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October 29, 2006

Who is in heaven?

I wrote a year ago about an annoying strand of militant Atheism that seems to have gotten louder of late. Wired has a multi-page writeup (The Church of the Non-Believers) with Harris, Dawkins and a few other spokesmen for that movement. As usual they all sound like jerks. Certainly not that I'd wish such misery on them, but they could not find a spiritual experience at Machu Picchu, in a sweat lodge, worried about losing their job, with sick kids and dying parents in a service lead by the pope.

But it does mention a cool book, Who's Who in Hell, a "a biographical dictionary (with subject entries interspersed) of tens of thousands of freethinkers, secular humanists, Unitarian Universalists, Ethical Culture activists and famous folks who hewed to no religious creed."

Then I found myself avoiding a bit of studying a reading A Modest Proposal Regarding Stem Cells. That article asked an interesting religious question, at least for Christians. If life begins at conception and a little less than 75% of pregnancies spontaneously abort, what happens to those souls? It is my understanding is the consensus is that they get to go to Heaven by a exculpatory clause. But doesn't that mean that the vast majority of souls in heaven are that of the unborn? People with no relationships, no experiences, no concept of self, and no memories? What do we make of that?

Judaism and other religions with reincarnation have an easier time of this matter. They think the souls get another shot at a full life. So maybe that's what happens in Christian Heaven, where the died-before-they-were -born-crowd is paired with their lost parents they get to experience their missed life.

Just thought I'd share.

Posted by OneEyedMan at October 29, 2006 10:21 AM

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