Why do people want to go to Heaven?

[Topaz27]

I don't want to go to heaven. As far as I can tell one of these situations must be true.

1) I go to heaven, and I am fully aware that people are burning in hell forever. If I knew that was true I would feel bad. Therefore I feel bad in heaven. Heaven can contain suffering. But according to Rev 21:4 There is no suffering in heaven. So this idea doesn't make any sense according to the Bible.

2) I go to heaven, and I am fully aware that people are burning in hell forever. But this time I'm ok/happy about it. In that senario there would be some kind of change in my emotion, which I'm not ok with. I'm not ok with the idea that "I know that people are burning in hell, and that's ok with me." That idea disgusts me. So I wouldn't want to go to that kind of heaven.

3) I go to heaven, and I'm not aware that people are burning in hell forever. That's not okay with me either. First off if I end up in heaven, and some of my dead loved ones aren't there, it's pretty obvious where they would be. So this idea doesn't really make sense. But let's say that God erases my memories about my loved ones. I would hate that. I don't want to go to that heaven.

4) I go to heaven I don't know about people burning in hell, but I still feel terrible. This obviously makes no sense with the premises of heaven, but it is technically a possibility.

Heaven is always described as this amazing place where God fixes everthing. But it just doesn't seem like a good thing to me.

So I was wondering why/if people wanted to go to heaven. Both thiests and athiests.

If there are other options that exist please tell me.

[JehovahsWitness]

But the doctrine of eternal torment in hellfire is a false doctrine. No one will be burning in 'hell' for all eternity.

Hell is real but I agree, the burning is a metaphor for the anguish and suffering felt by those who chose hell over heaven for whatever reason they did so.

Thats why I prefer say biblically the wicked do not have an immortal soul that will not be in torture for all eternity. Covers all the bases, namely that...

• - humans don't posses a soul
  
  - the soul is not immortal
  
  - unending torture /pain is not the punishment of the wicked

JW

[Topaz27]

A Jehovah's Witness has never actually vistited my house when I was an adult. But to be fair, I'm only 19. They did when I was younger, as well as mormons. My mom never let me talk to them though, which I now think is absolutely ridiculous. My dad did go out and talk to you guys almost everytime though, which I loved. If anyone came to my door to talk about religion, I would gladly talk to them about it. It just hasn't happened yet.


Whether hell exists or not, doesn't really matter in my problem with heaven. The idea still works if those people, instead of going to hell, just stop existing. I used hell because I know a lot of people believe in it. I was also fully aware that there's no real reason to believe in a biblical hell.

The point is:I wouldn't be comfortable in heaven, knowing that there are people who didn't make it to heaven.

[JehovahsWitness]

A Jehovah's Witness has never actually vistited my house when I was an adult. But to be fair, I'm only 19. They did when I was younger, as well as mormons. My mom never let me talk to them though, which I now think is absolutely ridiculous. My dad did go out and talk to you guys almost everytime though, which I loved. If anyone came to my door to talk about religion, I would gladly talk to them about it. It just hasn't happened yet.

O I didn't realize you were so young... your parents were only doing their job and protecting you from what they believed would be negative influence. I respect and understand that. It does show however that many young adults, like yourself, that feel they "know enough" to make religious choices as to what they believe actually havent been exposed to enough information to make an informed choice at all, (which is one reason why we Jehovahs Witnesses go from door to door). In short, maybe... (just possibly) you don't want to go to heaven because in reality you have no idea what heaven is and what one would go to heaven to do and have not taken the time to find out.

No offense, Jus' sayin' ...


In any case, if I felt you had a burning desire to learn the truth on this and other matters, I would say expect a vist within the next few days, otherwise, its a good idea to keep an open mind because believe it or not, you just might not know it all.




Jehovahs Witness

[JehovahsWitness]

The idea still works if those people, instead of going to hell, just stop existing. ...

The point is:I wouldn't be comfortable in heaven, knowing that there are people who didn't make it to heaven.

I think you might possibly be over stating you empathy. Billions of people are dead, to what extent does that stop you from enjoying your present life?

There is no doubt that death, especially of a lived one, is a painful loss and some people indeed never do recover from the shock of losing someone to death. Still, most people accept death as "part of the cycle of life" and manage to continue to enjoy life.

I have to wonder the last time you refused a piece of chocolate cake saying "No thanks I just couldnt enjoy it knowing there are dead people not eating chocolate cake!"

JW

[Tcg]

There is no doubt that death, especially of a lived one, is a painful loss and some people indeed never do recover from the shock of losing someone to death. Still, most people accept death as "part of the cycle of life" and manage to continue to enjoy life.

Others pretend that paradise is the destination of those who in some way please God. Rather than accepting that death is "part of the cycle of life", they deny death by holding to some unevidenced belief in an afterlife that will be especially pleasant for those who do whatever it is that their brand of religion claims is needed to experience this unevidenced paradise.


Tcg

[onewithhim]

To topaz27: I tried to get in on the discussion. Is there a reason my posts
#13 and 15 were not included in the on-going analyses of heaven and hell?

[JehovahsWitness]

To topaz27: I tried to get in on the discussion. Is there a reason my posts
#13 and 15 were not included in the on-going analyses of heaven and hell?

My understanding is that topaz is not really interested in discussing if people really do go to heaven or hell or not, only in how he belives he would feel if they did. Feelings and sentiment of course have thir place when discussing important matters such as life and death, but we have an entire generation that is more intersted in feelings than facts, so establishing truth is secondary to discussing feelings.


JW

[Tcg]

...we have an entire generation that is more intersted in feelings than facts, so establishing truth is secondary to discussing feelings.

Given that Topaz27 stated this:

The point is:I wouldn't be comfortable in heaven, knowing that there are people who didn't make it to heaven.

It is clear that he is describing empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

This is quite commendable for an individual of any generation.

His valid concern also reveals a depth of compassion: sorrow or pity for the sufferings of another person.

Both are too often in short supply. It's refreshing to see them displayed so clearly.


Tcg

[Topaz27]

I believe that I need to clarify my point. I didn't really state it in my original post.

Let's say I go to heaven, I'm with Jesus, or whatever the good outcome after death is. I then realize that some of the people that I love aren't there, how could I have a good time in heaven?

For example, if the Bible is true, there is no way my girlfriend is going to heaven. She just isn't. So let's say she dies today, and then I die one year after her. I the somehow get to heaven, but I realize she isn't there. She's obviously not on Earth, and she's not in heaven (or whatever the good version of the afterlife is) she's obviously in hell (or destroyed forever)

If it's possible that not everyone that I love is in heaven, wouldn't that make heaven less great?

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 29 by Topaz27]

As you know, Jehovahs witnesses believe inly 144,000 people will ever go to heaven.

That said, those that love God trust his judgement, if he kills someone because they are wicked everyone in heaven will be happy, not because the person has been killed (it would be sad that things have to come to that) but because the wickedness is gone, even if that wickness is in a friend, a family member or a child.

PSALMS 5:4-6

“You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness . . . You hate all those who behave wickedly.�

Biblically speaking, anyone that doesnt feel as God does doesn't have to worry how they'll feel in heaven because they wont be in heaven.




JW