How can I disprove heaven?

Question

I go to a Christan school and I have a debate to do on Thursday. My group is up against the group trying to prove there is a heaven, therefore we are trying to disprove it.
I'm having a hard time with this, considering I believe in heaven. If you have any information on why heaven couldn't be real, that would be awesome. Maybe something logical, scientific...or just good reason.
Thanks so much!

Answer 1

Although I believe firmly in Heaven, it can neither be proved nor disproved. I would suggest you take the tack in your debate that Heaven cannot be proved, and then discuss the principles of empirical science. (You have to be able to reproduce something)
of courtroom trials (you have to have a witness that has seen Heaven)
of historical proof (enough people having experienced it who have witnessed it, and/or archeological evidence of it).
This would be the basis of showing that the existence of Heaven cannot be proved,
You might want, in your conclusion, to refer to the principle of faith in Hebrews 11:1, pointing out that if you depend on proof, there is no reason to believe Heaven exists. If you depend on faith, that it is another matter altogether. So then you can actually affirm that you believe in Heaven without coontradicting your arguments. You can win the dbate and be true to yourself at the same time.
EDIT:
So actually, when it comes to "proof", you don't have the short end of the stick. You've got it made. All you need is to refute the proof. And apart from faith (which is perfectly valid), there is no proof.

Answer 2

First of all I want to say that I have thought about this since I was about 12. Prior to that I was confident that there was a heaven and hell...Up until I started questioning EVERYTHING. Why I started questioning at that moment in time is probably a subject in another question! Anyways, I began thinking about life and death and my soul/mind/personal thoughts. I was raised in church, and the reason I believed in heaven was basically the same reason that I believed in Santa. My parents and others close to me told me so.

I eventually came to the conclusion that I do not believe in heaven or hell, a god or a devil. I did however find science a very interesting subject at an early age, and I am a very analytical person in general. I would take a T.V. apart just to see how it worked. That should tell you a bit about what I think is a common personality of a "non believer". (Analytical in nature) Seeking the truth in everything, some other characteristics may have to do with trust. If you have trust issues you will find yourself doubting things in life much more, as I know I do.

I have read alot and had many discussions on this issue, but above all else I have lost countless nights of sleep over it as well.

I believe that the belief of "heaven" is a basic human necessity. What I mean is that if you do ot believe in a "supreme being" and/or a heaven, you do not have the hope that brings on most peoples happiness in life. To believe in something like that I could only imagine would have the opposite effect of what I have gone through. Peace of mind, tranquility, hope, faith, optimism, etc...

So, I feel that heaven in the concept that it is an actual place one would go to after death, and ones soul/mind would live on is incomprehensible and totally unblievable for me.

I do however believe that heaven can be a state of mind for the living. In my personal belief, someon who does ACTUALLY believe in any supreme being and an afterlife is in fact in Heaven.

Though I cannot change my personal views of this belief, I do want my children to believe in God and Heaven. After all, what father would not want their children to go to/be in Heaven?

Answer 3

You are totally out of luck right there. If you think that you are going to disprove Heaven when it is spoken about all through the bible, then you are really up a creek without a paddle. Especially at a Christian School. If they think they can disprove heaven then they aren't really a true Christian School.

Anyway, I believe there is a heaven and a hell.

Answer 4

I think the point would be to disprove a physical pearly gates actual place with harps and wings. I don't see a way to disprove a belief, but perhaps the way it is interpreted. Prove heaven and hell are spiritual states not physical places, both are here on earth. Heaven being in God's presence, Hell not in God's presence. Just a thought.

Answer 5

say something like this..."We have come here to debate, not whether there is such a place as heaven, but the idea that something with no facts or proof whatsoever substantially exists... I will not argue there isn't a heaven for its nonsense to believe in such a fairy tale. Does belief, and sheer force of will ever make something exist? Do children's belief in Santa make him real? *chuckles* we're all adults here... I think best we all stopped believing in fairy tales... after all, we cant have people claiming they saw Goldilocks and the three bears! Or who would fund a scientific exploration to find mermaids?
Now I understand that people are creative, and like to use their imaginations, but please, keep the fiction in the fiction section?"

Answer 6

That depends on your definition of "heaven". The following was written as an argument against the existence of a moral god but it could also be used against the existence of heaven. The author refers to god as "it" instead of "he".

"Is there a God? Is there a point to life before heaven? If God wants what is best for everyone it could immediately place everyone in heaven. If we want what is best for our children, we could kill them, and then God would send them to heaven because they were innocent. That we do not do this means that there is no God, no heaven, or that there is some purpose to life and evil. However, there is no such purpose. Babies who die (for example, in natural disasters) go to heaven, therefore there is no essential point of life, nor any essential reason that we have to endure suffering and go through the tests of life before we can go to heaven. This shows no moral God exists." (Or that no heaven exists.)

I don't know if that helps, good luck.

Answer 7

They're asking you to debate AGAINST Heaven in a Christian school? Wow, now I've heard everything...

Well, you could obviously state the fact that there's no evidence that any such place exists. Here's another point that I usually make: Heaven is illogical, because it would be ultimately worthless. If you're sitting up there doing one thing for all eternity, as awesome as that thing may be, there would be no room to develop or grow or anything. There would be no challenges, no obstacles, nothing to overcome... seriously, eternal bliss might be nice, but what would it be worth? What could you gain from it? What could you learn from it? Not a whole lot, in my opinion.

Answer 8

You can't really disprove anything. I mean, how can you disprove Summerland? You can't.

The best thing to do is refute their evidence that a heaven exists, which will granted be difficult if they don't provide it to you. Sorry, you've drawn the short end of the stick on this assignment.

Answer 9

You don't have to disprove what doesn't exist.
It is up to the person who says such a place exists to provide some evidence or proof.
Put it this way, if I were to tell you that a door in my basement leads to the land of Narnia, would you believe me? No, of course not. Only the most profoundly stupid person would.
You'd want proof right?
And me bringing you a handful of snow, from Narnia, in summer would not be proof. I could have gotten it anywhere.
You want to see the door and to actually go there yourself to believe right?
Therefore it is up to the person who claims this place is real to prove it, not the other way around.
I'm guessing they don't teach elementary logic in your school huh?

Answer 10

If we as humans could disprove or prove things of a divine nature they would no longer be a mystery. and even by proving and disproving things of a divine nature we would still have un-believers.