Death, Consciousness, God, Time, Afterlife, and This Life: 

Introduction

I write as a Christian who reveres the Roman Catholic Church’s teachings, rituals, and structures. But I do not write only for Catholics or other Christians. I write for all people who sense, however dimly, a reality that is beyond what we can metaphorically call “atoms and the void.” I write for all who question the atheistic materialism underlying contemporary society.

Because I reach for the vague beyond, I will talk about mysteries. 

Mysteries are by definition unknowns. But they are not necessarily completely unknowable. A mystery may offer us clues or may point us in this direction or that. A mystery is like a vague shape that we see in a thick fog. 

God is such a vague, beckoning shape in the fog. Whether real or an illusion, God – or the idea of God -- has profound implications for life. If He is an illusion and only atoms and the void exist, we are left with what philosopher and novelist Albert Camus called “the absurd,” a life devoid of objective or intrinsic meaning. If God is real, on the other hand, He may expect things from us, and ignoring His call may have serious consequences. 

When, however, we try to determine if God is reality or illusion, uncertainty taunts us. Rational people have believed in God and offered compelling “proofs'' of God’s existence. But these “proofs” have not persuaded equally rational people, who sometimes advance compelling arguments against the reality of God. Thus, rational people can deem God, the vague shape in the fog, worthy of pursuit. Or they can dismiss God as an illusion. 

The decision to pursue, ignore, or deny God emanates from the inner promptings of each person, from his or her experiences, memories, cognitive capacities, temperament, fears, and wants, and, if God exists, from grace. One's position on God’s existence, then, is not based on reason alone, though reason may be a factor. 

Thus, we must ultimately take a leap of faith on the God question, a leap guided by the totality of one’s experiences. The leap may take one to belief in God or to disbelief in God. The faith that accompanies the leap may vary from very strong to very weak. 

What is typically called agnosticism is a weak faith in God or no-god, a faith that is revealed in how agnostics live rather than propositions they affirm. The philosophical agnostic who accompanies a spouse to church on Sunday, for example, reflects a different weak faith from the philosophical agnostic who lives a debauched life of selfish, sensual pleasure.

Since certain knowledge eludes us when discussing God’s existence, honesty compels us to explain the reasons behind one’s beliefs while respecting and listening to the views of others. Mysteries oblige us to be humble. 

This collection of essays examines phenomena that in a sense circle about the concept of God: death, consciousness, God, time, afterlife, and this life. Though I will try to understand the perspectives of those who assume no-god, I will offer reasons and reflections that I hope will move the reader’s faith dial in the direction of God and that, at minimum, will deepen the reader’s respect for the mystery that I call “the beyond.”

Next Essay: Death