Heaven, is like soft porn, and white feathers. Hell, is triple XXX, with whips and chains! Third tier, second row.

That might be the best analogy ever!

It actually changes a lot from century to century and sect to sect. For example, the descriptions from the Jehovah's Witnesses, Southern Baptists, modern liberal Catholics, and medieval Catholics are all completely different.


Don't be so sure.

To me, heaven should be like living in the Playboy Mansion (surrounded by bunnies) and hell should be like living in the Vatican or something (surrounded by old clerics).

H.S.

It seems funny how they have all the horrific paintings of hell, yet none of them are actually based on what their bible says. In fact, the bible gives a pretty detailed description of what heaven will be like, yet hell is only described as a lake of fire that will burn for all eternity.

I'm pretty amused by the description of the minions of Abaddon. Miniature horses with the tails of scorpions, body armor, and the head of a human. Someone must have been on some serious drugs to come up with that one.

There are over 260 versions of the bible. Drugs don't always increase creativity. Creativity is mainly brought on by a sensation of euphoria. Which can be achieved by other means than drugs.

I say NO ONE is bad enough to deserve eternal damnation
AND NO ONE is good enough to deserve eternal luxury

Well, speak for yourself.

Yes, there are a lot of interesting theological inconsistencies. Good that we don't have to deal with that, isn't it?

The problem isn't the descriptions.

Or the depictions.

Or the threat vs. promises.

The problem is that it reinforces the sheep like need to waste life by applying importance to death.

With the exception of allowing living talent an outlet for creativity, spending a minute of LIFE contemplating DEATH is a waste.

Y~

For me, it`s the other way around ;p


I think (and I have no info on this, just from the top of my head, I may have all the "facts" wrong) that Heaven was ment to be up to ones own imagination, so that it would sound as good as possible for everyone so that people would have an easier time believing in it, thus giving the leaders more power.

I think every human being thinks 'beyond himself'. Not that we have the natural idea of an actual physical afterlife, but I think we cann't help 'thinking towards infinity'. So it's no wonder that certain people have come to think of an afterlife and that so many people can relate to that idea. It reflects human thinking in a bad way.

On the other hand, the states of perfect bliss or torment are impossible to describe. Because we don't really know what perfect eternal happiness would be like, that's what we're trying to find out every day of our lives, step by step.

So neither is there any prove of the existence/nonexistence of an afterlife, nor can any description or depiction be 100% compelling. But still the history of the idea of afterlifes is a 'testament' of the human nature, so in this special case, contemplating death is contemplating life.

I agree that it is human nature to be curious about what comes next---we are just egotistical enough to not be able to conceive of a world without ourselves.

My complaint is playing into the whole punishment vs. reward system that demands a higher power with a karmic scorecard. The minute one does that they cease living for themselves.


Y~

Contemplating how heaven and hell might look like exactly, what deity I have to bribe with prayer to get into the former and what parts of my carnal nature I have to mutilate to be spared the latter is a dead end indeed, pun intended. There will never be an answer.

Wrong. There is an answer!

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