WHY I'M CATHOLIC - Ch. 1
WE BEGIN AT THE END
This series began here.
There is only one certainty in life: DEATH. I will die. You will die. For all of us, there is one, single, absolute, glaring, relentless, and uncompromising certainty: we will die. On this, theist and atheist must agree. So we begin at the end: DEATH.
Upon dying, there are two possibilities: 1. There is SOMETHING after death. 2. There is NOTHING after death. There is life, consciousness, being, whatever you want to call it. Or there isn’t. But none of us still living REALLY KNOW, do we?
At best, it’s simply a 50/50 proposition. We might argue against the first possibility and for the second, or for the second and against the first, but neither argument changes the odds.
Thus, given those odds, the Intelligent will want to consider both. If there is NOTHING, then we have nothing to worry about. If there is SOMETHING, then we do. In any event, the Intelligent will want to be sure … just in case.
If you are already sure that there is NOTHING, thank you for reading this far, but you are done. However, if you are not sure, then join me in my own quest. Read on.
So if there is SOMETHING, what is it? Let us consider.
Our prospects are many: We could wander the universe. We could have our own planet. We might dwell in Paradise with 72 virgins. We could become a star, an angel, Elvis … There are as many proposals as there are people who believe them. However, there is one possibility that we must take more seriously than any other: ETERNAL DAMNATION.
Yes, I am familiar with all the arguments against such a reality. Even some within Catholic circles don’t believe that a loving God could damn anyone to a living, conscious, state of eternal torment.
So, if you are SURE that he (God) won’t, then thank you for reading. You are done. But if you are not SURE, then read on, for even the slightest possibility of such an eternal horror demands, at least for the Intelligent, grave consideration - for it is too frightening to ignore.
Let’s Review
Death is certain.
There is a 50/50 possibility of life after death.
Given that possibility, we should consider it.
There are several possibilities to consider.
The possibility of eternal torment is too frightening to ignore.