why is heaven a comforting idea?

[spaceman Bryce]

The actual title of this thread is " does anyone else find complete emptyness/non- existence more comforting than the idea of a heaven?", but it doesnt fit up top. I bring this up because I always have. When i die I want to completely vanish from existence forever. And I always have. But i am aware that most people would rather live for ever in a super heaven than dissapear. to me it looks like this

Heaven:
A friendly accountant with a white robe smiles and says "welcome to heaven!please have a seat while god faxes his response regarding your resume."
If your a good person- which i dont think i would get in anyway- congrats! you are pre-approved! heres is your wings and heaven manuel, please enjoy the golden/chocolate slide with all the hot angels at the bottom."

Athiest style death:
you are nothing.you are no longer judged or beaten or hungry because you do not exist.You will rest eternally.

When i bring this up with good christians many say something to the effect of :
"heaven is not about gold roads and hot babes, its an emotion, a feeling so perfect that it is beyond love and it cannot be described."
This arguement carries some weight with me- it makes the idea of enjoying eternal life possible to me, but
1. The bible describes it as some super kingdom repeatedly, not as a meditative state
2. I just dont buy the idea that positive emotions can come from something that doesnt produce pain- most love is painful.

So why do you find heaven a comforting idea, and does anyone agree with me that they not only dont believe in heaven but they are HOPING there is no such thing?

[madnak]

It depends on your definition of heaven. Under the definition of heaven used most commonly today in the general sense, heaven is "good" by definition. Toward the Christian heaven in particular, who knows? And if heaven is defined as merely the dwelling-place of divine beings, again, who knows? I can see no reason for believing in a heaven like the one you described; that seems highly unlikely to me.

So in general, yes I'd say heaven is desirable. For one thing, the idea of ceasing to exist scares me. If you're not afraid of it, that's great for you. But I am. That doesn't mean it's a bad thing - it's not a negative state, it's a null state. But I'm scared of it, so the idea of avoiding it is comforting. Also, since I'd say death by definition has a neutral value, and heaven has either a neutral (in the "who knows?" cases, which I think we can consider totally random) or a positive (in the "good by definition" case) value, that heaven is better.

[Peter666]

It sounds like not wanting Heaven in this case is more a fear of judgement.

Anyone in their right mind would prefer a place of perfect happiness to life on Earth or ceasing to exist. Although if there is a place of eternal pain, I would much rather cease to exist than go there! But as we cannot cease to exist no matter how hard we try, it looks like our choice is extremely limited.

[luckyme]

It's only comforting to some because they've been conditioned to think of it as comforting. Many cultures past and present do not rely on such a tale. To those people it's no more comforting than the one about the big bad wolf.
[ QUOTE ]
does anyone agree with me that they not only dont believe in heaven but they are HOPING there is no such thing?

[/ QUOTE ]

"no such thing" is too vague for me, but certainly no version of it that I've heard of sounds appealling and most are disgusting.

[revots33]

I went to my grandmother's funeral recently. The priest talked about heaven. He said he likes to think of it as driving up to a big old house, after a long time away. All your family and friends and loved ones are there on the porch, waiting for you. Your heart is filled with love and joy as you see these people you've missed for so long. And you get to be with them in perfect happiness with God, forever. He said it's like the most joyful family reunion you could ever imagine, and the joy is never ending.

Now was he making this up? Well unless he's died and come back to life he certainly was speculating at the least. But, if it were true... who WOULDN'T find that idea comforting?
Why would you willingly choose nothingness over that?

[MidGe]

[ QUOTE ]
Why would you willingly choose nothingness over that?


[/ QUOTE ]

Because I would not want to spend eternity on the side of a tyrant, never mind how luxurious his palace. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[luckyme]

[ QUOTE ]
Now was he making this up?

[/ QUOTE ]
hahahahahahaha.
One of the weaknesses in his sales pitch is that I don't want to spend all my time with my family friends and loved ones now. An eternity with them on a orgasmic cocaine high, but I don't get to say "oh, that's great that herbert graduated." or "nice to see the stitches are healing, hortense." We float around smiling and saying "ooooooohhhhhmmmmm". bleah.

The closest analogy I can think of from the descriptions claimed for it is like a eternal sensory deprivation tank on meth.

[ QUOTE ]
who WOULDN'T find that idea comforting?

[/ QUOTE ]
It's a state we don't try to acheive now, for obvious reasons. We try and save people who attempt a constant state of bliss and may throw in a "get a life" or "experience something".

[singasong]

The world we are living in is a heaven for some, while it is hell for the others.

There is no heaven on some higher level,I think. We are here,where we are. Heaven is human being's imagination.

There is no past, no future. Time does not exist. Time is human being's imagination.

We believe in God when we belive in ourselves.

[doucy]

One thing I like to associate with Heaven is the satisfaction of one's curiosity. What's the whole story behind the Kennedy assassination? Did that girl in econ really want to bang you or was she just being friendly? Did you make the correct fold in that big hand last night? These are all questions to which you will never know the answers... unless you have access to an all-knowing God.

[madnak]

[ QUOTE ]
The world we are living in is a heaven for some, while it is hell for the others.

[/ QUOTE ]

And I suppose we're meant to believe it's "karma" that determines which is which?