I believe two things when it comes to religion: first, that there is no after life. ‘This is it. It’s all we have,’ a friend said to me not long ago. An afterlife in heaven might prove a little dull – being nice to people all the time, not enjoying sex or sleep or food - the things we like on this earth. That was best expressed by John Mortimer’s father in his play A Voyage Around My Father in which the same father railed against the sheer pointlessness of life in Heaven.
The other thing I believe is that the creation of religious belief is one of the most creative things humanity has done. Almost every society has religion and a belief system based on the afterlife. That was instilled to make people behave themselves and accept their lot in life on this earth (as another friend said). The existence of an afterlife in which you are rewarded for not creating a fuss is a fairly cynical way of looking at Heaven but a realistic one.
It is for this reason that, despite being seen as an atheist who has no belief in the afterlife, I still go to church (occasionally) to reaffirm my belief, not so much in religion as in the church which is a manifestation of it. Religion may be ‘the opiate of the peoples’, as Karl Marx said, but it is still an effective one. Marx had little ability to manage his own life and was very dependent on his friend Engels for financial assistance but he did hit on a few truths here.
Christian Aid, a charity I support, puts it well when they thought up the slogan: ‘We believe in life before death.’ People might – or might not – have faith in an afterlife in which their good deeds and acceptance of their fate in this life are rewarded in Heaven, but the charity wants to concentrate on bringing a degree of fairness to this life on earth before death inevitably claims us, as it must do for all – rich and poor on this earth.
Once, when I went to a talk given by some African-American writer, he has one of his characters say words to the effect that slavery does not exist in Heaven. Life as a slave was so miserable – giving the lie to people who say and think it is best for those same black people – that it was impossible it could exist in the afterlife as well as this one. I agree with this – it is impossible to imagine a Heaven in which people are not both free and equal.
Freedom and equality cannot exist side by side in this world but are alternatives. Start everybody from the same line and some will reach the finish post before others by virtue of ability, luck or the support of parents who are able to help their offspring. Do not underestimate the power of nepotism. We may talk about the dangers of being born with a silver spoon in your mouth but the dangers of a poor background are, in reality, far worse.
That is why the church has so often failed people: it encourages them to accept their lot, when it should be supporting them if they rise up against it. The only successful societies that were unashamedly atheist (with ‘museums of atheism’ of all things) were communist ones but their failure has led to churches being packed once again in those same former communist countries that once rejected their teachings.
Chruches did not grow because they were imposed on an unwilling people but because those same people wanted them – and still want them – as they believed in a higher power controlling their destiny and at least keeping a tally of what they did and did not do so they could be rewarded (or punished) in the next world. Belief in an afterlife is so strong that only man made societies can reject it and even they have limited success in this.
Vladimir Putin is supposed to have embraced the Russian Orthodox church because, presumably, be believed it would be worthwhile. (He is, after all, a politician.) However, he proved to be unwilling to prostrate himself before God, saying words to the effect that was leader of Russia, what did he have to gain by being answerable to some (probably fictitious) deity. He showed his true colours here - not believing in God but knowing that others do.
I remain convinced that priests do enormous good in society, going to places which social workers have given up on, and offering comfort to many people who would otherwise face darkness. (Giles Fraser, a writer and priest I admire, has said this.) However, I cannot believe in the Bible as being a true account of how God made the earth and, even if say the Creed when I go to church, I do not really believe in the truth of it in my heart.
Yet, I do not think that I am being a Putin-like hypocrite in going to church. Working as a tourist guide, I tend to go in and out of churches quite a lot and, evidently, some of it has rubbed off on me. To fully appreciate a church, you have to experience it as a worshipper who attends a service there sometimes and, even if it is just evensong, you should go to hear the Psalms, readings and choir, who make up so much of the modern church.
That church needs worshippers, more than it needs sceptics like me, to survive, so I do not sneer at those who believe in the literal truth of the Bible even if I cannot share their beliefs. In essence I take my religion seriously – but not literally. That is why I cannot believe in an afterlife and I accept that death is the end of what we have on this earth. It is also why I am getting ready for it as my years advance.
Edwin Lerner
My other blog is diaryofatouristguide,blogspot.com
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