RELIGION (6) - Is anybody there? (6) Humankind's time

Human has the time between birth and death.

Archaic Judaism believed in a place called Sheol. This place is for the shadows, as in the Greek mythology the realm of Hades. Sheol does not equal to Hell – souls are not suffering, this is a place for the speechless who is still as death. In the scripture it is emphasized that God is the God of the Living and not the Dead. As it is written in Psalm 115:17 “It is not the dead who praise the Lord , those who go down to silence” And in Psalm 88: 10-12 the questions: “Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do those who are dead rise up and praise you? Selah, Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction? Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?” The standpoint is obvious: the living must deal with the things of life and not the things before or after life. 

 

Christians believe the life is an invitation for participating in God's plan. Death results in interim judgments, whether the soul goes to the Heaven, the Purgatory or the Hell. The Last Judgment will decide whether the soul will eternally see God – or never, as casted out in the outer darkness. 

Islam teachings are about Seven Skies (Jannah ~ Heaven); the highest level of Paradise being the Firdaws where the prophets and martyrs, and the most truthful and pious people will dwell. Also, those sacrificing themselves for Islam get instant salvation. 

Taoism and Confucianism deal with things of life such as morals and good government. Hinduism’s core point is reincarnation. It is worth mentioning that it is always the body that let the soul go, and not the other way around. The soul cannot leave the body; if it wants do die, first it needs to destruct the body. The progress in human life aims to get out of the circle of reincarnation. Those who do not need a rebirth but still come back to help others called Bodhisattvas. Currently only one loka (world) is open, namely the human world, so people can reincarnate only in this world. The reason for the growing world population is the quickening samsara (the repeating cycle of life, birth and death), and the only possible way of reincarnation. According to the Hindu mythology at the creation God had separated one part of him and this part split into 14 billion particles, 14 billion God's sparkles.  

 

The eastern ascetics aims to prepare for death and the life after death, shortening the time of suffering because of physical desires in the previous life. The main point is therefore the self-determination; there is only cause and effect. Buddhism is similar, but there is no belief in an eternal soul and in self-independence from the rest of the universe. According to Buddha the thinker ceases to exist, but the idea remains, those who feel decease but the feeling remains, actors decease but actions remain. This is like ideas, feelings and actions would be energies, separating once but one day uniting they would reconstruct another human being.  

You may want to check out the Wachowskis' film on the idea.

  

“Men live and die for an idea,
But the idea is immortal.
You can persecute it, judge it, forbid it, condemn it to death,
But the idea continues to live in the minds of men….
He whom it penetrates no longer feels isolated,
For above all the idea remains…..”

NOTE: In the Mahayana Buddhism they pray for the dead for 49 days after passing away, 49 being the estimated time it takes for the spirit to be reborn again into a new life. Some spirits are reborn 3 days, 21 days, 49 days or 100 days after death, and in some cases even 7 years.

RELIGION (6) - Is anybody there? (4)

Sophists considered thinking an endless process. It can only be stopped by applying value judgements, a characteristic of social studies. Having an opinion means stopping the process and having a view, having a standpoint. This also means that the rational process of thinking is interrupted by emotions, so we feel we have an opinion and we feel it right and true. 

Religions begin with an axiom – the teachings of a Great Spirit are unquestionable. Scientific thinking, however, aims cognition that is making known the unknown; the motivation being the eagerness for knowledge. This also means that every theorem must be provable and confutable. Therefore there is no absolute truth in science. In contrast, religious thinking cannot result in confuting the axiom. The religious truth is not proven but revealed and it is valid through acceptance. In religious thinking the result is sure (predetermined), which is the proving of one of the postulate. So, science is about how the world is, and religion is about how the world should be – as pointed out by Descartes.

There are phenomena which cannot be described or explained by rational means or in a combinative-logic way. In these cases come emotions handy. Since emotions such as mythicism, magic, vision, calling (of God), intuition, dream, interpretation, symbols, tantric representations, mantras, along with deliberately abandoning rationality, and prayers literally are irrational. However, teachings should be considered false if 1. they alienate the disciple from his inherent culture (since it is not a coincidence he was born in that culture); 2. they make the disciple haughty; 3. they do not require spiritual and moral efforts. Similarly, teacher should be considered a swindler, if 1. he accepts everyone who pays the fee, and does not select among students; 2.he makes the disciple dependent on him and kneel before him, and not before God; 3. he prohibits doubts and humor; 4. he keeps chasing up followers and does not wait for disciples coming themselves.

Thinking aims for objectivity and strives to separate the subject (who recognizes) and the object (what is recognized). Emotions are subjective reactions to recognized phenomena. Characteristics of emotions: 1. their opposite is the unconcern, the opt-out; 2. they are not ruled by human will; 3. they do not emerge on a logic base; 4. for emotions chronology does not count; 5. their strengths do not depend on the objective importance or significance of the occurrence; 6. so, emotions have their own subjective laws. 

image credit: skoften.net

RELIGION (6) - Is anybody there? (3)

MYTHS are stories important for a group of people and for a religion. 

The collection of myths is called Mythology. In archaic times myths were considered the calling of the spiritual world.

The human answers to myths are CULTS. For instance, the myth of the resurrection is followed by the feast of the unleavened bread, as a rite, as a cult. We can say that a group of people has a culture, if they deeply live their myths and cults. On the other hand there is only barbarity, where people consider myths and cults as fables. Cults accompany man throughout his life. Their function is, first of all, to reinforce individual and social identities. 

Usually, there are 4 main stages in human life: birth, maturity – end of the childhood, marriage – establishing one's own family, death. All of them have their own cults. For instance, a boy to be considered adult man needs to meet requirements, such as being able to look after his family, self-control, ability to endure spiritual and mental shocks, and to keep quiet. In our days, however, there is no interest in myths; cults disappeared, traditions fading away. It is difficult to reach adulthood in such a well-organized kindergarten as our society – as said by an American sociologist. Therefore, there is growing need for mental and spiritual support, usually to be found within closed small communities. These communities tell you what to believe in and how to live. Polytheist pagan cults demanded their followers to live the fullness of life, including all hidden and extreme opportunities. 

In the MYSTERY everybody actively participated and the goal was an altered state of mind and going beyond the limits of civil life. Thus, this belief sometimes resulted in orgies or ritual killings. Later, the Judeo-Christian monotheist religious ethics prohibited living the extremities of life, the core category becoming compunction and remorse. 

Polytheist believers eased their remorse caused by upsetting one of the deities by praying for another for defence. In contrast, monotheism is characterized by totalitarianism. God is Almighty and Omniscient and therefore cannot be misled or deceived, God looks into the hearts. Remuneration and punishment are at his discretion. Core categories are: sin, compunction, atonement, purification or catharsis, salvation, redemption and damnation. 

RELIGION (6) - Is anybody there? (2)

2.1 In religions only God is INFINITE.

Everything apart from God has an end. The expanding space had a beginning, and so had the substance. Before the Big Bang there was the absolute Nothing, which means there was zero energy. This scientific approach seems to get closer to the religious way of thinking, that is, God created the world from nothing. The world started with the Logos. In the religious world view there are sacred and profane spaces.

Spaces becoming sacred through Revelations or Recognition (and even by human consecration). In general, people love to live near to sacred places, and they also love religious feasts. In fact, civil people created sacred places for themselves too. For instance, sacred are the place of birth, the schools, their home, and the most sacred is their bed. It requires great emotional proximity to get somebody else into your bed. Similarly, there are national commemorations, festivals and there are profane celebrations such as birthdays, name days.


2.2 TIME comes from the infinity and goes to the infinity. There are 2 theories; we can speak about circular time and linear time. The first is a characteristic of Far Eastern cultures. For instance, in Buddhism there is an era of water, fire, earth and air. In the Old Testament, however, the linear time theory comes back, but in this case the time has an end.



There is the God's plan, in what and for the realization of the Humankind joins forces with God.


Anyway, God's given us the freedom of choice. Such a freedom is the core point of the Existentialism too. However, according to this philosophy there is a passion for freedom, and this passion emerged through choices and decisions, and when people are free to choose, they choose themselves, and they are fighting to the death for this property.