Each of us has to come to terms with the inevitability of our own deaths
By Lethbridge Herald on September 22, 2023.
Editor:
I read in the Globe and Mail today ( Sept. 16, 2023) that a survivor of the Moroccan earthquake felt he was blessed by God that none of his family was killed. This while many of his neighbours died and the King of Morocco kept silent in his Paris mansion (80 million Euro dollars) and this survivor still said – “ I pray for the King; and ask God’s blessing for him” even while this poor man gathered sticks from his ruined house to prop up a plastic tent.
I opened up the Saturday Lethbridge Herald and (as always) read the renderings of Jacob M. Van Zyl and find it strange and surreal that The Herald gives credence to his writings every Saturday – no matter how far fetched and biased they are – all based on belief in a book (the Bible) written by men without evidence, about things without parallel.
I refer to a past reference of his to Revelation 21:4 that tells of a new heaven and a new earth coming – no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying – no more pain, aka no meat for meat lovers.
It seems this man (Mr. Van Zyl) can always find something in the Bible to justify his own pointed beliefs. Each of us must come to terms with our inevitable death – be it a Heaven or a natural return to the air around us and the dirt beneath our feet. I tend to relate to William Ernest Henley’s poem, Invictus and his last verse:
It matters not how straight the gate
How charged with punishment the scroll
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul
Grant R Harrington
Lethbridge
12-11
Remember the reverend Phelps of the Westbro Baptist Church Kansas, who predicted the end of the world and then when surprise surprise, it did not happen? He recalculated and pronounced once again and that was over a decade ago. Unless I am very much mistaken, we are all still in the here and now – something that may change with the increasing partisanship and intolerance spreading across the globe.
Fact is zealotry , be it via Phelps, Van Zil and many others, continue to spread fear and retribution despite repeated false prophecies all based (as Harrington said) a man-made book. And still the Bible thumping preacher men (and some women) somehow manage to convince others of their “truth”.
True Christians of this world must surely shake their heads at this distortion of their belief.
Religon may have historic value in that it gives us a glimpse into the mindset of those who lived 2000 years back but to continue particpating in such beliefs serves no one. If we’re going to hang on to religion it would be better to update to reflect todays understanding of the cosmos, psychology etc. or have it done away with altogether. Christianity atleast has given rise to democracy, our rule of law and the freedoms we enjoy in the West. Islam by contrast is firmly stuck in a time warp with believers so fear bound and indoctrinated that no where in the world do we see success. Allowing them into the West is a setup for major problems as we are already witnessing.