Dear World - The Afterlife

Dear World

I find myself revisiting a subject matter that creeps into my mind nearly everyday. Death.

Yes, I've discussed this with you before. Though, that was only about death itself, I believe. Not about what comes after it.

It's rather interesting, I find, what many people think of what comes next. Some say that we will be greeted by a higher power to welcome us into the afterlife, while others say that we will only enter a state of darkness unknown to man, woman and Katie Price.

To be fair, I'm not entirely sure what to think or believe. Saying that, I have thought of what lies in front of us after we close our eyes for the last time. Then again, everyone has an opinion, and this is (one of) mine.

I don't really think that religion is right, neither do I think that we just die when we die. I do think that there is some sort of level system when it comes to life. You know, you start off on a neutral world, then if you were good in that life, then you go up a level, and the reverse would be true if your life was filled with evil.

After you've leveled up enough times, the next life would be the afterlife - Heaven. Meaning, those who have done good in all (or most of) their lives, they will be welcome to a place of eternal loveliness and all that.

If you've been demoted too many times, or have been consistently evil in all your lives, then you will be sent to Hell, a place where you will be tormented for your wrongdoing until the end of time.

I know, this is crazy talk. It's just one idea of mine of what the afterlife holds. Imagine if this is true. If so, then it would be interesting to see what level this life would be - close to Heaven, Hell, or maybe we're at the beginning…

I know, I make no sense. That's just what I hope the afterlife consists of, and not the inevitability of blankness.

I return to the past, world, to a time where I wrote to you about my opinions on God. To be more precise, a comment from a fellow Clic user, Pasternak, where he introduced Pascal's wager. This wager, which he claims is the first thing they teach you in Philosophy of Religion classes, is a summing up of belief in God as if it was a gamble.

If God existed and you believed in him, well done.
If you believed in God and he turns out God's not real, then you've at least done well in this this life.
If God existed and you did not believe in him, then you'll burn for eternity.
If you didn't believe in the almighty and you were right about it, well at least you can be smug those few seconds after you've died.

Now, after reading more about it, I came across something that made more sense to me than Pascal's wager. It's basically the same thing, but about being a good person, and it's called the Atheist's wager.

Simply put…

If you do good in this life, and there is a God, then your gain is infinite (meaning a long stay at the Heaven Inn).
If you lead a good life and there is no God, then your gain is only within this life.
If you do wrong in this life, and there is a God, then your loss is infinite (meaning you'll be in Hell).
If your life is one of evil and there is no God, then your loss is only within this life.

That sounds like a more sane train of thought than Pascal's wager. I don't like the fact that you should be forced to believe in a God just because that has been the believed for generations before my grandparents. And even though God seems to be more likely to allow in his believers than good people, I'd rather known that I've lived my life in a good manner and believed what I believe other than live a life where I feared a being that does not walk among us.

A lovely thought for this week.

I thank ye, world.

Dear World - God

Dear World.

I know that I've only walked the earth for a mere nineteen years, but there is one subject matter that confuses me.

Yes.

God.

Well, God and religion.

One thing I really do not understand is this. Imagine if I died right now, and if this religion thing really is true, I ended up at the gates of heaven with two other people. The first person, possibly named Sue, is a religious woman, and has been since birth. The second, who could be called Trevor, is a rapist and a murderer.

Three of us are there, looking at the gates of heaven, and we hear a voice saying, for some reason in the style of the game show 'The Price Is Right' "one of you will go straight to hell, the rest will go straight to heaven and enjoy eternal life with your maker".

As the three of us got to knew each other, the general consensus was that Trevor would be most likely to go to hell, with the fact that he has raped and murdered.

But, what's this?

My name has been called?

Why?

What have I done?

The booming voice returns… "You, Gareth, did not believe in a God. And for that, you are condemned to live out eternity in the flames of hell."

I don't know about you, but if I was dead, and that's what happened, I'd be rather annoyed. I haven't done anything wrong. So why am I going to hell? Well, it's obvious, isn't it?…

Is it?

Well, all three of us knew Sue would get in. Though none of us knew that Trevor repented for his sins roughly a year before he died, and he got into heaven. While all I have done is lived a crime-less life, and I'm still sent to live out eternity in hell, all because I found it difficult to believe in any sort of religion.

I don't know about you, dear world, but in what sane planet will let a rapist and a murderer get into heaven just because he said "I'm sorry"? I always thought that the good are supposed to be rewarded, while the bad are punished. I may be naive now, but I can't see how not having faith in a God is a worse crime than rape, pedophilia and murder. Yet, if a pedophile (for example) decides to say "Forgive me, my lord, for I have sinned", that person has certain pathway to heaven? Wh… where's the sanity in that?

I can't see myself ever being religious, though I can't be sure. When I started secondary school, I never had any interest in art and music. Now I'm studying Creative Technologies, design countless stuff and create my own music (though it's just the music, I can't write lyrics at all). No reason why I told you that, other than it shows that people change, even if the example I gave is a rather rubbish example.

Anyway, on the lines on religion, I cannot see my future self being religious. Its just that when I read or learn anything about religion, I find it makes no sense.

One of the example is that during weddings, it is (if I remember correctly) said that women are given to the husbands. I thought marriage was supposed to be a unison of two people (straight or gay) who are in love to live their love in happiness with each other, not for a man to own his wife (I'm not sure how that would work in a gay marriage, but it might be the same thing).

Another thing that gets me confused. God is supposed to be this 'perfect entity, isn't he/she? Someone who can do no wrong? So, why do people fear God?

Yes, he made humans (I don't believe this, I'm just using what religion believes to argue my side). And when humans make things, we want to be in command (for instance, in command of robots and digital technology). We have even been command of our own race (i.e. slavery). So if this is wrong, to be in command, to bully other beings to do our bidding... would God do the same, as he 'made' the human race?

Another thing. One of the ten commandments for the Christian faith is, I believe, about not idolising statues of God (correct me if I'm wrong). But, as humans were supposed to be made with God's image or something like that, doesn't that mean any statue that is made is in turn both idolising the image of the subject of the statue and also God him/herself?

I know, world. I think way too much. I'd rather think too much than not think at all. I hope this hasn't offended anyone, I'm just a nineteen year old who is confused about religion. Fancy helping out?

I thank ye, world.