What I think is more important than our beliefs about the origins of the universe are how they affect the way we treat our world and its inhabitants.
One flaw of belief structures that focus on beginning and end of a finite universe and in heaven and hell is that they lend themselves to hostility and aggression while here. If the world is going to be destroyed by fire anyway, why bother being ecosensitive? If you're only going to spend a small amount of time here and the rest of eternity in the afterlife, why bother accomplishing anything here that isn't directly related to your admittance into the best afterlife, or for your own comfort in this life?
If you believe that the universe has always been, that life is reincarnated, that all energy is one -- you have more incentive to treat the world and its inhabitants with all compassion and respect.
People argue about the answer of how the universe came to be, which side is right, which side is wrong. However, not so many people argue about what each side means.
|