Prelude to heaven and hell
This is one of the oldest dilemma's in monotheistic faiths where at one side they proclaim a mercifull God, and on the other hand a God who will punish you if you don't listen.
Whenever we speak of heaven and hell, they seem to 3-dimensional places which could actually be experienced here on earth due to them being described using earthly things like 'boiling water' and 'land filled with flowers'. Is afterlife experienced the same way as this life where you could hear,feel, and even combed your hair? Do earthly concepts like rivers,tress,and flowers exist in the afterlife?
Contents at a glance
- What is heaven ?
- Amazing books on how quantum science meets the afterlife
- Heaven in Christianity
- Heaven in Islam
- Heaven in Judaism
- Passages in the holy books should be taken metaphorically
- Metaphors used in abrahamic religions
- Eternal punishment VS merciful God
- Heaven and hell as states of mind
- Atheists views on the afterlife
- Are there such thing as heaven and hell?
- Reader Feedback
What is heaven ?
Heaven is traditionally described as a place of complete bliss and peace where good people go to after their death. There are no more pain and ill-feelings like sadness and fear in heaven, and sinful acts such as murder and lies would cease to exist. It is a place where people would be reunited with their deceased loved ones and they would live together with god.
Amazing books on how quantum science meets the afterlife
Life After Death: The Burden of Proof
Deepak Chopra gives us an intriguing look at both the quantum physics and spirituality, with convincing evidence from quantum science in supporting the belief of human consciousness after the death of the physical body.
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 07/05/2009) 
Physics of the Soul: The Quantum Book of Living, Dying, Reincarnation and Immortality
An interesting book that attempts to validate the paradigm of a soul that survives the body eternally based on quantum physics. It also explore scientific theories such as eterminism, morphogenetic fields, non-locality etc.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/05/2009)
The Ultimate Journey: Consciousness and the Mystery of Death
The book summarizes modern studies that shed new light on a variety of phenomena related to death and dying, including psycho-spiritual death and rebirth, near-death experiences and the parallel between science and spirituality of the afterlife
Amazon Price: $19.95 (as of 07/05/2009)
Heaven in Christianity
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1)
http://www.riverpower.org/answers/heaven.htm
Heaven in Islam
"They will not hear therein ill speech or commission of sin. But only the saying of: Peace! Peace!" (Quran 56:25-26)
http://www.islamicinformation.net/2008/05/heaven-and-jannat-in-islam.html
Heaven in Judaism
The good ones are"gathered to their people" after death (see Gen. 25:8, 25:17, 35:29, 49:33; Deut. 42:50; 2 Ki. 22:20)
In contrast, the wicked are "cut off (kareit) from their people" (Gen. 17:14; Ex. 31:14)
http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/beliefs/afterlife.htm
Passages in the holy books should be taken metaphorically
Much of the language of the quran and the bible is obviously metaphorical. The purpose of using metaphors is to be able to ,express a meaning using a single or little words.
The real Heaven and hell can be difficult and complex to explain as they may exist in a totally different reality with absolutely different physical laws and perception. For example, the way we feel pain in this reality isn't really going to be the same in the other. Or are there even such things as light, pain, hot, cold, or sight in the reality where heaven and hell resides? Due to the complexity, it is necessary to explain heaven and hell in a language we understand using human concepts to describe pleasant and the unpleasant.
Another possible reason is for god to test the intelligence of a person to read beyond the literal meaning.
Metaphors used in abrahamic religions
"Building" as a person's way of life in the Quran
"Who is better: someone who founds his building on fear of Allah and His good pleasure, or someone who founds his building on the brink of a crumbling precipice so that it collapses with him into the Fire of Hell? Allah does not love wrongdoers" (Surat at-Tawba, 109)
"Allah makes metaphors for mankind and Allah has knowledge of all things" (Qur'an, 24:35)
"Water," representing truth and knowledge in Bible
"If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink, (John 7:37)."
"Trees" as spiritual & personal growth in Torah
"It is a tree of life for those who hold fast to it." Proverbs (3:18)
Eternal punishment VS merciful God
Hell is a place of eternal suffering and punishment for the sinners after death. It is depicted as fiery and painful, inflicting pain and suffering. Evil-doers are allegedly tormented with fire and burning water 'eternally'.
The popular belief that wrong-doers will burn eternally in hell bothered me for decades, but I suppressed my problem by saying "God is Merciful and Just; He knows something that I do not know." Of course, God knows numerous things that we do not know.
It is obvious to anyone that committing crime within a period of finite life does not justify infinite punishment. It also contradicts the notion of a fair and merciful god.
If a bad person does not go to Hell, then justice is not served, and God is not just. If a bad person goes to Hell, God's infinite mercy is not present.
Infinitely just and infinitely merciful are some of the main attributes of god in the abrahamic traditions.
It may seem as though the idea of mercy and justice are totally at odds
- mercy is the forgiving of sins and the removal of penalties
- while justice is the enforcement of penalties for sins
The only way to reconcile this is to come to the conclusion that the scary descriptions of hell are but a mere metaphor designed as a deterrence against wrong doings. But that does not mean that you can just go out and shoot innocents after you found out that you will not be physically punished in hell.
Because god is infinitely merciful, he would not harm an evil-doer, because god is just, he will ensure that the evil-doer is being punished without his interference so the only person responsible for the punishment of the evil-doer is the evil-doer himself.
Heaven and hell as states of mind
Hell is more a state of mind than a place of condemnation. God does not condemn anyone to an eternal pain and suffering, but we are all accountable for our own actions.
After death, a person will live again and experience Heaven and hell on earth either in this universe or in another alternate universe. The concept of multiple universes is no longer a laughing matter in quantum science.
If you have done mostly good in this life, this will be more dominate in your next ''you" The acts you have done most in life, will dominate your next "you".
In 'heaven' the person state of mind would be in peace, and people would respond to him positively and he will live a life full of joy.
In 'hell', the person would be mentally troubled and constantly at odds with society. He lives a life of distress within himself and the society unless he changes for the better.
So a person doing 'good' now, will affect your next you in a serious matter, this same applies to doing 'bad'. Somebody having more urge to do 'good' , because of his previous life doing good, somebody having more urge to do bad because of his previous life doing bad.
But that does not mean that he will stay bad for all his incarnations. The purpose of existence is to hope that mankind would one day,after many incarnations, be aware that having a 'hellish' state of mind is destructive and will move on to a better and peaceful state of mind, 'heaven'.
Atheists views on the afterlife
Are there such thing as heaven and hell?
Do you view heaven and hell as real places or simply a state of mind like hell on earth(war)? I wish to know your views.
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYES!
RickPhillips says:
Listening to The Lesley Flint Tapes, I believe, provide a possible understanding of the afterlife.
Posted December 30, 2008
spirituality says:
I do believe that after death our consciousness continues - and that it can experience something positive (let's call that heaven) but also (in rare cases) something negative (which I would be comfortable calling hell).
Posted December 29, 2008
AgentTerrific says:
I believe that after we die, our material body and brain will cease to exist but the immaterial mind(consciousness) will continue to exist indefinitely and be transferred to a new body host of a newborn child.
I do not believe that the description of heaven and hell should be taken literally and that they are metaphors to describe pleasant and the un-pleasant. God with his infinite mercy would not sentenced a wrongdoer to an infinite suffering.
Posted December 29, 2008
NO!
John says:
"bad" people can be changed by being given the love
they missed out on somewhere early on. punishment is
cruel and doesn't work. Hitler was punished by his
father constantly.
Posted January 16, 2009
Reader Feedback
AgentTerrific wrote...
in reply to spirituality I'm really honored that you stop by to give comment on my lens. You had written some of the best lens on philosophy and spirituality and i would like to thank you for that : )
Posted December 29, 2008
