The problems with heaven?

Question

Credit:mindcrimej

Alright guys, tell me what you think about these implications, which I consider philosophical problems, if the Christian heaven exists. Have you ever thought about these?

According to tradition, heaven is a place where there is no longer "sin". This is one problem because it takes away a lot of our free will - our freedom to be who/what we want. Even if you're religious and don't want to sin anyway, it's still a problem because you're ability to avoid sinful practice, which you might take a little pride in right now, wouldn't be your choice. Basically, go to heaven...lose your freedom. Doesn't sound like paradise to me.

Another problem deals with "purpose". Right now on earth, we may not know the overall purpose for existence, but we at least have a temporary one. Basically, the thing that gets us (or most of us) out of bed everyday is knowing that we have the opportunity to make our life a little bit better - and it that it can get better.

But if we live in heaven, a place of eternal paradise - the ultimate paradise, how could our existence get any better? I find this a huge problem because we would no longer have any kind of meaningful goals to achieve thus making our existence pointless. And to think that that would go on forever and ever, how could that possibly be paradise?

And if right now our purpose in life is to find Jesus and live a godly life to go to be with Him in heaven, what would be the purpose of that. The Christian traditional view of heaven as a final destination doesn't give a satisfying answer to the ultimate question: "why?"

So either the Christian heaven doesn't exist, or it's not the end. Either way, I believe the Christians are wrong. But lets hear your opinions...

Answer 1

Well first of all heaven consists of the set of people who by the own free will choose to follow God's way. However, we are flesh as well as spirit so presently we fall back into sin, feel guilty, and repent. God promises that in the future this corruptible sinful body will be replaced with an incorruptible sin-free body. That is something that Christians by the own free will accept. It will be a joy not to be at war within myself, a joy not to give in to temptation. The main thing is that you see it is still a free will decision. If you ask a remorseful alcoholic he would say by his own free will, he would love to be incapable of being tempted to drink. The Christian would love to be incapable of sinning - and that is a free will decision.

Now as far as what will Christian do for all eternity... Well if you look in the book of Revelations, the holy city of New Jerusalem comes down from heaven to earth. It is 40 miles high. Some postulate it could even serve as a space station. Now what could people who live forever do in an universe that has billions of stars? Seems like in Genesis, God wanted man to fill the earth. Maybe space is next. Just one possibility, and lets not forget an joyous eternity with God. Peace.

Answer 2

Heaven is a dwelling place of God. It is a place were all people who recieve GOd as ther personal savior will be there.
This place is just a mystery, like no one knows were it is..Why it is going to be problem if you go to heaven and your saying that we were going to lose your freedom..Being in heaven symbolizers freedom from sin..and you will not fall from death when your already there..your with God..that was the ultimate experience that a person could ever have...Now if you still love to make mistakes,,and do not believe that heaven is a paradise..you will be in hell were all your 5 sense organs are present from the fire and brimstone..placing you into the bottomless pit and became one of the demons of satan living in heaven with God, has a purpose..your not just going to sit there....Your going to have a glorified body and you begun to reap all the things that you've done here in earth.

Answer 3

I see a place, where there is no sin, as when judgement ceases. Without the judgement of right and wrong, but rather recognition that there is only God's creation, every thing becomes good and for a purpose. I don't give up "free will" I only give up judgement of my choices. Choices are not without consequences, but those consequences are neither "good" nor "evil", they are simply lessons to be learned. When we label our actions as good or evil we fail to learn the lesson inherent in that experience.
So heaven is when I am not pained by "good and evil" which are only my judgements. This state of mind sets me free. I still have total freedom. While I can make any choice I want, I cannot escape the consequence of the choice. If I were to describe "hell", I would define it as having painful experiences where I failed to see I was the creator of the cause.

Answer 4

Our existence in this world revolves around relative perceptions. When your entity is no longer focused in this plane, you (the larger "You") will have a broader view of reality.

"Sin" will be meaningless. Feel free to take in this eternal bliss... until you are ready to put on your "blinders" again.

You might even choose the path of a born-again christian and embrace the drama and dogma. There are great powerful feelings that are very hard to have any other way.

Or you may choose to be an atheist who's greatest pleasure is proving christians are completely useless and wrong.

Answer 5

There are several Heavens in the Biblical teaching. Further research by those able to move between Energy levels has tended to confirm that there are Energy levels to which souls are attracted as "best fits."

Kindly see "Watch Your Dreams" and "Men in White Apparel." Ann Ree Colton, "The Masters and Their Retreats," Mark Prophet, and C. S. Lewis' intutive novella "The Great Divorce," for example.

1. Your first question is good, in the sense that exercise of the ability to make choice is what got mankind into a relativity-spiral in the Mystery School. There were clear warnings as to the dangers of entanglement in lower Energy states, but many chose to experiment in that way. When souls rise to Heavens, they have learned how to choose rightly among Energy options. It is more Joy to choose among an infinity of ice cream flavors, than to misuse Energy to experiment with some obnoxious or harmful flavor--i.e., Energy has basic Harmonies, etc.

2. There is an ever-increasing quality to Heaven; the increase of God is a given.

These things are knowable for the soul who attunes to the kingdom within, as Above, so below. The books mentioned have many keys. You might appreciate "Psychoenergetic Science," Dr. William Tiller, http://www.tiller.org "The Field," Lynne McTaggart, "Babies Remember BIrth," David Chamberlain, Ph.D., "Extraordinary Knowing," Elizabeth Mayer, Ph.D., "Expecting Adam," Martha Beck, "Life before Life," Jim Tucker, M.D., "The Reincarnation of Edgar Cayce?", Free and Wilcock, http://www.divinecosmos.com

best regards,

j.

Answer 6

let me play devil's advocate...

ultimately, if you are christian, you want to be in heaven with god. that is a choice you made. you chose to live a sin free life. so essentially, it's an eternal consequence of your decision. you are getting what you wanted - forever.

also, heaven isn't necessarily a lock down forever. it can't be. satan was once an angel. so, if angels can choose to go against god, i'm sure that human souls can as well. if, at any point in time, you choose to denounce god, or you decide that you want to take part in inappropriate activities. that is your free will. god cannot take that away. even if you are in heaven. although the consequence may be getting kicked out of heaven. but once again, that was your choice.

thus, no human is ever denied the choice of free will.

unfortunately, i can now start another argument...
if a human soul has the choice to go to heaven and can choose other actions and get kicked out, why can't a soul that does not believe in god choose to believe after death? and thus be let into heaven? i don't know... so ultimately, i agree with you, but my explanation above is the argument for why free will still exists in heaven.

Answer 7

You would have freedom, and heaven will be a sinless place. When you enter the kingdom of heaven you won't be a human, you will be a spirit, so it is impossible to have sex. It is possible that heaven is such a wonderful pkace and you are a christian, there will be no reason to lie, steal, cheat, or have sex. You will not be tempted with it nor will it matter.

Answer 8

that's this question is a Muslim with a situation no longer a Muslim situation. what's freedom? Even right here we would desire to consistently stay in a definite way, for occasion each and every person has to consume, drink, sleep, wash themselves etc. those are issues that we can not escape from. So are never loose from this, nor are our souls ours. Now if we turn to the exterior international then we are able to work out how we count on our environments. do we even have loose will? We no, we've phyisical bounds that we can not triumph over. we would desire to exist in a time and place. we are beings who're virtually i consistent want. Our Philiosphy teaches us that Allah subhanu wa ta'ala creates our strikes - it rather is from the quran. yet we've the resposibility for aquistion or kasb as its regular in arabic. we can to do some thing and Allah creates the action. As for our objective its as ordinary as, "I rather have not created Jinn or mankind apart from worship." fifty one/fifty 5.something of your question makes little or no experience. the situation right it rather is which you're tring to be conscious a western theory onto an Islamic one. you may desire to bypass learn Aqida - theology with a regular pupil and communicate those with him. guy does not have loose will or is he forced into action, he's to blame for what he has executed. He had the choice to do good or undesirable yet while hes does undesirable then he can consistently repent. As for heaven we you enter into the excitement of your Lord and you do no longer ought to difficulty approximately something. you have got even though your heart wills. All this could appear as if a dream, if yo u can bear in mind it! What i'm asserting freedom is mans notice for secret athiesm, what they recommend is freedom from God. A Muslim is is familiar with Allah and is happy along with his decree and longs to fulfill his Lord. because of the fact the final excitement in paradise is seeing Allah subhanu wa ta'ala.

Answer 9

I'm pretty sure if heaven exists, it's not the way Christians imagine, or any other religion either.

I think we've all got a few surprises in store, although much of it will seem familiar too.

Answer 10

Here's the biggest problem with Heaven/Paradise...

The earliest civilization, where religion was actually born, was Mesopotamia. What was to become Sumer, ironically had a concept of Hell (paying off debts/feelings of guilt, etc.), but no concept of Heaven...

Even they're folk-hero Gilgamesh, ultimately had to die, and disappear, remaining in great name, and legend only...