Greetings all. My name is Alex. I am not a Jain but I am studying the religion because a lot of it makes sense. However I do have one important question that has been bothering me.

I have read that the Jain religion prohibits any profession which involves the use of a large furnace, because living beings from microorganisms on upward can be destroyed in such a furnace. I have also read that Jains believe that the destruction of living beings on a large scale can cause a person to be reborn in Hell in their next life. Now, most people in America (for example, me) get their electric power from power plants that burn coal in large furnaces. That being the case, how do American Jains (or Jains anywhere else) justify using electric power for recreation and entertainment?

I know that Jains who are not monks or nuns will, for example:

-- Watch television

-- Watch movies at the theater

-- Read novels by the light of electric lamps

-- Read novels at all (though living beings are killed when trees are made into paper)

-- Use the Internet for fun.

I do all of these things to relax and have fun. If I become a Jain, how will I be able to justify still doing them at all? How do modern lay Jains do it? Please help me with this question. Thank you for taking the time to read my post.

                                                                                                                                      Alex