human consciousness, it still is robotic . . .

Modern humans (now) are said to be more beautiful and well built in a very small way than ancient humans and this evolutionary (developmental) trait will continue way into the future. . Even if humans do not come out with a means of sustaining life for a longer period of time (not necessarily forever) i think human anatomical characteristics can develop to a stage where it will last far more longer than now or sadly shorter than now
(There is a tortoise specie that stays up to 600years now, imagine what we could do with that )

[size=20]4[/size]Many things are pointing towards that direction, ancient texts, myths and legends.

The Sumerian Anunakis, it is clear that every semitic myth and legend found in many civilization around sumer both biblical, and others Originated from Sumer.

Sumerian texts has most of the biblical legends written down in cuneiform and in more explicit details and dates back thousands of years before other texts.

The word "Elohim" in semitic means "Gods" "The Gods" and in much younger canaanite civilization is used to depict the God El and consort Asherah.

There is no doubt to this people Elohim is plural and in Sumerian texts the Anunakis are the ones referred to as Elohim. that's why most times in the written legends they always identify with plural.

In the Sumerian Eridu Genesis records "Let US create man" and these were the Gods An , Enlil , Enki and Ninhursanga, also linked to be Anunakis. . . Remarkably an earlier text (tho most know is a mythological recopying) the jewish torah also records in Genesis "Let US create man in our own image" and the word "Elohim" also pops up of which they haven't and cannot still decide conclusively who the US are tho the Sumerian text from where it was copied makes this known (because of it's polytheistic nature)

The Vikings like i mentioned earlier also recorded the God's coming from another dimension with the use of a bifrost which can be equated with the scientific Wormhole or Einstein Rosen bridge. . . many of these instances if taken into consideration depicts a very highly developed and civilized society visiting earth....

The idea of Gods actually being Aliens are very plausible, many things suggests that and many ancient civilizations. . . But let us wait for actual proofs of which more study can reveal to us and ultimately let those Alien Species visit again (Oops they might be dead) so at least their offsprings, am sure we will take them up on some tete a tete and they might also have records of such visits other than just relying on our explanations of observed clues....

[size=20]5[/size]To this i say Duje vou, lets wait to wake up in the actual lab then before we can decide or know if that assumption is true and also hope we also are not asleep in another lab . . lol.. [/b]

davien:


3. An after-life is a very baseless concept...one that tunes the fancy of our human desires...it isunprovable and can't be disproved either...making it equal to make-belief and fairy tales...

plaetton:
On my universe, religion is already dead.
In my universe, the streets of history are littered with the decayed and decaying corpses of dead and dying gods.

What we are dealing with now, especially here on Nairaland, is the negative legacies, aftershocks and withdrawal symptons from long dead and dying religions.

AllNaijaBlogger:



Why is an afterlife a baseless concept?

Please check out below the comment I gave Johnydon22 earlier-




"But you don't believe in the afterlife. But then again, some scientists accept that there could be another dimension where matter and space do not matter. That could be a form of afterlife.
What about alternate earths?"

AllNaijaBlogger:



So you agree with all the points and believe that they could be possible in the future.

But you don't believe in the afterlife. But then again, some scientists accept that there could be another dimension where matter and space do not matter. That could be a form of afterlife.

What about alternate earths?

davien:
There being other dimensions isn't indicative of an afterlife... neither does it mean we transcend to it to live in..And alternate earths also don't do the same...

AllNaijaBlogger:




Ideas are like energy, they can't just die.

And what has been the greatest idea for man? Religion. It spreads, it influences, it transcends.


Religion cannot die. If religion is dead in your universe, you must live in fairy lala-land- also known as "imaginary land".


Religion is just like energy, it doesn't die, it only changes form.

Christianity has changed. Look at how peaceful we are compared to the crusades of the early centuries.

I have changed also. I used to find it difficult to relate to others of different beliefs but now I am far more tolerant

AllNaijaBlogger:



Energy does not die, it just changes form.

What if our consciousness is like energy and it changes to another form of consciousness?


There are lots of scientific hypothetical explanations for can afterlife.

Let me assume with you.... after all it an be deemed a scientific hypothesis...

So going from the bolded, what, where exactly was your initial consciousness before this and the one before that?

What is meant Energy changes from one form to another deals with the material matters (emotions, consciousness in entirety is not a THING but a projection of neuroperceptive activities of the material body)

So what is meant energy changes from one form to another is when you die, your body decays, mixes with the earth and becomes an organic material of the earth... Some dead flesh sprout as decomposers (mushrooms)

so for you to wish for a consciousness that is independent of your body (which in fact is the cause of this consciousness) you must first demonstrate to us that your consciousness transcends your body

AllNaijaBlogger:



Energy does not die, it just changes form.

What if our consciousness is like energy and it changes to another form of consciousness?


There are lots of scientific hypothetical explanations for an afterlife.

Onyiibazz:
All i see is a christian fundamentalist on the loose

johnydon22:
[b]No it's not an afterlife but just another part of nature... there are many space dimensions perceivable to us which is Time is one of it and the 4th dimension is an intertwined time and space into one.. they may be other dimensions unknown to us but this still when proven only proves the existence of such dimension and not the claim of an Afterlife..

Man is a material entity and our consciousness is as a result of the activities being carried out by our material anatomy... So since nobody recognized consciousness before this material body, who then made you think you will still recognize consciousness when your activities that cause consciousness stops..... Since your consciousness was not infinitely around backwards what on earth gave you the impression it will be around infinitely forward.

Your consciousness is as a result of this material anatomy and activities and when that stops...thats all

All the activities, feelings, emotions, movement and everything in your being in a single term CONSCIOUSNESS is as a result of activities going on in your brain and perceptive neurons interacting with each other and when this stops, there is nothing left ... That is death... [/b]

tpiander:
Did Jesus not time travel across centuries in order to fulfil God's promise?

AllNaijaBlogger:

Energy is material . Energy does not die.
What if our consciousness is more like energy?
What if this earth is a simulation within a simulation? Like inception, a dream within a dream.
You only know you are dreaming when you wake up.
What if you die and you truly wake up? Wake up in an alternate earth?
There are so many theories concerning an afterlife that it shouldn't be readily dismissed.

Lol and then that alternate earth will be a dreamland for another alternate earth and so i might plug in the infinite regress of alternate earths because when you assume one why stop there why not assume more..

I suppose some people find comfort in that whole notion of passing away, transcending instead of simply dying.

It's not so hard to understand why we create, fabricate and assume these stories for ourselves given that we are almost certainly the only specie in this planet earth that know for sure at a very young age that are going to die one day. Other animals just live in the moment cus i doubt the dogs and bird outside my house now are assuming about a life after this or even giving it a thought or in a religious sense performing rituals to ensure a spot in heaven.

But our knowledge of this inevitable end of our being is somewhat of a huge burden to us ....
[size=14]
So maybe instead of assuming and swimming in such greedy fantasies as an afterlife, why don't we focus on where we are now and what we have right now..[/size]

Anyway i really love your thought, really subtle and accommodates highly plausible questions even though influenced by sci-fi movies... ..

AllNaijaBlogger:





So you're saying that Jesus didn't really walk on water, he just stood on a submerged crystal clear time travel device?

lol...mad man go to church joor

johnydon22:
[b]Lol and then that alternate earth will be a dreamland for another alternate earth and so i might plug in the infinite regress of alternate earths because when you assume one why stop there why not assume more..

I suppose some people find comfort in that whole notion of passing away, transcending instead of simply dying.

It's not so hard to understand why we create, fabricate and assume these stories for ourselves given that we are almost certainly the only specie in this planet earth that know for sure at a very young age that are going to die one day. Other animals just live in the moment cus i doubt the dogs and bird outside my house now are assuming about a life after this or even giving it a thought or in a religious sense performing rituals to ensure a spot in heaven.

But our knowledge of this inevitable end of our being is somewhat of a huge burden to us ....
[size=14]
So maybe instead of assuming and swimming in such greedy fantasies as an afterlife, why don't we focus on where we are now and what we have right now..[/size]

Anyway i really love your thought, really subtle and accommodates highly plausible questions even though influenced by sci-fi movies... .. [/b]

davien:
Every energy transformation involves a loss of the total energy transformed,if I were to accept that energy=consciousness would you apply the same setback? (that a portion of your consciousness is lost in this pseudoscience transformation) .... I know you'd like to believe in an afterlife, but nothing holds water for it..