What were you before you were born?

Do you believe you were alive before you were born on the earth?

Were you spirit, did you know things?

Were you reincarnated from another person, another lifeform?

Or are you just a physical being without a spirit?

My question is about beliefs BEFORE birth.

What were you before you were born?

an embryo.

and before that...nothing

god is IMAGINARY friend wrote:

What were you before you were born?
an embryo.
and before that...nothing

OK, I am not here to espouse any particular belief structure,(and I know YOU know I have one)

So you believe that the neural pathways that exist in the newborn are pretty much a function of the DNA/RNA/hormone wash in the developing embryo/fetus? I actually studied that for a few years and believed the same thing at the time.

It SEEMs to make sense...that is, I know what I was taught in embryology, zoology, microbiology, and genetics, and am ok with current state of medical science. So the development of the zygote through the embryo though the fetal development--well I think I have that down.

It's just an interesting thing: Why is is it so "necessary" that most of us have attachments with things of eternity? Why is it so important for us to attach ourselves with things bigger than we are?

Is it a leftover artifact of the neural development? Is it a behavior that produces endorphins and maybe we get addicted to them somehow so that is what drives it?

I'm asking, putting my intellectual hat on and accepting all answers. Anyone else?

I'd like to keep this thread going to pick up some intelligent answers.

god is IMAGINARY friend wrote:

What were you before you were born?
an embryo.
and before that...nothing

that does it for me

its interesting to think of the randomness of where we are born in the world.

is it just the luck of the draw? a person is born in a nice family in america or born to starve to death in the famines in africa or born in the middle of gun fire in the middle east or born on an island paradise. obviously we have no choice.

is it fair that some babies are born that never have a chance in the world where others are born with every opportunity available?

Just a gleem in my fothers eye.

Daddies little squirt.

Mark in Caledonia MI wrote:

Daddies little squirt.

LOL!

justme wrote:

its interesting to think of the randomness of where we are born in the world.
is it just the luck of the draw? a person is born in a nice family in america or born to starve to death in the famines in africa or born in the middle of gun fire in the middle east or born on an island paradise. obviously we have no choice.
is it fair that some babies are born that never have a chance in the world where others are born with every opportunity available?

It is interesting to think about the inequalities. But to think of the similarities! The African child in Mozambique, the Maori child in New Zealand, the Caucasian child in Norway, and the Hispanic child in Mexico City...Each born on the same date, completely different racial and cultural immersion, but they develop very similar traits.

They are normally born at 39 weeks. They could be scored with the same APGAR score. They tend to develop the same traits at the same time, independent of their surroundings.

Isn't it interesting how similar they are?

Some kind of fighter, I have too many skills not to have brought some of that energy with me. The "ring" theory is probably true, where energy disperses and comes together with other energy, makes us part of what we are.

So no one has any opinions about pre-existence? It seems to me that this would be pretty important. Or has the thought been extinguished by major churches?

humor me here wrote:

So no one has any opinions about pre-existence? It seems to me that this would be pretty important. Or has the thought been extinguished by major churches?

maybe it's timing. everyone is in post-holiday recuperation or pre-new year's preperation. i've given thought to this subject, but have no particular view on it. i'll espouse more later. i have work.

humor me here wrote:

So no one has any opinions about pre-existence? It seems to me that this would be pretty important. Or has the thought been extinguished by major churches?

pre-existence...after-life. what does it matter if you have no joy for the present

humor me here wrote:

So no one has any opinions about pre-existence? It seems to me that this would be pretty important. Or has the thought been extinguished by major churches?

i'm wondering about the validity of the phrase "pre - existence"

how can something or someone exist before it existed except by existing ?

are you referring to lives lived before this current life (on this plane of existence or any other for that matter)?

the atheist in me says, "nothing."
the sarcastic in me says something dirty.
the dreamer just thinks and wonders; past lives, karmac cycles, all that jazz. maybe i was a blowfly. or some great scientist. part of me thinks we're all gods, immortal in existance through non-reality, that have decided to be born on the earth to forget our immortality so that we might enjoy a short life.

I was a sperm and an egg and a hot night in the bedroom!

humor me here wrote:

Do you believe you were alive before you were born on the earth?
Were you spirit, did you know things?
Were you reincarnated from another person, another lifeform?
Or are you just a physical being without a spirit?
My question is about beliefs BEFORE birth.

A topix friend posted this on another thread and I've found it very interesting, maybe you will too.

http://books.google.com/books...

I was a traditional christian for most of my life, but have begun to examine other possibilities because of a number of circumstances over the last year.

justme wrote:

<quoted text>
pre-existence...after-life. what does it matter if you have no joy for the present

Joy?

I find that joy is less SITUATION and more ATTITUDE.

Now, having said that, if your ISP is in Gulfport and you live there, I understand a bit better.

Time does heal all wounds, and I hope it heals the catastophies you folks had to endure.

I was a male neutered cat living comfortably on a spinsters couch. Warm, fed when I want. Had the life back then. Till she ran me over with the car.

Now I am pushing 50, living comfortably on the couch, warm, I can eat when I want, Wait, what is this?

I'll have to get back to this later, my wife is stuck in the snow in the driveway, I'll be back in a minute.

scuter pie wrote:

<quoted text>
i'm wondering about the validity of the phrase "pre - existence"
how can something or someone exist before it existed except by existing ?
are you referring to lives lived before this current life (on this plane of existence or any other for that matter)?

Good point.

I am referring to the presence of a sentient being, force, spirit, or so on that existed before your current earth life, that has thoughts, feelings, and intelligence. It may be reincarnated from other living beings, it may be just a living spirit, or something I've never heard of.

I ask this because my beliefs are not mainstream. I believe in a pre-existence where we existed in a form that was intelligent, had emotion, and generally lived in families and communities.

What I don't know is if it makes sense to anyone else.