   My Own Religion
  I have thought several times before to create a post here regarding my religion, but I always came to the conclusion that I wasn't yet strong enough to have it picked apart by the fine minds here at GameDev.I ask for a certain sense of respect, because this is something that I developed during my 28 years of life, and it is something that I've come to believe.I've seen other recent threads, and been a participant, and everyone conducted himself in a very polite manner, whenever possible, kudos to all [wink].So, the point of this thread is for you to place me questions, so that I can map out my own religion, and have it tested. Eventualy I'm thinking of writing a book, in the next 10 years or so.So, I guess I should start out by laying some foundations:My Religion is based upon the belief that God invented itself to evolve, and that this Universe is God. Every atom or wave is a part of God's body, and that means that we are a part of God. This means a lot of diferent and complex things. First, it means that my God isn't a omni-wise God. It doesn't have the answers to everything, it is still evolving... nor is it omni-potent. I have cells in my body, but that doesnt mean I can control the cells in my forehead to form a third eye.My God isnt interested in writing commands in stone tablets, or parting the seas. Its single interest is our collective experiences. He is a collector of experiences. I'll stop here, and let this thread sink in, I'm still at work, and I'm off for a drive home, I'll read any replies when I get home.   
  Very interesting.Guess I'll start with the questions.  What caused you to begin to believe this?  Any observation/situation/etc cause you to lean to this conclusion rather than another (or none at all, if the case may be)?   ;  The only question that will matter to potential converts... What do I have to do to get into heaven? Are there virgins involved?   ;  I don't know if I believe in any God, but if I did, I'd say it would most likely be something like that.  You might want to check out the concept of the "oversoul" (I believe Emerson wrote an essay on it), which was somewhat popular with American Romanticists.  It's related to the Hindu concept of Paramatman, but Paramatman has a more concrete place in a complex cosmology.  Or, you could just call it the Life Stream from Final Fantasy 7.  [grin]EDIT: It's spelled Paramatman, now that I look it up.  [rolleyes]   ;  We need sacrafice! No religion is complete without gorey sacrafice in some form!   ;  Does your religion treat individuals as separate spirits, or simply as a part of your God, where all minds are God, simply "context swapped" into different bodies ("processes")?Does your religion have an afterlife or is it more along the lines of reincarnation or matter recycling?  Do you treat living beings specially, or are they just physical matter without anything special "attached"?My train of thought is somewhat like yours.  I wouldn't call mine a belief, just an idea of how it might work:- Obviously you observe your world from a fixed body, and you understand this.  This effect is called conciousness/sentience.- Let's say that everyone has souls, whether we can prove it or not.  What if you could transfer your soul into another body?  Their brain obviously contains different knowledge and perceives the world from their point of view.  If you did transfer your soul to their body, would you even remember who you were?  Or would your soul be using the new body's brain's knowledge and perception, and think that you were that person now?- If this is true, then for efficiency purposes, what if there were only a single soul, either simultaneously possessing all bodies or switching between then very quickly like a multitasking operating system?  Would there even be a need for souls anymore?  Would this new concept of a singular soul simply equate to physical laws of the universe?  What if THAT is God?   ;Read this.Scott Adams wrote it (the Dilbert guy). He refers to the book as a "thought experiment", and at one point he duscusses the idea that God is a collection of all of us, and we are evolving into an single omnipotent system.Of course, the really interesting part is what the book says led to all the bits and pieces existing in the first place. But I'll let you read that part for yourself.   ;  reminds me of hitchhiker guide to the galaxy   ;  I have been a Thelemite for some time now. I've studied many religions throughout my life but none of them ever seemed to make sense. There were always questions that couldn't be answered without faith. Thelema and it's underlying teachings can be applied to any religion. Some view it more as a philosophy than a religion. I've met Thelemic Buddhists and Thelemic Christians. Thelema is the law of the strong as it has no time for people who are not willing to take responsibility for there actions. It's kind of scary in a way to think that there is no god. That there is no safety net. Anyways, I'm not trying to convert or anything (it would be anti-Thelemic). Just thought that I would share it.For more info:ThelemapediaThelema101~Casey~   ;  So is this god sapient?  Conscious/self-aware?  Sentient?Regarding the god, does it have a soul that is made of mind-stuff, and that is distinguishable and separate from material-stuff, i.e., the universe and everything in it.Regarding us (humans, any other self-aware beings, et cetera), do you believe in a separate soul, or are we fully material, both mind and body coming from the physical substance of the universe?  Or are we entirely mental, whether merely part of god's mental processes, or somehow of our own mental processes?  If we are part of god's mental processes, would you consider safe to interpret the universe's mechanical properties as being the result of this god's mental processes, and thus our minds are still in a sense mechanistic?   