THE OTHER SIDE
• BY MICHAEL E. TYMN
A
fter many years of murdering, raping, and pillaging with malice afore-
thought, twin brothers Jed and Ned were finally stopped by the police. Jed was shot and killed in- stantly, while Ned was ap- prehended and sent to prison for life. During his confinement, Ned “found” God and repented.
Jed and Ned are fictional characters created here to examine divine justice as perceived by familiar bib- lical orthodoxy (a view which does not accept the justice-providing mecha- nism of reincarnation and karma—Ed.). The predomi- nant view is that Jed faces eternal torment in hell, while Ned has been “saved” and will experience ever- lasting bliss in heaven, as- suming, of course, that he found the “right” God and showed proper remorse.
Tom Paine’s Nightmare (Drawn by James Gilray, 1756-1815)
Judgment Day In the Final Analysis, Is It Something We Visit on Ourselves?
One “school” holds that both Jed and Ned will “sleep” until some far-off Judgment Day when their moldering bodies will be restored and raised from their graves so that they can then receive appropriate sentences. Another school has them being judged soon after death and occupying their new environments almost immediately, although with Catholics there is an intermediate state called purga- tory in which sins must be purged before one is allowed entrance to heaven. Purgatory is purportedly as bad as hell but not eternal. In between those two views, there is one in which there is something of “double judg- ment.” The soul is judged soon after death and sent to what might be called a staging area while awaiting a final judgment on the day of resurrection. Exactly how the second judgment differs from the first judgment no religious authority, that we can find, seems to know. Simon Tugwell, an Oxford theolo- gian, suggests that this double judgment is a fundamental ambiguity and an embarrass- ment to the Christians who accept it, but may be so only because humans are unable to comprehend the timelessness of the after- life.
In the case of Jed and Ned and countless others, it seems that luck is a big factor in determining one’s salvation, or destiny in the afterlife, irrespective of which of the three belief systems mentioned he or she sub- scribes to. Clearly, Jed was the unlucky one in catching the bullet, while Ned lucked out by avoiding the bullet. When orthodox
38 ATLANTIS RISING • Number 85
leaders are asked to explain why God allows luck to play a part in one’s ultimate destiny, they usually say that we are incapable of un- derstanding or knowing God’s ways. In the great scheme of things, justice prevails, they assert with great conviction, even if we are unable to comprehend it.
But not all believers are dogmatically fixed in their view of how judgment is meted out in the afterlife. According to Michael J. Taylor, a professor emeritus of religious studies at Seattle University in Washington, a new theology of death has emerged (in Christian thought). Instead of God’s passing judgment as the person stands passively be- fore Him, the dying person is allowed to make a final choice for or against God. In ef- fect, the person chooses an eternity with or without God. Apparently, the person does not see the latter state as the horrific hell of orthodoxy, but rather as one of self-love. His decision is based upon what he has learned during his lifetime. If he does not opt for an eternity with God, then he must surely be in for a rude awakening.
Modern revelation, coming to us pri- marily through the near-death experience (NDE), mysticism, clairvoyance, and other forms of spirit communication, suggests a much more sensible, rational, and fair judg- ment, if it can be called a “judgment”—one consistent with a loving and just God. Many NDErs have reported a “life review” in which they see definitive moments in their life flash before them during the experi- ence. P. M. H. Atwater, whose NDE took
place during 1977, reported that she saw every thought she had ever had, every word she had ever spoken, and every deed she had ever done during her life review. Moreover, she saw the effects of every thought, word, and deed on everyone who might have been affected by them. As she interpreted it, she was judging herself.
Tom Sawyer, who had an NDE in 1978 when his car fell on him while he was working under it, recalled reliving every thought and attitude connected with decisive moments in his life and seeing them through the eyes of those who were affected by his ac- tions. He particularly recalled an incident that took place when he was driving his hot- rod pickup at age 19 and nearly hit a jay- walking pedestrian, who darted in front of him from behind another vehicle. When Sawyer engaged in a verbal exchange with the pedestrian, the man yelled some four- letter words at him, reached through the window, and hit him with his open hand. Sawyer responded by jumping out of his car and beating the man relentlessly. During his life review, Sawyer came to know everything about the man, including his age, the fact that his wife had recently died, and that he was in a drunken state because of his be- reavement.
Sawyer came to see the attack from his victim’s standpoint. “[I experienced] seeing Tom Sawyer’s fist come directly into my face,” he recalled. “And I felt the indignation,
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