What is your concept of the soul?J'C: The soul is a myth created to sell religion and the god associated with it. It is based on convincing people their legacy is worthless, and that their only hope is that somehow things will be different after they die. Mostly this takes the form of god thinks you are worthless now, but after you die god will change herm mind and make you something worth while. A con as old as humanity. But the con men are good at their game and can con enough to make a living off the particular myth they are selling.
Seefan
The horrible thing about this con is that it is a self fulfilling prophesy about self worth. The person who buys into this con is convinced that their only hope is to believe in whatever God the con man is selling and that the pie in the sky after they die will taste better than the worthless wafers dispensed by the con man.
Thank you. I will take my chances with the people I love and who love me, at least I can talk to them, leave a few scribbles on the internet, and trust that I will make enough difference in enough lives that I will be remembered with love and perhaps even a quote or two that helped. The pie in the sky doesn't exist, but even if it did, it wouldn't taste any different from the pie I am making in my life while it exists.
3 comments:
I very much like the idea of the con game and perhaps there is a foundation for the game that may have been less insidious:
At the tribal level among primative humans, death was severely traumatic.
1. The sheer loss of an asset to the tribe; loss of a companion; loss of a mate; loss of a parent; loss of a "communicant"
2. Fear - A threat to the sense of safety and well-being
3. Horror and Repulsion - The process of decay; maggots and other carion
The dualistic notions probably arose as a naturally occurring response to the clash of memories, i.e., the deceased as a living person vs. the specter of death, and a response to the unquenchable desire to survive.
The escape route from death had to be "other-worldly" in nature because reality could not be effectively denied by any other means. The con came by those claiming knowledge of or control of the escape route; they became the self-proclaimed leaders of the quest for the after-life. [This was the beginning of the merger of church and state; it began as a partnership of two alpha males; one possessing strength and courage and the other acting, intentionally or unintentionally, as a manipulator of their tribe member's fears and superstitions.)
The way to beat the con the etiology of which you nailed is to celebrate the living. Certainly while they are alive, but just as important at death. A friend just died. He left instructions that there was to be no funeral or memorial, but a party. A party to celebrate the living and share what the living received from their interactions with the deceased.
The only difference between the con man and the maggot is the con man ate the mind and the memories. The maggot at least recycled the body.
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