Pearly Gates Inquiry

By Raymond A. Hult

Why is the reality of an afterlife final judgment so easily accepted by followers of organized religion? Do these same followers think to question the dearth of scriptural information about what a purported heavenly existence might actually entail? How is it so many fervent believers accept without question the possibility of being subjected to a hellish punishment as set forth in their doctrinal foundations? Pearly Gates Inquiry proves beyond a shadow of a doubt a final judgment is no more likely than an infant being fluent in several languages at birth. It simply cant and will never happen. Also, what might occur in any heavenly life is basically unknown with countless critical questions left unanswered. Finally,the concept of hell is a ridiculous notion unworthy of any serious consideration. The author uses his training as an investigator with 27 years as an FBI Special Agent in investigating and confronting these basic building blocks of organized religion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Aug 7, 2017
• ISBN: 9781490783895

Raymond A. Hult

The author is 78, having been married for 57 years with five daughters, 13 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Having been for most of his life a comiited Christian, he eventually determined he was actually an Agnostice. Having served 27 years as an FBI Special Agent, he finally replaced his blind faith, invloving multiple layers of hearsay, with the importance of relying on evidence and common snense. He's now retired in Bountful, Utah engaging mostly in writing and golf. He's authored seven published books, six of which deal with his Agnoxtic views and the seventh a novel dealing with his experience in the FBI. All have been published by Trafford and can be purchased at both Barns and Nobel and Amazon.

Book preview

PART 1

FINAL JUDGMENT

ONE

FINAL JUDGEMENT

So, what exactly is my claimed irrefutable fallacy essentially invalidating the basic foundation of organized religion? It’s the concept of a final judgment to be applied to humans after they die. It includes all the requirements supposedly determining where worthy decedents end up once their journey on earth is complete. Absent the dogma of a final judgment, organized religion’s lure becomes significantly less compelling.

Religious books like the Bible and the Koran lose much of their appeal once the concept of obedience and reward no longer apply. What worthwhile content remains is little more than what is offered by countless secular publications promoting similar principles of living a morally productive and satisfying lifestyle.

Organized religion loses a critical factor necessary to keep congregants from abandoning their faith. That component is fear. Dread that failure to remain active and compliant might adversely affect the remainder of their eternal existence. It’s one thing to put up with the challenges and problems of mortal life, but those only last a short while when compared to the rest of all time. Living by the rules promulgated by pious doctrine is nothing to be ignored. The promise of everlasting glory in a heavenly setting is often worth whatever human sacrifice it might take to satisfy the demands of a godly sanctioned religious leader.

Each major denomination has its own concept of commandments that must be adhered to in order get to heaven and not be subjected to a lesser realm of everlasting torment and regret. The rules differ significantly from one another. Each is sure its requirements are the ones its one and only true god has established as necessary to secure eternal bliss.

I’m most familiar with Mormonism which I consider to be a division of Christianity as signified by its formal name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many other Christian denominations don’t agree and consider it to be an opportunistic interloper. Nevertheless, I’ve found much of the doctrine to be compatible. One difference is Mormons have a much more specific concept of the final judgment.

For example, there are three separate divisions of heaven. The highest level is the celestial followed by the terrestrial and telestial in that order. The best fruits of heaven go to those qualified to enter the highest realm of the celestial. That includes becoming gods themselves. The terrestrial has far fewer benefits but is preferable to a telestial existence which includes, for example, those who led an honorable life on earth, but failed to embrace Mormonism on earth when given a fair chance to accept it.

For me to have achieved a celestial glory, I would have needed to remain qualified to enter the Mormon temple. That entailed successfully adhering to a list of qualifications during regular temple recommend interviews conducted by those in authority over me. I won’t go over the whole list of commandments, but an example of one would be to have remained a full tithe payer requiring relinquishing to the Church one-tenth of my gross income.

Because I’ve now left the Church while having been given more than ample opportunity to accept it, my place in the eternal hereafter allegedly isn’t a pleasant predicament to ponder. I’m not worried but many members would be horrified to find themselves in my position. That’s an example of the type of fearful concern organized religion is capable of promoting.

Although the cause of dread may vary in the numerous denominations among the major religions, the effect is similar. Live by the rules or suffer the eternal consequences. Some Christians are taught good works provide the path to the best heaven has to offer. Others rely on scriptures indicating good works have nothing to do with gaining eternal bliss. Instead, the only road to salvation is to unconditionally accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Catholicism requires confessing sins to a priest in a private booth. Other denominations require repentance which involves different steps depending on the particular faith. Some believe obeying the Ten Commandments to the letter of the law is an absolute necessity. Others seem to pick and choose and interpret admonitions in different ways. Those who believe the Bible to be the word of God likewise run the gambit between every word reflecting the will of God and not so much.

Participating in sacramental ceremonies is required by many denominations to remain in good standing and help insure salvation should, for example, one’s life come to an unexpected abrupt end. Baptisms and death bed confessions are still other ways to insure the best outcome after mortal death. Conforming to wear certain clothing is not an unusual requirement to remain worthy. Specific dietary requirements are essential among certain sects.

Whether Mohamad ever promoted it or not, there is no doubt some Muslim terrorist martyrs have been convinced by their religious leaders that suicide bombing and killing innocent victims will insure a special place in paradise to include their very own 72 virgins and all other sorts of terrific perks. Refusing the challenge may result in an afterlife absent such opulent amenities.

Much more could obviously be said about the final judgment as it applies to each religious convert. The list goes on and on. The grand promises and dire threats never seem to end. But, what if strict obedience or disobedience to doctrinal requirements could be shown to me morally and reasonably incompatible with the concept of a just final judgment? How would that affect your opinion of organized religion? Is the insistence of a final judgment a debilitating flaw to the attraction that religious dogma promotes? Is it possible it’s the Achilles’ heel I claim it to be?

TWO

THE JUDGE

The judge for the purpose of this book is the god a particular organized religion contends to be its supreme being responsible for hereafter rewarding or punishing humans depending on adherence to standards of conduct established by said god.

The attributes of these super-natural entities include omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence. That means knowing everything there is to possibly know. They can accomplish anything no matter how unlikely or difficult it may appear to the human finite mind. The word failure or mistake simply doesn’t exist. Absolute goodness and unblemished morality are characteristics only these deities possess as part of their totally flawless and eternal