Why would you want to live forever under these conditions?

Question

So let's say you can live forever. You would be stuck at the age of 22. You would live forever at the age of 22. Forever young. Never aging. Would you want to do it? I know I personally wouldn't. I am especially interested in the people who would and their reasons for it.

I am also personally atheist. With all due respect to Christians and other theists, I would like to know why you guys are so stoked about the thought of living forever? What happens in heaven?

Please don't give me just a yes or no. Explanation? Reasoning? It would be very appreciated.

Hey you don't have to stay 22. I used it because it seemed like a good young age when you can do just about everything you want. If you want to be 30 go ahead. 40? sure! I may be young but I have thought about this long and hard and I can back up my position quite well.

Just to reply to mark m.
I truly cannot imagine life without all these fundamental feelings and emotions such as pain and suffering. Without pain and suffering there is no happiness because although it is good, it is only good compared to the bad. Without the bad it is nothing. That is simply my opinion.

Answer 1

Eternal life would be intolerably, insanely boring. You could do every possible thing, learn every possible thing, experience every possible thing. You could do all things a billion times and still have an eternity of time stretching in front of you.

Answer 2

why would you not want to live forever? You make death sound like it is a picnic within self. The bible is very clear about heaven. It's not some mystical realm of angelic beings that sing songs of worship 24/7. Lets be honest. Even as a christian I would find it rather mundane and I say that in reverence for Christ. That is not the place that is prepared for me when I die. The bible says the Earth and the heaven will be as one which it can not be now becuase of the sinful nature of the world. I will have a new body that never grows old, will never know pain, sickness. I will be surrounded with people who will have the priviliage and honor of living on the new earth with my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. You and I could debate this forever but rather than do that I would suggest to you the following book to read. "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn. It may reveal to you many things as it is doing to me.

Answer 3

I found interesting and beautiful the sincere tone of your question.
The language used in religions born centuries ago was adequate to the way of thinking of people of that time. If we judge it with our standards of knowledge and science of the 21st century they will of course sound infantile. But those religions were for the infancy of humanity. People would probably not understand more profound explanations in those days. An example is the Old Testament where all the laws start with a NO. You shall not do this and you shall not do that. This is the way we talk to our kids when they are little, without great explanations.
The idea of life forever as explained in those religions was for the level of understanding of that era. A lot of imagery was used to convey a spiritual meaning that was hard to explain.
To a person living in our century thou we can speak about deeper and more subtle things. So with our knowledge and critical reasonning of the 21st century we have to analize critically the religion and teachings of the religion of our time.

Answer 4

However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" -1 Corinthians 2:9

Its a surprise, and a surprise I can wait for!

Most people want youth so they can feel good and enjoy the things they used to. Feeling young is great! People have a sense of immortality because that is the way God wired us. Also to have survival instincts.

But I can completely see why you think there is no point or hope to life and therefore would not want to live forever. Atheism truly teaches that deep down life is meaningless, hopeless, and destined to end anyway. Atheism leads to Nihilism, the abandonment of all hope.

Answer 5

no i wouldn't because obviously that wouldn't be a normal life now would it. Meaning you would have to face problems that no one else does, you would have to watch everyone else die,

not to mention having to watch the less than Utopian world of man go by you for an eternity knowing that there is an end to everything except for your own life.

besides its impossible, life cannot exist without death, there must be balance.

you would almost be doomed to start a new life every generation as you watch your friends and relatives die. and the thought of seeing war after war and pandemics

and possibly seeing the end of civilization as we know it or-god forbid- the end of humanity.

and the thought of living long but not growing old seems very self-centered, greedy, egotistical.

what purpose would there be in your life, were this the case?

i think life would be depressing without an end in sight.

if i may add, it is hard for me to believe that when you die and go to heaven- a utopia- that you would take with you something as materialistic as your body. heaven transcends this life, just as the soul which is not visible transcends the body. if someone refutes this please do share.

Answer 6

Because it wouldn't be the same as the existence here on earth. It is a different kind of existence, one of the soul that lives on. It is an existence that we can't fully understand until we get there - but yes, it is different then this.

My husband is Christian - he looks to heaven for the promises of Jesus in the bible. Especially the one for rest. To have no more sorrow, no more pain, no more burdens. That's why he would want it.

Answer 7

Actually, we don't know what happens in Heaven, even though we know God's there. The Bible does say our bodies will be perfect and theologians have reasoned they will also have the qualities of our soul. Logically, we could eat and drink all we want even though we won't need to. But we don't know half of it.
Yeah I see what you're saying about the prescence of evil making the good sweeter. But since God is the source of all good, and we only get good in a small way on earth, that won't matter in Heaven.

Answer 8

The Scriptures are full of living forever, and this is a spiritual matter. It will be nothing like we know it here. Everyone has a soul and it is eternal. It will be in heaven or hell for eternity--even yours. Your soul will live on forever in one place or the other, so maybe it would be wise to think about where that will be?

Answer 9

For one thing there will be no sin. There will be no sickness or disease. You get to see loved ones whom you haven't seen for years. There will be no suffering. The list goes on and on. Why wouldn't you want to live in Heaven under these circumstances. If you don't go to Heaven the only other alternative will be going to Hell where you will live forever in eternal suffering. God says there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Who would want to live under these circumstances forever and see your loved ones with you like this.

Answer 10

You are assuming you would be age 22 or age 33 but heaven is not like that. Who would not want to be surrounded by those you have loved and have loved you. That is how I envision heaven.

Answer 11

No.

22 wasn't that great. I didn't know who I was. I didn't have my three spiffy kids. I didn't even know my wonderful partner in life yet.

I want to live a full happy life and die at the end of it and be missed by my loved ones. That's it.

.