From my perspective it seems absurd to have total belief in the existence of an after-life. At very best it should be regarded as nothing more than an intellectual possibility even by people of faith.
- There is no rational evidence of an after-life.
- There is no logical reason.
- It surely must be taken into account that society and culture create an ethos that is tantamount to psychological indoctrination. We are all subject to this prevailing acceptance.
- The historical and present-day political use of the ‘promise’ of an after-life in such instances as inciting warriors to go fearlessly into battle or suicide bombers to detonate their devices is a psychological ploy to persuade people to do the unthinkable.
- The words in the medieval ‘holy books’ should at least be treated with suspicion. The translations and editing have altered meaning. It is hard to see how anyone can view them as the ‘word of God’. Not only are they open to many interpretations, manipulations and misuse, but their very nature is suspect:
a. The Old Testament
A collection of myths, creation stories and assorted writings of various quality gathered from a variety of largely pre-Jewish sources (Sumerian etc) with no coherent narrative.
b. The New Testament
Based on accounts of Jesus that were written decades after the deaths of the disciples. None of the Gospels were written by the disciples. The accounts were [passed down by word of mouth through many generations before being committed to paper. Neither do they display agreement or present a consistent account. The actual book was put together by Constantine in the 3rd Century for political reasons (To unify a fragmenting Rome). At that time other writings which did not ‘fit’ the ‘account’ were burned as heretic. What we now have as the ‘New Testament’ is what the 3rd Century Synod believed should go in.
c. The Koran
Revealed to Mohamed by an angel in a cave. Nobody witnessed this. It was then recited to a scribe. Later part of it was retracted. Mohamed claimed it had been whispered into his ear by the Devil. These texts were subsequently called the Satanic Verses.
Now you may call me cynical but looking dispassionately at the evidence I must conclude that any open-minded person might conclude that there is at very least the possibility of doubt regarding the ‘after-life’. I personally would require a lot more evidence other than a bunch of dubious medieval texts.
I hesitate to ridicule the suicide bomber recently apprehended by the security forces. He had contrived a metal shield to protect his penis from the blast because he believed he required his penis for the promised encounters with the virgins in paradise. He had been duped, used and fooled. They had preyed on his ignorance and gullibility for political purposes.
I remain astounded by anyone who believes the words of the religious texts are, despite the evidence of editing and mistranslation, still the exact word of God.
The Valhallas, Elysiums and other long-forgotten paradises full of drunken debauchery, promised to the warriors of old are now thought of as fanciful, farcical or absurd. There are few who would now imagine themselves in an after-life in some great long hall with endless feasting, drinking and wenching. The whole concept seems culturally inspired and flawed. I can never work out what the women are supposed to get out of this? Are we to assume their idea of heaven is to wait on the loud aggressive males and enjoy being raped? Yet for all that it does not dim the prevailing view of heaven or paradise.
As far as I am concerned the faithful can believe in whatever brings them comfort. With the proviso that they do not use their beliefs to harm others.
As for me I am quite content to consign myself to burning in everlasting (fictitious) Hell. I am not terrified by any horrific vision that comes out of the minds of men, Dante can keep it. When it comes to Sci-Fi I’ll stick with Kurt Vonnegut and Arthur C Clarke.
Life is an awesome wonder. I’ll settle for making the most of every second I have in this universe and dedicate my time to trying to make it better for everyone else and the life we life we share the planet with.
To that end I would ‘Go forth and for Earth’s sake refrain from multiplying!’
Instead – help build a new positive zeitgeist and start being nice to each other and the creatures we cohabit with. Lets get the best out of this life before we start worrying about some mythical next!