Life and death and life

I ran across a journal this morning about the afterlife. Got me thinking.

The original journal was a vehement fire-and-brimstone mix of Pascal's Wager and your basic "heathens will burn in hell" message. Basically: "It's my way or the highway ... to hell, so stick that in your pipe and smoke it you nasty heathen you". Nice, huh?

Anyway, she made a big point of the fact that no one actually knows for sure what happens after death.

Well, duh. That's been one of mankind's biggest philosophical discussions since we were hanging out in caves with clubs trying to figure out how to control fire.

Of course no one knows for sure what happens after death. I have my personal ideas and so do you.

I might not agree with them, but I respect your right to your views - Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, atheistic, whatever. You are - thankfully - free to believe whatever you'd like. As am I.
I might, personally, find it hard to believe that there is a giant dining hall in the clouds where brave vikings are served mead by buxom wenches ... or that the worlds heroes end up lounging lazily in the Elysian Fields ... but if that is what someone believes to be the case, I'm okay with that.

Caveat: As long as you don't hurt others. Eg: If you think you need to kill people to make it into your heaven or abuse children to please your god or burn things down to ease your transition to a new plane or something like that ... then I'd have a problem.
But as along as your ideas don't hurt others, we're shiny.

As has been pointed out: No one knows. Who am I to say that my ideas are better than theirs? I think I'm right. You think you are right. They think they're right. It's highly unlikely that anyone is going to forcibly change anyone else's mind.

So, what's left?

We could kill each other over it. Or we can accept that my way is not the only way and try to get along like civilized folk.

It would seem that, throughout history, mankind has consistently chosen the first option. I think it's time to give the second one a try.

"There is no conclusive evidence of life after death. But there is no evidence of any sort against it. Soon enough you will know. So why fret about it? " ~ Robert Heinlein
"Life after death is as improbable as sex after marriage." ~ Mrs. White, "Clue"