My mom passed away 6 years ago, last Saturday. Since then, I have wondered what is out there for us after death. I waiver between the Heaven, Hell, Purgatory concept beaten into me by the nuns and the Baltimore Catechism when I was young, and the "nothingness" theory that I hope is not the case. I guess that I am an agnostic. However, I do not know if I really know what that word means.
I think that there is something after life, but I don't think it is the pearly gates or the fires of Hell. I have seen a "medium," but I look at that session with the same skepticism that I look upon mainstream religion. I think that if I was just dumb and faithful, I would be much happier, and content with my lot. As a wise man once said, "Religion is the opiate of the masses."
In India, the Hindu caste system is used to keep the poor schmucks who are born into a life of cleaning up the filth of others from changing their position in society. Islam uses the Koran to keep women second class citizens. Christianity is the bastard child that is twisted and muddled into a strange mix. All the way from Mother Theresa, who took care of people without any reservations, to the fire and brimstone preachers who try to scare the "hell" out of people.
The sect of Christianity that amuses me the most is the "prosperity" gospel. God wants everybody to be prosperous and happy. The way you can achieve this prosperity is to make the pastor prosperous and happy. If the pastor is prosperopus, and you are not, then you either are not a true believer, or you haven't given enough. Where is the snake oil?
Now I have to figure out whether my mom is in heaven, or if I talked to her at the session with the medium. ----------- or both. Life is tough, but death --- who knows?
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Not sure about the answers to any of these, I guess we won't know until we get there. I am reading a book right now called "Transformed by the Light". It is a research novel written by a Doctor that studies people who have had near death experiences, and how their lives have been "transformed". Not to say it answers all of your questions but it is giving me hope that this life is just a stepping stone.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to let you know that Rhonda has been put on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy (13 weeks). She also received a steroid shot for the babies lungs as a precaution and will get the second this afternoon. I will call Granny in this morning, will you spread the news. I never know a good time to call. We need the payers that these babies stay put.
ReplyDeleteHere's my 2 cents, which you'll have to add another 2 bucks to if you prefer your coffee from Starbucks.
ReplyDeleteI think that the existence of the counterfeit (however false it may be) doesn't discredit the real thing. In fact, I propose that the only "substance" of the counterfeit is its pointing to the real thing that is out there somewhere.
So, you take prosperity preachers. Faith should make us prosperous, but that prosperity has nothing to do with money. It's a prosperity of increasing wholeness to love, joy, peace, patience, etc. But the prosperity guys have counterfeited that to make it all about money and are really in the anti-wholeness business in their pursuit.
Death does seem to be the final nail in the coffin of real prosperity pursuit and seems to make a mockery of wholeness and life. Because what is love, peace, patience and the like if they're displayed for a short time on earth -- and discriminately so at that, whereby the most deserving often have their years cut short -- and then, poof and gone?
But there's a biblical scripture that says death is the last enemy to be defeated. So, I believe that the work of wholeness is completed one way or the other. For some, you see a fairly abundant amount of wholeness on this side of things. For others, they reach the other side as a pauper.
I think the point of Jesus was to make the other side and its characteristics a reality...not only there, but here. As you've said in a previous post, for Jews, life ended at the grave.
But Jesus came to give life beyond that. Some enter into that real life in an increasing measure on this side of the grave...like, say, you've described about your mom or Mother Theresa. They're like a tree that offers shade and fruit to many who come to sit under its branches.
And then there are those who pretty much end life as a seed.
But even the seed won't be snuffed out.