Scientists have an idea called a Singularity. It is an event that is so drastic, so disruptive that we cannot see past it. We cannot measure what is on the other side. In a way the singularity obliterates any physical evidence of what lies beyond the singularity in time and space. It is possible that time and space as we know it don’t even exist on the other side.
The “big bang” is the classic example of a singularity. Ask any astrophysicist…….any cosmologist what things were like just before the big bang and they will tell you that they haven’t a clue. They will say that they just can’t see or measure what is on the other side of the singularity ……… what is on the other side of the wall.
For you and for me, death is also a singularity…….an event so drastic and disruptive that we just cannot see what is on the other side using the tools of science. Limited by science and secular humanism, we cannot know what lies beyond our own death. In this arena……..science is completely blind and that is terribly important.
So………how do we deal with death and what follows death when science leaves us complety blind?
1. Believe that because science is blind, there is nothing there….. when you die the lights just go out. This troubles me. The fact that you are blind is a poor reason for believing that there is nothing in your path.
2. Just ignore the problem………it will take care of itself. This also is surprisingly common. It may very well be the most commonly used strategy for dealing with………or not dealing with the other side of the wall. This plan is also a problem for me. If eternal life is real…….and because of the singularity problem you cannot say that it isn’t…….I think that not thinking about it, not preparing for it, is a bad strategy. At best it is shortsighted.
3. Make something up. Surprisingly, this too, is extremely common. If you ask a bunch of people what happens to them after they die, you will hear a lot of descriptions of a really nice place, a place that is a everything that they want this messed up world to be. In effect, this is a designer paradise that reflects the wants and needs of the person you are talking to…….a paradise created in their own image. This seems to me dishonest………..unless they happen to be God…… though it is a lot of fun. It is also very comforting for them because it is always a place that makes everybody else change but doesn’t require them to change anything about themself.
4. Choose a religion that describes the other side of the wall, the afterlife. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are the 3 most common. For me, this option makes the most sense. I choose Christianity because I believe that there is enough good evidence supporting the resurrection of Christ. You can read my post on the resurrection for more details.
So……. there it is. You live out your life…….and at the end of it, you face the wall……..and you cannot see past the wall. Science is completely blind. Secular humanism offers nothing. Darwin is silent. Do you deny the other side, ignore the other side, just make something up………..or do you accept the possibility that there is something more, make your best choice and try to prepare for life on the other side of the wall?
When I was young, I was a Boy Scout. I guess I still am. Our motto was “Be Prepared”…….. I’m going with option 4.