The Shrine

My girlfriend was raised in a catholic family so she is religious, but not really that much. Her mom is much worse so my gf realizes its silly, but also cant shrug her upbringing and catholic schooling completely, which i understand. We were talking about heaven and i said

ME: So... if your idea of heaven is to hang out with me all the time and shop or something, but my idea of heaven is to lay around and eat and play video games, how do we both get infinite happiness? Am i cloned? It sounds to me like heaven would be a lot like earth, an eternal compromise.

We couldnt figure out an answer.

I think those material things mean nothing once we reach wherever we're going.

Imakeholesinu wrote:I think those material things mean nothing once we reach wherever we're going.

So everyone stands around and our senses are simply pummeled by bliss? If heaven exists and is a new experience altogether, i.e. its not where we just get to do the things we really like to do down here, then that is pretty intriguing. Maybe the christian response should be, it is impossible for us down here to even comprehend what heaven is like so we shoulder even try?

Hmmm.

Yeah, that's part of the reason why the idea didn't make sense to me. Everybody talked about how you would meet everybody who died and would always be happy, and I always thought "But, then you wouldn't be challenged. It would be very boring." Life is challenging to keep us interested. I would hate to give that up and not have anything else to work towards.

My concept is that the afterlife is a bit more political than that. Maybe somewhere between Preacher's heaven and City of Angels' heaven.

I think the Judeo-Christian (and probably Muslim, as well) concept of heaven has nothing to do with what you think would bring you pleasure now. It has to do with being at peace and being with god.

I find it strange that some people are comfortable saying "Yes, I am X" while not even understanding the basic theology of what that means.

"Verily, for the Muttaqun [righteous], there will be a success (paradise); gardens and grapeyards; and young full-breasted (mature) maidens of equal age; and a full cup (of wine)" (An-Naba 78:31-34)

Christian/Catholic heaven's have be "Thomas Kincaid-inized" to include puppies and rainbows and footsteps-in-the-sand and dead loved one's and everyone has an xbox with a live acocunt and all that, but really, the heaven I believe about (that I think is the true meaning of Heaven for Christian/Catholics), is being in the "Glory of God" meaning being in His presence, praising Him, there will be rest and peace...the focal point of heaven will be "the Trinity" (if you will).

The afterlife of other religions focuses on the self and rewarding one's life with afterlife pleasure like forty virgins, or reincarnation as a better person or taken out of that cycle as a reward.

Dying sucks.

Eric wrote:Dying sucks.

Or... is it awesome? Thats the topic.

The concept of Heaven never appealed to me because my thoughts always drifted to the idea of a Utopian Society, which from everything I've ever read sounded boring and uneventful.

I'm content to rot in the ground

Flip wrote:

Eric wrote:Dying sucks.

Or... is it awesome? Thats the topic.

Matters how well the checkpoint system is implemented.

I always thought the Christian idea of heaven was not some sort of Elysium-like afterlife, but rather an eternal rest; free of the confines of belief and desires that come along with a physical existence. I suppose it differs, I know some sell it as carrot for those who obey the Church, and have either purgatory or hell as the whip.

I do think that a lot of what the bible was about was making the existence of the world the Kingdom of God; that we have to do it here. To get past, primarilly, the existence of selfishness and greed, and the idea that some people are smiled upon more than others by divine overlords. Maybe the idea of the Christian paradise is a time period on Earth, where the worthy souls are allowed to be reborn into?