Belief

World Without Stars.

Rorn says of the Ai Chung:

"'They don't fear death. They're reborn, immortal in a way we'll never achieve.'" (XIII. p. 98)

"'It doesn't matter whether their belief is correct or not. What does matter is that they hold it.'" (ibid.)

What matters? It certainly matters whether our enemies do or do not fear death. Rorn is right that that is the immediate practical issue. But what are the consequences of the belief for the believers themselves? Someone that I spoke to thought that, if there is no hereafter, then that best way to die is to be convinced that you are bound for Heaven. That way, you are happy until the moment of death and not disillusioned after death! Personally, I would prefer to know the truth whatever that is but how can we know? If there is a hereafter, then we will know but, if there is no hereafter, then we will never know. 

A prediction of a total eclipse at noon tomorrow will be either proved or disproved by a minute after noon whereas a prediction of survival into a hereafter can be proved but not disproved so is it only half of an empirical question? Empirically, everything in us begins and ends. Why should there be anything non-empirical and how could we know if there was?