The Universal Law and The Conditional Truth
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Afterlife Chapter 1
The Guidelines
Before beginning this guide, you must be willing to question everything you have heard up until this point, especially your idea of "God." Believe that no singular theory is true; instead, it is more likely that all have certain parts that are true rather than one. Most of the concepts you will witness in this are not new; some ideas date as far back as the beginning of recorded human history. This series could also be called The Hitchhiker's Guide to Perennial Philosophy.
I am not here to tell you which religion/spiritual practice is right or wrong. In fact, I will definitely cover many things I don't believe in or may even consider far-fetched. Of course, I have things that I consider to be truths, but I'm not hurt if we agree to disagree, and I have no issue with being wrong. What I fully believe and trust in, no matter what, is Science, and the scientific method, especially at the highest level of all my beliefs, is moral objectivism. This will become clearer later on.
One thing I feel I can not go further into the guide without saying is sometimes I do consider if, after death, it truly is just darkness or "nothing," as some people might say. If I, through some means, knew that this conclusion to our lives was true, it would not have changed my outlook on life or my goals. I feel as though many people who do believe in "nothing" after death do not have this sentiment. It is the same with all species that evolve. This goal is the success of the species, of our species. I believe—especially since we are the only currently known species with our level of sentience—That we have to choose to evolve, not physically, of course, but rather societally.
The next step in human evolution is, of course, the unity of the species as a whole (human rights, equal opportunities, ceasing needless warfare, etc, you know). Since we will never solve that issue on a species-wide scale, human division will likely be the cause of our extinction. The spiritual doctrines and practices that I believe in, those that will be mentioned in this guide, those that will even be considered as possibilities, are moral and will always align with the success of all human beings. Even though a particular religion may have immoral qualities and/or anti-intellectual doctrines, that does not disqualify every quality of the religious theory of question. Especially this does not allow for the generalization and demeaning of the particular religion's followers. I will touch on this subject more in-depth in future articles, especially regarding the morality of a deity.
Most of the theories featured in Hitchhikers Guide to the Afterlife (HGTA) will bank on this assumption. If a supreme deity exists, they must conduct their activities impartially. The abovementioned "if" statement leads me to the big problem with the title "Hitchhikers Guide to the Afterlife," which is within the definition of the word "guide." Merriam-Webster defines a guide as "a person who advises or shows the way to others." My issue with this is that I have no concrete evidence of any religious theory being true. How can these series be a guide if I have no hard evidence? How can I be 100% sure I am pointing the reader in the right direction? This "dilemma" is the basis for my first claim. The claim that the rest of the guide will be built upon.
Original Claim
I deem this claim as "The Universal Law." No matter what belief system a person dedicates oneself to, even if one's belief is wholly based on delusion, upholding this law wholeheartedly will always lead to a favorable outcome.
The "Universal Law" will be stated as:
The universal path to a favorable outcome in the afterlife is "Righteousness."
The universal law of Righteousness—the quality of being morally right or justifiable—should be held above all other beliefs. It is the key influence on your soul's outcome in the afterlife. This law is humanity's closest thing to a "Divine Truth/Fact." This statement fundamentally relies on whether the supreme deity in question has the following qualities:
Omnipresence: The Deity currently is being and has been present in all places at all times
Integrity: The Deity has a firm adherence to moral and ethical principles
Veracity: The Deity conforms to fact and reason
If a Deity claims to be a fair and just god, according to its doctrine, the deity will not (or can not) place any other factors—such as sacrifice—above the universal law.
Conditional Claim
This statement is based on the unfortunate chance that the deity in question does, in fact, value other factors above righteousness (for example, a declaration of faith). If this condition is true, the universal law will not be definite in leading to a favorable outcome after death. To further improve one's chances of a favorable (equivalent with deserving in this circumstance) outcome in the afterlife, one must also uphold what I will deem as "The Conditional Truth."
The rule will be stated as follows:
"If the Universal Law alone is insufficient, then reverence must also be a factor."
If there is one thing a diety will not forgive, it is a lack of reverence. A lack of faith is likely to be forgiven, but a lack of respect is not, especially regarding their devotees, holy sites, and sacred texts.
Up next: Sin and Rebirth
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