I have a long time solicitor friend, Dave Stang (now retired), who is planning a course on “The Five Big Questions.”
As is his wont, he has solicited me, and others, on how we would answer the questions he will present and discuss with the group he and a colleague are ‘conducting’ in October.
So, I thought I’d throw out these questions to MillersTime readers to see if any of you would be willing to take a shot at answering one or two of them, or even all five. I have just sent him my answers to his “Five Big Questions.”
Even if you don’t want to answer these questions, you might have some suggestions for articles, books, films, etc. that Dave might include in his syllabus that speak to one, or more, of these five questions. I’m sure he would appreciate any suggestions you might have along those lines.
If you are interested, I suspect Dave would be willing to send a link to his syllabus, once he has completed it, to any MillersTime reader who wants to see it.
You can write Dave directly (davidpstang@cs.com) with your answers, suggestions, ideas, and/or request for a syllabus.
The Five Big Questions:
1. How do I know what I think I know is actually true?
2. Where did I come from?
3. Who am I?
4. What is my life’s purpose?
5. What happens to me when I die?
Thanx.
Richard Miller
Land Wayland said:
#5: I have no idea what will happen when I die but, based on my beliefs about what happens to all of the other animals on earth when they die, I strongly suspect that, as an animal (albeit self-proclaimed “unique and superior”), upon dying I too will cease in every tangible way to exist. But at that point I won’t care. I hope to be a fond memory for my family and some friends but that will be to their benefit, not to mine.
Will there be a resurrection? Probably not as there is no evidence that this has ever happened before and (contrary to the beliefs of the Buddhists, Mormons and others), there is no serious reason to believe that it will happen in the future. Whatever God is going to do when I die, God will do immediately. Once I am dead, there is nothing more I can do to improve or diminish my eligibility to be resurrected. Because there is no clear guidance on how to prepare for or to improve the chances of being resurrected (that I am willing to accept), there is little I am able or willing to do to prepare for or earn it. If I am wrong, I am wrong and will have a long time to rue my attitude. I will have to accept it for what it is when it happens.
I pass on questions 1-4
Land Wayland