Horror Discussion Thread

[BioMechanical Dude]

One of my favorite genres in Film, Literature, Video Games, etc. is horror. I don't know why, but there's something about this genre I adore. I have a keen interest in horror-related stuff and I keep coming back to it all the time. So, I wanted to see if there are any horror fans here and hopefully find someone to talk with about anything horror-related. So, here are some questions to get you to share your experiences with the horror genre:

What are your favorite horror video games(including just horror-themed, like Castlevania)? Why do you like said games?

What are your favorite horror movies, comics, literature(creepypastas included), art, anything really. Again, what exactly do you like about them?

Do you have any notable experiences with horror-related media?

Why do you like horror? What attracts you to it?

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I'll start:

There are a ton of horror games that I like. One of my favorite franchises is the Silent Hill series. There's something very unique about the empty, depressing feel of those games. The town of Silent Hill creates physical manifestations of certain characters' fears, desires, etc. and it's very interesting to find out what's the meaning behind most of the stuff you encounter, and in this way learn more about the characters themselves. Not to mention, these games are shit-your-pants scary, without relying too much on jump-scares, like many games and movies do nowadays. (I am not kidding, playing Silent Hill 2 was nerve-racking, even during the day) Other horror games I really like are Sweet Home for NES, one of the predecessors to the survival horror genre, which inspired the Resident Evil series(which I also really like), the original Alone in the Dark for DOS, the Castlevania franchise and the Splatterhouse series.

As for horror movies, once again, there are plenty. One of my favorite franchises by far has to be the Alien franchise. I love the movies (Well, the first three, anyway) and the Xenomorphs are my favorite alien race of all time. They're also what attracted me to H. R. Giger's artwork, which I am a huge fan of and which influences me to this day (why do you think my nickname is That BioMechanical Dude). I also like the classic horror monsters, like Dracula, the Wolfman, the Frankenstein monster, the Mummy, etc. (I really should get my hands on the Universal and Hammer horror films). I used to really like slasher films, but now they kinda bore me, especially when there's not much of a plot, although if I had to pick a favorite slasher villain, it'd definitely be Jason Vorhees. Other films I really like include the Evil Dead series, Nosferatu, George Romero's Dead series(Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, etc.), John Carpenter's The Thing, the original Godzilla, etc. There's a lot more horror-related media I like, but it'll be too much for one post, so I'll save it all for later.

Now, given the fact, that horror is a genre, intended to scare the audience, I've had some bad experiences with it. The most notable one is when I watched The Ring. I was 10 years old, they were airing it on TV late at night, the room was dark, my parents weren't home and even though my grandma was in the room with me, she was asleep. I watched the whole thing, and even though it creeped me out, I was the most disturbed, during that scene, where Samara comes out of the TV and kills one of the main characters. To make it even worse, the movie more or less ended on a cliff-hanger. For the next few weeks, I was terrified at night, before going to sleep. I hated the movie, because of how scary it was. Now I appreciate it and Japanese horror, in general. It's quite unique and can be very effective at what it does.

Why do I like horror? I am not sure. I don't think it's because it's scary, I don't really like being scared. I think it fascinates me, because of how diverse it can be and all the different fantastical scenarios it could create. This is such a vast genre, covering many subjects and there's a lot of creative stuff in it. You can mix it with almost any genre and make it work. I like stuff like myths, fantastical creatures and settings, and horror has a lot of them with it's own dark twist, that for some reason attracts me. Another thing I like about horror stories is how they create this dark, imposing threat for the main characters. A challenge, which they have to overcome. Stories like Dracula are perfect examples of this. I think this is why I like horror so much.

Can't wait to hear about your favorite horror-related stuff and experiences!

[Bregalad]

I'm not particularly into Horror, but I am definitely fan of the Castlevania series. I love the music, gameplay, everything, I am just fan of this series. I didn't know it was suposed to be "horror", because, well, only some bosses are really horrifying.

For the rest I'm not into horror, because I find the real world is already enough horrifying as it - I don't need to be artificially even more horrified/depressed or whathever.

[tepples]

For a while a jump scare game called Five Nights at Freddy's or something went viral, some sort of cross between Night Trap, Night at the Museum, and Chuck E. Cheese's.

[dougeff]

The only one's I like have elements of comedy.

Zombieland. Army of Darkness. Shaun of the Dead. Etc.

I also happened to have comics of 'Johnny the Homicidal Maniac' but that's a whole other thing.

[DRW]

My favorite horror movie is the original "A Nightmare on Elm Street" from 1984. I first watched it when it was shown on TV somewhere in 1999. Before that, all I have really known about "A Nightmare on Elm Street" was the "Simpsons" episode with Willy as Freddy. Other than that, I was completely uninfluenced.
And this movie just took me. It instantly became my favorite movie. The sequels, not so much. Or rather: Not at all.

When I finish my current NES game and I have a good idea, I'd actually like to do a game based on that movie. (Should be much more easy now that I have my own working NES game, so I can reuse the code and just need to implement new level and character behavior.)

And yes, I'm aware of the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" game on the NES. But that's not based on the first movie. And my game wouldn't take inspiration from that. Instead, I'd like to do a game that looks and plays like it actually came out in 1984 (or maybe 1985) and was an actually licensed product for that movie.
The only problem: I still lack an idea for the gameplay.

[BioMechanical Dude]

I'm not particularly into Horror, but I am definitely fan of the Castlevania series. I love the music, gameplay, everything, I am just fan of this series. I didn't know it was suposed to be "horror", because, well, only some bosses are really horrifying.

Well, it's really only horror-themed. But I think the horror element is obvious, with the main villain being Dracula and the all the monsters coming from various horror media.

Zombieland. Army of Darkness. Shaun of the Dead. Etc.

I haven't seen Zombieland, but I've heard it's pretty funny. Army of Darkness and Shaun of the Dead. on the other hand, YES! I love these movies. Army of Darkness is actually the third movie in the Evil Dead series. The first one isn't really funny, but the second has a ton of dark humor and it's really fun to watch. Also, they just released a TV series, serving as a sequel, called "Ash vs Evil Dead", which, judging by the trailer is a ton of fun, not to mention, a lot of people enjoyed it. So they're definitely worth checking out.
Shaun of the Dead is one of the best and funniest zombie movies I've ever seen. On a side note, have you seen the other two films, Hot Fuzz and The World's End?

I also happened to have comics of 'Johnny the Homicidal Maniac' but that's a whole other thing.

I have read some of them and they make me feel kinda depressed. Especially the first one.

My favorite horror movie is the original "A Nightmare on Elm Street" from 1984. I first watched it when it was shown on TV somewhere in 1999. Before that, all I have really known about "A Nightmare on Elm Street" was the "Simpsons" episode with Willy as Freddy. Other than that, I was completely uninfluenced.
And this movie just took me. It instantly became my favorite movie. The sequels, not so much. Or rather: Not at all.

As far as the sequels go, I think Dream Warriors is pretty good. But yeah, non of it will get as good as the original. Then they made that shitty remake back in 2010, but that's another thing entirely.

When I finish my current NES game and I have a good idea, I'd actually like to do a game based on that movie. (Should be much more easy now that I have my own working NES game, so I can reuse the code and just need to implement new level and character behavior.)

And yes, I'm aware of the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" game on the NES. But that's not based on the first movie. And my game wouldn't take inspiration from that. Instead, I'd like to do a game that looks and plays like it actually came out in 1984 (or maybe 1985) and was an actually licensed product for that movie.
The only problem: I still lack an idea for the gameplay.

This is actually really interesting. I personally wouldn't make the gameplay like something from the mid 80s, cause that would mean it would be pretty simple... but then again, this is probably because I feel like movie adaptations should be grand and complex, following the movie as close as possible. As for gameplay ideas... can't really think of anything else besides an adventure game of some sort, but it's not something someone would make in the NES's early days.

[DRW]

Well, it's really only horror-themed. But I think the horror element is obvious, with the main villain being Dracula and the all the monsters coming from various horror media.

"Castlevania" is clearly supposed to be the video game equivalent of the old Hammer Studio horror movies. Of course in an NES game, you cannot really communicate that atmosphere so well, at least not in 1986.

As far as the sequels go, I think Dream Warriors is pretty good.

I know it's considered to be the best sequel. But I think the whole setting in the hospital/care center/mental institution creates a completely different atmosphere than the original one. It doesn't have that whole suburbs feeling anymore.
Also, this is the movie that started the nightmares with the creative settings, like Freddy's dungeon. In the original, the dreams were always situated in the same location as the real world, so sometimes you didn't even know whether it's a dream or reality. But in part 3, the characters suddenly get teleported to strange places.

The only movie that has a similar atmosphere as the original is part 2. But this one is a total mess as far as the plot is concerned. It's very hard to make sense out of the scenes, even after watching them. In the first part, after having watched everything, the only scene that is still confusing is the ending, i.e. the last 10 minutes.

This is actually really interesting. I personally wouldn't make the gameplay like something from the mid 80s, cause that would mean it would be pretty simple... but then again, this is probably because I feel like movie adaptations should be grand and complex, following the movie as close as possible.

That's exactly the reason why I cannot do a big game.
If I made, for example, a side scroller, how should I implement it? This is not "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or "Batman" were you can fight through hordes of opponents.
In the movie, there's only one opponent: Freddy. So, how do you want to translate this to a game like "Super Mario Bros.", "Castlevania" or "Mega Man"? Either I use multiple Freddys as opponents which would be ridiculous. Or I invent additional opponents. But you can see in the official "Nightmare" NES games where that leads to: Punching snakes, bats and ghosts in the face.

No, this game needs some creative gameplay. A game that works with only one opponent and maybe some non-living obstacles like fire and steam in the boiler room. Most likely it will be a non-scrolling game.

I'm thinking about a game that could be in line with:
"Donkey Kong"
"Nuts & Milk"
"Super Arabian"
"Mappy Land"
"Popeye"
All of these games are different from each other. And my game should be different from them as well, but it should feel like it could be put into this list.

But it's really hard to think of something. With my current game, the ideas just came automatically. Easy because it's an original property that isn't based on anything, so I can include whatever I want.
But how do I create a level that is based on Freddy chasing Nancy through the boiler room with her having to reach that pipe where she burns her arm to wake up?

Programming would be a breeze this time. After all, the whole groundwork has been done. Last time, I spent weeks and months until something that made sense was even on the screen. This can be skipped this time and I can go right to the game engine.
But an idea, a concept, is what I'm still lacking.

[Drew Sebastino]

I've never really cared about horror, because I don't find that many things "horrifying" unless they're actually happening to me. I find things that are depressing to be more interesting.

I always really liked this music from Doom II, because it's definitely depressing which fits very well into the game, but it's also kind of encouraging, which also really fits well into the game. It's like saying that the odds are against you, but don't give up! That's basically how it is. You're stuck on earth by yourself awaiting death because there is really nothing to on the earth forward to, but you get signal about where the demons are coming from and you single handedly kill them all, which enables earth the be re inhabited. In case you couldn't tell, I'm a pretty big Doom fan. Anyway...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf3UlZCBhOE

I know people don't really think about it, but death really is about the most depressing thing. It doesn't seem that bad until you realize it's coming for you at some point. There's no avoiding it, and there's no telling what it will be like. The only reassurance I have is that if I'm dead and it's lights out, I won't be able to know because I'll be dead. The worst would be if you were only a conscious and you were stuck for eternity.

[Sogona]

I'm kind of a psychological horror fan, I stopped enjoying the bloody gorey slasher films once I turned 13. Session 9 is a movie I saw a while back whose atmosphere I found pretty disturbing actually. Kubrick's The Shining is also a favorite of mine.

As far as TV shows go, it's not really "horror", as much as it is a supernatural thriller, but David Lynch's Twin Peaks is a show I've gotten into lately.

[Drew Sebastino]

I stopped enjoying the bloody gorey slasher films once I turned 13.

I'm kind of the same way.

[BioMechanical Dude]

I know it's considered to be the best sequel. But I think the whole setting in the hospital/care center/mental institution creates a completely different atmosphere than the original one. It doesn't have that whole suburbs feeling anymore.
Also, this is the movie that started the nightmares with the creative settings, like Freddy's dungeon. In the original, the dreams were always situated in the same location as the real world, so sometimes you didn't even know whether it's a dream or reality. But in part 3, the characters suddenly get teleported to strange places.

Well, sequels have to try out new things, otherwise it'll get stale. Personally, I like the more creative stuff they do. Although it's a bit harder to blur the lines between dream and reality. Another thing I like about Part 3 is that most of the characters are likable and unique. It's also because the plot is kind of reminiscent of Dracula, with a group of people all teaming up to fight some unspeakable evil. I love stories like that.

That's exactly the reason why I cannot do a big game.
If I made, for example, a side scroller, how should I implement it? This is not "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or "Batman" were you can fight through hordes of opponents.
In the movie, there's only one opponent: Freddy. So, how do you want to translate this to a game like "Super Mario Bros.", "Castlevania" or "Mega Man"? Either I use multiple Freddys as opponents which would be ridiculous. Or I invent additional opponents. But you can see in the official "Nightmare" NES games where that leads to: Punching snakes, bats and ghosts in the face.

Well, you're kinda focusing too much on action. While this is what the NES is really good at, it can do adventure games, involving exploration and puzzle-solving just fine. It's just that people haven't implemented them very well, back in the day. There are also games, like Clock Tower on the SNES and Alien: Isolation, where a huge part of the game is running, hiding and defending yourself from the villain, who comes back every now and then to kill you.
But, if you really want to make an arcade-style game, I am getting some vague ideas about a top-down perspective, with Freddy chasing you throughout the house, boiler room and other locations, while you have to navigate through them, avoiding obstacles, maybe solving simple puzzles or getting some items, something like that. The movie's climax is perfect for a video game, because Nancy first gets Freddy into the real world and then has him chasing her throughout the house, setting off traps, that she made for him. The earlier scenes, though... Hmmm...

I've never really cared about horror, because I don't find that many things "horrifying" unless they're actually happening to me. I find things that are depressing to be more interesting.

Man, a lot of people give me similar reasons for not being into horror. To be honest, I don't really care for the scary aspect of it either, I find horror interesting, because of all the other stuff it can offer: interesting situations, interesting creatures, depressing or sometimes encouraging stuff (I really like stories, where there's a huge threat, but characters manage to overcome it with their sheer will and determination). But, whatever. As for depressing stuff, have you played any of the Silent Hill games? Silent Hill 2 in particular has depression as one of its central themes. And it's a great game, especially when it comes to the story and characters.

I always really liked this music from Doom II, because it's definitely depressing which fits very well into the game, but it's also kind of encouraging, which also really fits well into the game. It's like saying that the odds are against you, but don't give up! That's basically how it is. You're stuck on earth by yourself awaiting death because there is really nothing to on the earth forward to, but you get signal about where the demons are coming from and you single handedly kill them all, which enables earth the be re inhabited. In case you couldn't tell, I'm a pretty big Doom fan.

As a Doom fan myself, I agree. This goes again with what I said earlier about scary situations with a chance of victory. And when it comes to music, this is the type I seem to listen to a lot. One that's melancholic, but also pumps you up. This is why I like Iron Maiden or the music from the Castlevania series, particularly Bloody Tears.

I know people don't really think about it, but death really is about the most depressing thing. It doesn't seem that bad until you realize it's coming for you at some point. There's no avoiding it, and there's no telling what it will be like. The only reassurance I have is that if I'm dead and it's lights out, I won't be able to know because I'll be dead. The worst would be if you were only a conscious and you were stuck for eternity.

This is why people believe in an Afterlife or Reincarnation. For one, there is a possibility, that they might exist, given that nobody really knows what happen after you die. And besides, the thought of being trapped in a void for all eternity or simply being unconscious for all eternity is not only unimaginable, it's dreadful, at least to me. This is one of the reasons why I believe in the aforementioned things. The idea of their nonexistence would also mean that life and the human mind with all of its complexity have no meaning and that makes me lose any reason to live. There's also another thing I've been wondering about. According to the law of conservation of energy, energy can be neither created nor destroyed. So if the human mind is a bunch of energy following certain patterns in the brain, where does that energy come from, before we're born and where does it go, when we die? To me the ideas of Afterlife and Reincarnation kinda provide an answer, although nothing is known about how they would exactly work. It's just a thought, though. I hope this doesn't spawn a big argument between atheists and religious people, cause those are never a nice thing.

I'm kind of a psychological horror fan, I stopped enjoying the bloody gorey slasher films once I turned 13.

Same here. Another reason why I like Silent Hill. Psychological horror in general can be brilliant, because you don't have to really show anything particularly horrifying. A lot of it just plays the audience's minds, which can be tricky and it's great, when someone pulls it off well. Stuff like Twin Peaks and Jacob's Ladder, which were inspirations for Silent Hill, are great examples of that.

Another type of horror I really like is one, that deals with otherworldly stuff, that humans can't comprehend. Stuff like H. P. Lovecraft's stories. It intrigues me, because of all the strange and fantastical stuff that happens, not to mention, it can make me wonder about the universe, other worlds and what might be out there, that we haven't discovered yet.

[Bregalad]

Well, it's really only horror-themed. But I think the horror element is obvious, with the main villain being Dracula and the all the monsters coming from various horror media.

I don't see it being so obvious. There is nothing really horrifying in the Castlevania series. If the presence of creatures like vampires or ghosts makes it instantly "horror" then you're right... but then at least 60% of video games, probably 80%, are horror themed.

For example Atelier Iris Eternal Mana, a PS2 game which I am a fan of, is a very happy-go-lucky, anime/manga and humour themed RPG. Yet there is many instances of having vampires as enemies or even bosses. Does this make it a horror themed game?

When I hear of "horror games", I think of things that are actually horrifying like Clock Tower, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, etc, etc.... and I really couldn't play any of those games past a few minutes, because they're too much horrifying (even if it doesn't happen to me).

To be honest, I don't really care for the scary aspect of it either, I find horror interesting, because of all the other stuff it can offer: interesting situations, interesting creatures, depressing

This makes no sense. You can have interesting situations and interesting creatures with any genre, and the real world is already enough depressing as-it. You should rather straight admit you like it but you don't know why yourself, it's just fine, you know. There isn't need for a reason to like something.

[tepples]

Well, sequels have to try out new things, otherwise it'll get stale. Personally, I like the more creative stuff they do.

Was there a subverted horror movie, where someone gains a reputation for actually listening to what the horror monsters want and talks them out of violence?

For example, a vampire needs to consume blood to survive but has a varying set of weaknesses depending on the author, and a redcap is a little person who murders travelers for blood to dye his hat but can be stopped by reciting a Bible verse. The protagonist would direct each of these monsters to a more acceptable source of blood. A redcap encounter might look like this:

"I Met a Redcap"
by Damian Yerrick

"And if your foot makes you stumble, cut it off. It's better to enjoy life crippled than to have two feet and die in a fire."
--Jesus of Nazareth, Mark 9:45

(The little man stops with a puzzled look on his face.)

"Now that I have your attention, sir, I think I know someone who can get you some blood red dye for your hat. There's a butcher shop two blocks west of the mall. May I ask your name?"

"Call me Hangiboin. And I haven't heard that one in a while. Thank you for not pulling yet another 'Jesus wept' on me."

"You're welcome, Mr, uh, Hangiboin. I learned that verse from someone pretending to be an amputee. Now go east toward Wells Street then head north, and it'll be on your left. Tell him Pino sent you."

On the other hand, I wonder whether an uncanny ability to induce heel-face turns could itself cause someone to be seen as a monster, causing a double-subversion.

Although it's a bit harder to blur the lines between dream and reality.

The ending of Inception blurred the lines harder than Robin Thicke ever could.

There's also another thing I've been wondering about. According to the law of conservation of energy, energy can be neither created nor destroyed. So if the human mind is a bunch of energy following certain patterns in the brain, where does that energy come from, before we're born and where does it go, when we die?

The energy to bootstrap the unborn child's brain comes from the mother in the fourth month, after which point there is recognizable brain wave activity in a fetus. When someone dies, his spirit goes out in the way that a candle flame goes out: the energy goes to entropy.

To me the ideas of Afterlife and Reincarnation kinda provide an answer, although nothing is known about how they would exactly work.

Here's how one of Jehovah's Witnesses explained it to me: Dead people are unconscious. God keeps saved states of every sapient's brain. During the first millennium after Christ's second coming, people will be given rebuilt bodies with a brain restored from the last good state, with (if I remember correctly) saved people and more recently deceased being first to respawn. Their goal over the course of the first thousand years is to clean up Earth and turn it into a paradise.

It's just a thought, though. I hope this doesn't spawn a big argument between atheists and religious people, cause those are never a nice thing.

One way to accommodate atheists is to phrase discussions of Christian afterlife as if they were discussions of the afterlife in an SF anthology titled The Bible.

[BioMechanical Dude]

I don't see it being so obvious. There is nothing really horrifying in the Castlevania series. If the presence of creatures like vampires or ghosts makes it instantly "horror" then you're right... but then at least 60% of video games, probably 80%, are horror themed.

That's one confusing thing, when it comes to horror. A horror game and a horror-themed game are different things. A horror game would actually try to be scary. A horror-themed game, even if not trying to be scary will have all of its environments and enemies based on horror media. Castlevania is horror-themed not just because some of the enemies and stage layouts come from horror media, but because all of its enemies and stage layouts do. Basically, the game is based around things, that are traditionally "horror", even if it's not scary. That's how I explain it, at least. There aren't really set rules for this, but when most people think of Castlevania, they think of horror.

This makes no sense. You can have interesting situations and interesting creatures with any genre, and the real world is already enough depressing as-it. You should rather straight admit you like it but you don't know why yourself, it's just fine, you know. There isn't need for a reason to like something.

True, I guess. But I was wondering what makes me like horror so much. I don't like the fact, that it's scary, I like everything else about it, and for some reason creatures, that come from horror are more interesting to me than creatures, that come from, say, fantasy. I guess it's just the feel that's different.
Also, I think that the depressive stuff about horror is a different kind than the real world. It's cathartic in a way. Why do people watch dramas, considering the real-life dramas we go through are bad enough already? Why don't people watch only fun movies? We're invested in the characters and, for some reason, even though the story is tragic, we enjoy it. The same is with horror, at least that's what I think.

Was there a subverted horror movie, where someone gains a reputation for actually listening to what the horror monsters want and talks them out of violence?

I don't think so. Nobody would really try making one, because not only would the solution be a cop-out, but it'll also make the monster nonthreatening.
I guess movies, where the main characters defeat monsters with bible verses and stuff like that are movies about exorcisms. (Although the most famous one, The Exorcist, had a slightly different solution)

The ending of Inception blurred the lines harder than Robin Thicke ever could.

True, although Total Recall did pretty much same.

The energy to bootstrap the unborn child's brain comes from the mother in the fourth month, after which point there is recognizable brain wave activity in a fetus. When someone dies, his spirit goes out in the way that a candle flame goes out: the energy goes to entropy.

You could say so, although wouldn't the energy still be separate from all other energies around? Even if it would go all around, it'll probably go into some other use, although because brain waves have a different frequency than other elector-magnetic waves, what exactly will they be used for? Some believe it might go to the source of everything in existence, a.k.a. God. I don't know. The problem with these things is that we still don't know that much about the human mind, how it exactly works, why it works the way it does, how do positive and negative energies work, other dimensions and higher planes of existence, etc. Some people might explain all of our emotions and complex feelings as a result of evolutionary instincts, making love and all these things more or less an illusion, that our minds created, but that's a very cold, depressing way to think about it, so I'm not gonna bother with it. Our lack of knowledge of Life and Death can be both a good thing and a bad thing. Good, because it allows us to believe whatever we want to and whatever would help us live, but it can be bad because of the uncertainty and fears that come with this lack of knowledge.

Here's how one of Jehovah's Witnesses explained it to me: Dead people are unconscious. God keeps saved states of every sapient's brain. During the first millennium after Christ's second coming, people will be given rebuilt bodies with a brain restored from the last good state, with (if I remember correctly) saved people and more recently deceased being first to respawn. Their goal over the course of the first thousand years is to clean up Earth and turn it into a paradise.

How do they come up with this stuff? Anyway, although I consider myself a christian, I don't really believe a lot of the stuff in the Bible, including the stuff about the Apocalypse, considering that Revelations was more or less commentary about what's going on in the world and what will keep happening, unless people decide to change things. But who knows? Another idea, that's now odd to me is Heaven. I don't know, wouldn't God want the souls He created do a lot more, than just to live for a hundred years or so and then do nothing, just spending time in eternal paradise? But whatever.

[Drew Sebastino]

You can have interesting situations and interesting creatures with any genre, and the real world is already enough depressing as-it.

Not the same kind of situations. It's not like you could have someone being hunted in another genre, and this stuff kind of gets you on edge. I'm not trying to sound like a parent, but I don't really get the slightly aggressive tone, unless I'm just interpreting your message wrong, which is easy to do when you're just reading text.

we still don't know that much about the human mind

I really want to know how comparable to a computer the human mind is. I mean, you have short term memory, which is ram, long term memory, which is like a hard drive... Getting into a coma is like crashing? (I'm not sure how you'd get out then...) Okay, I'll stop my dumb talking. I just wonder how CPUs can be so good at math while so bad at doing things like interpreting pictures while it's the other way around for a human. I guess one's just made better for the certain task, although I'm not sure how.

I don't know, wouldn't God want the souls He created do a lot more, than just to live for a hundred years or so and then do nothing, just spending time in eternal paradise? But whatever.

I don't know about you, but spending time in eternal paradise sounds like a pretty sweat deal to me. It's impossible to determine something like what God would think is best.

You know what I always thought was weird about something like an all powerful god, like God? Would you say that he's so powerful that he can actually make unbreakable limits for himself, or would you be saying that he's so powerful that he can break the limits he imposed? I was talking to a friend, and he said it like this: Could God create a boulder that's to heavy for him to lift? I mean, I feel like he imposes limits on himself all the time. If he wants everyone to go to believe in him, then why don't they because he made them? I feel like although no human is able to do something that they don't want to do (you can be selfless, but that's because seeing the other person be happy would please you), God is because he's free from that limitation because he can do anything.