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Start with the universe as agreed upon by mainstream scientists. From nothing, there is the big bang, lots of energy. The energy slowly condenses into simple matter, the simple matter into complex matter. Stars form, die, and their matter condenses into particles. These particles gather, become dense, eventually forming planets. One of these is just the right composition and distance from its star to be rich in water and carbon. This water and carbon, with a few other molecules, combine into basic proteins. Most of us don't give these things any thought, even though they form so much of life... but these first proteins were the most complex thing to come along. They came together in more complex groups, forming single celled organisms. These mutated into multicelled life, which mutated into plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, amphibians, air-breathing creatures, mammals, and then primates. Beneficial changes meant creatures were more likely to reproduce, which meant more chance for mutation. Evolution is not linear, but exponential. This chain increased not only complexity, but intelligence. Some would say spirit too, if such a substance exists. Perhaps it is that complexity that is spirit, instead of an imagined ephemeral substance.
Humans, then, can be said to have a soul. How could we not? We are the turning point in the exponential curve of physical evolution. Our communication and tool use is more advanced than any other life on the planet. Indeed, we are not just the turning point in physical evolution, but like those first atoms and first proteins, we are new stages in the evolution of the universe. Evolution is not just an organic process, but the exponential increase in complexity if the universe.
Look at our cultures, and see how we have developed a new substance, the idea. People live for various ideologies. Humanity is now guided as much by religious, political, and commercial ideas as they are by the urge to eat and breed. Ideas are a new life form that live in and through us. This is a blessing and a danger. Commercialism, terrorism, tyranny, ignorance, and other destructive ideas are predators, and our minds are the prey. But that we are vulnerable is a blessing, we choose what ideas live and die by our thought.
When life first appeared, other life only served as competition, prey, or predators. When life became more complex, sexual reproduction became possible, and cooperation between life became the way to succeed. Sex produced families, families produced societies. This cooperation also manifest as love. Love has been slower to act in history, but it is gaining power and it should.
However, human brains are limited in their capacity for relationships. Our brains only have enough power to really know less than a couple hundred people at a time. How can we possibly love others? One way would be to develop a relationship with an imagined person, to act as a surrogate for the people who are not in our capacity to love. This person would gain life as an idea of the other. You would show your love for the Other idea-life by showing that love to other people on its behalf.
With this, humanity survives, becomes more complex. In fact, we may already be at the turning point for our complexity. Just as matter and life have become more complex exponentially, our technology has become more complex. A thousand years ago, it was impossible to communicate across continents and oceans. Two hundred years ago, it was impossible to safely travel hundreds of miles per hour. Twenty years ago, it was impossible for most of us to remain in constant contact with someone without staying with them or by a landline. It was also impossible for a computer to have processing power measured in gigahertz. It was also impossible to tell what was in a person's DNA.
Our technology has been evolving exponentially. It is approaching the turning point where it will skyrocket in complexity. We will develop thinking machines able to process our economy and ecology, and our personal health, genetics, and psychology in microseconds. It will be able to develop nanotech capable of rearranging matter into any form. It will be able to reproduce our minds in its databanks -- it will be able to download our souls.
And we have nothing to fear, because our technology is an extension of us. This technological singularity, as Ray Kurzweil calls it, is not humanity being overtaken by its own creations, but humanity creating our own evolution. This is not just true for machines, but us. Thanks to learning how to better learn, IQ scores have been adjusted a couple dozen points over what they were a century ago. Kids today are a couple of dozen points smarter than they were a century ago. Crime per 100,000 people is also down from what is was in the 1950s. People are behaving more rationally. If our entertainment appears to argue otherwise, that's because its an escape from otherwise increasingly rational lives.
But to what end is this evolution? Well, seeing how we are getting better at making the impossible possible, given time, we should develop a superhuman intelligence capable of surviving even the heat death of the universe. That means unlimited time to develop, until we reach an end point of evolution. This Omega Point, as Teilhard de Chardin called it, would be infinitely complex. It would have the intelligence and power to no longer be bound to time or space. It is only a natural continuation of us making it possible to communicate across oceans, from anywhere.
The Omega Point would be able to affect any aspect of the universe as it exists, will exist, or did exist. It is only reasonable to assume that the universe already has been affected by it. The Omega Point would make for the ultimate Other idea-life.
The Omega Point would be the creator of the universe. The universe is already affected by it, including the nothing the universe came from. Before the universe would be the Omega Point, and so the universe exists because the Omega Point willed it so.
There is a school of thought called apophatic theology, or negative theology. It believes that because humanity and its perception is imperfect, all traits we can observe are imperfect or imperfectly understood. So, God does not have traits, but is the absence of imperfection. The universe does not come from nothing, but from God.
There is also the consideration that the Omega Point would run an infinite number of simulated worlds to contemplate for all knowledge. Given an infinite number of simulated worlds, it is statistically unreasonable to assume we are not living in one. This does not mean we should give up because we're "not real." Instead, we should try to lead good lives to make ourselves real, and accept any and all help from God.
I am not arguing for pantheism, I do not believe the universe is God. The universe being made from and maintained by God does not make the universe God anymore than you are your parents just because you were made from them. Know that you are from God, though, and let God live in you.
I admit that this doesn't prove anything for an afterlife. It still presents a strong argument for it (we may continue to exist in a world simulated by the Omega Point), though it doesn't give any specifics. Possible scenarios include everyone going to heaven, different people going to heaven or hell (perhaps purgatory), or reincarnation. Even if everyone goes to heaven, we will have time to realize we do not belong and will come to suffer existentially (so there is still a "hell" of sorts). If reincarnation is the case, we may as well consider a positive life "heaven" and others "purgatory." While some find the idea of hell distasteful, whether it exists is really only be an issue if one is heading for it.
I admit that this doesn't prove any particular religion. Religion is probably a human invention at any rate, a combination of attempts to control the masses, create the Other idea-life, thank God for creating us, and attempt to change our imperfections. The first of these is unjustifiable, but the rest are noble. To live an authentic life and accept all help from God is the best course of action. Live a life that, if you had to live it over and over, you would be proud of. This may not be a "good" life, but God will forgive us. To prevent conflict, it is best to be tolerant of others (after all, your perception and understanding is no better than their's), but be wary of losing one's conviction to uncaring, apathetic, lazy relativism.
All this is nothing new, humanity has known this for some time. The Apophetic God (the nothing-but-divinity from which we come) was known to different cultures. Medieval Jewish mystics (Kabbalists) called it the Ein Sof. In Indian philosophy, this was Brahman (not to be confused with the minor demiurge Brahma, nor the priestly caste the Brahmins). In Mongolian and ancient Turkic shamanism, this was Tengri, the Heavenly father. In Chinese philosophy, this is Tien, heaven. For Christian theologians Meister Eckhart and Jacob Bohme, this was God the Father of the Christian Trinity.
These philosophies agree that this impersonal God would present us with a perfect face (the Other) for us to perceive him. The Kabbalistic term was Zeir Anpin ("Lesser countenance"). Indian philosophy called this Ishvara ("Lord," the being that worshippers of other gods like Shiva or Vishnu identified their gods with). Mongolian shamanism called this Bai-Ulgan (the Son of God, noone gets to His father except through Him). In Chinese philosophy, this was Shangdi ("Lord on High"). Meister Eckhart said that it was God the Son as Jesus.
This Other would also maintain the universe (as the Omega Point does), and come about with a relationship to it. In Indian philosophy, this was Dharma or earlier, Rta. In Persian philosophy, Asha ("truth"). Indian Rta and Persia Asha both come from the Indo-Iranian root Arta, and which comes from the same Indo-European root that English derive "Right" from. In Chinese philosophy, the Tao ("the Way," which C.S. Lewis accepted as valuable to understanding the universe). In Greek philosophy, this was the Logos, which Kabbalists and Christians came to incorporate into their own doctrines.
As I said earlier, know that God lives in you. This has been acknowledged as well by old religions and philosophies. The Kabbalists spoke of the Shekinah, the indwelling of God. Persian religion called this Spenta Mainyu ("Holy spirit"). The Holy Spirit, is of course, a part of the Christian Trinity.
However, this section is "Why I am a Christian":
The doctrine of the Trinity works within what I've discussed. The Father is the Apophatic God (not according to me, but Eckhart, Bohme, Simone Weil, and various other Christian mystics). The Holy Spirit is God living in us. The Son is the Other and the Omega Point. Jesus's life was lived by God to create the Other, and there is no difference between them. Christianity's call for forgiveness demands tolerance, but call for faith demands conviction, both of which are necessary to lead an authentic life while minimizing conflict.
The death of Jesus on the cross was not to appease God, but was God showing the extent of His love for us. In addition, the crucifixion was as a religious offering so that we need not worry about religion. Christianity was originally not a religion, but something that members of Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and Greek philosophy and mystery cults took to restore religion to a means of thanking God and improving oneself (rather than something to restrict oneself). The resurrection is a sign for us to look to and have faith that God will save us. There is a bit of a leap of faith, that God would become mortal, die, and return; that the infinite would cross over into the finite. Faith is not some magic power, though, it is just the desire and will to believe. When God appears to be gone, it's really the Father, reminding us to be still, quiet, and empty, like Him; to let our problems pass through us and let us be filled with the Holy Spirit. Faith is not the absence of doubt. Doubt is necessary for faith, it is the renewal of faith.
Christianity need not be so worried about the sins of others. All of us and our actions are imperfect. Pull the plank out of your eye before pointing out the mote in someone else's eye.
Christianity need not take commands not to view people as objects for sex as an excuse to hate our bodies and deny perfectly natural attraction to others. The Bible never commands you to hate your body, or any part of it. Every part of it is a a gift from God and a reason to praise Him. The tenth commandment is about desiring your neighbor's property, not about admitting to yourself that the missus is attractive. There is a difference between admitting someone is attractive and desiring to sleep with them.
Christianity need not be concerned with whether or not hell exists. Hell is only a problem if you're going to it. Losing hell does not hurt evangelism (from EU angelos, GOOD news): Christ is good news enough.
Christianity need not be worried about taking from other religions. If Christianity is true, it cannot be lost. Turning elements of other religions to our own ends only strengthens us, since it gives reason to come to Christ.
Christianity need not be concerned with the end of the world. If the world is to end in a bang, it will come "like a thief in the night" and is of no concern to us. We were given this world to take care of it, and we should stick to it until it's taken from us. Concerning the antichrist, in ancient Greek and Hebrew, numbers are not used, but letters have numerical values. In the Book of Revelation, the number of the Beast is 666, and in some manuscripts 616. When you add the values for Nero Caeser in Greek language, you get 666. In Hebrew, 616. Nero made himself out to be a god, put images portraying himself as such over coinage, and oppressed Christians. After him came Dominitian, who for Christians was pretty much Nero all over again (a little horn that was struck but grew back). It is entirely possible that the only parts of Revelation that have yet to occur are the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven, the Resurrection of the Dead, and the Second coming of Christ. Considering this, it is best to be concerned with the continuation of the world instead of its end. If the antichrist is coming and the world is going to end with a bang, it won't matter. If he doesn't, then we will be helping with the coming of the Kingdom of God. *Onward* Christian soldiers...
Christianity need not be concerned with God's plan in our individual lives. If God were limited to a singular, linear, strictly-defined plan, and if we were capable of following that plan absolutely, we would still do so imperfectly. But God is all powerful and all knowing, so all actions aimed towards redeeming the universe in any small way is ultimately part of His plan.
Christianity need not be as concerned with protecting the free market. Matthew 25: 31-46 call us to help the poor, not just help them if its to our advantage, or help them after we have helped ourselves, but to help them. Matthew 6:24 says you cannot serve God and wealth at the same time.
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