Stop Sweating the Afterlife

Most people harbor a tremendous fear of death because they fear the unknown. They dread the potential of a protracted, painful death, a tortuous death, and specifically, what will happen when transitioning from this life to somewhere, or some place.

Religious dogma is at the forefront of all the intimidation and has been the main protagonist going back a couple of millenia. Certainly, no one wants to burn eternally, or be habitually bitten by scorpions, or the dreaded, "gnashing of teeth."

Allow me to elaborate on the aforementioned religious bromide. What the hell (pardon the pun) is "gnashing of teeth?" So I looked it up:

The biblical phrase, there will be "weeping and gnashing of teeth" has engendered fear into generations of "believers." It's associated with being "cast into outer darkness" and rejection or separation from God. It's a favorite of "hell-fire and brimstone" ministers, often quoted as a fear tactic that is bellowed right before the collection plate is passed around.

The Greek word that is translated as “gnashing” is from a word that means “to bite” and describes the snarling of a wild animal as it attacks. In all of the passages where the Greek terms for gnash or gnashing are used in the New or Old Testament, it's always used in regards to anger, rage, pain or anguish.

So whatever occurs that causes "gnashing" you can bet it has everything to do with severe pain and discomfort.

OK, now that I've prompted a few readers to seriously consider going to church next Sunday, let me get back to the theme of this article.

What are the two concepts that most religions agree on?

1. That we are Eternal Beings.
2. We are made in the image of God

Can I get an Amen? OK, sorry, I'll leave out the sarcasm. We are Eternal Beings, which means we live eternally. Therefore, your immortality would not have begun on your date of birth nor will it end on your date of transition. Immortality is the ability to live forever, or put another way, it is an immunity from death. *

The disagreement lies in, where will we spend eternity, in Heaven or Hell? "Made in the image of God" certainly doesn't pertain to a physical likeness, it would be a spiritual image based on energy.

If you ask a quantum physicist, "What created the World?", she is likely to tell you "Energy." Ask the quantum physicist to describe energy and she'll say something to this effect:

• Energy can never be created or destroyed.
• Energy always was and always has been.
• Energy is always moving into form, through form and out of form.

Now, if you ask a theologian, "What created the Universe?," he is likely to tell you "God". Ask him to describe God and he will probably say:

• God can never be created or destroyed.
• God always was and always has been.
• God is always moving into form, through form and out of form.

The descriptions are identical. The difference would be the definition of God would include a reference to love, compassion, and forgiveness.

The human definition, from a fundamentalist viewpoint, is that yes, God is Love, but he's also "vengeful," "punishing," "judgmental," and "jealous." The bible also depicts God as a "sacrificial killer," and a "facilitator of infanticide." The latter accusation comes from the biblical "Passover" allegory. It goes something like this:

Despite numerous warnings, Pharaoh refused to heed God's command. God sent upon Egypt ten devastating plagues, afflicting them and destroying everything from livestock to crops. The last of the ten plagues on the Egyptians, killing all their firstborn, while sparing the children of Israel, "passing over" their homes. This is the essence of what Passover is about, and the basis for the Jewish holiday referred to as "Passover."

This biblical story also plays a major role in the "fear of God" and the fear of death, or "God's wrath."

Regardless of your religious or spiritual beliefs, regardless of your religious affiliation, there's only one Creator. If you're an Atheist, then you're more inclined to lean toward Darwin's theory of evolution or the "Big Bang" theory. If this is the case, then you probably would not harbor such a tremendous fear of death because your thoughts are, you came from nothing and nothing shall you return.

Therefore, the focus is back on the fear of your earthly demise, and why it is so unnecessary. Look around you; look at the 6 o'clock news; look at all the stress, crime, pestilence, wars for profit, foreclosures, homelessness, racial hatred, homophobia, the list of maladies goes on and on. The tragic elements that make up this world is definitely something to fear. However, the risk of life and sanity on this planet is not designed to cause us further pain after death.

Think about this for a moment: the feeling you get when you hear a beautiful song, or you're in the presence of a loved one that you have not seen for a while. You get goosebumps. The technical term for goosebumps is "pilomotor reflex." The muscle fiber connected to a hair follicle tightens, the skin surrounding the follicle puckers into a goose bump, pulling the connected hair straight up. When this occurs in animals, especially smaller ones, it's used as a defense mechanism. The animal's battle-ready stance is related to our own pilomotor reflex. In the animal's case, the muscles are responding to perceived threats by making it appear larger.

Since only man, not animals, are made in his Creator's image (energy), we are not ready for battle when we experience goosebumps, we experience a rather indescribable, fleeting feeling of euphoria. This is a brief, direct encounter with God's love and our eternal connection to Spirit. That's why it feels so good and only occurs through moments of joy. You never get goosebumps when you are in an argument, or doing anything that would be considered, "taking the low road."

God, the Universe, the Creator, whatever you care to label this most powerful entity, is not a punisher, plain and simple. Our actions, reactions, and ultimate consequences are based on the law of cause and effect (an action or event will produce a certain response to the action in the form of another event). Spiritually, this is referred to as "reaping what one sows."

This universal law is seen every day and it's all around us. Plant a seed, nurture it, give it the proper fertilizer, water, and it grows into a beautiful plant. Plant a seed and ignore it, it will often sprout and grow, but it won't flourish, and more often than not, will not grow into a healthy, beautiful flower, or it will be a sour tasting vegetable or fruit, not fit to consume. Provide love, food, water and shelter for a puppy, and he will mature into a loving, loyal creature, that is often considered a member of the family. Mistreat him, let him go hungry, and you'll more than likely have a vicious, unpredictable animal on your hands. His viciousness is not the consequence of being mean, his actions are based on fear and his need to survive.

Animals in the wild and plants in the Rain Forest are not contaminated or housed by Man, therefore, they have everything they need to not only survive, but to flourish, grow, and multiply abundantly, or as needed. This is a direct result of the unfettered genius and compassion of a Creator and Creation that is predicated on love and thrives on togetherness rather than division.

There is nothing more divisive than religion. Plain and simple, the religions of this world are not competing for Souls, they are competing for your dollars, and your common sense, or lack thereof. That's why each and every one of them have their own descriptions of "their God," "their Heaven," and their own place, or form of "eternal damnation."

There's only one Source that we all originate from and all will return to. Sure, if you participate in harming, killing, or abusing another human being, there certainly is retribution for that, but it's not in an eternal lake of fire. Our place on this earth is based on learning and spiritual growth. What would a Spiritual Being learn from eternal torment? And how exactly is that everlasting punishment meted out if our bodies are only used as vessels in an earthly dimension? Regardless of how you lived your life, when you make the transition, you go from flesh back to your originating state - Energy. Remember .. Energy can never be destroyed, moves into form (birth), through form (life), and out of form (death). When there is more to learn and karmic lessons that are needed, the Soul repeats the cycle. Energy does not burn. There is no "gnashing of teeth" where Energy is concerned.

Here's another tidbit that the majority of people, regardless of their hereditary religious beliefs, that have survived a "Near Death Experience" have in common. More than 90% do not want to return to this life. They literally plead with the "Loving Being of Light" to stay. The love they feel is so overwhelming, all encompassing, and unconditional, there are no earthly words to describe it. It is a 4th and 5th dimensional love that is constant and eternal. From my research, experience of living half a century on this earth, prayer and meditation, I would equate it to a continual state of the pilomotor reflex multiplied about a thousand times.

Stop sweating the Afterlife.

B. Shaw

* Definition of Immortality from Wikipedia