"...just sleep forever."
-Dahut, Chapter XVI, section 1, p. 350.
Almost immediately, he realizes that he had forgotten the postmortem pilgrimage of his soul towards Mithras. I think that this is authentic. How real to them are most people's beliefs about a hereafter? Personally, I find the continuation of my consciousness after my physical death so implausible that I will be astonished if I find out that it is happening.
A Catholic curate in Ireland said that his parishioners simultaneously believed what ancient pagans, their own Church and secularists have said about death:
all of the dead are in an underworld from which they resent and want to harm the living;
the dead are in Heaven, Hell or Purgatory;
the dead no longer exist.
I have always valued consistency and I challenge people when they seem to believe both that there is a hereafter of whatever sort and that the dead no longer exist. People do unreflectingly says things like, "Oh, that's religious belief. It's different..."
It is late. I will have to postpone reading about Gratillonius' and Budic's combat in the Wood until tomorrow. We thank the Gods for the Andersons.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And I find your skepticism about the reality of an afterlife to be itself a puzzle! Both classical philosophy, exemplified by Plato and Aristotle, and belief in divine revelation as seen in Judaism/Christianty, teaches such things.
And it seems inconsistent of a skeptic like you to thank the Gods for the Andersons writing THE KING OF YS! (Smiles)
Sean
Sean,
It is inconsistent. But I am thankful even though I am skeptical that there is a particular being or beings to address my thanks to.
I will read and maybe post over breakfast but must then do something else for a while!
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Of course we should be thankful that masters of literature, such as Poul Anderson, have so greatly enriched our lives and given us so much pleasure. A thankfulness I should address to God.
Sean
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