From: bskendig@netcom.com (Brian Kendig)
Subject: Re: What's your SIQ?
Organization: Starfleet Headquarters: San Francisco
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 15:34:55 GMT

kalki33!system@lakes.trenton.sc.us writes:
>bskendig@netcom.com (Brian Kendig) writes:
>
>> >1) What is the soul?
>> >2) What is the purpose of human life?
>> 
>> I'd define the "soul" as the capability for emotion and feeling, the
>> ability to see life as more than just a cycle of "eat/sleep/
>> reproduce".  But that's just the way I think of it, and I realize it's
>> probably not the common definition.  I don't believe there is any such
>> thing as the "soul" in a religious sense (of it being some "ghost"
>> attached to the physical body) -- I came into existence when I was
>> born, and I will cease to exist when I die, except in the hearts and
>> minds of others.
>
>Question 1 grade: 50% (knows what it is but doesn't want to accept it)
>
>What is the source of your information that you exist only for the
>duration of your present physical body?

My own experience, and my observation that it is quite impossible for
someone who's died to come back and tell us what it was like.  My
existence is tied to my body; when my brain decomposes, that which is
"me" has been irretrievably lost.  I have no evidence whatsoever that
there exists any other facet to my existence.  It's all well and good
to say that there is some motivating force behind the universe, but
unless it's come to you personally and explained itself to you,
assuming it's sentient would be quite unfounded -- much less forming a
religion around it!

Your statement that I "don't want to accept" the supposed existence of
"souls" is insulting.  I was once a devout Christian and assumed the
existence of an awful lot without question; eventually, I had to admit
that I had no basis for believing in a lot of it.  I could just as
easily say that you "don't want to accept" that there really is no God
that you believe in.

What is the source of your information that you exist after death?  If
your answer is "a book", then why do you choose to believe in that
book instead of others which provide contradictory claims with the
same authority?

>> The purpose of human life is to do what you want to do, and I would
>> measure success in life as how satisfied you are by what you've done.
>> Someone who has learned to balance his risks with his gains, and who
>> can reap the benefits of his actions as easily as their consequences,
>> and who is always eager to learn more about the world and people
>> around him, and who takes responsibility for who he is and what he
>> does and is comfortable with it all, is someone who, in my opinion,
>> has truly lived.
>
>Question 2 grade: 10% ("doing what you want to do" is not the purpose of
>human life)

Let me first give you the answer you seek: "The purpose of human life
is to strive for perfection and to glorify God."  Is that better?

Never mind that there's no such thing as absolute 'perfection' nor
'God', and that Christianity has only survived by brainwashing its
followers out of a false sense of unworthiness.

>Overall grade: 30%
>Try Again!

The fact that you gave me more than 0% says something.  ;)
Would you please provide the answer key -- give your answers to the
questions you posed?

And you never told me what this means:

>      |  Don't forget to chant:   Hare Krishna Hare Krishna   |
>      |                           Krishna Krishna Hare Hare   |
>      |                           Hare Rama Hare Rama         |
>      |                           Rama Rama Hare Hare         |

What is the purpoose of this chant, other than making you (a) look
like you're trying to sing a 70's song or (b) look extremely silly?

-- 
_/_/_/  Brian Kendig                             Je ne suis fait comme aucun
 _/_/  bskendig@netcom.com                de ceux que j'ai vus; j'ose croire
  _/                            n'etre fait comme aucun de ceux qui existent.
        "Sex is DEATH!"      Si je ne vaux pas mieux, au moins je suis autre.
         -- Barbara Bush                                         -- Rousseau
Xref: sparky talk.religion.misc:20418 alt.atheism:20612