Christian view of Heaven

[Magna]

I've pondered the concept of Heaven (non-stop bliss and eternal worship and praise of God in God's presence)

Non-stop bliss. None of the following in any measure: Pain, sadness, loss, failure, evil, anger, hate, hunger, and on and on. Instead, pure unadulterated perpetual and eternal ecstasy. It's what Christians everywhere are supposed to desire above anything else. Anything less is unacceptable.

I preface the following with the statement that I know I'm coming from a place in life (age, health, etc) where I feel I have a lot to live for. My views on this subject (ie Heaven vs life on earth) could very well be different if I was living with intense mental, emotional or physical pain or poor health any of which was so bad that I could feel that the act of living was barely worth it or even that living under such conditions was really nothing more than existing.

Life is a "roller coaster" of ups and downs. Everyone's is. There are good times, great times and even wonderful times and there are also bad times, very bad times and even awful times. Life is full of the entire spectrum.

Here is my point: The choice as Christianity puts it forth is: Choose between God/Heaven or Hell. There are no other options.

What if the choice was between the following?

Choose between God/Heaven

or....

Choose to live eternally as you are now and as your life is now. Yes, that means living the "roller coaster" of ups and downs but by doing so, continuing to experience the full spectrum of life without end. That would include living with your loved ones (if they chose the same) and they would not die as well.

^ Between THOSE two options, I would pick continuing to live life as I know it without hesitation (sorry, God). In short then, my idea of "Heaven" is living life as I do now even with its imperfections and pain.

 

[Knower of nothing]

Surely this is a choice made in lack of capacity to truly imagine your own ability to be without need.

 

[Magna]

Surely this is a choice made in lack of capacity to truly imagine your own ability to be without need.

Can you rephrase your statement? I'm not sure I understand what you mean.

 

[Gerontius]

If Hell was a place of perfect earthly bliss I think I would still pick Heaven--as in concept of the beatific vision. In eternity, stuck with just living as I am now but more "comfortably," well, time would hang heavy on my hands. Give me the eternal Now of contemplating the essence of being.

 

[Fino]

I remember that Heaven is a place without suffering, but I don't remember it being a place of eternal ecstasy, which sound likes a form of torture. Either way, I'd prefer Heaven. Continuing in this state for eternity, I would call Hell.

 

[Suzanne]

Actually the bible gives us a glimpse of what Heaven is like and it is nothing we humans can even imagine. Think of all the beauty above us and add more and more and that is just touching the magnificance of Heaven, where our Creator lives.

There is no hell fire! Hell is actually just the common grave ie death.

I am a christian, and you would be surprised what you find out from what the bible says, regarding common views on what christians believe.

 

[Greatshield17]

Here is my point: The choice as Christianity puts it forth is: Choose between God/Heaven or Hell. There are no other options.

What if the choice was between the following?

Choose between God/Heaven

or....

Choose to live eternally as you are now and as your life is now. Yes, that means living the "roller coaster" of ups and downs but by doing so, continuing to experience the full spectrum of life without end. That would include living with your loved ones (if they chose the same) and they would not die as well.

^ Between THOSE two options, I would pick continuing to live life as I know it without hesitation (sorry, God). In short then, my idea of "Heaven" is living life as I do now even with its imperfections and pain.

I’m actually writing a children’s book in which the main character enjoys the various things that children enjoy in childhood, yet all of them keep coming to an end and she slowly begins to realize that nothing lasts forever and all things come to an end. She despairs but her parents comfort her and teach her to have hope for eternal bliss in Heaven; more specifically, they teach her about Our Lady’s Bodily Assumption into Heaven and how Her Immaculate Heart is beating in Heaven at this very moment and will always be beating and never stop beating, a sign of Hope for all of us.

The problem with eternity, here in this earth in its current form, is that it’s actually a kind of anti-eternity, it’s an endless ending of good things, you’re living through the continuous ending of things you enjoy over and over again. Now I know there’s also the ongoing ending of bad things in this eternity as well, and that can provide relief and gratitude, but how bad do these bad things and events get, what if they cause trauma? As for your loved ones being there, well they’ll be going through all this too, and we also have to consider that, from a Christian perspective the key cause of evil in this world is human sin; do your loved ones still retain their lapsarian nature and sin?

I could expand on all this more, but it’s getting late here, so I’ll leave things like this.

 

[Greatshield17]

I remember that Heaven is a place without suffering, but I don't remember it being a place of eternal ecstasy, which sound likes a form of torture. Either way, I'd prefer Heaven. Continuing in this state for eternity, I would call Hell.

Well you can’t handle ecstasy because of the current state of your body, it gets tired of stimulation. In Heaven, first you’ll be there without your body and experience ecstasy through your intellect and will, then you’ll receive your resurrected body which doesn’t grow tired like it does now; in both cases you’ll be able to handle ecstasy without getting tired.

 

[Tom]

I think you might get as many different 'views' as there are Christians. I myself don't know. I have read the bible thru every year for the last 6 years and about that many times prior, but I don't have a clear picture. It's difficult for me to determine was is literal and what is symbolic/figurative.

But I do know 3 things for sure.

1) We are changed in some way
2) I want to be there
3) I want dogs to be allowed (and pets and animals in general) so I petition God for that regularly

 

[Knower of nothing]

Can you rephrase your statement? I'm not sure I understand what you mean.

Basically, it's a decision made around what you value most, but you are not able to understand the presented values of heaven. It's difficult to not imagine you'd be missing "something" in an eternal bliss. Our perception of life works only in relative contrast and the contrast of happiness can only exist through suffering. It defines much of our binary thinking. No light without dark etc. But if the given idea of happiness is that it transcends the need for contrast, then it is truly the best choice. That is to say it's the only choice where if we were able to talk to you after you're there, you would be perfectly content and wish for nothing else. The whole point of heaven is to be such an ideal that there can be no other rational choice. (Of course this is all so that you can then gatekeep heaven behind whatever you want the population to care about).

 

[FreeDiver]

Supposedly, This is what heaven is like.

Once you enter though the pearly gates. You are turned into an angel by growing a pair of wings on your back and sprouting this glowing ring that hovers over your head. Then you are assign a soft, fluffy white cloud to sit on and you are giving a harp. You begin to play your harp for all of eternity. Amen.

 

[Magna]

Supposedly, This is what heaven is like.

Once you enter though the pearly gates. You are turned into an angel by growing a pair of wings on your back and sprouting this glowing ring that hovers over your head. Then you are assign a soft, fluffy white cloud to sit on and you are giving a harp. You begin to play your harp for all of eternity. Amen.
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I thought in Heaven everyone wears an identical white robe and stands shoulder to shoulder with souls you don't know, singing and shouting non-stop (ie glorifying God) with their "eyes" transfixed on nothing else but God...for eternity.

 

[Orange Glasses]

Zero hesitation in choosing God and Heaven.

 

[FreeDiver]

I thought in Heaven everyone wears an identical white robe and stands shoulder to shoulder with souls you don't know, singing and shouting non-stop (ie glorifying God) with their "eyes" transfixed on nothing else but God...for eternity.

I think a lot of these myths came from the earlier churches. Harp and choir were the most common form of worship music in the early church and most people just associated that with heaven. It's like we portray angels as humans with bird wings on their back. Yes, it looks pretty. But aerodynamically, that would never work.

 

[Greatshield17]

I think a lot of these myths came from the earlier churches. Harp and choir were the most common form of worship music in the early church and most people just associated that with heaven. It's like we portray angels as humans with bird wings on their back. Yes, it looks pretty. But aerodynamically, that would never work.

Angels having wings were a symbol to show that they traveled at the speed of thought, they were hardly ever taken literally.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Heaven. Being in the presence of God for all eternity? Being bathed constantly in pure Love and Light? Comfort, Wisdom, and Contentment and Health for all eternity? Um... yes.