Amazing Video on Life and the Illusion of Reality - Questions of Simulation and Creation

Why this thread? Why should you care? All of us are asking the question: What is the point of all of this? It's perplexing to say the least. If you are like me, you have turned over every rock trying to answer the question. In the end, a giant arrow keeps pointing to one answer. I know my answer. I'm interested in yours.

This is one of most outstanding videos I have ever seen describing the nature of our reality from a literal and common sense perspective. Not only does this view align with the mainstream views of creationists, it goes on to show the absurdity of the view from science. How does it do this you ask? By showing why materialists are running from the truth. It accomplishes this with a view that is not overly religious or hard to understand. Related to this video, you can read further articles from the attached website: Divinity Now. Although I am not promoting the author's view here, I do find that it aligns greatly with my own religious view. You can see it how you like I suppose.

Also, here is an interesting article that provides a second perspective to the video below. I found all of these links highly stimulating to my own thought processes. Framework of the Cosmic Game

Wow. Just finished the video and the article at the end. Very interesting indeed. I'm grateful for your post and for introducing me to the video! I bookmarked the website. I agree that we are in this world to learn about ourselves. I agreed with a lot of what the video was describing. Again, thank you

This is very thought provoking. I think it's really hard to say what is true, but the dangers of determinism are certainly worth considering.

I think about nature vs. nurture too. On the one hand, if you believe someone is born a certain way, you could say they aren't responsible for their actions. On the other hand, if they are raised in a certain environment and conditioned to be a certain way, couldn't you still say they aren't responsible, as they haven't had the chance to learn a better way of acting?

I really liked the helicopter analogy. The remote control representing the "soul" was a great metaphor. However, let's consider this: What if you are using your remote to fly, but someone else is, at the same time, messing with the motor. Your "soul" is there, but being overridden by outside forces.

So, could we say that maybe BOTH ideas are correct? Maybe we have a "soul" that can make decisions that are not tied to physics, but the brain is subjected to both signals from the "soul" as well as chemical signals and other worldly, physical factors. This leaves the "soul" to battle for control with a brain that is not consistently responsive.

This would explain why we do things we regret, or why we are able to feel that the way we act doesn't always represent who we really are. It's like playing a video-game, but your controller randomly turns off from time to time while the AI takes over.

Could this be a part of evolution? Our "soul" is trying to devise a way to express itself at its core truth within the physical world. The human body is the best attempt at this so far (that we know of), but it is still very limiting. That's why we die, and are born, and evolve. The "soul" is trying, failing, erasing, trying again, and moving closer towards unfettered expression.

I thought this all up on the spot so hopefully it doesn't sound too ridiculous?!

reply to post by AlliumIslelily

I think about nature vs. nurture too. On the one hand, if you believe someone is born a certain way, you could say they aren't responsible for their actions. On the other hand, if they are raised in a certain environment and conditioned to be a certain way, couldn't you still say they aren't responsible, as they haven't had the chance to learn a better way of acting?

As for accountability, I think this is a good thing that we are under a veil. If not, we would not be held harmless under grace and mercy. I thank God there IS an enemy to overcome and that we have help. I love this quote from POE:

"V. All things are either good or bad by comparison. A sufficient analysis will show that pleasure, in all cases, is but the contrast of pain. Positive pleasure is a mere idea. To be happy at any one point we must have suffered at the same. Never to suffer would have been never to have been blessed. But it has been shown that, in the inorganic life, pain cannot be thus the necessity for the organic. The pain of the primitive life of Earth, is the sole basis of the bliss of the ultimate life in Heaven."

I really liked the helicopter analogy. The remote control representing the "soul" was a great metaphor. However, let's consider this: What if you are using your remote to fly, but someone else is, at the same time, messing with the motor. Your "soul" is there, but being overridden by outside forces.

I get the same feeling on this. At times, it seems like we are puppets on strings. Although we get aggravated by this thought, would we really want it any other way? Think about it. Take your job for instance. When things in life seem impossible, does prayer help? What happens when you pray? God comes in and assists you in doing the impossible. For me, I can safely say that there have been many times in my job where assistance was welcomed. At other times, it seems that I can manage. At every point in my own life, I am glad to see God at work in my life pulling some strings. Otherwise, I would be lost on my own. If I only knew how much God has done for me, I would appreciate Him more.

This is the point for me. God can be trusted, even more than my own choices reflect. Can I love other more than God loves them? Not a chance. Can I love my own children more than God loves His? If my own mother loves me enough to overlook my shortcomings, what about God? Can a mother love me more? No. This is the benchmark for God. If it were possible for others to love me more than God, then God is less than them. This is not the case.

God is in this for us. We are the children.

1 Corinthians 13

11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Genesis 1:27 states that we are INSIDE an image that is created. To me, this is a hologram. If you go back and read my posts, you will see how I outline this concept from scripture. We are here in a created environment to experience opposites. As such, the future reality of bliss and peace that is outlined in many religious texts needs a reflecting point to see the difference. This life is that reflecting point mentioned above in 1 Corinthians 13. It's a mirror of sorts from an image.