If you discovered that everyone is going to heaven no matter what they do, would you live life morally?

Question

Would you still be an upright citizen or do whatever you want because you know the only consequences are the ones that man does to you?

Answer 1

I would not change one bit .

Answer 2

If everyone were going to heaven, that would mean there was no good or evil, just humaniry and nature. Morality requires a good and evil. We would have all spit out the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It would no longer be possible to be judgemental about others or necessary to justify ourselves. Love would have to prevail, which would be infinitely better than living life morally. In fact, it would be heaven on earth.

Whoops! Got carried away on my own long-windeness there. Lucky the question didn't mention God or I'd probably still be ranting.

Yes. If I don't quibble about words and just accept the idea that living life lovingly is a moral life, I would do that. Oh yeahhhhhh!.

Answer 3

I am an upright citizen because it is the thing to do, because I am moral and conscious of my every thought and action. I don't have some mythical God dangling Heaven as a treat for me. I am good because I want to be and I live a moral life because it is the right thing to do.

Answer 4

Yes I would still live my life the same way. People talk so nonchalantly about taking a life. It is easy to take life try giving it back. I would not want to live in a chaotic world where all would be hatred. Throughout history you can see the many evil devices men has come up with. Torture would be rampant. Every evil that could be imaginable would be on this earth. Who would care, when I die I will go to heaven? The human populous would soon become near to annihilation. This is the reason it requires faith, in my opinion to make it to heaven.

Answer 5

Wow, this is a really great question. I sure HOPE I'd continue to live a moral life, and I'd hope everyone around me would, too. I'd almost feel like I'd want to be worthy of what was coming to me.

However, I have a feeling the world would devolve into a real disaster zone if this were the case. Society would have long ago fallen apart. And unfortunately I'd probably just follow along.

I have to be honest with you: if you know you're getting into heaven anyway it sure takes the pressure off!

Answer 6

I'm a moral citizen even though I don't really believe in heaven. If I make someone feel bad, I always end up feeling bad. If I do something illegal, I'll go to prison and feel even worse. I live life as an upright citizen even without fear of going to hell, it's possible!!!!

Answer 7

There actually is a belief that everyone is going to heaven called Universalist Reconciliation or Salvation. In short, in the end, everyone ends up in heaven...eventually. That is not to say that there isn't going to be some time spent in the penalty box of Hell prior to that (Eons? Who knows...?). It is an interesting idea because it states indirectly that Hell is a temporary state, not a permanent one...even for Satan (Will he be bummed? Be glad to get his old room back? Again, who knows...?). God eventually forgives everyone eventually. Under these conditions everyone would probably be motivated to be moral because it keeps the time in Hell short. The Catholic concept of Purgatory is a similar idea...

Now...what if there was no Hell Penalty Box, would any of us be moral? Saying no assumes that being moral exists metaphysically only on a preconventional level; meaning I only do good to get good back at some point (I scratch your back...etc.). I believe that people (and hopefully myself) would be moral anyway not to receive payment in a future metaphysical realm but to create good here and now for others because it will effect people here are now.

Goodness is more about being in this world and creating something in this world than it is about receiving something somewhere, somewhen else.

I mean, is that the only reason to be good? To get something in return?

Answer 8

Everyone is going to an afterlife. It is not the sole domain of the Christian soul. By excluding people of other faiths and cultures you'll find heaven would be a very very small community. We should all live our lives morally. People who have never heard of the god we preach today still live moral lives in the godless jungles. Whatever happens after is what happens to us all...energy transfers from the dead body to loose electrical impulses...that is the science of the soul.

Answer 9

Even if there wasn't any afterlife consequences, there would still be this-life consequences. Life is an ugly existence for those who do not have morals. They are not happy, they are just trying to survive. It has been shown that people have natural endorphins that are released whenever they do something good to others, witness a good deed, or hear about one. We feel good when we do, see or hear good. Personally, that is what counts in the moment.

Answer 10

Definitely. I believe if you're a nice person, you're going to heaven, simple as that. religion ISN'T necessary to get to heaven. But I do think religion makes LIFE easier and happier. Living a good moral life has so many benefits NOW ... right here where we're at. It's so worth it to be a good person and have the reward of being happy. And living all the "rules" saves so much heartache and sorrow. If there is a God, he didn't come up with rules so people could get to heaven. He came up with them so we could be truly and honestly happy as people on earth.

Answer 11

Yes. The reason for living morally is to advance the society. Which is tautological, because that's what moral means: an action is moral if it advances the society. So, why should one care about living in a moral society? Because that's the best way to get along. Consider the Golden Rule: as a moral precept, that's about as good as it gets.