To Have or Have Not?

A question asked me by someone identifying as a Non-believer in Heaven or Hell: "How can you accept something that can't be proven as real?"

My answer, convoluted as it may be: If I were a non-believer and thought there was nothing after death. The following two scenarios apply:

If the non-believers are correct, and I believe in a hereafter and live as if there is a heaven and Hell, but, ultimately, I am found to be wrong. I will never know it and suffer not, without a single regret.

If they are wrong, there is a soul and something beyond this mortal coil. What would I now face, having shunned all the proclaimed rules of human morality? Then, according to the preachers, my fate lay within the damnations of Sheol.

My grandfather's first rule for Faith: "It is better to have it and not need it … than the reverse." After allowing the thought to sink in, he added, "Just in case."

However, I try to take my Papa's ideas further. Thinking that having more than one needs has never hurt anyone. Sometimes, it's fun to share.

I am convinced that faith is something real, as Morality cannot exist without belief in something greater than ourselves. Yes, I understand this concept depends on negative consequences for failing to adhere to traditional rules. But without consequence, there is no order. Without order, there is no hope. Without hope, there is no reason to exist. Consequently, existence is dependent on Faith.

I have never met a happy non-believer. They say they are, but it is a lie told to the world while trying to convince themselves they add value to that world. I challenge you to find and list an atheist who provides or has provided anything that promotes the advancement of humanity. No, non-believers only advance themselves.

It's okay to speak of or call your image of divinity by a different name than mine. As long as you believe that following your Faith and keeping yourself circumscribed within its boundaries, humanity wins and advances.

This doesn't mean you must believe in pearly gates and streets paved with gold. That's not a reward I care to work for. But having a place to watch my children and grandchildren grow and prosper… is my definition of heaven. If practicing a lifestyle steeped in a religion celebrating morality gets me that… I am in like Flynn.