My father has been diagnosed with a disease that will rob him of his memory. By the time he passes into the next life there is a likelihood that he might not even know who I am when I make that last visit. THAT upcoming moment - above all else - has left me wondering questioning the existence of God and why certain painful events are thrust upon us. Before my children were born - and during the time when my wife and had a miscarriage and several failed IVF's - I found myself cursing God, wondering why he felt the need to have us suffer when all we really wanted was raise a child and do so in a Christian manner.
Nonetheless, no matter the challenge I've faced, no matter the pain I've felt, I've always believed that there is something out greater than us out there. Whether that person/presence/spirit even knows who I am is of no consequence. That he/she would have a place for me in the afterlife is certainly a hope. That there IS an afterlife is a hope.
But none of this is a given.
Pure religion leaving our society in such a massive way is disappointing. We need to know there's something greater than us out there even if, in the end, it's not the case. If for no other reason, it's a valid excuse to treat everyone better than we normally would.
14 or so years ago I had a conversation with a co-worker of mine who has since gone on to write/produce and direct quite a few comedies you're probably familiar with. He told me of a scenario that actually happened to him and a friend (that later would show up as dialogue in a movie) where his friend stopped his car next to a homeless man, pulled a hundred dollar bill out and asked him if he believed in God. Looking at the bill, the man said, "Yes I do." My friend's friend pulled the bill away and said, "Wrong answer" and burned rubber. My friend's question to me was, 'Does this mean anything and will his friend be punished for what he had done?'
His theory (this being a theory and not how he lived his life. He was a very generous, good guy - he just enjoyed these kind of debates) was that it all didn't matter. In a world absent of a true God, these moments mean nothing. No one goes to hell. Nobody goes to heaven. Being decent to another human being will not get your anything in this life.
I disagreed. To me, you really have two choices in this life whether God exists or not; you can either be a the kind of person you'd hope others would be to you - compassionate, sympathetic, understanding - or you can simply be nothing better than a piece of meat. If nothing else, religion in it's purest sense enforces the feeling that we are all connected, all part of this life together, and all our joys and tragedies are not felt alone.
It's that thought that gives me hope that more people will find religion, in whatever form, and therefore discover a world where there is something greater than themselves.
More at VerbalPaintball.com
Comments are closed on this story.