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Originally Posted by ToothSayer
The spiritual world isn't just about life after death.
Then what's 'spiritual' about it?
In a hypothetical world where no one dies, it wouldn't be a 'spiritual' world that would be invented. It would simply be, an alternative reality.
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Originally Posted by ToothSayer
Ideas like Cartesian dualism are as old as time.
So are ideas of 'life-after-death'....could it be purely coincidental?
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Originally Posted by ToothSayer
Both intellectually and emotionally, people have imbued items with an eternal human reality to them, including rocks, the earth itself, the universe, ideas, events, animals, plants and feelings. If we lived forever we would posit other planes of existence.
Yes, we would posit parallel universes or alternative realities. Not 'spiritual worlds' however. 'Spiritual' implies the existence of some part of you; after you seize to be (death).
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Originally Posted by ToothSayer
We would still believe the weather comes from weather Gods. We would believe we have an eternal essence. We would believe we can improve our crops by petitioning a powerful entity. We would believe in powerful forces and demons and creators of maladies and health.
This is not convincing. Just by re-asserting 'we would still believe' is not enough to explain why or how. Please explain why or how we would believe in weather Gods? I'd imagine if we were immortal, the weather would be largely irrelevant; as would crops; as would maladies and health.
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Originally Posted by ToothSayer
The question "how did we get here?" and "what is our purpose?" and "does someone watch over us like our parents did?" and "can we change the future?" and "is there a powerful entity who can hear us who we can petition?" don't go away just because we don't die.
Those questions wouldn't go away, indeed, but they don't necessitate 'God' or 'religion' on their own either.
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Originally Posted by ToothSayer
Even the ideas of heaven and hell and salvation would probably exist, because the human mind can comprehend an end, even though it's never seen someone die, and wonders what is after.For example, the lack of ever having seen one hasn't stopped religions from positing a second coming, the end of time, Armageddon, etc.
This just doesn't make sense to me.