Afterlife (Endings)

by Balance_Maintained , U.S.A., Thursday, January 10, 2013, 17:46 (4117 days ago) @ dhw

You have answered your own question, though I wonder what makes a religion "mature". It requires a strong faith to believe in a power for whose existence there is no evidence other than inference, for whose presence there is no evidence whatsoever, and whose nature and intentions are totally unknown. It also requires a strong faith to believe in the ability of chance to assemble the ingredients for life and evolution. (Richard Dawkins understands.) I have no faith in either. I'm puzzled by your puzzlement at my puzzlement. 
> -Personally, I think that what makes a belief system mature is a combination of things. First, the belief system must be holistic; it can not discount science, physics, religion, or any other field of study which presents concrete evidences, because to do so would be to deny part of existence as a whole, which by necessity means that your belief system is wrong. I.E. There is nothing in the natural world that is unnatural, and if you have belief in a creator, then you have to believe that all of these other things are part of its design. -Secondly, I think that, as David pointed out(and this may be a source of misunderstanding between he and I) basing a system of belief on an extrinsic reward for good behavior is childlike and ultimately noneffective. For myself, I do not have faith because of something I might get at the end of all things. I have faith despite what I might get at the end of all things. I have faith out of love and appreciation for all of the wonderful gifts in my life. If all I received for that faith were this one life, that would be sufficient, and every moment of it is a precious gift that I treasure. If I died this very instant, and all of my beliefs about the future never came to pass, I would still be 100% satisfied with my life. Every trial makes me appreciate the good things that much more. So the maturity of my own faith is that I do not require any rewards, because living according to my faith IS the reward. Further, just as I would show my appreciation to a friend that gave me a wonderful gift, I try to show my appreciation to God for giving me a gift far more precious than anything anyone else could ever give me. Since I have absolutely nothing of material value that I could give which he does not posess, I give the only things that are truly mine to give: my heart, mind, time, and attention. And, just like sending loving thoughts to a loved one is not enough to let them know you appreciate them, I try and demonstrate that love through my actions. -
> Thank you for your ideas about an afterlife.... I am genuinely looking for answers.-As are we all..

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What is the purpose of living? How about, 'to reduce needless suffering. It seems to me to be a worthy purpose.