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Post by Sandafluffoid on Mar 19, 2009 19:20:27 GMT -5
Hell it's not just vain, it wouldn't work either. Frankly I would much rather live in an apartment than a mansion, I just find something very appealing about them, so this heaven wouldn't suit me very well.
The heaven Lady Renae described sounds fun at face value, but there would be no challenge to life. If living wasn't a challenge then eternity would get very boring very quickly, and boring makes for a pretty poor heaven.
I once heard someone describe heaven as not so much a place but just an everlasting sensation of happiness. Frankly that terrifies me, the idea of my perception and emotions being fucked about with by someone else is probably my biggest fear, so in this version heaven would be hell to me.
So there's just three versions of heaven that I would hate, and I could list more. In fact most people would find someone else's idea of heaven to be horrendous, so how are you going ot create a heaven for everyone eh? eh?
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Post by schizophonic on Mar 19, 2009 19:29:57 GMT -5
The odd thing that just popped into my head is the parallel to the "American Dream." The idea that if you work hard, contribute to your country, etc., one day you will be on top.
A lot of Christians view bad things that happen in this life as tests. If you suffer through them with a smile, you will one day be rewarded by God. Suffering is good because it gets you to Heaven.
One of my favorite things was something I realised at like 6 or 7. Growing up, I had a couple of friends who were "Pagan," and one who was Jewish. Here I was, being told that if I was good, I would go to Heaven and be surrounded by all my loved ones. Except the Jews and "Devil Worshippers," Because that's how they were viewed. They would burn in Hell. That contradiction was one that bothered me. It got worse when the more devout folks started telling me that I wouldn't care when I went to Heaven, because it was a wonderful place. Oh, and my Catholic friends, because they worshiped false idols, would also not be there, but I wouldn't mind that, either.
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Post by Thejebusfire on Mar 19, 2009 19:37:21 GMT -5
When I was a kid, someone told me that animals don't go to heaven.
Sorry, it's not heaven without my old dog.
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Post by devilschaplain2 on Mar 19, 2009 20:18:50 GMT -5
So C. Everett Coop going on TV is a sign of the apocalypse? C. Everett Coop? Damn you Life Alert! |
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Post by antichrist on Mar 19, 2009 21:25:00 GMT -5
When I was a kid, someone told me that animals don't go to heaven. Sorry, it's not heaven without my old dog. They tell you that, then the same person sends you that Rainbow bridge poem. They're deeply confused. |
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Post by schizophonic on Mar 19, 2009 21:29:08 GMT -5
When I was a kid, someone told me that animals don't go to heaven. Sorry, it's not heaven without my old dog. Sorry, but the One True God hath declared that ALL dogs go to Heaven. |
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Post by tygerarmy on Mar 19, 2009 22:05:06 GMT -5
I was raised Catholic and the whole Heaven and Hell thing always bothered me. I thought every living thing should go to heaven and I felt that if anyone I knew was in Hell then I wouldn't want to go to Heaven knowing someone I cared for was suffering.
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Post by antichrist on Mar 19, 2009 22:39:48 GMT -5
A couple of Buddhist stories about heaven & hell (can't remember the sources).
When a missionary tried to convert a Buddhist monk with the fear of hell fire, the monk replied that he would gladly spend eternity in hell if it meant he could ease the suffering of one being.
A Samurai went to a Zen monk to ask what heaven and hell were. The monk sneered at him and said "A warrior like you doesn't have the brains to understand such things, I'm amazed you were smart enough to even find me". The Samurai was so angry he grabbed his sword and was about to decapitate the monk, the monk stated "This is hell." The Samurai stopped and thought for a moment, sheathed his sword, then bowed deeply to the monk. The monk replied, "And this is heaven".
A story goes that a monk had a vision of heaven and hell, in both places people were gathered at a giant feast, their left hands tied to the chair and their right hands turned into 3' long chopsticks. In hell people were screaming in torment as they tried to grab the food and get it into their mouths. They were unable to eat. In heaven people were feeding each other and having a great time.
Doesn't mean much, but I like the "heaven and hell are within" message.
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Post by DarkfireTaimatsu on Mar 19, 2009 23:12:14 GMT -5
When I was a kid, someone told me that animals don't go to heaven. Sorry, it's not heaven without my old dog. Sorry, but the One True God hath declared that ALL dogs go to Heaven. All dogs may go to heaven, but all cats go to Valhalla. =) |
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Post by ironbite on Mar 20, 2009 0:23:12 GMT -5
All I know is that everybody wants to go to heaven but I don't want to go right now.
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Post by Nutcase on Mar 20, 2009 3:35:35 GMT -5
I always conceived of heaven as a dark, unearthly place – a sort of enchanted park where you rest among the grasses with pets, friends and family; where you occasionally reach over to snuggle with your spouse. Time would have no meaning and boredom would no longer exist, death having removed the need for hurry.
And at the center of it all, a low, bright fire – the seat of a creator.
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Post by The Lazy One on Mar 20, 2009 5:20:54 GMT -5
The whole thing just sounds so unappealing (except for the not getting sick part). I wouldn't particularly want to live in a big-ass mansion (you know how hard that would be to vacuum?) and I don't really want to have all kinds of shiny crowns. What would I do with them? Wear them? And I don't want to be stuck with people like Buzzardhut for eternity...
I think my version of heaven is something like somewhere where I can be with the people I care about and have better health than I do now. I'm not talking like the "Oh, I'm going to be beautiful and skinny!" like the RRers want, but just not have my back problems and poor overall health. I think that would be heaven.
But I don't believe in heaven, anyway, so it's a moot point for me.
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Post by malicious_bloke on Mar 20, 2009 6:00:57 GMT -5
All dogs may go to heaven, but all cats go to Valhalla. =) Heh, would have thought valhalla would be reserved for something as hardcore as honey badgers |
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Post by ostravan on Mar 20, 2009 6:38:17 GMT -5
This occurred before the reformation. Sometime between 1000 and 1500 years ago. I only know this because I had a project for a geography class where we looked at the history of Christianity and how it changed over time. I was given the years between 500 AD and 1000 AD. I don't know much about the history of it, just what churches I've encountered believe today. There was a rumour amongst the peasants at the time, that judgement day was going to occur at the end of the 1st millenium. So many commited suicide in preference to being judged by His Lordshit, that the RCC amended the (unchangeable?) bible to include suicide - and abortion - onto the list of sins. There were many who sold all thier possessions and gave everything they had to the church so they could be judged as clean. When Judgement Day failed to show up (again), some went back to the church to ask for thier properties back, and were burned at the stake for heresy for doing so. |
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Post by schizophonic on Mar 20, 2009 8:06:05 GMT -5
All I know is that everybody wants to go to heaven but I don't want to go right now. When St. Peter calls me, I'll br ready to go. But not right now, I got John Lee Hooker on the stereo. |
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