The God Distraction: The Afterlife
In this chapter, we examine the afterlife and what we can know about it (nothing).
No, it's not time to flip those calendars. Not just yet. Tomorrow is my birthday, and people told me I couldn't work on my birthday. So, this is my early gift to you. Ha!!!
This is a big subject. I think I've hardly scratched the surface. But fortunately, the good people at PragerU made a video about this subject earlier this year which is an absolute gift. I'll be taking that video to task early next month. This is a more general look at the subject.
I hope you enjoy this one. Thanks for making it possible. You guys are the best birthday present ever. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! B
Comments (12)
Further to your thought about what cruel being would create humans knowing some of them would suffer eternal torment (all-knowing, right), how about creating angels knowing that some of them would rebel and the brightest of all, Lucifer, would fall to rule over Hell? Anyone with a smidgeon of logic would see that this does not equate to a kind, forgiving super-being.
The delusion of "afterlife" is so sadly ludicrous. People will often waste what few years of life they have now to have a later life that they know absolutely nothing about. This suggests that what truly motivates them is simply the overwhelming fear that, like all other creatures great and small, they will someday… cease to exist, i.e., DIE! Well, as Sagan observed, "Better by far to embrace the hard truth than a reassuring fable." Decades ago, I first started to furl a brow about the concept of an "afterlife" when contemplating in the Mormon temple that in the "Celestial Kingdom" Elohim's "chosen people" will mull around, whispering to each other, wearing all white jumper suits, robes, culinary caps, and… a green fig leaf apron. Talk about hell. OH… and I hope you had a truly Blissful Birthday yesterday!
Mere superlatives defy my ability to praise this piece, Brian.
One of your best ever. Very well done!
Thanks so much!
ooh dunno this bloody site is very badly designed. Most things are possible but sometimes you have to ask the tek support.
Nice video. One of your bests. the idea of eternity with my family was the final blow to any idea of heaven. How about a quick scroll at the end with a list of your patrons? It is the normal kind thing to do these days. (everyone does it and you seem a little mean).
Where can I find all those names in one place?
How about Notlad Day! To celebrate the reversing of all of the evil done by religion? We could celebrate with cakes and BriBri Ale!
Notlad Nairb is one of my favorite people!
The birthday of Mr. Deity is May 31st? Well, when a Deity is born, we have to make a day of it! Let's see, let's see....what do we call it? Dalton Day? Bri-Brimas or Brianmas? Maybe we need to take an existing holiday over and make it our own, like Christmas did with the winter solstice. Hmmmm..... Joe Namath was born on the 31st. So was Clint Eastwood, Norman Vincent Peale, and Walt Whitman. So Merry Clintmas day? No, that won't work. The boxer Rebellion was put down on this day (1900). Boer War ends, taxis start running in NYC, US Supreme Court orders school integration (cool!). Need some help here, folks. How do we get Mr. Deity's birthday celebrated on an international level? What do we call, which plant do we cut down to put in our homes, do we exchange gifts or something else? Etc.
There was so much funny there! I LOL'd all over myself. Thanks!