posted on Jun, 27 2007 @ 09:46 AM
Nothing personal in what I have to say. Not attacking the messenger.
Fact is though, I don't believe people who go public with the 'I Went to Hell' stories (and there have been several doing the rounds lately).
I suspect there's an agenda.
It doesn't take a genius to debunk these stories.
We have no idea what/who 'god' is. It would be fair to say that 'God is in the eye of the beholder'. Your god is not my god and our god is not
the god in whom our neighbour or workmate believes. God is open to interpretation. There are as many different versions of god as there are
individuals who believe in god.
Regardless of who or what god is, however, he is responsible: the buck stops with him.
We did not create ourselves. We are not responsible for the way we are.
And before people begin tapping out replies to the effect that I'm promoting 'denial of responsibility', please hold off a moment.
If I bake a cake and that cake fails in whatever way -- who is responsible -- the cake ?
Nope. The ingredients may be at fault, or the cook, or fluctuating temperatures in an old or faulty oven, etc.
We are cakes. The ingredients were added the instant of our conception. Those ingredients are carried in our DNA and our DNA traces back,
ultimately, to tens of thousands of individuals who preceded us.
We all have (for example) murderers, heroes, cowards, bastards, saints, ugly, beautiful, clever, stupid, healthy, unhealthy, etc. people in our family
tree. We may bear no resemblance to our parents. And why should we --- our parents are just one miniscule link in the chain of our DNA.
So, when we hit this planet, our destinies, to a large extent, are already decided. We aren't freshly baked individual cakes, hand-fashioned by a
very busy god. Of course not. We're just a continuation of something.
The situation could be likened to a scientist who creates a pair of hybrid-mice. They're placed in a cage in a laboratory. The scientist goes to
lunch or is called away to assist on another experiment.
In his absence, the mice breed. When he comes back, he discovers the cage is filled with hundreds of the creatures. Under pressures caused by
scarcity of resources, space and general anxiety, some of the mice have become vicious fighters, some are submissive, others play both sides against
the middle, some eat their young, some are homosexual, some are rapists, some are slovenly, some preen themselves excessively, etc. etc. The
scientist discovers that many of these traits are heritable.
He's amazed to discover so much has occurred in the cage in such a short space of time, but from the perspective of the mice, the scientist's half
hour lunch has seemed ( to them) to be millions of years.
In the scientist's absence, the mice have developed systems of law, beliefs and sciences related to both life in the cage and also in the wider
laboratory. The mice (in what seemed to them to be millions of years) decided that homosexuality, for example, is a 'bad' thing. Vanity and
hoarding of resources are also considered by the mice to be 'bad'.
The mice are convinced that the scientist (their creator and god) will agree with them and will punish them for their crimes and supposed failings
when he returns from lunch. The older and more influential mice teach the young mice about 'the creator's Will', generation after generation. To
confuse the issue further, various groups of mice each have their own version of what the scientist wishes of them and what he will and will not 'do
to them' upon his return.
The scientist, of course, is unaware of the beliefs held by the mice. And contrary to the mice's expectations, he's not at all repulsed or
judgemental about *any* of their behaviours when he returns. He finds all of them interesting. And he's fascinated by their behaviours and by the
intricate rituals etc. they've developed. Some, for example, have attuned their consciousness to the grid-patterns of the cage walls. Others
worship the yellow plastic feeding bowls, whilst others group together and refuse to communicate or breed with those not of their group.
As far as the scientist's concerned, there *is* no 'wrong' way for the mice to be. He admires the ways in which they've adapted to their
environment. He understands perfectly why some (those who inherited certain traits) are dominant and others not. He nods in understanding as he
watches the scavengers, the hoarders, the manipulators, the rowdy, etc. Each has found a niche.
Granted, the actions of some are detrimental to others. But that's to be expected. He notes with interest, those which are altruistic, those which
are opportunistic. He observes that many of these traits are inherited. The mice are simply obeying the dictates of their DNA. And his interest is
further piqued when he discovers that many of the mice actively attempt to override their DNA with what they believe and/or have been conditioned to
believe are 'good' qualities.
" Fascinating, absolutely fascinating." he muses.
Just then, another scientist enters the laboratory and sees the multitudes of mice in the cage and says: " Gee --- yours multiplied fast ! "
First scientist replies: " Hell yeah. How are yours going? "
They wander over to the second-scientist's cage, which contains numerous odd creatures. " It'd be a laugh if yours ever saw mine ! " says the
second-scientist to the first.
" Yeah. Wonder what they'd think of each other? Maybe we should run a pipe between the two cages with a cat-flap at either end? Wonder if they'd
venture into each others' worlds ? "
" Good idea ! "
The first scientist goes back to his cage of hybrid-mice and scoops up several dozen to create a bit of room for the others. The remaining mice say
to each other as the scooped-up mice are lifted out of the cage :
" Well they're dead. " (the mice remaining in the cage are nervous --- scared of being removed from the cage and the only life/reality
they've ever known).
Meanwhile, the scooped-up mice are also afraid -- scared of what the scientist (their creator and god) is going to do to them. They've been warned
all their lives that fighting and sex and stealing and telling fibs etc. are 'bad' and that they'll be punished by the scientist when they leave
their world/the cage.
So they begin wailing and begging the scientist to forgive them.
The scientist looks down at the little creatures in his hands and says: "What are you crying about? There's nothing to be afraid of."
" Please don't send us to Hell. We didn't mean it. We didn't mean to do the things we did: they just happened so quickly -- or once we'd
started down our paths to ruin, we didn't know how to turn back. But we didn't mean it, honest. "
The scientist shakes his head fondly: " Listen guys, will you relax --- please ! You did great. All of you. If I'd wanted goody-goody mice, I
would have put two goody-goodies in the cage from the outset, now wouldn't I, huh? And if I had, you and all your ancestors would have been
goody-goody peas in a pod. And what would I have learned from that? More to the point --- what would you have learned
?
Don't you see .... I was conducting an experiment. We're all going to learn from it. And you guys made that possible ! It's thanks
to you that progress can now be achieved in other spheres ! You're heroes ! I know just how difficult it must have been
for all of you down in that cage."
The scientist carries the mice to the garden and lowers them to the ground. Again, the mice begin to wail and tremble.
" What are you crying about now? the scientis asks.
" Where are we? We're scared. Is this Hell ? "
The scientist chuckles and shakes his head: " Nope. There's no such place as Hell. You're in the garden, that's all. Enjoy. "