Yuck it up, Christians! I post this because it made me think because there’s the perennial question of why bad things happen, and why God lets that happen. I don’t struggle with this question because I’m not that deep. I just always figure God’s paying attention to someone/thing else, which makes you wonder about the all-knowing and all-being of God.
I don’t expect any one to agree with me.
Dating Jesus 
Good one!
I figure “God” (however you want to define that) inspires us to protect and care for each other when bad things happen and gives us the faith & hope that help will be there when we need it most to keep us going when times are tough (which may or may not happen because it depends on how well we protect and care for each other). I believe we can begin to understand why bad things happen by using science or by recognizing bad choices made by people. I don’t believe that things happen because “it was God’s plan”. We are accountable for our actions. Hurricanes happen when the conditions are right, without consideration of people in it’s path. etc
Having said that, I want to believe that there is something that goes on after the physical body can no longer function. How and if there is interaction between passed spirits and spirits in bodies are questions I have.
We Love Atheists, the facebook site, has another poster that says “Since the beginning of recorded history, which is defined by the invention of writing by the Sumerians around 6,000 years ago, historians have cataloged over 3700 supernatural beings, of which 2870 can be considered deities.
“So the next time someone tells me they believe in God, I’ll say “Oh, which one? Zeus? Hades? Jupiter? Mars? Odin? Thor? Krishna? Vishnu? Ra?…” If they say “Just God. I only believe in the one God,” I’ll point out that they are nearly as atheistic as me. I don’t believe in 2,870 gods, and they don’t believe in 2,869.”
Maybe God realizes (and we don’t) that what happens to us on earth really doesn’t matter much in the scheme of things, and that we will discover that some day, after we are gone from earth.
As for things going on after our earthly bodies die, I found a lot to ponder and be hopeful about after reading some of the literature about near death experiences. A fairly large number (although a very small percentage) of people from all walks of life have had them, and what they report about their time being “dead” is very encouraging. Nationality, religious background, education level, age, etc. don’t seem to matter much regarding what is reported.