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It's Alive! It's Alive!

draw the line

  • if it reproduces

    Votes: 3 75.0%

  • if it consumes

    Votes: 1 25.0%

  • if it bites

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    4
Jim

Jim

Nets of Wonder
Thief said:
have you tried?......a mirror
Click to expand...
You mean, to see if I’m alive or not?

I might never fully understand what Jesus in the gospel stories means by “life” and “death.” Whatever He means by “life,” I think that it’s the best thing that can happen to anyone, and what the world needs most of all, to solve all its problems and help improve the world for all people everywhere. I think that for that purpose people need to learn to trust Him and follow Him. I think that can only happen by the grace of God, but that anyone can help who wants to, and that helping it happen is part of learning to follow Him.
 
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Thief

Thief

Rogue Theologian
Jim said:
You mean, to see if I’m alive or not?

I might never fully understand what Jesus in the gospel stories means by “life” and “death.” Whatever He means by “life,” I think that it’s the best thing that can happen to anyone, and what the world needs most of all, to solve all its problems and help improve the world for all people everywhere. I think that for that purpose people need to learn to trust Him and follow Him. I think that can only happen by the grace of God, but that anyone can help who wants to, and that helping it happen is part of learning to follow Him.
Click to expand...
well....that is a fine and respectable digression

but I still want that line drawn

at this point I am leaning to substance responding to....WILL

and consequently ….is will
the source of life?
 
Jim

Jim

Nets of Wonder
Thief said:
... is will
the source of life?
Click to expand...
I’m not sure what life you’re talking about, and I’m not sure what you mean by “source.” If it’s the life that Jesus offers, I wouldn’t know what to say about the source. Wherever it comes from, my interest is in what we can do to help people find it.
 
Thief

Thief

Rogue Theologian
Jim said:
I’m not sure what life you’re talking about, and I’m not sure what you mean by “source.” If it’s the life that Jesus offers, I wouldn’t know what to say about the source. Wherever it comes from, my interest is in what we can do to help people find it.
Click to expand...
this thread is aimed at the nature of life

how do you know?
 
Jim

Jim

Nets of Wonder
Thief said:
this thread is aimed at the nature of life

how do you know?
Click to expand...
How do I know what? About the nature of life? How I know if someone is alive or not? Which kind of life are you talking about? The kind Jesus offers? Biological life? Other?
 
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Thief

Thief

Rogue Theologian
Jim said:
How do I know what? About the nature of life? How I know if someone is alive or not? Which kind of life are you talking about? The kind Jesus offers? Biological life? Other?
Click to expand...
well the thread started out aimed at biology
shifted to substance
and then spirit

see if you draw a line for each
 
Jim

Jim

Nets of Wonder
Thief said:
well the thread started out aimed at biology
shifted to substance
and then spirit

see if you draw a line for each
Click to expand...
I’m wondering, and hoping you’ll tell me:
- If you draw lines for them, and if so, how.
- What possible reasons there could be for wanting to draw those lines.
 
Jim

Jim

Nets of Wonder
Thief said:
well the thread started out aimed at biology
shifted to substance
and then spirit

see if you draw a line for each
Click to expand...
There’s nothing in any of my thinking about any kind of life that would give me any reason or any way to draw any line. If you could tell me some possible reasons for wanting to draw a line, maybe I would have some ideas about how to draw one.

I’ve been thinking about how people use the word “life,” and I can’t think of any use that draws any sharp line, or any reason to do so. For example, in discussions about how life began, I don’t see any need to decide at what point to call it “life.” We imagine a time when there was nothing that we would call “life,” and a later time when there were some things that we would call “life,” and how that might have happened. For that purpose I don’t see any need or any way to decide at what point in the process to call something “life.”

One possible reason I see for drawing a line is how to decide if a person is dead or not. My first impulse is to say if their blood stops circulating for some specified period of time, but I can see some possible objections to that. If it’s about the kind of life that Jesus offers, I can’t think of any reason or any way to decide, for myself or anyone else, if we have or haven’t come into that life.
 
Thief

Thief

Rogue Theologian
Jim said:
There’s nothing in any of my thinking about any kind of life that would give me any reason or any way to draw any line. If you could tell me some possible reasons for wanting to draw a line, maybe I would have some ideas about how to draw one.

I’ve been thinking about how people use the word “life,” and I can’t think of any use that draws any sharp line, or any reason to do so. For example, in discussions about how life began, I don’t see any need to decide at what point to call it “life.” We imagine a time when there was nothing that we would call “life,” and a later time when there were some things that we would call “life,” and how that might have happened. For that purpose I don’t see any need or any way to decide at what point in the process to call something “life.”

One possible reason I see for drawing a line is how to decide if a person is dead or not. My first impulse is to say if their blood stops circulating for some specified period of time, but I can see some possible objections to that. If it’s about the kind of life that Jesus offers, I can’t think of any reason or any way to decide, for myself or anyone else, if we have or haven’t come into that life.
Click to expand...
so you lean to the spiritual life.....ok

it is written somewhere.....Do not die the second death

if you stood as witness
what would it look like?
the second death
 
Jim

Jim

Nets of Wonder
Instead of imaging a line between two categories, it might be more fruitful and beneficial to imagine a
Thief said:
... if you stood as witness
what would it look like?
the second death
Click to expand...
Like a lake of fire?
 
Jim

Jim

Nets of Wonder
@Thief If it’s okay with you, I’d like to discuss some ideas with you in PM, about how we can all do more of the good that we want to do, online and offline, and get ideas and encouragement from each other.
 
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