LIFE, DEATH AND JUDGMENT
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF RELIGION TO
PROTECT THE BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF LIFE
REAL PROPHETS AND FALSE PROPHETS IN TODAY'S WORLD
In most of the world's prominent religions, there is a logic and an order to life.
Actions have consequences. Inaction also has consequences. If a person is required by fate to act, severe consequences can follow if that person does not have the courage and the vision to do what is necessary.
There is a cosmic vision of life going out into eternity.
There is a central concept of God and justice. We certainly are not saying all religions are the same. They are not. However, even in many polytheistic religions there is a concept of one supreme God. When the Catholic Church seized control of Europe it introduced the cult of the saints to replace the worship of different gods. It was a kind of Christian fusion of polytheism and monotheism.
The world is alive with power of the supernatural. This is not some exotic concept. It is a logical concept where people can be given the power to rise to the challenges they face. It is the control of chance.
Divine justice is omnipresent. People can face consequences during any second of the their lives.
JUSTICE IN TERMS OF TIME
It is obvious that life here is all too often a total macabre joke in terms of justice. However, in terms of the real future it is not.
An understanding that life goes on is key to understanding the real future and real concepts of justice. This vision of reality is essential if people are to able to have the will power and the courage to pay a bloody price here to achieve what is necessary.
Life is not an end in itself. It certainly is not based on idiotic concepts such as the "pursuit of happiness".
A warrior who understands reality will be a more powerful warrior. A warrior who is willing to die for a cause is a far more powerful warrior than a warrior clinging to the pathetic and futile "pursuit of happiness".
As we look at today's world, we need to think in terms of time. Today's world order in its current form has no future. It is a malevolent, suicidal mess. It is the greatest destruction of life since the Permian extinction 250 million years ago.
In order to challenge this evil, warriors must have a vision of real future.
In ancient Europe there was the glorious vision of Valhalla. Fallen heroes would enjoy a glorious future.
This set of values is repeated throughout many difference cultures. In Islam there is the concept of the Jihad, the holy war. Fallen heroes would enjoy a paradise filled a lot of exciting features, including sexual pleasures.
In Hinduism and some sects of Buddhism there is a system of cosmic rebirth in accordance with laws of value. A life of bad deeds leads to a rebirth in an inferior position. A life of good deeds leads to a rebirth in a better position. A life of exceptional merit supersedes the whole process of reincarnation and unites a soul with God.
There is an important difference between Christianity and Islam as opposed to Hinduism and Buddhism. The former offer only one judgment. The latter can see a soul reborn thousands of times. In light of the huge death tolls coming on our planet the Asian vision might be more politically acceptable in light of the many chances that are presented to life. However, we certainly are not going to get into a theological debate about which of these religions is better.
However, a key point is that as the current world order collapses, there is going to be a lot of interest in the whole concept of a real long term future as the "pursuit of happiness" here goes up in smoke.
DANGERS OF THE COMING RELIGIOUS REVIVALS AROUND THE WORLD
Around the world we see radical religious groups growing in power. We see the coming dictators using religion or creating their own religions to claim the "mandate of heaven".
Throughout history religion has been a very sharp double edged sword. It can be a huge source of evil as well as good. We have carefully documented this in our study of Christian Totalitarianism, where an obscure sect seized power in the Roman Empire and launched the most massive campaign of religious persecution and cultural destruction in history, which rather quickly destroyed the world's number one empire. Today, we see many powerful Christian sects calling for "Holy War" and opposing elemental scientific necessities like clean energy and responsible sex education, threatening the very survival of life on this planet. (This does not mean all Christians are bad. Indeed, Pope Francis has taken some very positive steps about global environmental policies.)
Unfortunately, religious criminality and lunacy are not restricted to Christianity. The Mayans and the Aztecs had grotesque systems of ritual torture and human sacrifice, sometimes killing ten of thousands in their ceremonies. Some experts say that the Mayans brought about their own collapse due to destructive environmental policies.
EDUCATING RELIGIOUS LEADERS ABOUT PLANETARY REALITIES
We see our role as a force in trying to set some positive priorities for the world's religions, specifically actions to stop today's suicidal destruction of life on this planet. There are signs of hope today such as the recent declaration by Pope Francis about today's global environmental crisis. Indeed, many leaders of religion around the world are speaking out in a very positive manner about environmental matters.
The road ahead is a dark one. There is certain to be a lot of violence and death.
We certainly do not claim to have exact answers for the role of each person or each religion. We are not about to serve as some sort of rating service for the world's religions.
However, a common sense combination of the hard realities of science with faith can set some clear moral priorities.
It's really not that complicated. We need to stop destroying the biological foundations of life on this planet or nature is going to destroy us. Today's destruction of the natural world is the greatest crime and the greatest suicidal stupidity in history. Returning our planet to nature's laws should be a moral goal for all people of faith.
We recommend our readers check out our report Building a Sustainable Future to get some priorities of what is needed.