If people don't believe in heaven or hell where will they go when they die?

Answer 1

I will be cremated.

Answer 2

There are many versions of the afterlife in Judaism. Here are a few...

The afterlife is a fundamental of Jewish belief.

The creation of man testifies to the eternal life of the soul. The Torah says, "And the Almighty formed the man of dust from the ground, and He blew into his nostrils the SOUL of life" (Genesis 2:7). On this verse, the Zohar states that "one who blows, blows from within himself," indicating that the soul is actually part of God's essence. Since God's essence is completely spiritual and non-physical, it is impossible that the soul should die. (The commentator Chizkuni says this why the verse calls it "soul of LIFE.")

That's what King Solomon meant when he wrote, "The dust will return to the ground as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:17)

For anyone who believes in a just and caring God, the existence of an afterlife makes logical sense. Could it be this world is just a playground without consequences? Did Hitler get away with killing 6,000,000 Jews? No. There is obviously a place where good people receive reward and bad people get punished. (see Maimonides' 13 Principles of Faith)

The question of "why do bad things happen to good people" has a lot to do with how we look at existence. The way we usually perceive things is like this: A "good life" means that I make a comfortable living, I enjoy good health, and then I die peacefully at age 80. That's a good life. Anything else is "bad."

In a limited sense, that's true. But if we have a soul and there is such a thing as eternity, then that changes the picture entirely. Eighty years in the face of eternity is not such a big deal.

From Judaism's perspective, our eternal soul is as real as our thumb. This is the world of doing, and the "world to come" is where we experience the eternal reality of whatever we've become. Do you think after being responsible for the torture and deaths of millions of people, that Hitler could really "end it all" by just swallowing some poison? No. Ultimate justice is found in another dimension.

But the concept goes much deeper. From an eternal view, if the ultimate pleasure we're going after is transcendence - the eternal relationship with the Almighty Himself, then who would be luckier: Someone who lives an easy life with little connection to God, or someone who is born handicapped, and despite the challenges, develops a connection with God. Who would be "luckier" in terms of eternal existence? All I'm trying to point out is that the rules of life start to look different from the point of view of eternity, as opposed to just the 70 or 80 years we have on earth.

So what is the afterlife exactly?

When a person dies and goes to heaven, the judgment is not arbitrary and externally imposed. Rather, the soul is shown two videotapes. The first video is called "This is Your Life!" Every decision and every thought, all the good deeds, and the embarrassing things a person did in private is all replayed without any embellishments. It's fully bared for all to see. That's why the next world is called Olam HaEmet - "the World of Truth," because there we clearly recognize our personal strengths and shortcomings, and the true purpose of life. In short, Hell is not the Devil with a pitchfork stoking the fires.

The second video depicts how a person's life "could have been..." if the right choices had been made, if the opportunities were seized, if the potential was actualized. This video - the pain of squandered potential - is much more difficult to bear. But at the same time it purifies the soul as well. The pain creates regret which removes the barriers and enables the soul to completely connect to God.

Not all souls merit Gehenom. It is for people who have done good but need to be purified. A handful of people are too evil for Gehenom, and they are punished eternally. Pharaoh is one example.

So what about "heaven?"

Heaven is where the soul experiences the greatest possible pleasure - the feeling of closeness to God. Of course not all souls experience that to the same degree. It's like going to a symphony concert. Some tickets are front-row center; others are back in the bleachers. Where your seat is located is based on the merit of your good deeds - e.g. giving charity, caring for others, prayer.

A second factor in heaven is your understanding of the environment. Just like at the concert, a person can have great seats but no appreciation of what's going on. If a person spends their lifetime elevating the soul and becoming sensitive to spiritual realities (through Torah study), then that will translate into unimaginable pleasure in heaven. On the other hand, if life was all about pizza and football, well, that can get pretty boring for eternity.

The existence of the afterlife is not stated explicitly in the Torah itself, because as human beings we have to focus on our task in this world. Though awareness of an eternal reward can also be an effective motivator.

For further study, see Maimonides' Foundations of the Torah, "The Way of God" by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzatto, and the commentary of Nachmanides to Leviticus 18:29.

from "Ask The Rabbi" - http://www.aish.com/rabbi/

You will find more here:

http://www.jewfaq.org/olamhaba.htm#resur...
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Answer 3

In the Jewish religion, the concepts of heaven and hell are quite different than the Christian ones. I don't absolutely know what will happen after my death, but what I believe is that I will first go to a place for purification and to atone for any sins...I will be there for no more than 12 months...after which I will be able to enter the World to Come and be with the One God. It makes me very sad that there seem to be Christians who take pleasure in telling others that they will burn in hell without Jesus. So why would I want to follow someone who is so without compassion?

Answer 4

The only thing that matters is that a person believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. If they do, then they will go to heaven when they die, and they also will be able to enjoy a relationship with Him while they are still here on earth. if they do not accept His payment for their sins, and make him Lord of their life, they will spend eternity in hell.

My opinion on this does mot matter. Whether I like it or not doesn't matter. Whether I agree with it or not doesn't matter. The Book, God's Holy Bible says it. That is ALL the matters.

Thanks for asking.

Answer 5

I will go to the same place I was before I was born...... Non-existence, I will live on in the memories of the people that loved me and thats it. It is enough to know that I will live the best life that I can and try to make the world a little better before I die.

Answer 6

The existance of heaven and hell does not depend on whether or not people believe in them. They do exist and each and every person will go to one or the other.

Answer 7

Every person who ever lives, will spend eternity in either Heaven or Hell. It's doesn't matter if they believe they exist or not. They will still go to one or the other. Chances are great, that if they don't believe in them, then they'll go to the latter.

Answer 8

If they die with out Christ, they go to hell, whether they believe in hell or not. Heaven and Hel exist, no matter what you or any one else believes.

Answer 9

I believe they will go to hell however the question should be where do they believe they will go when they die

Answer 10

Heaven or Hell.

Answer 11

There is nothing like hell or heaven its like this a small example of bank account you open your account you have sufficient balance and till your balance is cleared you would use that amount, just like that when we die we have our good things and bad things which would decide where we have to go if good things would give good birth and bad things would give bad birth, and once you are done with all these finally you get MOKSHA and that also comes only by JAINISM.