A Discussion on Faith with My Religious Relative

By Carl S ~

I've known my relative and his family for over 25 years now. I decided to share something with him in an email:

"I woke up at 5 a.m. with a very peaceful and comforting thought. I don't know if there's an actual Heaven or Hell (no one does), but it doesn't matter because after I'm dead. there won't be a 'me' to experience either one." 

(You can imagine the responses to that.) Later on, 

"This particular Carl you think you know, will be dead, and won't experience Hell, Heaven, Paradise, Reincarnation, or any other 'afterlives' ignorant men have created."

Once again I was chided with his repetitive – over 25 years – interpretation of Pascal's Wager, 

"If I'm wrong, I've lost nothing; if you're wrong, you've lost everything." 

(WTF?). I told him,

“That's ridiculous.” 

I knew all the good he'd done, so I couldn't think he wasted his life if he didn't bet on believing. You do not "choose" what to believe any more than you choose who you love or are attracted to. 

"What you describe is gambling. Once again you're asking me to gamble and I'm not a gambler."

Passionate Machines

By Webmdave ~

Animals often strike us as passionate machines -- Eric Hoffer, Reflections on the Human Condition

As scientific advancements unveil the mysteries of the universe, it becomes increasingly evident that everything appears to operate mechanistically. Atoms, molecules, stars, planets, cells, and biological systems are fundamentally mechanical. If the existence of a supernatural, invisible soul within my body is negated, then it is undeniable that I too am a machine. Complex machines, including self-programming ones, remain machines nonetheless.

Some individuals may contend that life forms are fundamentally distinct from inanimate objects, despite both being composed of atoms and molecules. However, a closer examination reveals that this distinction is tenuous.