Once, many years ago, someone told me that belief in reincarnation was a 'cop-out'. To this day, I don't know why he thought it was a cop-out any more than his own belief in being saved and going to heaven was.
But maybe that's because deep down I believe it doesn't matter. I think that whatever you believe happens after this physical existence is done gets swept away by the reality and it's all going to work out.
So back to the 'cop-out' thing. Regardless of your beliefs, the cop-out--the excuse--happens when your belief in what happens next replaces action you take here and now. What if we each acted as if one shot was all we had at getting it right (whatever that happens to be)? If whatever happens after, was dictated only by how much energy we put into creating, loving, living big without hurting others (you know, the other things most religions teach)? If you couldn't pass it off as a lesson you'll work on next time, or something "God will forgive." (Personal note: a bumper sticker I find really annoying is the one that reads "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven." Every time I see it, I think, huh, so whatever you do, that's okay because ....?)
What if, instead, we approached life with this thought: what if this is the best possible set of circumstances, the best possible life, for me to make a difference? And it will never be this perfectly set again, and I'm going to take advantage of that?
Speaking of that, an interesting experience I had many, many years ago with a friend of mine who is/was Mormon. We were having a discussion in which he said if it weren't for his faith, he would kill people who angered him. I told him I thought it was surprising one's moral code (e.g., killing people) is based entirely on religious beliefs. Even if you took away my faith, I still wouldn't believe it is right to kill someone just because they angered or offended me. I doesn't matter what path I'm following at the moment, there are just certain things that "feel" right or wrong to me and it doesn't matter what the "doctrine" says about it. It saddens me to think people who only have religious morals and not personal ones that are independent of any indoctrinated belief system.
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