It Cannot Be Killed

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IT Cannot Be Killed

Throughout history, empires have risen and fallen. The Pharaohs’ Egypt, Alexander’s Greek empire, Rome’s empire of conquest, Napoleon’s short lived empire, Hitler’s diabolical Reich, and Stalin’s satanic empire all died , but only after they degenerated into evil that killed freedom and debased human dignity. All political societies carry within them the seeds of descent; a place where failure is waiting, biding its time until it is time to ripe and create change, for better or worse.

Not only do political societies fail or are killed off, so also do philosophies and religions germinate, gain a degree of acceptance, and eventually die. Some continue to exist in new forms at low levels of acceptance, given a nodding assent until people realize it is just a rehash of old, rejected isms of hundreds or thousands of years ago.  Paganism, Arianism, and other isms seem to experience a rebirth only to be dashed upon the stones of reality, though enticing a few, but never again gaining wide acceptance.

Like the human body, anything that is perishable will perish. Occasionally, it might take many centuries to kill an ism, while other organisms may disintegrate in a few years or decades. Yet perish they will.

However, despite frequent and recurring opposition throughout the ages, there is one organization that will not die, because it is not perishable. It has God as it creator, from whom it obtains its permanence and direction. This is the Catholic Church. Despite political and cultural opposition, it has remained unconquered by all types of political and philosophical challenges. It has even survived repeated challenges from slackers within its own ranks. Senior level clergy, theologians, philosophers, and even the laity have tried to kill the church by changing it into their own image. They have all failed and will continue to fail because it is God’s church not theirs. He formed it and will continue to form it according to His will, not theirs.

The Catholic Church can be wounded from without and, mostly, from within, but it cannot be killed. God will not allow it.

 

Matter and Energy

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MATTER AND ENERGY

All we know and see consists of matter and energy…and nothing else. The universe, earth, animals, birds, and everything we know are matter and energy. Oh yes, human beings also are matter and energy. There is no soul, no spirit world. We humans are born, exist for a period of time, die, and are mostly forgotten. Since humans are only matter, then there is nothing for a human after death; death is indeed the end.

As opposed to the animals, we humans have evolved to an advanced stage where we can control some of the circumstances in which we live, but other conditions, like the weather or volcanoes, are still beyond our control. Thus, compared to animals, humans appear to be in an advanced stage of evolving matter. Some philosophers, such as Nietzsche, contend that humans will eventually evolve into a superman type of human. It has been further suggested that humans could help in the development of the human superman by careful and selected breeding of humans. (Hasn’t this been tried and all man achieved was a race of monster killers.)

Considering that humans are only made up of matter and energy, then there exists no objective reality / truth. Everything is relative. Reality is whatever each individual human wants it to be. Humans would have no hope for any future beyond this world and consequently should live this life with abandon, caring not for any need of any other human. …unless caring for someone else provides some benefit to the one providing the caring. Since there is no objective truth, man, as an individual and collectively, can create his own truth. Thus it would become obvious that the individual or group of individuals which possessed the most power would have no restrictions on their activities. Their truth / reality would dominate. The powerful could do whatever they would want with those who did not have power. Witness the totalitarian regimes of the twentieth century!

Is this reality? Or does reality for humans include a soul, free will, real ability to make choices, ability to seek objective truth, the ability to know the real meaning of mankind’s existence, and most importantly, an afterlife? In this reality, there is meaning to this life, other than to seek after only power and one’s own satisfaction. In other words, there is a real chance for happiness both in this world and the next. Power is no longer the end game. Caring, loving, even suffering have meaning.

Which world would you want to live in? The one where only matter and energy exist and power becomes the end. Or the one in which the soul, love, caring, and spiritual values supersede the need for power.

Which world contains reality?