"I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own--a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human fraility. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism. It is enough for me to contemplate the mystery of conscious life perpetuating itself through all eternity, to reflect upon the marvelous structure of the universe which we can dimly perceive, and to try humbly to comprehend even an infinitesimal part of the intelligence manifested in nature" ~Dr. Albert Einstein~

-- "Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism."

Do you believe that the only people who believe in the afterlife are the feebly fearful or ridiculously egotistical?

I watched people attend Wednesday evening prayer meetings in the 1940's when the life expectency for a white male in the U S was less than 65 years. When I was born in 1934 it was 61. Heart disease and cancer killed people en masse because there were no treatments. If a person had a heart attack and survived they usually laid around invalid for a year or two and died then. Surgery was the only treatment for cancer and over half the time after the procedure the tumor mestasticised and the cancer spread. After diagnosis most lived about a year. People gathered and prayed for their family and friends till their knees were bloody and guess what.........folks suffered and died anyway...untold billions of prayers ignored or unanswered.

Now with better diets, electronic diagnostic systems(MRI. CTscans etc), stents, balloon surgery, bypasses and yes...even transplants, laporascopic surgery, radiation, chemo, stem cell therapy etc. folks with the same ailments live into their 80's and sometimes 90's.

If there is some ancient god out there he doesn't give a rat phuck and he damn sure doesn't answer prayers.

Brainwashing the youngsters of a new generation by those from the last is the only logical explanation for continued "ancient god worship!"

The cannibals taught their youngsters to consume human flesh as a religious ritual for thousands of years and then guess what....they traded one fairy tale for another. I'm a "Jack and the Beanstalk" man myself.

...but what about the afterlife?

Is "the afterlife" an idea you subscribe to? What are its attributes? And why do you choose to believe that (if you do believe that)?

I can't re-watch it because of a super bad connection rich now, but, if I remember correctly, this guy loves the message but not the current messengers.

Is that right?

The irony is that in "hating the messengers," he himself has become one - peddling his own view of Jesus to the masses.

Lots of believers - liberal ones included - rip his little video to shreds.

99% of Christians were taught:

Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He who died,
Heaven's gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! loves me still,
When I'm very weak and ill;
From His shining throne on high,
Comes to watch me where I lie.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He will stay,
Close beside me all the way;
He's prepared a home for me,
And some day His face I'll see.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.


And yes....a neat little prayer to say at night:

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I shall die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.

When I was in grammar school the teachers would start the day with the lord's prayer and the pledge of allegiance. Then they assigned a bible verse to each of us to memori e and recite to the class on Thursday or Friday. Let them try that horse shit today!