Harold Bloom
Today the LDS Newsroom has an article on life and death, following the passing of President Hinckley. I like the quote that they gave from Harold Bloom:
Regarding the undaunted way in which Latter-day Saints confront death, well-known literary scholar Harold Bloom proclaimed the following: “What is the essence of religion? … Religion rises inevitably from our apprehension of our own death. To give meaning to meaninglessness is the endless quest of all religion. … Of all religions that I know, the one that most vehemently and persuasively defies and denies the reality of death is the original Mormonism of the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator Joseph Smith.”
The entire reason for religion is man’s apprehension of death. Hugh Nibley was wont to quote a poem by A.E. Housman on this subject of man’s preoccupation with life and death:
. . . men at whiles are sober
And think by fits and starts,
And if they think, they fasten
Their hands upon their hearts. ((Qtd. in Nibley, “Prophets and Glad Tidings,” The World and the Prophets, 259-67, http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/bookschapter.php?bookid=54&chapid=515))
Man has not been able to get away from death. Man has thought about it since time began, and it preoccupies his thoughts day in and day out. It is part of the “terrible questions” as Nibley put it, that man has made since the start. Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going? What is the purpose of this life? What will happen to me after I die? What will I do for eternity? It is the subject of much art, literature, and religion since the beginning. If there is one thing that man fears most, it is probably death, and the unknown that accompanies it.
But the Latter-day Saints know differently. We thank God for a latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith, who restored the truths of the physical and bodily resurrection, of the sealing of eternal families, and the principles of eternal life and exaltation, and what eternity consists of, teachings we learn about and make a promised reality in the temples of the Lord.
Nibley, of course, said the same thing:
http://thoughtsofaseeker.net/is-this-all-there-is/
Hey Dave! Thanks for the comment. I guess great minds think alike. I like your thoughts on your blog on the subject.
It’s amazing to me what this world runs after in vain. Much of it is utterly worthless. When we think about these questions, the ultimate ones, we start to get the feeling for what things really matter in life, and what we are here for. All the rest is merely a wash, the corruptible things that exist for but an instant.
Those things that matter the most are those that will last for eternity.
I have my various theories about why the vast majority of people don’t seem to contemplate these ultimate questions of life. One theory is the rise of urbanization and subsequent light pollution making the starry night sky disappear to most earth dwellers, I think there is something about the full starry sky that causes men to ponder and think deeply about their existence. (I’ve blogged about that as well). My other theory is the removal of death out of the home and into sequestered places where most people do not have regular contact, i.e. nursing homes and hospitals. I think we have in essence removed death from our normal society, whereas for most the world’s population and over most of human history death has had a very real and constant presence in villages and communities, keeping that ultimate question “is this all there is?” on the forefront of the mind.
Good thoughts. Nibley sure had a lot to say on this subject. I think one of his life missions was to convince members of the Church to take their religion more seriously. We aren’t put here on earth to make a dollar, build a bigger home, drive a fancier car, and eat a bigger lunch. Nibley always said that the lunch is free (or at least the price varies), God has provided that to us. So now, what do we do with our time? What do we do that is really lasting, stable, and enduring?
Excellent post. Thanks for sharing.