Posted by Dinah on July 14, 2002, at 12:12:16
In reply to Re: Does anyone really want eternal life? » Dinah, posted by paxvox on July 13, 2002, at 20:46:45
> Sigh.........OK this will be difficult. If you don't HAVE any real beliefs, then what DO you believe?
>
What a heavy sigh, Pax! I take it that you do not delight in theological discussions as I do. :)I guess that you haven't read many of my posts here on Faith, or you would quickly realize that I have a good number of deeply held beliefs on matters of faith, just not in the particular area of life after death or even eschatology. Since you asked about my beliefs, I would characterize them as definitely Judeo-Christian, although I suppose they are more Jamesian Christian than Pauline Christian. And they are more or less standard, or they would have been had Athanasius not gained political power while Arius lost it at the Council of Nicea in 325. (Bet you're sorry you asked. :) )
But the wonderful thing about discussing faith matters is that there are no wrong answers. One person's view of the afterlife is just as likely to be correct as another's. I mean, none of us has any first hand knowledge. :) So getting different viewpoints is interesting and intellectually stimulating. Same with eschatology. I guess we won't know until it happens.
> ANY type of non-corporal life WILL be different, I assure you of at least THAT!
>
Oh I would imagine so (although I am impressed at your confidence to assure it.) Even those who believe in the resurrection of the body and life in the world to come, don't think the world to come will be the same as this one. My understanding is that at the minimum, the belief is that it will be a perfected world. My question was that even in a perfected world an eternity would be a mighty long time, and would it really be heavenly?My own guess? And it is only a guess, not a belief. My guess is that there will be a merger of the sparks of life in each of us into a greater whole, and that we will remain both individual and merged. My fear is that hell is a room with a video tape machine where every thing we have ever done to hurt anyone will play again and again, and we will feel what we caused others to feel, for eternity. But that's just a fear, not a belief.
OK I do have one belief. And thank you for helping me clarify that distinction. I trust the Lord my God with all my being. And I trust him that whatever comes after death will be fitting. If there is no life after death, then I thank him with much joy for the chance at life he gave me here on earth. One sunset, one view from a mountaintop, one whiff of a baby.... Any one of those would be a gift far beyond my greatest expectation. And a life full of them is a treasure indeed. There is no need for him to offer me more after death. And if there is life after death, I trust him to make it exactly as it should be. It was our human conception of heaven I was questioning. Not our Maker's wisdom in creating one that will be more than we can ever hope for. Every thing that has ever lived has died. And I trust that God will not condemn every living thing to an unpleasant afterlife.
> If you care to hear my Judeo-Christian interpretation of Heaven, I will gladly profer it to you, based upon Biblical references.
I would indeed care to hear it. Otherwise I wouldn't have asked. :)
>
> I must admit, there I times I have wondered if it would be "boring" in Heaven. That is because I am applying my limited human understanding of natural events to what is supernatural, and exponentially beyond my abilities to understand.
>
That certainly makes a great deal of sense.> What do I THINK Heaven will be like? I would adhere to the defintions from the book of Revelations, as well as Christ's words from the four Gospels.
>
> What EARTHLY example best approximates what Heaven must feel like? Well, this is of course my own personal "hope". You would have to have seen (or see) the movie Star Trek: Generations to understand this thought. If/when you see this movie, think about the scene where Piccard goes into the energy ribbon. There he enters a world of pure bliss, everything perfect. Every time I see that scene, with the shimmering tree decorations, I get all "goose-bumpy", because THAT is what I think Heaven will feel like; pure bliss.
>
> Of course the Biblical version has quite a bit more substance, because we will be in the very presence of God. Again, we can only apply our human understanding to what that will be like, but I choose to believe it will be like shimmering Christmas ornaments, and we will bask in the glow of the ALLMIGHTY.
>What a lovely concept. Thank you for sharing it.
> But, that's just what I think.....
>
Of course. That's why I said I had no BELIEFS on the subject.
> PAX
poster:Dinah
thread:449
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20020527/msgs/486.html