What will heaven be like? (question for theists)

silentseba
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What will heaven be like? (question for theists)

In the theist world, heaven is the ultimate reward for believing in god. Hell, is the ultimate punishment. Some theists also believe there is an in-between heaven and hell... but from what I understand, this is just an extention of hell. So the questiona are: How do you believe heaven is going to be like when you die. Why do you think heaven is going to be better than your current life? The same could be asked about hell? (how and why would it be worse)


wavefreak
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Don't know. Don't care. I

Don't know. Don't care. I follow my beliefs because on some deep (and perhaps irrational) level they seem right. The reward of an afterlife is not a requirement for me. Hell may or may not exist. If it does, then there is a purpose for its existence. A purpose I may not even understand.


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Well, I would like to get an

Well, I would like to get an answer from someone who is not agnostic Eye-wink


LosingStreak06
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You need to speak to a

You need to speak to a larger variety of theists.

It's comperable to me saying, "In the world of bakers, all cakes are chocolate."

Anyways, to address your question, my beliefs do not include an afterlife, let alone a heaven and/or a hell. Were I to envisage my own personal idea of what heaven ought to look like, it would be something akin to Lewis Carroll's Wonderland.


jmm
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Hopefully lots of beautiful

Hopefully lots of beautiful women who aren't insane.  If that's not a supernatural idea, then I don't know what is. 


silentseba
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I hear christians speaking

I hear christians speaking about going to heaven so much that it makes me wonder if they even have an idea of what to expect in heaven. So I want to get an answer to this question from someone who does believe in heaven and does have an idea of what it is going to be like after death. I mean, if you decide to follow a religion I suspect it is because you want to go to heaven. But if you have no idea of what is heaven going to be like... what is the point? What if you don't actually like heaven and you are forced to exist forever over there? Are there emotions in heaven? What about self consciousness? Feelings? (etc)

 If you don't believe in heaven, and you are a theist... then what motivates you to follow religion and believe in a god?


wavefreak
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silentseba wrote:   If

silentseba wrote:

 

If you don't believe in heaven, and you are a theist... then what motivates you to follow religion and believe in a god?

There is something that I sense about reality on an  intuitive and non-rational level that I chose to call god. There may be a heaven, but any conceptualization that I make is hopefully anthropomorphic. Also, I wouldn't say that I follow any particular organized religion.


LosingStreak06
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silentseba wrote: If you

silentseba wrote:

If you don't believe in heaven, and you are a theist... then what motivates you to follow religion and believe in a god?

It's something to do. The pleasure I get from worshipping my god is enough to keep me doing it. Selfish? Most assuredly. But show me something that isn't. 


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I asked that question

I asked that question because I studied at a catholic school for 11 years and I never found a motivation to believe in god. I never understood why people wanted to go to heaven. And I never found happiness by participating in any religious activity. (found them to be too boring and repetitive)

I don't understand why people like religion. I don't understand why they think heaven is a good place to go after you die. I don't understand why people get pleasure from worshipping a god. 


wavefreak
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silentseba wrote: I asked

silentseba wrote:

I asked that question because I studied at a catholic school for 11 years and I never found a motivation to believe in god. I never understood why people wanted to go to heaven. And I never found happiness by participating in any religious activity. (found them to be too boring and repetitive)

I don't understand why people like religion. I don't understand why they think heaven is a good place to go after you die. I don't understand why people get pleasure from worshipping a god.

 

I don't really like religion. It is repetitive and boring. For me, god is a thing of beauty. That alone is enough.