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I was raised Catholic. I revisit this notion of Heaven and Hell constantly in my life. I neither believe nor disbelieve in it. It is obvious to me that there are limitations to human perception. These limitations serve us well in our day to day survival. Yet, it is a big leap of faith to accept that we have it all figured out somehow and have a real grasp on eternity--either by taking the intuitive leaps that religion requires or following the hyper-focused, plodding methodology of empiricism. I am agnostic. I try to keep an open mind. And I have reason to keep an open mind.
I know that religion has been used in all manner of devious ways; but that does not mean that there is no substance to its premise. Certainly, all these notions about eternal damnation suggest a Heaven that no one really wants to live in...to be a sycophant to a God ready to cause such pain and suffering to empiricists (who spend their lives seeking the Truth). But maybe that's all wrong and part of some deception. I can't pretend to know.
I think that a lot of good comes from the morality religion teaches...but only when it is actively questioned and kept alive that way. A lot of bad comes from blindly following religion. But it is not inherently corrupt.
I'm not here to convince anyone to believe one thing or another. But I've had experiences to make me think twice. Seven or eight years ago, a friend of mine invited me to a CBM (Christian Businessmen) meeting. I ate their food and sat through the meeting. At the end of the meeting, they asked me to fill something out that asked me whether or not I had chosen to accept Jesus as my personal savior. I checked the "NO" box. Later that day, I turned on the "Oldies Station" and Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" was playing and the next track was Carol King's "It's Too Late". Since when do they play Tubular Bells on the Oldies Station? But who knows?
Some people would accept that experience I had as proof of a God. I don't know how I would know whether it was a Benevolent Deity or a Malevolent one or just some bizarre coincidence, besides indoctrination. I keep an open mind and I will teach my son to do the same.
Thank you all for posting your thoughts about this subject. It could be so terribly important to know the Truth. But how could we be expected to know it?
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