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**Skepticologist** · 05-02-2008, 06:58 PM

This post has predictably meandered its way far afield from the original proposition, i.e. what do you think about heaven and hell?

My initial question is, WHICH heaven and WHICH hell? Is it the Christian concept of heaven with gates or pearl and streets of gold for heaven, and the lake that burns eternally with fire and brimstone for hell? Or is it the Muslim concept of heaven as a place where you've got 70 nubile virgins at your disposal (great if you're male; of dubious value if you're female, since "virgin" denotes someone with insufficient experience in carnal undertakings to give you much of a buzz); and I'm not sure what their corollary concept of hell is. Or some other concept among the thousands that have been proposed over the years; indeed, the thousands and/or millions of years that humankind has been cogitating on such matters?

The problem with this line of reasoning is that we've been conditioned to consider all possibilities from a cause-and-effect perspective. Life is the cause, and what is the effect?

But maybe there is no effect of life. Maybe we just live it, for better or worse, according to whatever principles define good and bad for us, and then we die, and that's it. Those among the living we leave behind will doubtless continue to noodle the meaning of life and/or existence and, depending on what concept they choose to accept, they'll die with a certain expectation of an afterlife that will almost certainly not materialize.

Much as I'd like to understand the meaning of life and the effect of the way I live my life in this mortal realm, I've got not one clue to lead me to understand it.

So, like any real agnostic, I'll just admit I don't know and look forward to a time after I die when I will know . . . or not.

05-02-2008, 06:58 PM	#27 (permalink)
Skepticologist Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 456	WAY off track This post has predictably meandered its way far afield from the original proposition, i.e. what do you think about heaven and hell? My initial question is, WHICH heaven and WHICH hell? Is it the Christian concept of heaven with gates or pearl and streets of gold for heaven, and the lake that burns eternally with fire and brimstone for hell? Or is it the Muslim concept of heaven as a place where you've got 70 nubile virgins at your disposal (great if you're male; of dubious value if you're female, since "virgin" denotes someone with insufficient experience in carnal undertakings to give you much of a buzz); and I'm not sure what their corollary concept of hell is. Or some other concept among the thousands that have been proposed over the years; indeed, the thousands and/or millions of years that humankind has been cogitating on such matters? The problem with this line of reasoning is that we've been conditioned to consider all possibilities from a cause-and-effect perspective. Life is the cause, and what is the effect? But maybe there is no effect of life. Maybe we just live it, for better or worse, according to whatever principles define good and bad for us, and then we die, and that's it. Those among the living we leave behind will doubtless continue to noodle the meaning of life and/or existence and, depending on what concept they choose to accept, they'll die with a certain expectation of an afterlife that will almost certainly not materialize. Much as I'd like to understand the meaning of life and the effect of the way I live my life in this mortal realm, I've got not one clue to lead me to understand it. So, like any real agnostic, I'll just admit I don't know and look forward to a time after I die when I will know . . . or not. __________________ "I am an agnostic; I do not pretend to know what many ignorant men are sure of." Clarence Darrow