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From: pmd@cbdkc1.UUCP (Paul M. Dubuc)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc,net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Poor Ken's Xtian view of the 8 yr. old dying
Message-ID: <1637@cbdkc1.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 13-Oct-86 14:25:11 EDT
Article-I.D.: cbdkc1.1637
Posted: Mon Oct 13 14:25:11 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Oct-86 07:47:40 EDT
References: <7857GIZ@PSUVM>
Reply-To: pmd@dkc1.UUCP (Paul M. Dubuc)
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus
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Xref: linus talk.religion.misc:513 net.religion.christian:4868

In article <7857GIZ@PSUVM> GIZ@PSUVM.BITNET (Jeff Ganaposki) writes:
>Ken posts excerpt:
>>"But beyond all that, Alex has, in her way, reduced all my normal
>>maunderings about God and the hereafter to one terribly simple
>>proposition.  If there is a heaven - must be a heaven - great.  If
>>not, if this incredible little person spent eight years in pain,
>>cursed, hopeless, only to completely disappear, poof, like that, then
>>it is all quite pointless, all a gag, and it is of no great consequence
>>to me whether or not I'm asked to participate in life as straight man
>>or comic." p.61
>>
>>Ken Arndt
>
>In reply to Ken's posting...
>Another view -nonXtian- of that ill eight year-old's life :
>
>As a soul wishing to work out her unfulfilled Karma, she incarnated to burn
>off that which binds her to the MAYA of Earth. She successfully dealt with
>her Karma, left her body and is now free of earthly attachments.
>(This, of course, leaves her in Heathen heaven ;-)

Heathen Heaven?  Seriously, I thought it would leave her Nowhere ... a
drop of water disappearing into the ocean, therefore ceasing to be.  As
far as the meaning of it all goes, this seems to have the same result as
Ken's scenario.  Maybe I've got you pegged in the wrong religion, but
aren't you still implying that there is no reason to grieve at death?  A
high value of life in both this life and the next is an important feature of
the Christian view, as I see it.  There's no need to deny the importance
or reality of one at the expense of the other (that's not to say one is not
ultimately more important than the other).  For the Christian, the
"earthly attachements" aren't an obstacle to be overcome or an illusion
to be denied (they aren't inherently evil), but an environment which the
Creator uses to make us into new beings.  Mere escape from pain or desire
isn't our only hope.  It is hoped that the experiences themselves have some
meaning for our continued existence other than just being something that is
"burnt off".

>I changed from Christianity to Raja Yoga when I realized that the Biblical
>world view made no sense. Reincarnation, spiritual growth and evolution
>to God-consciousness explains more of the inequalities of life on earth.

Well, at least you're giving all the "heathens and atheists" on the net
another choice of how to resolve the dilemma.
-- 

Paul Dubuc	cbdkc1!pmd