EARTH IS A SCHOOLHOUSE FOR TRAINING by Roy A. Reinhold Philosophers and everyday people have longed pondered the question, "Why are we here on earth and what is our purpose?" The secular humanists and believers in the theory of evolution posit that we, "just are," and should make the best of the circumstances. Survival of the fittest moderated with a compassion for the less capable among us, ensures that the achievers will achieve while harnessed by a welfare tax plantation system to support those who don't want to or cannot work. Since there are no absolutes in this non-Christian mindset, the rules are set by those who gather the largest following, or those who gain power through elected office, or more likely through the political spoils system. In the back of their minds, they all want to be among the wealthy, politically elite, or well-connected. Included in that is the desire to gain the most toys in this life and make a lasting mark on civilization so that someone will remember them after they die. In the last few years, stories of the near-death experience have been widely circulated, awakening the masses to the possibility of an existence after the toils of this life are over. Blinded By The Light and other books are best-sellers, supposedly revealing that all die and go through a tunnel to the light, a place of total love and acceptance, and the place where we lived before our existence on this earthly plane. If all go to the light and receive eternal existence and rewards without regards to the consequences of actions in this life on earth, then there is no cosmic justice. Do you want to go to a plane where Hitler, Stalin, and Mao Tse Tung regale you with stories of how they caused the death of multiple millions? Or, will you accept that they were just ridding the earth of excess humans. Our daily life here on earth reveals that there are consequences to actions. If we lie, cheat, and murder, will we not pay the consequences? If a businessperson cheats their customers, won't there be a loss of customers? If we are a farmer and decimate the soil through improper farming practices, won't we eventually pay the price? If we as a nation take what isn't ours by starting a war to absorb a neighboring country, won't we pay for it by defeat in war? The answer to all these questions is yes, with the caveat that sometimes the wheels of justice grind slowly in our own eyes. Sometimes people get away with murder, sometimes it takes years for a cheating businessperson to be revealed, and sometimes countries do wrongly take over the land of other countries. Dr. Maurice Rawlings, MD, a heart surgeon, has written a number of books on the near death experience and clearly shows from his own practice and the experiences of his patients, that not everyone goes to the light when they die, where there is total love. He has written of many patients being resuscitated on the operating table and speaking about being in hell, where there was a real devil and demons, and where the inhabitants were tormented with fire. Dr. Rawlings writes that these people are a lot more reluctant to talk about it than those who went to the good place. In fact, these people were highly motivated to do all that they could to repent and be saved (born again in the Christian faith) so that they would never go back to the place of torment. You might be interested to know that not one Christian ever had a near death experience where they went to hell, among all the hundreds of cases documented by Dr. Rawlings. This may come as no surprise to you, but many Christians including mainline denomination pastors believe and teach that there is no hell, perhaps 20% or more of all Christians in the US. They hold to the false belief forwarded by secular humanists, that there really are no consequences for our actions on this earth. I'd just like to share one scripture text with you on this topic. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed for our testimony to you was believed. Jesus said in John 15:6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. The above scriptures are but a few of the many verses which state that there are consequences for our actions in this life. As Dr. Rawlings pointed out in his books, there are two kinds of near death experiences. In the good one people go to a place of light and love, while in the other, people go to a place of fire and torment called hell. Our eternal destiny hangs in the balance according to what we believe. The fact of the matter is that we face choices in this life and the choices affect us in this life and affects us in our afterlife. In this life, we bear the consequences of our choices in life. Do we apply our talents and gain the necessary education in order to succeed, or do we wait for the government to make us successful? Do we treat others as we want to be treated (the golden rule), or do the ends justify the means, and we lie, cheat, and steal to get ahead? Everyone speaks of "fairness", so why do you doubt that there is cosmic justice? This life on earth is more than the result of evolution from the primordial ooze, and we affect our lives by our choices in life. That's the correct expectation of free people with a free will. If you choose not to gain an education and then complain that those lucky ones who got an education get ahead, why not change your circumstances? What you'll quickly find out is that with effort, doors of opportunity will open. You'll also see that even the most educated people, who expect life to drop good things on their doorsteps with no effort, often get nowhere in life. This life is a training ground for the afterlife. We learn how to love and respect others, how to care for the less fortunate, and how to seek God our Father who made us. There are eternal repercussions for a life wasted, although I ought to say that acquiring things is not the measure of success in life. The funny thing is that living correctly here on earth in accordance with the scriptures, also causes the eternal system set up on this earth to pay us back here on earth. Family, children, friends, community service, and generosity are satisfying here on earth and build the character that you will carry into eternity. Does God Bless Muslims, Hindus, and Pagans?