I am an atheist, just thought I'd mention that now.
An idea recently occured to me. Some would say that heaven is a place were people feel great all the time for all eternity. And since God is supposed to be all-powerful, we don't truly know the depths of happiness one would feel in heaven and just how long an eternity is. I recently asked a question on the nature of heaven/hell and the concept would only make sense if God was all-powerful and we simply couldn't fathom the true nature of heaven. So I was just wondering what came first, the notion of heaven, where one would be happy for ever and ever, or the concept of an all-powerful being who could do anything anyone could imagine and then some.
I guess this is sort of like a chicken/egg question.
2006-09-05 12:06:32 · 16 answers · asked by boukenger 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
By the way, I have read a great deal of the bible including all of the NT. I don't consider the bible to be a great source of knowledge.
2006-09-05 12:14:29 · update #1
I believe the concept of a male unigod came first. It had its first unsuccessful run in ancient Egypt, As we all know, the Egyptian concept of the afterlife was much different from what is believed in this current era.
In VERY ancient times, there was belief in a Goddess, who had a myriad of different names, but was accepted all over the Mediterranean, England, near and far east as the same deity.
I know the concept of Hell is newer than the belief in the Goddess, but it would be interesting to know who invented heaven.
2006-09-05 12:16:49 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As an Atheist, you must have been questioning where is really the origin of all things. Starting from yourself and all the things around you. Then the next question will be how did it happen. So, you started creating ideas, experimenting, reinventing, recreating all possibilities to find where you came from and then a certain findings proved to be fruitful so, you came out and said I have found it. EUREKA ! ! you shouted.. then you conclude therefore, this is the origin of life. Then, another man came later did the same thing and found another theory and he said this is it and thus proved you wrong or right but incomplete. Man will always be like that. Not until the earth is totally destroyed and ceased to exist should man stop looking for the answer to our origin, to our purpose for what reason.
In the same manner that we believers nevers stop from thinking there really is something beyond this physical life to look for because we find it senseless just to be born, live and then just die sometimes as immediate as we are born, sometimes so long we wish it should have been short and oftentimes we fear not to die so soon yet.. That is how and why you think we created our God. And another thing, why is it that only man has the initiative to question and to search for all the answers to all our queries while beasts and other living things just exist to live, survive and die. Why is it that we are the only ones that has the capability to change the earth's landscape (aside from the destructive elements of nature).
2006-09-05 20:04:02 · answer #2 · answered by Rallie Florencio C 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Firs off man never created God. God always was. there is a real heaven and a real hell. now the real question is... Do you now where you are going to go when you Die? Think about this serious question. God is an all powerful God and he holds you life in his hands depending on the chioce you make to follow him and go to heaven forever of deny him and go to hell forever.
2006-09-05 19:11:13 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since our earliest days were dominated by fear and the fight for survival, I would guess the concept of a supreme power governing the mysterious unexplainable events (good and bad) around them came before any concept of an immortal soul ascending to an eternal paradise.
I emphasize the word "guess".
2006-09-05 19:18:33 · answer #4 · answered by SAN 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Belief in an all-powerful being came first. Heaven is a fairly recent addition to the beliefs. Originally god was invented to explain events in nature that were not understood, such as the sun, the rain, volcanos, disease, etc.
2006-09-05 19:10:41 · answer #5 · answered by Phil S 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
at a guess i would say the idea of heaven came first
as early man would look to the stars and wonder what was up there .. this may have led to other questions such as .. ok if something magical is up there ... who made it so
just guessing xx
2006-09-05 19:10:15 · answer #6 · answered by Peace 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
interesting thought. belief and faith that god created all, that he is fathomless like the universe, that we are limited, though we choose to think we have it figured out. we can hardly travel to the infinite place but try to quantify it. i go with the all powerful and realize i do not have the comprehension, nor anyone else, to understand who god is in his entirety.
2006-09-05 19:11:59 · answer #7 · answered by cogos17 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God only exists if you believe. There is no heaven or hell. One life is all you got...when your time is up...its up.
2006-09-05 19:12:59 · answer #8 · answered by stahomedad.com 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
""Did man create God as an all-powerful being just to make the idea of heaven possible?""
No.
2006-09-05 19:08:01 · answer #9 · answered by whynotaskdon 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Yes, man is so infatuated with life that he can't accept death so they make up stories about heaven where they will never have to die. Its too much for them to accept that after we are gone then that is it
2006-09-05 19:10:28 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋