Re: The Myth of Meaning
Yeah... I don't really get it either. My take is that followers can feel better about the hardships of this life if they know that, by being a good follower, they will have a have a longer and nicer afterlife. The 'meaning' of this life is fullfilling the requirements to get into 1st class afterlife.
I think its just a human intellectual desire to try to ascribe meaning to things. That, of course, doesn't mean things actually have to have a deep meaning. But by creating a meaning, no matter how arbitrary, it makes some feel better.
Christianity seems quite simple-- it appeals to the selfish side of everyone. Describe life as an insignicant period in a longer 'spiritual' life. Define a set of rules that, if followed, means your infinite life will be spent in the clouds strumming harps and being super happy (to what purpose and for what meaning, I doubt anyone concerns themselves with that much)... break the rules and you're tormented for eternity.
Its a great method of social control as well as it gives people structure. I suspect we can all agree that structure and goals make our lives better. Religion fills in those blanks. It fills in the void for those looking for meaning.
The next question might be... what is the meaning of the afterlife?
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