Death is just the next step. Like going from a child to an adult. The only thing that leaves the body at death is the electricty that allowes us to think and gives us the ability to see, feel, hear, tast, reason, and so forth. It is this electricty I believe is our soul. God was the first and we follow him into the universe. Everywhere around us this electricty can be found. The magnetic field of the earth, photosynithisis in plants, light from the sun, even in the very rocks of the earth and all planets. When we die our electricity joins the pool and we flow not only throughout the world, but throughout the universe and thoughtout time itself. So we know all, even what has happened and will happen. It is why our next life dosn’t bother us about what is happening now. But I believe that what we do here and now is the key on how much energy we have when we leave. God’s 10 commandments are the key to this. Like if you steal something. The item you have stolen you may have, but the act of doing it takes some of your soul energy from you and gives it to the one you have stolen from. So that at death it depends on the strength of your soul as to the ability you can do.

When my nephew married in Monterey California I was sitting with my Mother and my Aunt on the grooms side of the church. My Sister had passed away when my nephew was thirteen. When my nephew and his bride turned to walk up the asile after exchanging vows, the doors of the church were opened and the noise of flapping wings could be heard. A pigeon flew the length of the church and landed on the grooms side of the church. I looked at my Mother and we both later agreed that my Sister had been there to see the third boy marrry. I believe it to this day.

Wow, It’s clear there are a wide variety of thoughts on this matter. Once again demonstrating how fun this website is. I am going to hit a couple of points and try to be brief. First, basically Catholics believes that provided you have lived your life according to God’s command, (which could include a death bed confession provided the pennetant is truly sorry. You cannot buy your way into heaven as the earlier note suggested. The sincerity of the confession is between that guy and God. God knows if he’s lying.) you shall have Everlasting Life with the Father and all who have gone before you. (For an AWESOME website check out Wordonfire.com) Second, as for comments about if its real or just something for the simple folks, I gotta tell ya’. Believe me, It’s called Faith. You have it or you don’t until perhaps at some point in your life you have a situation that calls you to question, or you have hit rock bottom,given that opportunity, it’s yes or no.(Does anyone remember how packed churches of all denominations were right after 9/11? Most of know where to go when things really get bad. I am Catholic. I went to Catholic schools. Had enough after highschool, and really stopped going to Mass until my first son was 3. I knew somehow I owed him the knowledge of the faith. Down the road life got tough, quite tough. I had a manic episode and begged for God to take me. He didn’t do that, thank God, he did however provide the answer that got me through…that’s when my religion became my faith. Same lines, I grew up in a very disfunctional alcoholic home. My father finally quit drinking as it turns out 18 months before he died. He had not spoken to my eldest sister nor my older brother for eight years. I went to Mass to pray and talk to the priest about what I could do to help bring peace. Got home handed my Dad a three page letter and left so he could take it in. When I returned, he never mentioned it ,,,Stubborn Irishman!! I gave up,,, figured I did my best. Eight weeks later,he was dying,,all eight of us were there. My sister decided to go into his room…they made peace. My brother went into his room. Three days later he died. Immediately upon return to Chicago, I went to Mass, with 4 priests on staff, I had a 25% shot of seeing the guy who had helped me. Sure enough..he said the Mass. At the end of chuch I stayed to thank him for his help. Now mind you its a Saturday morning Very slow day at Mass. We speak, another priest enters the back of the church. My priest says…”Oh, I bet this is the guy I’m supposed to meet.” They reach for each other to shake hands right in front of me… My priest says ” Hi, I’m Father Jerry Stone” the other guy says “Yeah, I’m Fr. Bob Downes That’s my Father’s name. Needless to say my faith was reenforced once again. Thanks for listening

I write a weekly humor column for my local paper. For years now, I’ve been sending off 750 words to my editor and leaving my web site info at the bottom of every column. I have never heard a word from anyone who has read the column. But still I write on week after week. I won an award two years ago from the press association. But that wasn’t what I want. I would like a reader to actually say something or write to my web site. I never hear a word. Am I practicing faith because I have no proof anybody reads it? Or are they practising faith that I will keep writing even if they never say a thing? Am I God to them or more likely, are they God to me? I don’t know. I don’t know if there is a God or what religion to be or even to be anything at all. If I were to pray that a syndicate would pick up my column, would it help my chances? I doubt it. I don’t know how to have faith, or if there is a heaven. If there is one, I want to see all my pets again. If my firstborn went to heaven will she be the infant she was when she died or will she have grown? Will my mother be as mean as when she was alive or will she be the person I always hoped she’d be? All these silly questions for an all too human need. The only thing I know is that we have our beliefs because we need them to survive our reality. If there is a God, there would be no heaven or hell, just pure love and acceptance of all no matter what they have done in this life. Everybody starts over clean. Except of course, for those who have inflicted the curse of reality shows upon us. May they serve another lifetime on PBS just to learn what they’ve done wrong.

I commented on Douglas Todd’s article, A Dialogue On Heaven, recently appearing in theVancouver, B.C. Sun newspaper. This is what I wrote about Todd’s subject similar to your, What Happens To Us After We Die? For the sake of clarity, its lengthy. But even with clarity, this falls incredulously on the minds of conventional thinkers. All religions are man-made. The christian religions appear to start with men having hallucinations they call visions where an angel of God, or God himself appears and tells them that they are chosen to save mankind by bringing the gospel of God to the people of the Earth. The person having the vision tells others about it and others believe it with awe and see him as a special spiritual being selected to represent God on earth. He then has more visions and the belivers of his stories become stronger in their belief, and more people are attracted to the story teller and his story. Then the story teller is directed by God or his angels what to do. And the story begins to unfold and evolve as a gospel, and the believing followers become pious and begin to believe more ardently and become missionaries and the number of followers continue to expand and in turn expand the number of followers. Over a long period of time this new religion takes many turns and tumbles and sometimes survives to become a substantially zealous and jealous spiritual movement. Each one of these movements becomes the only True Church of God. And, God help those who question and oppose it! Which God do they represent? The God of the churches who call themselves christian represent and worship a God that is obviously a tyrannical and hateful and discriminating God because of the past and current tyrannical and hateful and discriminating and destructive human condition. The most destructive human forces on Earth are politicians and clergy. They rank highest in the annals of arch-criminals. They have instigated and directed the worlds most horrible crimes and atrocities against humanity in the name of God throughout time immemorial - and continue to do so now in most places on earth. Death and Afterlife and Heaven and Hell, preoccupy humanities minds. This is further promoted and propagandized with myths by man made religions striving to gain power and control over people. Religionists, through ignorance or deliberate corruption, mislead people to believe falsely that there is an afterlife and a deity occupying space that will judge one’s life conduct and thereafter direct one’s ascending soul either to dwell in Heaven or suffer in Hell. That idea was plagiarized from the Greek Mysteries, as was the wonderful idea that ultimately evolved to become corrupted Christianity. I have no fear of death because one doesn’t know when one is dead. My concern is what I may have to endure getting there. All life of any nature begins dying the moment it spawns. Genetics and fortune has a lot to do with it. Also, unfortunately, the mind of humanity. Whatever the mind of humans can conceive it can and usually does believe. This heaps brutal misery upon humanity treading the stage of life. An adept of the Greek Greater Mysteries was called Crestos, translated Christ in English. A Crestos could rise to become an Epoptes, the “Beholder”, the highest order of the Greek Mysteries. There were few that attained this level of achievement. No written record of the Mysteries has yet been discovered. They were passed down through the ages by oral tradition. It was unlawaful to reveal anything about the mysteries to any uninitiated person. Conviction for disclosing meant death for the offender and the recipient. This law remained in effect for the lifetime of the Greek Mystery Religions from about 1800 BCE until the end of the third century CE. Christians plagiarized much from the Mysteries. That is why the early christians were persecuted and prosecuted. And anyone convicted of threatening the peace of the Roman Empire was cruxified The title Christ (Crestos) wasn’t attached to the Jesus movement until the 2nd century CE. Thereafter it was called the christian movement. Protestantism began with the breakaway from the Catholic church by the priest Martin Luther, in the 1500’s CE., the result of his protests of corruption in the church. Control of the Mysteries passed to the Romans when they annexed Athens in 146 BCE and adopted the Mysteries as their official state religion until Theodorius I declared the new christian religion the official state religion in 380 CE., bringing about the rise of catholicism (the Greek word for universal), and Papal Authority. Archaeologists and scholars have discovered enough remnants of the Mysteries through physical ruins, and in some ancient writings to enable them to piece together the main theme of their philosophy, rites, and traditions, allowing us to review them quite accurately. The initiation rites of the Lesser Mysteries were celebrated at the time of the Vernal Equinox, and the Greater Mysteries were celebrated during the Autumal Equinox. One or more dissenters in the mysteries initiated the knowledge that it’s consciousness that instills life. Without consciousness, animated life, especially, can’t exist. So, consciousness is the requisite of having life. And this was the beginning of what is now known as christianity. It is doubtful that the initiators of this knowledge were ever in the so-called Holy Land. But if they were aware of what humans have done to corrupt their simple, profound knowledge, they would be horrified. Humanity of course takes all simple things and compounds them to the point of confounding, and it becomes rare that anyone can understand what the thing is really about. Christianity falls heavily into this condition, and we are confronted with mostly falsehoods and myths misleading humans to believe and follow destructive concepts about life. Consciousness permeates all things. If not, there would be no life on planet earth. With this we begin to understand that “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made:” (kjv). All things are made through consciousness. What is the scource of consciousness? The universal dynamic energy. In our solar system, our Sun, called Apollo by the ancient Romans, assuredly has a great effect on consciousness. I’m convinced that the GOD the renown physicist Stephens Hawkins describes: “God is humanities attempt to explain the dynamic energies that formed and expands the universe,” is the real and only God. Where did that energy originate? Israeli Gardie, the author of the book, Garden of Pomegranates, claimed that the origin of the universe is unknown and unknowable to humanity. Hebrews call this unknowable origin, AIN; the unknowable energy preceding the first force of 1 (one); the energy emanating the energies Hawkins talks about. “We in our time are privileged to witness the birth of new stars, hundreds of light-years away, which helps us understand the immense power inherent in the universe working according to its own laws. When we look at the many cultures whose sages and philosophers have been occupied with solving the mysteries of the Unknowable that surround us, we find that the same conclusions have been reached. Vedic literature referred to “Nought Was” and later to Parabrahm (“beyond Brahm”), the Kabbalists to Ain (“nothing”) or Ain Soph (“without end,” “boundless”), and Genesis to the “Spirit” of God that moves upon the waters. In a 13th-century Kabbalistic commentary, The Gates of Light, we read: The depth of primordial being is called Boundless. Because of its concealment from all creatures above and below, it is also called NOTHINGNESS. If one asks “What is it?” the answer is, “Nothing,” meaning: no one can understand anything about it … except the understanding that it exists. Its existence cannot be grasped by anyone other than it. Therefore its name is “I AM BECOMING.” - quoted in The Essential Kabbalah, Daniel Matt, p. 67 We also find in the Kabbalah the idea that there is no such thing as an isolated existence: Everything is linked with everything else down to the lowest ring on the chain, and the true essence of God is above as well as below, in the heavens and on the earth, and nothing exists outside Him - quoted in Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, Gershom Scholem, p. 223” Why do I understand this? My natural knowing, common sense, confirmed by learned knowledge and logic and reason. The major concerns occupying all human minds are; where do I come from, why am I here, what is my purpose here, and what will happen to me when I die? “The Principle of Gender is in all things. The negative, or feminine pole of Gender is the one through which generation, i.e. production of new form energy and regeneration is manifested. When the female unites with the masculine a certain process is begun; the feminine particles vibrate rapidly under the influence of the masculine energy and circle rapidly round it. The result is the birth of a new atom or, in the case of humans, a new life is created. This dramatically changes the derogatory connotation of the words negative and feminine from that of inherent weakness to The Mother Principle of the Universe. “The part the masculine plays is to direct a certain inherent energy toward the feminine, thus starting the creative process. The feminine is the one who does the active creative work. This is so with all life. Yet each, the masculine and feminine, are incapable of operating without the assistance of the other. The masculine initiates, the feminine completes.” Jesus Christ, according to the Christian religion’s Christ myth, was born of their Virgin Mary who conceived him through immaculate means by the grace of God (ie: without having sex with a male) and he is therefore the son of God. The figure of Jesus Christ, the myth, originally represented the consciousness of God. Mary symbolizes the Mother Principle of the universe, the path of descent of generation and regeneration. Joseph symbolizes the masculine and represents the positive charge that excites the feminine particles to vibrate rapidly under the influence of the masculine energy, resulting in the birth of a new atom or, as noted above, in the case of humanity, a new life is created. Everything in the organic world manifests both genders; for that matter, in humans the separation of the two is only in genital and hormonal differences. Sex is the manifestation of the Principle of Gender on the physical plane of life. Here we have the separate male and female forms. Copulation between them is the only natural means for bringing about the generation and regeneration of the species. The power of Gender is the strongest force in the universe. This explains the dynamic sex drive and activity present in humans. It rewards with pleasure. But copulation as we know it plays a fractional part in the role of the Principle of Gender. From the foregoing it is clearly apparent that humans are the biological effect of a biological cause. We originate in the twinkle of our daddy’s eyes. While in gestation, a fetus is a parasitic growth within it’s host mother. It is incapable of conscious thought, having yet no mind. It responds only to stimuli from it’s autonomic nervous system; and apart from its genetically stored memory, at birth its mind is empty, waiting to be filled with life’s teaching and experiences. CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE, AND LIVE WHAT THEY LEARN. When a Newborn takes it’s FIRST BREATH, oxygen activates it’s brain and it is animated by the lifeforce of God’s energy and awakens to the Christ Consciousness. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, AND BREATHED INTO HIS NOSTRILS THE BREATH OF LIFE; AND MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” Refer to the Old Testament Book of Genesis, Ch.2: V 7.1 (kjv). Spirit: Intelligence laden God consciousness. Soul: One’s genetic inheritance. Ego: One’s astrological/mathematical programing; the “I”. Alter Ego: One’s name(s) qualities and environmental programing and conditioning; the “Me”. (Throughout this letter, I use the word God interchangeably with the words Lord, the universal energy and consciousness, and the Lifeforce.) When a life can no longer sustain consciousness, death replaces it and its consciousness is re-absorbed in the universe. The lifeforce, consciousness of God is inextinguishable. In this sense we never die. But our life entity is something we will never live again. Live well, and in full measure. In corroboration of the above, the following factual events demonstrate that without consciousness a human is not a person. While in gestation, a fetus’ brain is forming along with other parts of its body. But the fetus does not acquire a mind until it is endowed with the lifeforce and awakens to consciousness to become a person. It is imperative that one have a brain, which is a transceiver necessary for receiving and transmitting consciousness. This is the requisite for living. “Anencephalic babies are born without brains. This is not exactly a rare occurrence. One recently born anencephalic could wiggle her fingers and kick her feet, but she had no mental abilities. She died ten days after being born. These babies have only an open skull and a brain stem, a small bud at the top of the spine that controls basic functions such as heartbeat and breathing. “Eike Kluge, former director of ethics and legal affairs for the Canadian Medical Association, argues the mere existence of a functioning body does not make a person a person. Saying he agrees with medieval theologians such as ST. AUGUSTINE. Kluge said, Personhood requires the existence of CONSCIOUS AWARENESS, which takes place in the HIGHER BRAIN CENTERS.” A high court in Vancouver hearing a complaint of manslaughter against two midwives ruled that a fetus is not a person until it becomes conscious. This ruling exonerated the midwives. The benefit I find in the New Testament Bible (kjv) is a concentrated mother-lode of human wisdom that, if one can extract it accurately and except that which is not pertinent today, can contribute well to one’s understanding of how to negotiate safely through life’s minefield; the mines being humans. I think the Books of St. Matthew and St. John are the most fertile. Matthew emulates the initial preparatory cleansing rites of the Lesser Greek Mystery initiation which prepared the canidate for the Greater Mystery Rites, a step in becoming a Crestos, a person attaining higher consciousness and understanding. Cleansing in the Mystery Rites included immerion in water, i.e. baptism; and fasting, prayer, sacriface, and feasting. “The Temptation of Jesus”, the title of Chapter 4 of St. Matthews marks the beginning of the rites of the Greater Mysterys which are disclosed in the “Sermon on the Mount” and the succeeding three chapters. These probably give a fairly accurate account of the actual teachings of the Mysteries as they were practiced. This being the case, one can readily understand why the early Christians were prosecuted for disclosing the rites to the uninitiated. The remaining twenty eight chapters of St. Matthew appear to emulate the teachings of the highest order of the Mysteries, the order of epopteia, “beholding”. Only a few people attained this highest degree of the Greek Mysteries. The fictitious story inventing Jesus Christ, THE SYMBOL OF CONSCIOUSNESS, is interwoven throughout the Book of St. Matthew along with the Christian adaptation of the plagiarized rites and dogma of the Mysteries. The Book of St. John reflects a more independent thought about the nature of God and God’s role in the universe than the author(s) of St. Matthew demonstrate. I think the author(s) of St. John was well versed in the ORIGINAL Christian concept of God, and more honest in his effort to explain it. It was a simple and pure concept which I will attempt to reconstruct for you. But like all simple things with humans, the original became so corrupted and complicated by infusion of interpertations and contrived stories that very few can now understand it. The invention of Jesus Christ really complicated it and, as happens to all stories, each teller of the tale added their own version to it. The following is what I think was the foundation of the original Christian concept. St. John begins by saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” I think the last phrase originally read, “and the Word is God”: It likely was later changed to the past tense. God, i.e. consciousness, is still with us. So why the past tense? John said, “The same was in the beginning with God”, which means the source of the universe is unknown and unknowable to humans. I’m going to rearrange the sequence of St. John’s opening remarks slightly to clarify what he is leading up to. St. John said, “GOD IS SPIRIT, Ch. 4 Ver 23; (KJV), it is spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: The WORDS that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are LIFE”. He said, “In him was life; and the life was the light (consciousness) of men” - the brackets are mine. “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world: And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not”. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (consciousness). If you continue in my WORD, then are ye my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE.” So, in combination with “God is Word” which is intelligence carried on consciousness, St. John has told us that until there is life to receive consciousness, consciousness remains static; “and the darkness comprehended it not.” But consciousness is always there waiting to be activitated by a new life. When a Newborn takes its first breath, oxygen activates its brain and it is animated by the lifeforce of God’s energy and awakens to Consciousness, i.e. God’s light; and “Jesus”, shines through our brain and our whole body becomes a receptacle of conscious intelligence and becomes mind. And we begin to comprehend that, “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” All things are made through consciousness and are therefore divine. Though all things are divine, writing and making physical things has to be done by humans. This brings us back to the Word. God’s intelligence flows through us when we think. From this intelligence we create images in our minds and our words describe them. Words create our environment. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” St. Matthew ch.4, ver.4 (kjv). It is only through thought (consciousness) that anything can be made. Thought activates intelligence and gives it impetus. Our thoughts are God’s Angels. Through our words we send God’s Angels forth to do our bidding. “Do ye not yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart (mind); and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adultery, fornications, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: For as he thinketh in his heart (mind) so is he.” St. Matthew ch 15, ver. 17 to 19 (kjv). God’s, the Lord’s, the Lifeforce’s, (all synonymous), intelligence is a dichotomy. What is considered good is called God. What is called evil is named Lucifer, that ole devil called Satan. All borne on God’s intelligence. All religions are comprised of a lot of gobbledegook, missing the simple relationship between all life and the animating Divine Spirit (consciousness) called God. And without God nothing would exist. Separation from God happens when animated life containing a brain are born and take their first breath of oxygen laden air instilling the christ consciousness endowing Free Will. Non-animated life is never separated from God because it doesn’t have a brain to serve as a transceiver to send and receive intelligence, rendering it incapable to express Free Will. Animated life is re-united with God when it dies and its consciousness is re-absorbed into the universal energy (consciousness) called God. God doesn’t control humanity. Humanity controls itself; called free will. God doesn’t protect humanity. Humanity needs to protect itself. God doesn’t respond to humanities supplications. But humanity can respond to God’s intelligence flowing through humanities brains. And therein lies the power of the Lords Prayer: “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathens do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into tempation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” St. Matthew 6; vers. 5,through 13. King James version. It is well established that God helps only those who help themselves; including getting into other people’s pocketbooks. Teach not to rely on some unseen apparition to come to one’s aid in time of need when one offers up a prayer of supplication. There is no unseen deity out there to come to one’s aid. The aid comes through one’s consciousness in the form of God’s intelligence. It is intelligence that aids one in taking action that will assist one out of one’s predicament if escape is possible. Clergy teach that when God fails to respond to prayer it is his will for you to suffer. Baloney! What it really means is; you made an irreversible mistake or you were made a victim by persons or circumstances. The Principle of Correspondance embodies the truth that there is a correspondance between our thoughts, words, and actions. When mind focuses on an object, subject, or condition, it attracts its corresponding likeness such as harmony, discord, agreement, disagreement, love, hate, courage, fear, wealth, poverty, wellness, sickness, construction, and destruction. All have their origin in Mind. The Lord’s Prayer is powerful. It opens one’s mind to receive God’s intelligence and one agrees to use it as received. It asks guidance for earning one’s daily sustenance, and self-forgiveness for one’s debts as one forgives others for their trespasses. It turns one’s back on temptation and asks for delivery from evil. This is important because God’s intelligence contains all, good and evil. God’s intelligence is a dichotomy. Good is called God and evil is called Lucifer that old devil called Satan. Christians call him God’s brother. Actually, it is one and the same. Lastly, one acknowledges where one’s intelligence comes from, giving recognition to its source, the power, and the glory of it, and that it is inextinguishable. It ends with agreement of acceptance, So be it! The words For Ever are profound. Eternity has an ending, but For Ever has no ending. Catholics end prayer with the salutation, In the name of the Father, which is God the source of intelligence, the Son Jesus Christ, the symbol of consciousness, and the Holy Ghost, implying a ghost is hovering over one, which is actually one’s conscience. The Holy Ghost is conscience, an intrinsic quality of the lifeforce of God. Conscience is, “The sense of awareness of moral right and wrong with respect to one’s own conduct or intentions, including the feeling that one ought to do what is right.” Canadian Gage Dictionary. Conscience is a natural endowment in all humans that activates when one enters puberty. It is one’s natural knowing of right from wrong. Again, God’s intelligence is a dichotomy, good and evil. One has the ability to discern which is which. Good is anything that benefits one without imposing harm on anyone or thing. Evil is anything that harms anyone or thing even though it benefits one personally. This applies physically, mentally, emotionally, and materially. “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.” St. Matthew 12, v. 31 (kjv). It is the greatest sin because when one acts contrary to the dictates of one’s conscience one blasphemys the Holy Ghost and, resultantly, one makes distressing mistakes. Conscience makes an indelible record of one’s deeds. Even though one may succeed in closing the door against it rising into one’s conscious thoughts, nevertheless it is there producing retribution. The vexing aspect of Christianity is; it teaches myths as actuality, fraudulently claiming there is an entity, GOD, floating somewhere in space who created a son and had him tortured on a cross to save humanity from having committed an original sin by disobeying and separating from him, and therefore need to suffer and repent to be redeemed to him; His son, having been born as a result of an immaculate conception and cruxified, was to redeem humankind. First of all, there was no original sin and separation or, as its called, the fall of man. The fall is when we’re born and endowed with conscious free will. The Garden of Eden story is the analogy of human growth and development: “So God created humans, male and female, and gave us dominion over every living thing that moves upon the earth. The male was named Adam, and the female was named Eve. And they were naked. God told them they could remain in the Garden of Eden and eat of the fruit of its trees, except the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the Garden:”, meaning our genitals. “The serpent, (the Kundalini - the spinal cord attached to the brain) who was more learned than any beast of the field which God had made, said unto Eve, “yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Eve said, “we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit which is in the midst of the garden, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” And the serpent said unto Eve, “ye shall surely not die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as Gods.” (Have ability to create new life, know good from evil, and become responsible). The age of responsibility, i.e. knowing good from evil, in some cultures begins at the age of eight. In others it begins at the age of twelve. The age of responsibility actually coinsides with the beginning of puberty. “When Eve saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to Adam, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew they were naked. When God discovered they had eaten of the forbidden tree, he was angry, and sent them out of the garden to till the ground as adolescents, and thence as adults.” This act by Adam and Eve is regarded by Christians and Jews to be the original sin, or fall of man, and the cause for human need to suffer pain and repent and be redeemed. I assure you, there was no original sin, and there is no need for repenting or being redeemed because the story is an analogy of human growth and development, beginning with conception, then infancy, childhood, puberty, adolescence, and adulthood. The trees represent these stages of our development. The serpent enticer (the awakening of the Kundalini) and the tree in the midst of the garden, and eating of the fruit, is symbolic of our awakening to sexual urges when we reach the development stage of puberty. The Garden of Eden was not a physical place. It represents a period of mental and physical growth and development. IT IS THE PLACE OF CHILDHOOD. When we reach puberty, and thence adolescence and on into adulthood we can no longer remain in the garden. Our eyes are open. When we first experience the exhilarating pleasure of sex and orgasm, this is the act of eating from the forbidden tree in the midst of the garden. We must then go forth to till the ground, i.e. assume responsibility and earn our own livelihood. So humans don’t need redemption. Secondly, the fallacy of immaculate conception is like the myth of contracting gonorhea. It can’t be gotten off a toilet seat. And thirdly, spirituality is FREE!!!! Every human, as well as everything else in the universe, is spiritual. If not, we wouldn’t be here. But humans are here, not from a divine source, but from the cause and effect of the twinkle in our daddy’s eyes. We’ve recently passed the Christian Easter celebrating the death of a mythical young man who was sent here to be tortured. Christians learned well about torture. They have continued torturing humanity ever since, claiming that humanity must suffer and be redeemed. For what?? In answer to the question how to live life while dying, I’ve devoted myself to saving me. To achieve this end, I live as well, active and healthily, as I can, and will for as long as I can. I really enjoy living. But, when I can no longer remain healthy and live independently I want to go down the tube quietly and quickly while my consciousness is re-absorbed into the universe. I’m now a Rat in Chinese lore. I wonder what I will consciously manifest after my present consciousness is re-absorbed by the universe. I hope it will be a Vancouver, B.C. Granville Island Seagull. I encourage people to stop believing and open their minds to enable them to understand things of these interests: To take charge of their minds and rid themselves of guilt, fear, and worry. When one believes, one imprisons one’s mind denying one freedom to learn and understand. (The Prophet Muhammad said, “The World is a prison house for a believer, and paradise for a non-believer.”) We don’t have to fear going to Hell when we die, we’re already in Heaven. The only purpose for one being alive is to experience living. Live well and happily. Jonn Mick Vancouver, B.C.

Ahh…one of, if not the deepest of all subject matter that could be discussed, spiritual. Here’s a thought-provoking question as an answer to the question raised. In the Bible David is said by God to be “a man after his own heart.” All of what’s said about him relative to his relationship with God certainly would indicate he had God’s favor, despite his mistakes. So if he had God’s favor or was considered good in God’s eyes, why does it say at Acts 2:34 that David didn’t ascend to heaven? Have a GREAT day.

Hare krishna, hare krishna, hare rama, hare hare. Close your eyes, look within, listen to the sounds of the universe therein. It happens in silence. If you put words to it, already you have lost it, like pouring an ocean into a teacup. We are incapable of expressing the infinite. Lily was so on it when she said, “think of the universe as one big organism. We’re all just part of the same immense, infinite organism and we’re just one little cell, or one little atom that goes into another manifestation.” But sit in silence and listen to the depths within, and you will know all there is to know. There will be no way to say it, because words won’t hold it; there will be no way to teach it because it can only be experienced. The problem with any organized religion is that the potential of abuse of this most sacred of experiences has too often and too predictably been lived out. Be still, it is in the silence.

Religion aside, someone answer please answer this question that I believe is at the crux of what happens when we die: On the much-accepted scientific threory that we humans are energy and on the other scientific fact that energy can’t be destroyed, what then???

Matter and energy constantly are in flux, transforming each into the other.

Whewwwwwwww I feel smacked in the face with my very first comment that I read a series of books to help me understand a book in the bible. Those books I read may have been fiction, but were written from very concise outlines of the bible which were done by a highly recognized and respected minister. In my opinion, and mine only of course, the way each person interprets the bible or their own religion is personal. If I wanted to believe that my spirit becomes a monkey or a gorilla after I pass on, then that is my belief. So be it. But of course I don’t believe that. I know that I will be one of God’s angels. And I know that my body will become dust and I will live in spirit and not in body for eternity. But am I fearful of dying. You bet! I have had two massive heart attacks, 6 bypasses; surgery and later the x-knife radiology surgery for a massive brain tumor after going blind in one eye and partially in the other eye. Each time my chances of survival were about 10%. Then why did I survive? Sure I had the best surgeons, but I like to think it is because I was blessed by my God. I wasn’t LUCKY as some have said. Dang it, it was something much more than that. It just wasn’t my time to go. I believe my Lord determines the very day I must leave to sit beside him. But that still doesn’t still my quaking knees about dying. I have to use a joking manner to get through knowing I will be dying at some point. I say “just think that mean old Mrs. Jones down the road will die someday too so she has nothing on you babe”. That’s my personal way of coping. I admit I went through battles with myself doubting God and questioning God and even to the point of almost denying religion at one point. But each time I was pulled back to the fold. God was summoning me for bigger and better things. This site is a wonderful avenue for everyone to express their view. It should not be used as a battleground to attempt to tell someone their beliefs are wrong or right. Religion is personal! I plan on being a spirit that hangs around for a while. I want to see how many people talk about me and see what mean things they say. HA HA HA Kay, I enjoy your posts. You are definitely an inspiration to me. I’m glad some of us aren’t not afraid to speak of the you know ….. G-O-D thing. :)

Oh sister, we do go on. Don’t we? Heaven, hell, life after death, here and now is what matters. Whether you believe or not, does it really matter right now, at this moment, in this second of your life? What I think is important is living an ethical, moral life with value in every day decisions. We all make them, and we all have to face our habits in one way or another. My choice is to believe very intensely in the hereafter, but I don’t wait around for it to happen. I’m busy trying to live my every moment the best I possibly can. Today will I make good decisions or bad? This morning will I eat the healthy breakfast, the one that is good for my body or will I choose to start off the day being not so smart? It’s all karma, the law of cause and effect cannot be pushed away. Do the right thing, make the right choices, you get the best results—someday. Be kind, be helpful, be thoughtful, be strong, be bold, be mindful and be loving to those who would not otherwise know love. My children—I love you more than words can say. And I know in my heart and soul that my creator loves us all equally and without question. Be the best you can be. That’s all the creator asks. Just think of it, would a mother toss her child into a pit to burn eternally or would a mother race to the child, lovingly rescue it from the pit, and show it the light of love and caring help? That is what I believe the creator is all about. The hell fire and brimstone is just metaphor, and the blind still lead the blind. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Can anyone tell me what verse in the bible tells us that we are going to become “God’s angels” when we die? I hear that so often….and really wonder where that traditional, but comforting view comes from?