Rev: What a fighter you are! I was echoing 'for the rest of our life' from the buses in London and apologise for the distasteful crack it seems to be. However I am sure, Rev, that you will continue the rest of your life in the way you have lived up until now, fearlessly, in your life as well as in your faith.
You are right I do not quote others as I find the likes of Dawkins etc., whilst I agree with their philosophy, as irritating as any fundamentalists of any faith. I have formed my point of view from a lot of reading and a lifetime of experience. As I have told you before, I was as sure that there was no god when I was a child as I am now, so I have no foundation dogma or rules to quote. There is no church of Atheism, there is no plan for spreading the news amongst the nations of the world, by war if needed! Being an atheist is a solitary pursuit, and I never try to persuade anyone it is correct, I think that it is correct, but I do not say that belief in the divine is wrong, just that it is totally incomprehensible to me.
But as I said, I do have a belief in the continuation of life... and when we die our existence is acknowledged by the things we leave behind. That is, our body or ashes, our children (if we were lucky enough to have them), our ideas and thoughts, and, most importantly, the way people who met us remember us. We are all the result of people who preceded us and we can continue to contribute to the future.
Best of luck to you Rev. I feel that you will do very well.
