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| − | '''Heaven''' is a place where good people go [[afterlife|when they die]] according to [[Christianity]] |
+ | '''Heaven''' is a place where good people go [[afterlife|when they die]] according to [[Christianity]]. |
| + | ==Getting to Heaven== |
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| + | How do you get to Heaven? That's not clear, as in so many other places the [[Bible]] contradicts itself over How to get saved. |
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| + | #Do you get to heaven by doing good works? |
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| + | #Do you get to heaven by [[Faith]]? |
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| + | #Do you need both faith and works? |
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| + | #Will everyone get there in the end? |
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| + | Christians believe knowing how to get saved is vitally important but the [[Bible]] gives no single clear message. |
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| + | {{cquote|On this most critical of issues, the Bible is not consistent; it does not give a clear and unified picture. Instead, it contradicts itself, with verses addressing the topic of salvation that offer conflicting advice. (…) either the Bible was the work of a very apathetic and unconcerned deity, or else it was the product of human minds and human hands from the beginning. One of these solutions is simple and [[Occam's razor|parsimonious]]; the other raises more questions than it answers. I know which one I pick.|||<ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/daylightatheism/essays/faith-alone/ Faith Alone]</ref>}} <ref>[http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/saved.html What must you do to be saved?]</ref> |
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| + | For [[Christian Universalism|Christian Universalists]] this isn't so much of a problem since everyone will be saved in the end. |
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| + | ==Worshiping the tyrant and bad company== |
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| − | [[Islam]] refers to paradise rather than heaven but the belief is similar. |
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| + | Traditionally Christians imagined the [[Blessing|blessed]] [[soul]]s in heaven sitting on clouds, playing harps and worshiping [[God]] eternally. Today Christians tend to call Heaven a place or a state of mind where good people are perpetually happy and worship God perpetually. |
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| + | Worshiping the tyrant is only ''part'' of the problem, just imagine enduring the ''"heavenly"'' company. One of the ways of having a good time in heaven is to watch people being tortured in hell. And everyone in heaven shall see those being tortured and none of them will either pity torture victims or be outraged by torture. Also no one in heaven will have any emotions "except by reason's choice". So Heaven is full of people who think that watching others get tortured is something to take pleasure in. [[Thomas Aquinas]] wrote all that in [[Summa Theologica]] and many traditional Christians agree with the saint. <ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/summa/5094.htm Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica Part 2 Q94]</ref> |
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| + | ==War in heaven== |
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| + | Yes, despite perfect happiness in heaven war can happen there. (Revelations 19:14) <ref>[http://atheism.about.com/od/thebible/a/heaven.htm The Bible and Heaven]</ref> |
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| + | <ref>[http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/rev/19.html#14 Revelations 19:14]</ref> |
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| + | ==Islam== |
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| + | [[Islam]] refers to paradise rather than heaven but the belief is similar. Good Muslim men get all the sex they want with very desirable houris. Women seem to get very sexy slaves. <ref>[http://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Houri&oldid=1071382 Houri][[RationalWiki]] article</ref> |
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| + | ==Simpsons== |
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| + | In the Simpsons episode, "Thank God it's Doomsday" Heaven is a place where everybody's wish comes true. Homer wishes that an angel's head blows up, and got a room by the kiddie pool. This is different, and is what many people hope heaven is like. (After, if you've spent your life worshiping god, would you want to spend the rest of eternity doing that?) |
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| + | {{Good and bad Christianity}} |
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| + | ==References== |
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| + | <references/> |
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| + | ==External links== |
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| + | *[http://atheism.about.com/od/bibledictionaryonline/p/Heavens.htm Heaven: What is Heaven? What Does the Bible Say about the Heavens?] |
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| + | *[http://godisimaginary.com/i18.htm Imagine heaven] |
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| + | |||
| + | ===Videos=== |
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| + | *[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzzORZhnCao&feature=related Proving that nobody can get into heaven] Video |
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| + | [[Category:afterlife]] |
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[[Category:Religion]] |
[[Category:Religion]] |
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| + | [[Category:Christianity]] |
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| + | [[Category:Islam]] |
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| + | [[Category:Articles with RationalWiki material]] |
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Latest revision as of 11:37, 22 March 2014
Heaven is a place where good people go when they die according to Christianity.
Getting to Heaven
How do you get to Heaven? That's not clear, as in so many other places the Bible contradicts itself over How to get saved.
- Do you get to heaven by doing good works?
- Do you get to heaven by Faith?
- Do you need both faith and works?
- Will everyone get there in the end?
Christians believe knowing how to get saved is vitally important but the Bible gives no single clear message.
—[1]
| “ | On this most critical of issues, the Bible is not consistent; it does not give a clear and unified picture. Instead, it contradicts itself, with verses addressing the topic of salvation that offer conflicting advice. (…) either the Bible was the work of a very apathetic and unconcerned deity, or else it was the product of human minds and human hands from the beginning. One of these solutions is simple and parsimonious; the other raises more questions than it answers. I know which one I pick. | ” |
For Christian Universalists this isn't so much of a problem since everyone will be saved in the end.
Worshiping the tyrant and bad company
Traditionally Christians imagined the blessed souls in heaven sitting on clouds, playing harps and worshiping God eternally. Today Christians tend to call Heaven a place or a state of mind where good people are perpetually happy and worship God perpetually.
For those Christians who do believe in Hell the majority of mankind will end up there. Heaven is where the tyrant and torturer is perpetually worshiped. That looks like another form of Hell.
Worshiping the tyrant is only part of the problem, just imagine enduring the "heavenly" company. One of the ways of having a good time in heaven is to watch people being tortured in hell. And everyone in heaven shall see those being tortured and none of them will either pity torture victims or be outraged by torture. Also no one in heaven will have any emotions "except by reason's choice". So Heaven is full of people who think that watching others get tortured is something to take pleasure in. Thomas Aquinas wrote all that in Summa Theologica and many traditional Christians agree with the saint. [3]
War in heaven
Yes, despite perfect happiness in heaven war can happen there. (Revelations 19:14) [4] [5]
Islam
Islam refers to paradise rather than heaven but the belief is similar. Good Muslim men get all the sex they want with very desirable houris. Women seem to get very sexy slaves. [6]
Simpsons
In the Simpsons episode, "Thank God it's Doomsday" Heaven is a place where everybody's wish comes true. Homer wishes that an angel's head blows up, and got a room by the kiddie pool. This is different, and is what many people hope heaven is like. (After, if you've spent your life worshiping god, would you want to spend the rest of eternity doing that?)
There is a good and a a bad side to Christianity, see the category page