I've noticed that the missionaries make pretty hard going of it among the local Thais whereas the Akha tend to line up at the church door.

Now the Akha are the poorest ethnic group in Thailand and I can't help wondering if they think that nothing can be worse than what they already have so they'll take a chance. A tithe on no income is still nothing so the cost is minimal.

I'm pretty sure the Akha were (and many still are) animists. Oddly, since most societies practised animism at some time in the past, it doesn't offer much in the way of a concrete scenario for the afterlife. Perhaps animists don't think of the afterlife much.

So along comes a group with a lot of money, willing to help you in the here-and-now, and promising a concrete vision of a rosy immortality. It probably sounds pretty good. Evangelical missionaries in Thailand are known to target non-Buddhists like hilltribes and sea gypsies for this reason. Thai Buddhists, on the other hand, already have a good idea of what the afterlife will be and instructions on how to get there.

When I was in Chiang Mai just after Loy Kratong, Thai Christian evangelists were holding some kind of rally at Thapae Gate. Most of the audience were young and seemed to be having a good time, waving their arms around and yelling, "PHRA YESU RAK CHIANG MAI!" Buddhism isn't really "fun" like that.

Au contraire, I went to a festival in Vientiane once that involved in marching en masse from one temple to another cheering and setting off fireworks as we went.

Then another time we covered a whole temple with balls of sticky rice at two oclock in the morning. Sanuk mak!

Maybe you hang around with a particularly staid sect cam?

Yeah, but those are one-off festivals that have little to do with real Buddhism. It's not like singing the Lord's praises every Sunday.

I bow to your wisdom, revered one.

Dreaming of having just won the jackpotted lottery last night, I was imagining calling my mates around to give them a gift of cash, with love, and to bounce around ideas about what my best plan of action, investment and lifestyle wise, was.

I realised that I would have to convince them that I am determined to dedicate a major portion of the winnings to a charitable cause.....as long as my kids will have a good house each when I die, and that I lead a comfortable life untill that day.I would like to devote some time to administering and participating in, a charitable project that I fund.

How would I explain it to them, that know full well that I am atheist, yet I insist on this use of the money because I made a promise to God?

I do not believe in God, certainly not how He is presented by any religion I have ever heard of. I do believe in evolution.

But my promise (not to mention the fact OF the promise)) was sincere.I realised then that I was God.

To me alone, I am my God, I promised myself.

We each are our own God.....and all the percieved goodness of God, collectively seen, is all the goodness of ourselves.

Goodness may not be neccessary for my genes to live forever, but goodness WILL help....most likely my decendants will live in a society.

Therefore, it's in MY best interests, gene forwarding in mind, to try to be good and hope others see the same....or try to convince others to make a concerted effort to do the same.

Isn't this what religion is all about? Believe in, and be true to, yourself. Practice a set of rules ("goodness") faithfully, and strive to get more of society working towards this common goal. Also, gene forwarding is a part of you living in a future place. Is that an analogue to "life after death", or "soul in heaven", or reincarnation....whatever it's called......???

I am God. To me. I should be good. For my own sake. and for my future, my genes.

God is you, to you. You should be good. For your own sake, for your genes.

Lets love ourselves, be true to ourselves, and follow a set of rules that help society to succeed. I don't need a church for that. I may need a "holy" book if the rules are complex.

This doesn't mean current religions are redundant. Everyone has their own way of believing in goodness.

Love yourself formost. Your genes have zero chance of being carried on if you die. Society needs rules. Follow the rules.Helping society and the entire human race (global society) to survive assists your genes to carry on.

.I realised then that I was God.

To me alone, I am my God, I promised myself.

We each are our own God.....and all the percieved goodness of God, collectively seen, is all the goodness of ourselves.

Goodness may not be neccessary for my genes to live forever, but goodness WILL help....most likely my decendants will live in a society.

Therefore, it's in MY best interests, gene forwarding in mind, to try to be good and hope others see the same....or try to convince others to make a concerted effort to do the same.

Isn't this what religion is all about? Believe in, and be true to, yourself. Practice a set of rules ("goodness") faithfully, and strive to get more of society working towards this common goal. Also, gene forwarding is a part of you living in a future place. Is that an analogue to "life after death", or "soul in heaven", or reincarnation....whatever it's called......???

I am God. To me. I should be good. For my own sake. and for my future, my genes.

God is you, to you. You should be good. For your own sake, for your genes.

Lets love ourselves, be true to ourselves, and follow a set of rules that help society to succeed. I don't need a church for that. I may need a "holy" book if the rules are complex.

I came to much the same conclusions as a young man. In fact, I visualized the whole scenerio in full color 3D in the middle of the room. A few hits of mescaline and a snort of chrystal meth made it all clear.

yeah, it does look a little bit like psychadelic ravings.....I wrote it down last night at the time....but I'd only had a few bourbons and only one toke.

I hate to admit it, but to this day, it is the most realistic religious experience I have ever had. I am in no way certain that I did not actually see God.

I hate to admit it, but to this day, it is the most realistic religious experience I have ever had. I am in no way certain that I did not actually see God.

Maybe you looked in a mirror

I sometimes think about going back onto dope when I miss booze.

But then I think, if it ain't broke why fix it?

The trouble with the Bible not being clear about the afterlife is that we want detail. Will I have my own cloud and harp? Chocolate milk and great sex? Can I search Google Earth and locate heaven? What if aliens get to heaven?...

What if the aliens are already there... what if that's where aliens come from?

What if they're just waiting there for us to die so they can get us with their alien anal probes?

Well, I suppose that would be heaven for some people....