The Times has recently been very generous in allocating much space to the polemic of whether or not God exists.

In my view, whether or not God exists, and by extension whether or not there is heaven or hell after death, is a matter of personal faith rather than the result of proof deduced through arguments for or against based on logic and miracles.

As I see it, therefore, the position is that at best believers in the existence of God would look forward to an eternity with God and, at worst, their existence would end in nothingness.

In the case of non-believers, they too would end in nothingness if proved right but risk eternal damnation if proved wrong. This may explain why recantations, especially at the approach of death, are resorted to.