We have all these thoughts on heaven and hell, when we really don't know what we're saying to begin with. Without evil, there is no good. This world works both with good and evil, so acts upon events can unfold in this planet. From negative, is positive. They go hand in hand. Lets just say text book style, hell is a place the evil are condemned. What defines evil though? Do men and women that serve their countries go to hell because they murder in belief for their call of duty, their country, their belief? One of the commandments that COMMAND you, says you should not kill. How do you explain that? Is there fine print that says "exception of wars." A man that steals to feed the poor, does he go to hell? Some religious beliefs believe that sacrificing your life for a cause grants you to heaven, yet to others that condemns you to hell. We will never understand how this universe purely operates, so many should stop believing in silly stories that tell us how. Be rational. Not insane.
2007-11-20 16:05:27 · 17 answers · asked by The Only Quest 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Nope. I do not believe that. I believe that heaven is real, and so is hell. Just not in the traditional senses of them.
2007-11-24 14:52:03 · answer #1 · answered by Princess Ninja 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are some pretty good indications in the bible that current ideas of christians on heaven and hell are quite different than they were when the bible was written.
The really BIG thing that has changed in the christian beliefs on heaven is that christians no longer believe that heaven is really up in the sky. However, the way that the bible portrays heaven shows that the original belief was that heaven was up in the sky, above the clouds.
This is the reason that Jesus "ascended" to heaven.
Acts 1
9After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
According to the bible, Jesus literally flew upwards into the sky. This is because this is where heaven was supposed to be. The early christians, (and the jews), believed that when you looked up at the sky, you were actually seeing heaven.
Of course, now that we have spaceships and telescopes, we know that there is no heaven up there, its just space. So christians now believe that heaven is just "somewhere else". Apparently some purely spiritual "other dimension", or something like that.
The christians tend to pretend that this has always been what their religion has believed and they generally just ignore all the bits in the bible that indicate that their heaven is really supposed to literally be up in the sky.
So, not only did christians make up heaven, they also changed it when it was proven that the first heaven they made up didn't actually exist.
2007-11-20 16:46:13 · answer #2 · answered by Azure Z 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You've got a few different concepts mixed up in there. First, the idea that the world is "good and evil" is a patriarchal dichotomy that stems from a lack of abstract thought. The whole negative/positive thing is an unresolvable opposition that creates either conflict or stagnation. Energy is dynamic - it moves and movement requires more than two points.
The idea of an underworld and afterlife are ancient. There are many of us who have communicated with the dead, and remember past lives, so we know there's something more. There are also those of us who are re-learning everything we've been taught about history, realizing that Christianity tried to destroy all traces of the glorious Goddess religions that were common before Moses decided to establish a patrilineal system of inheritance. People lived in peace for many millenia before patriarchy reared its ugly head, and we can again.
It doesn't even require faith or belief - it just requires knowing that people are not naturally violent, that we've been successful as a species because of our ability to cooperate and make individual sacrifice for the good of the group. Violence is a direct result of the sexual repression created by Abrahamic religion.
As for heaven and hell - most cultures believe we're going to a better place when we leave these bodies. "Hell" in the modern conception was invented as an excuse to torture and burn "Witches" - mostly women, mostly poor, mostly powerless against the machinations of the church. So, yeah, that part is made up.
I'm rational and I'm not insane. It is possible to practice a religion and be rational - I just don't practice one of the Abrahamic faiths.
2007-11-20 16:29:20 · answer #3 · answered by Morgaine 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Your back up information shows a lack of understanding of the Christian positions on sin, grace and redemption. I don't mind you railing against Christianity, just don't do it from a position of ignorance.
You assume Christians are irrational. You imply they are insane. Yet you clearly do not know what it is they believe. You apparently don't like the idea of Christian judgment....yet you are judging and labeling Christians. Gain some knowledge of what you are against and then your arguments will take on some weight.
2007-11-20 16:15:50 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
I believe that God made them. It does not mater how good a person is, in God's eyes we are all evil and deserve Hell, but God made a way for us to go to Heaven. He sent His perfect and sinless Son to die in our place to pay for our sins. The only way to receive this eternal life is to turn from our sins and receive Jesus as our Lord. Then God will give you the Holy Ghost, that is when we become Born Again. Jesus said that we must be Born Again to enter the Kingdom of God.
2007-11-20 16:10:46 · answer #5 · answered by Apostle Jeff 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
The Lake of Fire and Heaven are real.
Jesus died for our sins and rose again. Yes, that includes yuo.
Only Jesus can saev us from our sins nad from teh Lake of Fire.
to me, only a complete idiot would risk all eternity to see if Hell ls real or not.
2007-11-20 16:41:43 · answer #6 · answered by kickindevilbutt 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hell and Heaven serve the same role in judaeo-derived religions as karma does in hindu-derived religions, it's behaviour modification. Knowledge is power, and anyone claiming knowledge of what consitutes life after death and how to achieve a desirable outcome will become very powerful.
Sometimes Bulls*** definately does talk!
2007-11-20 16:13:59 · answer #7 · answered by Way 5 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Get a new perspective- read Revelation 20-22
.........and again, Forever is tooo long to be wrong!~
2007-11-21 12:46:29 · answer #8 · answered by Seeno†es™ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just doesn't make sense, does it? The whole thing is about money. If you don't believe in these fairy tales, you don't pitch in on the collection plate.....They have to get you to believe or they would have to get a real job...Yeh, Right!
2007-11-20 16:30:58 · answer #9 · answered by Carl R 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes.
Heaven and hell are real places made by God.
And He loves you enough to let you decide which one you'll end up in.
Isn't that just great?
If you want to know how to avoid hell, ask me.
Pastor Art
2007-11-20 16:19:25 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 2⤋