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Are Heaven and Hell just metaphors?

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Prelude to heaven and hell

The purpose of this lens is to challenge the human-concept of heaven and hell as being metaphysical places where people go to after death depending whether they're good or bad.

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

  1. What is heaven ?
  2. Amazing books on how quantum science meets the afterlife
  3. Heaven in Christianity
  4. Heaven in Islam
  5. Heaven in Judaism
  6. Passages in the holy books should be taken metaphorically
  7. Metaphors used in abrahamic religions
  8. Eternal punishment VS merciful God
  9. Heaven and hell as states of mind
  10. Atheists views on the afterlife
  11. Are there such thing as heaven and hell?
  12. 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

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Heaven in Christianity

"'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Revelation 21:3-4)

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

"For them will be Gardens of eternity; beneath them rivers will flow; they will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, and they will wear green garments of fine silk and heavy brocade. They will recline therein on raised thrones" (Quran 18:31)

"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

There is little mention of the afterlife as Judaism focused more on life here. The torah emphasizes immediate physical rewards and punishments rather than abstract futures ones. However there are clear evidence of the afterlife.

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

Metaphor : all language that involves figures of speech or symbolism and does not literally represent real things.

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


  1. mercy is the forgiving of sins and the removal of penalties

  2. 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

Since the bodily structures become destroyed and those biological processes cease, there will be nothing left to support the consciousness of oneself. Therefore it will be like not existing. (what we were before we were born)

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.

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YES!

RIA says:

but in our mind

Posted January 23, 2011

Muslim says:

I like the section "Heaven and Hell as states of mind". I think that makes much more sense.

Posted November 07, 2010

louize says:

sorry to waffle for so long, but what I'm basically trying to say is...external reality and our inner happiness are often at odds with eachother; and two people could experience the same external reality yet hold entirely different attitudes towards it- like we see in the world today. Therefore, I think it makes more sense to see Heaven and Hell as internal states than an exterior reality

Posted March 07, 2010

louize says:

Like the article above, I believe 'heaven' and 'hell' to be almost entirely internal states of mind- I believe this due to the fact that external reality and pleasures, despite appearances, have little correlation with internal peace and contentment (a factor which is taught by every religion and spiritual text). Notice I say 'little correlation' - it's obvious that poverty can play a part in unhappiness, as few would desire to be poor,yet at the same time some of the happiest people of all are the most materially impoverished. The same with the rich, people who have experienced hardship etc. No-one's totally immune to being affected by external reality but it nearly always comes down to attitude: those who have been through bad times either let it destroy them and become bitter or become stronger than ever and even more appreciative. A final point I'd like to make- if you've ever been seriously ill, or close to death, who is usually the more upset or worried? You directly experiencing it, or the people around you? Think about it...
I believe in consciousness surviving death because of all the NDE reports, and the sheer number of claims of ghost sightings from the past to the present day...there's no way they can all be wrong, despite what science says!

Posted March 07, 2010

BusyQueen says:

"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Revelation 21:3-4)

Posted August 30, 2009

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

NO!

. says:

it's all made up- there's no evedience-it's impossible

Posted April 14, 2011

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

 
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