We cannot really grasp either mortality or immortality. On
the one hand, it seems inconceivable that one day we may cease to exist – that the
consciousness which makes us who we are would one day come to an end. On the
other hand, it is equally inconceivable that we may exist forever. Imagine
knowing that you will live, not just for a long time, but for eternity. Both prospects
are incomprehensible, and, in a way, frightening.
Nor can we really grasp either theism or atheism. On the one
hand, the physical universe cannot have had come into existence unless an ‘uncaused
cause’ – that is, God – existed beforehand to create it. On the other hand, it
is equally difficult to get our heads around such a being. We are inclined to ask:
‘Why does He exist, and is He the way He is?’ Whether there is a God or
not, existence appears maddeningly arbitrary.
There is no way around these conundrums, which is what makes
them so intriguing and so compelling. Either we live forever, or we don’t.
Either there is a God, or there isn’t. Either way, existence is a mysterious
thing. When we ponder these questions, it is as if our minds come up against
some kind of metaphysical force-field, beyond which they cannot go.
I believe that these ‘cosmological dilemmas’ really attest
to our status as beings created in God’s image yet residing in a physical,
finite, and fallen world. I suspect that one day, when we are fully
adopted as sons and all things are made new, this will become clear.
