Alright, to let you know right off the bat, I am an agnostic. However, I am curious as to how you would resolve this contradiction. So, your born again, saved or whatever and now your dead. You go to heaven where all your desires come true. Now, lets assume for a moment that one of your parents died when you were in your teens and you loved him/her very much. Unknown to you they were not saved, born again or whatever. We can say the dead parent was a good person, or we can say the dead parent was a bad person. Either way, wouldn't it be a punishment to you to not see this person you so loved in the afterlife? Would God be showing his love by denying you those you cherished on earth and spent the remainder of your life in anticipation of seeing after your own death? Just curious.
2006-08-06 09:22:32 · 16 answers · asked by ? 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I don't quite know...
But I guess if he would be punishing us "humans", with only a small capacity to understand and love, by separating us from them and breaking our anticipation, how much more would it grieve him " the creator, God of everything, even the inmost parts of that person" to be separated from them?
I believe God created us and gave us a "free will", A will strong enough to chose what to believe and what to follow. And if that person didn't believe ( therfore didn't go to heaven) Sadly the choice was the persons, not Gods to condemn. So if we were grieved in heaven that they weren't there then that grieve would only be multiplied in MASSIVE AMOUNTS with God.
So I guess that, It's the persons choice. And God would have to be just as disapointed as you.
2006-08-06 10:08:50 · answer #1 · answered by kyndra R 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All you can really hope for here are opinions, and this is just mine...but here goes...
First of all, no mere mortal has been to heaven, and come back to tell us what Heaven is like. Not all persons who consider themselves Christian believe in the "born again" experience. "Born again" refers to persons who either never believed or who have come through a crisis in life and have renewed their flagging faith, thereby feeling born again. On the other hand some of us believe you are born and die once. What you make of the time between those events determines who you are as a person.
Grief is a terrible thing. Losing someone you love dearly hurts in ways that others cannot possibly understand unless they themselves have been through it. NO one has the right to tell another human being whether those they love will be "saved" or not, or whether that person will go to heaven or not.
God decides who enters Paradise. God does that, not "born again" or other religious, or those who consider themselves religious. No one human being has that right. Period. Leave to God, what is God's.
It is said that God is love, and it is also said that we see our loved ones again when we die. Sure hope that's true. My parents died too young, only a few years apart. They were not perfect people, but they are and were deeply loved. Love is strong, what love connects, stays connected. Hang in there, its only time that separates us, and time is more fleeting than you know. I'm sorry for your loss, and wish you every happiness.
2006-08-06 16:56:46 · answer #2 · answered by teacupn 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lets put it in a very simple way without giving any religious doctrines as evidence or basis of my explanation!
When a lil child asks their parents how are babies born? Except if the parents are really crazy, no parent usually explains them abt the mating process and the biological process of birth. This is just because the childs brain is not mature to grasp the real reason, so a story is told.
Similary the rewards and experiences of heaven in various books are to let mankind know in a way they would understand how heaven is. So a paradise, angels, rivers, etc. everything is told in simple form so human beings can grasp it easily, thats all.
If you really pursue the true knowledge then u will realise everything , but u need to be patient!
2006-08-06 16:42:34 · answer #3 · answered by rickashe 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You ask a sincere question. To truly answer your question, the answer is in the bible, and I know that you said that you are agnostic, esp since all the "misunderstandings" in religion. However, the bible does say that the righteous AND the unrighteous will be resurrected again, to earth. (John 5:28, 29 and Psalms 37:10, 11). The bible also states that no one is "saved" just because that one is baptized, instead it says, "He that has ENDURED to the end will be saved". To receive life is a free gift from God and no matter what we do or do not do, it is up to Him. However, God's Word does give advice on how we can better our lives now so that we can "endure" to the end - of this wicked systems of things. Hope this answered your questions and didn't confuse you more.
2006-08-06 16:32:42 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe that there is a god who is all good and compassionate. More than likely he may have lit the fuse that started the "big bang". However, I am very skeptical about religions for the simple reason that humans (not all with good intentions) started them. I'm also skeptical about whether there is Heaven or there is Hell. Seems like the various religious leaders made up Heaven to reward those who contributed most and made up Hell for those who were stingy.
2006-08-06 16:35:33 · answer #5 · answered by Don S 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. But another scroll was opened; it is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds. 13) And the sea gave up those dead in it, and death and Hades gave up those dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds. 14) And death and Hades were hurled into the lake of fire. This means the second death, the lake of fire. 15) Furthermore, whoever was not found written in the book of life was hurled into the lake of fire.
John 5:28,29 Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.
Psalms 37:29 The righteous themselves will possess the earth and they will reside forever upon it.
2006-08-06 16:34:26 · answer #6 · answered by tina 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually no, because you see in heaven there is no such thing as sorrow. So if something is going to bring sorrow then you have no recollection of it. God is only good and He can only do good. He loves us more than anyone can realize. I am sorry that your not a christian, I do hope that you will look into God and start listening to that little voice that you have ignored for so long. This earth should not have to be anyones heaven it should be everyones hell.
2006-08-06 16:30:41 · answer #7 · answered by fdmedic84 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Only those that are saved will go to heaven. In the afterlife, we will have no need to hang on to the past. The things we did, the people we met, will have no meaning anymore.
2006-08-06 16:26:56 · answer #8 · answered by Art The Wise 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It may seem unfair, but if you are not born again/ saved then you will not go to heaven. Only when we get to heaven will we understand Gods views on this subject. We now as humans cannot conceive this but we will someday.
2006-08-06 16:31:22 · answer #9 · answered by yournotalone 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thats a very good question, I was always taught that we would be "judged" by how we lived our lives on earth. But I was also taught that we are all givin the chance for forgivness and to repent or redeem ourselves....... this is a very hard question to answer, but I hope that something here has made bit of sense.
2006-08-06 16:28:29 · answer #10 · answered by kim h 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋