Author(s): Dorothy Rowe

Personal Development

Suddenly, in the twenty-first century, religion has become a political power. It affects us all, whether we're religious or not. If we're not in danger of being blown up by a suicide bomber we've got leaders to whom God speaks, ordering them to start a war. We're beset by people who demand that we give ourselves to Jesus while they smugly assure us of their own superiority and inherent goodness. We're surrounded by those who noisily reject science while making full use of the benefits science brings; by the 'spiritual' ones; the ones who believe in magic; and, there's the militant atheists berating us all for our stupidity. We wouldn't object to what people believed if only they'd keep it to themselves. We want to make up our own minds about what we believe, but it's difficult to do this. Everyone has to face the dilemma that we all die but no one knows for certain what death actually is. Is it the end of our identity or a doorway to another life?Whichever we choose, our choice is a fantasy that determines the purpose of our life. If death is the end of our identity, we have to make this life satisfactory, whatever 'satisfactory' might mean to us.