My idea of heaven and god

[JJ50]

If heaven and god exist, how about this ?


Heaven

St Peter was showing a bunch of new recruits the delights of heaven. There were things to suit all tastes, even a gay bar. Most popular were the wine tasting sessions, which Jesus had set up, he was particularly proud of his Chateau Heaven vintage, being of course an expert in viticulture.

A carriage, pulled by eight white horses, stopped beside the group, and out got the most beautiful woman they had ever seen. St Peter bowed low and introduced her, "This is God"! The recruits gasped, "Don't worry, you will soon get used to the idea", she grinned!

At the end of the tour the recruits were shown a tin shack from which emanated the sound of hoarse discordant singing. St Peter explained, " That is reserved for 'born again' Christians who think they are the only inhabitants of heaven, we don't like to disappoint them so they can sing God's praises for all eternity. One puzzled new arrival queried how they reacted to God being a woman. "Ah" said St Peter, "Now that is our very cunning plan. Not everyone can enter into the delights of heaven immediately if they have been very bad whilst on earth. They must serve a term playing God for the 'born agains’, the length of which depends on the wickedness of their crimes. As the actor is always hidden in a blaze of light, they are none the wiser when a change over takes place. However heinous the crime, the perpetrator is deemed to have served their sentence after a few Millennia of listening to that lot 'singing God's praises!"

RJG

[bjs]

[Replying to JJ50]

It sounds like your view of heaven is personal wish fulfillment. That view is very popular in modern culture, though not supported by orthodox Christianity.

[JJ50]

[Replying to post 2 by bjs]

I hope when I die that is it, end of story, there is no evidence that any sort of afterlife exists.

[Tcg]

[Replying to JJ50]

It sounds like your view of heaven is personal wish fulfillment. That view is very popular in modern culture, though not supported by orthodox Christianity.

Every view of heaven is personal wish fulfillment. That is the function of belief in heaven whether it is based on popular modern ideas or popular ancient mythologies.



Tcg

[William]

There is absolutely no reason why - if this is the kind of experience you would like to have after this experience is completed - that it cannot be arranged.

[bjs]

[Replying to JJ50]

It sounds like your view of heaven is personal wish fulfillment. That view is very popular in modern culture, though not supported by orthodox Christianity.

Every view of heaven is personal wish fulfillment. That is the function of belief in heaven whether it is based on popular modern ideas or popular ancient mythologies.

Please do not project your views on to Christianity. Just because you think Heaven is wish fulfillment, doesn’t mean anything in Christianity agrees with you. You may have any few you want of heaven you want – you can think of it as fantasy; you can think of it as wish fulfillment – but do not pretend to speak for others.

I will also note that this is a wildly inaccurate view of history. Very few “ancient mythologies� viewed heaven as wish fulfillment. The Egyptians, the Greeks, the Mesopotamians, the Hindus; their views of the afterlife did not match up with yours.

[bjs]

[Replying to post 2 by bjs]

I hope when I die that is it, end of story, there is no evidence that any sort of afterlife exists.

Which is it? Do think that there is no evidence for an afterlife, or do you hope that there is no afterlife?

And what is the point of your opening post, since everything in it contradicts what you now say your belief/hope is?

[SallyF]

The idea of a magical place called "Heaven" - just like "God" - can be whatever a culture imagines it to be, with personal variations to suit individual taste.

Christianity, for example, is full of magic and make-believe.

Heaven is not just our far-off future home, but a place we can joyfully look forward to today. The Bible provides more than 600 references to heaven, which we can use to learn about the magical place.
https://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/christ ... wered.aspx

But under the outward show of Christian lovingkindness, lies a nasty particularism …

How will I get to heaven?
Only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will go to heaven. https://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/christ ... wered.aspx

Yes, sinners, only CHRISTIANS are going to Heaven ....

Fortunately, the total absence of evidence behind all the Christianities indicates that it's only a great game of Pretend anyway.

And, as an added bonus, it's a fun game for Atheists too ...

[SallyF]

[Replying to post 2 by bjs]

I hope when I die that is it, end of story, there is no evidence that any sort of afterlife exists.

Which is it? Do think that there is no evidence for an afterlife, or do you hope that there is no afterlife?

And what is the point of your opening post, since everything in it contradicts what you now say your belief/hope is?

I haven't witnessed any sort of evidence for any sort of afterlife either.

Maybe there is such …?

I hope not.

I want that to be the end of the Sally story.

[William]

JJ50: If heaven and god exist, how about this...(followed by OP topic)

bjs: It sounds like your view of heaven is personal wish fulfillment. That view is very popular in modern culture, though not supported by orthodox Christianity.

William: There is absolutely no reason why - if this is the kind of experience you would like to have after this experience is completed - that it cannot be arranged.

JJ50: I hope when I die that is it, end of story, there is no evidence that any sort of afterlife exists.

bjs: Which is it? Do think that there is no evidence for an afterlife, or do you hope that there is no afterlife?

And what is the point of your opening post, since everything in it contradicts what you now say your belief/hope is?

Sally: I haven't witnessed any sort of evidence for any sort of afterlife either.

Maybe there is such …?

I hope not.

I want that to be the end of the Sally story.

William: IF;
"Wishful Thinking" has anything to do with the individual creating their own personal experience in the Next Phase (Afterlife/Metaphysical Universe)
THEN:
Whatever JJ50 conjures into that framework, will be, as will it be for each of us.
(I also think that this would be an extraordinary exceptional fair manner in which to continue the process of sorting things out.)
Also;
IF;
For the individual there is no avoiding the Metaphysical Universe once one has died.
THEN;
"Wishing nothing happened" might not be an option...
OR IF IT IS;
Whomever JJ50 and Sally are, they will get their wish and the only thing which might be evidence that they once existed and had a human experience, will be stored in the Akashic Records.

(That is a "Win/Win" by my reckoning...JJ50 and Sally get what they wish for, and everyone else gets the same.

A Granted Wish.)