Just wondering what the general take is on this. Personally I'm leaning further and further into Sartre's existentialism as a philosiphy for life, but then I'm not done studying it yet either. Oi vey, Strange

I'm laughing near you, but not at you. Your diction: "the general take"--Go ahead, try a man-on-the-street poll!

You know what I mean. ... So? What's your opinion about the existance of hell, or even an afterlife? I just wonder about this stuff. Babaganoosh, Strange

Quite honestly Strange, I think we are in hell now.. look at the suffering.. look at the bombs that have killed innocent people just this week in Omaha, and Africa... what did those people do to deserve to die like that.... imagine how their families must feel... the fact that we are nearing the year 2000 and our world is no better than the 1800's........ starvation, disease run rife in third world countries. I don't think there is a worse place we could go.

Sure there is! Be optimistic! It will get much worse! ... No, I wouldn't say that. It's true there is a lot of pain in this world but I wouldn't call it 'hell'. One way to look at it is that Earth is Purgatory, Heaven is Earth without pain or problems or whatnot and Hell is Earth without love or goodness or all that other 'nice stuff'. I'm just babbling, someone kick me in the face, Strange

to Strange...babbling is very helpful sometimes. I can see why Moon Unit thinks Hell is here and I can understand why you're kind of leaning towards Sartre and existentialsm. Nice to see that you're balancing the darkness with optimism... Personally, Strange, Hell is life not lived fully. You don't have to be dead to know that.. And the afterlife? I'm kinda looking forward to that. If we are to follow this dictum (I read this somewhere, not mine) the way to prepare for a good death (or afterlife, although it might not be the same to some people)is to live life as it would end anytime, then it follows a hellish life equals a hellish afterlife... If this isn't making sense and I'm babbling, apologies too. Guess with deep, dark questions, I'm a bit stumped just thinking about it.

Hey I belive that when I die I will get to see my friends and family that have passed on... I can't believe they are suffering somewhere else... *fingers crossed*

MoonUnit- Though (again, just wondering) do you beleive in the seperate afterlives in accordance with how one has lived their life (heaven hell purgatory) or just one afterlife that is just like this one? The latter sounds like one of Burroughs' writings; a weary and sickening afterlife much like this sterile existance... only for eternity. Rachel- I definitely agree with the statement that 'Hell is life not lived fully'. It's a good reminder that people must try to really _live_. Also, when it comes to babbling, I think it's partially just that nobody knows these things, and thus no one can really sound intelligable talking about it (i.e. what I've just been saying now.). Hmm... Life: you can't get out of it alive, Strange

Strange - Man you ask some hard questions.... I cant imagine thousands of millions of people all in the same place so maybe I belive in reincarnation? Um no maybe I dont.....(I dont want to be anyone else I am ME) let me think about it for a bit... do you go where you believe you should go? (I like that one... man I'd be in a supernatural chocolate factory) Maybe we all just die and thats it. Its all too scary to contemplate and I refuse to take this seriously anymore. I dont think that just because this person was 'good' they are allowed to go to heaven and because this person was 'bad' they must go to hell... some peoples lives don't give them the choices that let them go either way aggghhhhh I'm babling and I cant concentrate as its the end of the working Monday so maybe I should answer this when I am more awake

Moon Unit~ I've thought about this a lot too, and I am a Christian so I believe in the whole Heaven/Hell thing, but I've also thought a lot about what you said about "going where you believe" or whatever. It just seems like there are so many religions out there and just because Christianity is probably the most popular and accepted it doesn't mean its the "right" one I guess. Now on the other hand, what you said about going places on whether one is "good" or "bad," from the Christian standpoint thats not what it is about, it's about whether one believes in God or not, yes we will be punished for being "bad" and all of that but Jesus says that if we believe in God and ask for forgiveness for our sins, we will go to Heaven. Now I'm sorry to everyone that this is kind of contradictory (<---is that a word?) but I guess I'm just saying although I am a Christian, I too have looked at other...options?? I can't think of a better word :P

Yeah, I know what you mean, but with the 'going to heaven if you beleive in Jesus'... I dunno, isn't just kind of a free out for anyone who doesn't though? I mean, you go to hell you're obviosly going to follow anyone who can get you out. I've heard that Catholics beleive that for each unpardoned sin you go to hell for a certain amount of time, depending on the severity of the sin. Or what if one belives in Jesus but does not follow Jesus? Christianity just doesn't suit me I guess. Just babbling, Strange

Christianity the most popular? Sorry, wrong answer. In North America and most of Europe, perhaps, but that doesn't add up to the majority of the frikkin' world. But, yeah, I gotta agree with you. I mean, the Spice Girls are pretty damn popular too, but I'd still rather listen to a safety pin being jammed into my eardrum. Come to think of it, I'd love to do a death metal/cheesy midi stuff cover of "Wannabe"...

Step into your time machine.... Go back...waaay back....OKAY, STOP!!!!! You are now in Ancient Greece. Stop some guy on the street and ask him if Zeus is real. Go ahead, ask him. What did he say? Now, mention to this guy that you think Zeus and his other gods are myths! Did he freak out and start to argue with you that he had proof? Did he say, "Just look around you! How could all of this come to be without Zeus?" Jump back into the time/continuity stream QUICK before you get stoned for heresy!!!! POP!!!!! Welcome to Eskimo country, 1643 a.d. Tell the first Eskimo you see that his belief about a GIANT TURTLE depositing the earth in it's place is a STUPID FANTASY! WHIZZZZ!!!!!!!! Tell some Druid that his tree-worship don't add up in the face of your PROOF-POSITIVE that ONE GOD AND ONE GOD ONLY is the sole originator of the entire universe. ZOOOOM!!!! Recoil in horror as Native Americans get REALLY PISSED at you for forcing them to abandon their CENTURIES-OLD TRADITIONS to believe in YOUR GOD. Then sit back in nonplussed bemusement as they noisily drink themselves silly in order to console themselves in their abject greif. Now....get back home and tell me about evil spirits with horns and long, pointy tails controlling my mind. (whew...some trip)

My boyfriend and I were having a few drinks at a bar last Friday night and were getting very drunk so decided to go outside and get some fresh air. Sitting on a bench outside the stars glowing down the boy racers showing their cars off up the main strip, the warm fuzzy glow of alchol... I was feeling quite good when all of a sudden out of the blue appeared this girl. "Hi," she says and reaches into her pocket. We don't say anything and just look at her. "I'd like to tell you about Jesus and why I believe in God" she continues pulling out of her pocket one of those little "jesus died for your sins" books. I look up and tell her "get out of my face. You can belive in whatever you like as long as you don't try to force that on me. I'm not interested and I believe if you live your life to the fullest thats the most important thing". She ignores me..."I found God" she says smiling. My boyfriend (Andrew) who in the past year found one of our best friends hanging on their back doorstep and who lost his mother thru a so called routine operation tells her to go away as we really aren't interested. "I was anorexic" she says "and God helped me back to life" She trys to continue but as we've already asked her to leave us alone we ignore her. Andrew starts getting mad... yelling at her... what kind of God lets me find the body of my best friend...what kind of God lets my mother die during a routine operation.... so the way I see it... believe in whatever you like... and if you really feel like you need to tell the world... respect peoples space when they tell you they arent interested.

MoonUnit, I applaud you! I fully believe what you say! "Believe in whatever you like...and if you really fell like you need to tell the world... respect peoples space when they tell you they aren't interested" I couldn't have worded it better. The other day we had a couple of people at our door trying to tell us how wonderful they're religion was. (I don't think I have to mention the religion, do I?) Anyway, they had recruted a 12 year old girl to do the talking. The adult was standing beside her coaching her along. It's as though they don't have the guts anymore to force their beliefs down our throats, they have to hide behind children now. I was repulsed!

Ok Gargamel you BASTARD, thanks for banning me from the forest. And hey guys, don't believe his new found smartness for one minute! He's transplanted Brainy Smurf's brain into his skull. The poor little fella! Watch your back Gargy... me and the remaining Smurfs know where you are.

Anyway, getting back to the subject at hand... I must say that Moonunit has stated it well. I have been approached many times by the same kind of people (must look like I have to be 'saved' or somthing in their eyes) and I've come to the point where I understand that they won't go away without you having to say (in one way or another) 'hey, piss off.'. Anymore I just tell them I'm jewish. Then they either go away or start trying to convince me to convert. AND THAT IS WHY SOMTIMES I SAY THAT CHRISTIANITY IS ONE OF THE MAIN OPRESSIVE FORCES IN SOCIETY. because it is. They won't just leave me alone. What the hell was that? Strange

*bowing* Its a sad sick world.....

I don't care about brainy smurf! i want the blue chick. i hear she puts out. what i want to know is, when you choke a smurf, what coler do they turn? it's the age old question. oh, and Azriel, you had it comin' baby!

If you choked me I would go spuce, and I only put out if you pay well. Ya hearing me darlin'?

Hell, yes. Its verrry hot, and there's no exscaping the heat, and you don't ever get use to it. You don't get a 15 minute break to have a cigereete or even a drink of cold water. There are no loop holes in hell as there is here on earth. Every nano-second you feel and react as if you are being thrown into fire. Not only that but you are forced to watch old re-runs of the Martha Steward's show again and again. You certainly will not be allowed to practice that existentionalism stuff. I hope that clears up things for you, and the rest of the universe, once and for all. May God be with you all or at least a over powering respect for the laws of universal truth.

"GOD IS DEAD" -Nietzche

I really liked you in that one Phil Collins video.

"Nietzsche is dead." -GOD.

Speaking of Heaven & Hell -- has anyone seen "What Dreams May Come" yet? What do you think abt the idea that each of us gets our own private heaven/based on what we believed heaven wd be like when we were alive? I find it interesting that someone chose to make a film that portrays the after-life that way. But then/I suppose a film abt the horrors of hell & who ends up there wd never get greenlighted... Seems the public can only deal with things like demons & hell when they're couched in horror movie formats. But I was pleasantly suprpised to see Denzel in "Fallen" . Even tho' the plot had holes in it the size of a city bus/I enjoyed the subject matter. And Ah-nold himself is set to portray an ex-cop chasing down the Devil when Satan comes to NY in search of a bride. Millennium Fever -- ya gotta love it! I figure you believe in Heaven/then believing in Hell is part of the bargain. And even if I didn't believe in God/I wd still take great comfort in the idea that those who have lived dishonestly & immorally (mainly politicians/lawyers/bankers/& the folks at Publishers Clearinghouse) in this life/ & those who have hurt & maimed & exploited others/wd somehow get their just desserts in the hereafter.

"If I had believed in a God of rewards and punishments, I might have lost courage in battle." -Napoleon

"Goddamn Waterloo!' -- Napoleon - Belgium, 1815.

"My my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender...." -- ABBA - Sweden, 1974.

"My my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender...." -- ABBA - Sweden, 1974.

damnit! ok PJ, let me have it....

PetRock-of-the-stuttering-fingers: Ya gotta switch to decaf, dude!

SPANK!