On Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:15:02 -0500, "KLC Lewis"
wrote:



Ya, but I was referring to the poor "72 Virgins" doled-out to males who
arrive in Paradise.

All those virgins sounds a bit boring to me, almost as boring as being
dressed in a white robe sitting on a cloud and playing a harp, Besides
it would be rather uncomfortable lying on your back to rest with those
bloody great wings. Also, most of the devout believers who are assured
that they are going upstairs when they die are, to put it quite
bluntly, terribly boring and uninteresting. I would believe myself
cast into Hades if I were forced to spend any time at all in company
with them. Besides are some of the pleasures we enjoy are the
forbidden ones - like cream cakes, tiramasu, key lime pie (with lots
of whipped cream) and fried foods. The guilt is part of the pleasure.

Our sect of Islam prefers to concentrate on the rewards on earth, not
in some mystical hereafter. You either make your own heaven or hell on
this earth - as I said, a bit like Zen Bhuddism. Cause and effect and
so on. Look up Rumi in Wikipedia.

Thus, I go back to my original response to Larry. Perhaps prayer is
silent talking to one's inner self. The sailor's prayers as posted
above seem to be pleas for help uttered mechanically out of fear.

Interesting to observe that even the nihilistic and atheistic Larry
has a spark of religious belief. Did you note how his interest in
religion picked up when he thought about the virgins? I'll make you a
good Moslem yet Larry.

cheers
Peter