72 Virgins??

Muslim men (and others) are baited to become ISIS fighters by the promise of 72 virgins if they are killed while fighting for Allah. I don’t know whether this promise is from the Koran or not, but let’s think about it for a moment. What do men take away from this promise? I am sure the thought is in terms of physical activity for eternity. The problem is that his physical presence is still on earth – it is not suddenly gone with his spirit into the afterlife. So, how will he be able to conduct any physical activity? 

First of all, where do all these virgins come from? Think about it – if 1000 fighters lose their life in battle, 72,000 virgins would immediately be required. The number quickly becomes astronomical in terms of possible reality. I have seen a comic containing a newly arrived fighter surrounded by 72 nuns – humorous, but hardly probable. 

Returning to the concept of eternal physical activity; in response to a marriage question, Jesus said (Mark 12:25): “When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.” In other words, there will be no physical relationships in the afterlife; all indications are that there is no sexual differentiation among angels. This seems logical. If our physical being remains on earth, then it is only our intellect, or soul, that goes on to the afterlife. Indeed, Steve Hawking implied this when he claimed that no knowledge is lost, even if physical components disappear into a black hole. 

What aspect of our being, then, does go on to the afterlife? Have you dreamed? Scientists claim this is brain activity that continues during sleep. Perhaps, but my dreams frequently have nothing to do with experiences. Yet they seem real. (At least they do until I awaken.) Are dreams really a preview of existence in the afterlife? It is said that any question you may have in the afterlife is immediately answered. This is certainly similar to dream experiences, although the answers often don’t seem logical once I awaken! 

Back to the 72 virgins – is it possible that they will be dreams, to be seen but not touchable? Even worse, will they be demons teasing for eternity? Perhaps young men should consider these things before they commit themselves to ISIS.

Our six senses -- what do they tell us?

Who has not heard the old question, "If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?" The average person will probably say, "Of course it does." Others, however, may say, "No, it does not." Who is correct? Perhaps both are! It all depends on how one views what might be considered a sound event.

What has happened? Sound is caused by a difference in air pressure. When the tree drops to the ground it displaces some air molecules and a pressure wave travels through the air in the same way that, when something drops into water, a wave is developed and travels outward in the water body. When the air pressure wave reaches an ear it creates a vibration within the ear, and nerve endings detect this vibration. The nerve then transmits the information to the brain, and the brain interprets the vibration as a sound. Therefore, technically, if there is no brain in the area to interpret the event, there is no sound - only a air pressure wave. However, the pressure wave itself is usually referred to as a "sound wave," so of course it makes a sound whether or not someone is near enough to hear it.

The detection of sound waves is one of the five senses - hearing, taste, sight, feeling, and touch - used by humans to interpret their surroundings. The presence of a "sixth sense" is often mentioned, and is a bit controversial. However, have you ever felt strongly that you need to depart your current location - and quickly? Have you ever felt that you should not pursue a particular action? Has anyone ever come up quietly behind you, and you knew the person had done so even though none of your five senses confirmed the knowledge? If any thing similar to this has happened to you, mark it up to your "sixth sense." It is not really explainable, but it is strong in some people and weak or non-existent in others. 

The combination of these senses creates a "back up" safety protection system. A blind person cannot see danger, but can hear, feel, or sense danger. A deaf-blind person can still sense danger. I can think of only one environmental aspect that has no personal backup, that being color - the function of which is pleasure only. One who has been blind from birth can feel and smell a tree trunk, branches, and leaves, and even hear the wind blowing through the branches. In this way, a concept a tree's nature can be developed - but there is no way to conceive of a tree's beauty. Others may explain and describe color, but while someone having become blind later in life can enjoy a mind picture, the person blind from birth has no way to understand. So far as they are concerned, color does not exist.

Similarly, at a larger scale, we are trapped in a three dimensional space and unidirectional, irreversible time world. That is our reality. We can envision nothing else, so no other reality exists. But does it? Let's travel back to the event scientist currently call "The Big Bang." Dr. Steven Hawking has calculated this to occur is nothingness - no space, no time - simply nothing. What would that have been like? A complete vacuum? No. A vacuum implies an empty space, and he says there was no space. We simply cannot conceive of such a reality. We are like the blind-from-birth person considering color: we reject or ignore the possibility. Yet, his calculations say it is true.

Could there have been some kind of intelligent force in that nothingness - a force that created the entire universe and everything in it? Some say, "Absolutely not! It all happened by chance!" Others say, "Yes!" and that force is called the Holy Spirit, or God Almighty. What do you say? Do you reject anything you cannot feel and understand? Or do your senses detect something beyond the reasoning of the reality in which we live?