For Some, This is the Wrong Question

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Michel Loir: You wrote, "As a Roman Catholic, I disagree on the notion that our good deeds are to be rewarded in this life."

I agree that our good deeds may not be rewarded in this life. However, you jump to the illogical conclusion that our deeds are rewarded (or punished) in the next life.

A simpler explanation is that life is not fair.

To/ Brothers & Sisters...As all good people to knowing God one must be equal with God,not the grovling snivling fools that you having become. You but allow others to brainwash as abuse that you become as servants,to man,an prisoner unto their deceit cunning.God having no need or wish that you come a begging as a dog,unto its master to obey on call.Get off your knees,stand before God as your equal,thus win your freedom....Your BROTHER in ARMS...LUCIFER xxx X

To/ Brothers & Sisters...As all good people to knowing God one must be equal with God,not the grovling snivling fools that you having become. You but allow others to brainwash as abuse that you become as servants,to man,an prisoner unto their deceit cunning.God having no need or wish that you come a begging as a dog,unto its master to obey on call.Get off your knees,stand before God as your equal,thus win your freedom....Your BROTHER in ARMS...LUCIFER xxx X

Catholics will quote their authorities, converts from Judaism to Christianity will try to quote the Talmud, but the essential reality of the situation is that even the speculation of past authorities is indicative, can guide us, but is not itself sufficient authority to overcome the rules of logic, evidence and good sense -- and this is affirmed by those various texts.

The sage fathers of early Judaism warned people not to speculate too much about what comes before or what comes after for a reason; it leads to people fighting like pin-heads over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. How many wars have been fought over whether it is appropriate to use Ikon's to symbolize the divine, over whether the Christian Messiah was part of a God-head, Man and Divine, or simply a man, over whether people should be allowed to read the Bible?

With each of the questions authorities fought over the authority of "written words" and then burned the opposing views. These were not messages from God, but from arrogant men. Even if the written words were authoritative, they presumed to be the only ones who could correctly interpret them (hence the word orthodoxy) and that there was only one universal correct interpretation (Catholic) -- and then fought over what that was.

By presuming that what is written represents the authority of God past authorities have sought to answer questions they did not have the authority to answer. That much of what they said was wise, is not in dispute, what should be disputed is whether such arrogance and presumption should be authoritative over later ages.

If Jesus, Mohammed, and Moses were hearing and teaching the divine, the editors and redactors of their words were not. Certainly not Constantine, whose miracle was that he convened a council where the "correct books" "miraculously" appeared on a table -- the rest were burned.

So, the "agnostic" view is as valid as any other view. Nobody can be made to believe that what is un-knowable and outside the authority of any human being is actually true. This is a matter of inward feeling.

The value of the mystics is that they cry to us; "Yes, there is a higher power; a still small voice we should be listening to." And "yes we can be the change we want to see in this world." The rest is up to us and cannot and should not (and ultimately cannot) be imposed on anyone by any secular (human) power. Even one claiming to act in the name of G*d. Those who make such claims are speaking for an ineffable who has a history of rebuking people who presume to speak for H*m.

Thanks for reading

Holmes was a dective and a good one at that. If you want to know about hero's and thieves it is good to know about Captain Jack Sparrow!

http://www.andyskysea.blogspot.com/

I fully agree with David Saperstein's comment that we know nothing about any life after death, and I agree that the important thing is to live this physical life in the best possible way -- doing our best to make life better for others -- doing our best to take care of our little corner of the world. I believe that living this kind of life in the here and now is the right thing to do and is our best chance (not a gurantee) for peace and happiness.

Tjank you David.

As a Roman Catholic, I disagree on the notion that our good deeds are to be rewarded in this life. There are many texts (from the new Testament and the Saints of our Church) that go againts this assertion. Many Saints were slaughtered ignominously and that should be enough to discard the notion that good deeds mean good life by God's blessing. What would be our "life" post mortem? I tend to believe we could have no human notion of it. That does not stop me from believing that I, as a person, will survive death even though I do doubt that anything like the resurrection of the "bodies", proclaimed in some of the Sacred Scripture, makes any sense.

Rabbi Saperstein

as always you are the voice of reason and compassion and wisdom and spiritual elevation.

a belief in the afterlife does nothing to make a person more like you, or your equal in spiritual development.

Love
Henry