Through the sciences of Anthropology & Archeology we have learned that our common ancestors
Neanderthals, human beings that lived 28,000years ago performed ceremonial ritualistic burials on there dead, this was during a time before villages, or cities were ever build, this was before writing and literacy were known to mankind, This was even before agriculture was used by humans to feed
themselves, Man was still a hunter / gatherer living in caves, and trying desperately to keep warm.
By performing these ceremonial burials, this illustrates the notion or concept that there was more to “Life” then what they observed in there everyday lives. They believed in an after life, and with that belief, they prepared there loved ones for the journey to the other side. This is the cornerstone of the foundation of every modern religion, as we know it. Since the beginning of recorded history, we have
thought there is more to life then we know.
Today, we say a prayer for the dead, we dress them in fine clothes, we have ministers preside over the burials, all of this is a part of our current death rituals, no different in purpose or reason then what we as humans did 28,000 years ago. Every Major religion has its common belief in an afterlife.
Buddhism (Nirvana) 500,000,000 Followers
Christianity (Heaven) 2,200,000,000 Followers
Hinduism (Rebirth) 1,400,000,000 Followers
Islam (Paradise) 1,600,000,000 Followers
Janism (Karmic Bondage) 12,000,000 Followers
Judaism (Resurrection) 15,000,000 Followers
Shintoism (Communion with Ancestry) 119,000,000 Followers
Sikhism (Rebirth) 30,000,000 Followers
Taoism (Worship of Ancestors) 400,000,000 Followers
My Point in this is to illustrate to you that we are not nearly as far apart as we tend to think we are.
According to the United Nations, the world Population at the beginning of 2010 was 6,908,688,000 people. The number of people reflected in the list above is 6,276,000,000 this is 90% of the people on the earth that share a common belief in that we are going somewhere else when our mortal bodies die.
If we can acknowledge this fact, it could be the first step to better understand of different cultures, and promote more tolerance among different peoples. If we all share this belief in an afterlife, what else do we have in common?
I’m Not suggesting we all smoke a joint, hold hands and sing Bob Dylan songs, far from it, I Am merely trying to open a few closed minds out there that think we are better, or worse then other
peoples, or cultures, or are not as tolerant as they should probably be towards others.
We have common ancestors, with common beliefs, how different can we really be, and is the Institution of Organized religions the force driving the wedge between peoples and cultures? Why Send Missionaries to convert tribal peoples that have enjoyed a way of life for thousands of years?
Is this Gods plan, or the Organized Churches plan?
