Heaven is what one wants it to be. An imaginary salvation that is anticipated by those who have a hard time in life and expect a reward for being a good samaritan. Just like the religions that force individuals to believe in an non-existent utopian fantasy, the thought of going to heaven makes people feel better and more secure. In an Opinion piece by Joel Stein entitled "A Little Bit of Heaven on Earth" (http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-oe-stein21dec21,1,5522577.column?ctrack=1&cset=true), Joel Stein preaches to the public about the outdated version of heaven. "Heaven is totally overrated. It seems boring. Clouds, listening to people play the harp. It should be somewhere you can't wait to go, like a luxury hotel. Maybe blue skies and soft music were enough to keep people in line in the 17th century, but heaven has to step it up a bit. They're basically getting by because they only have to be better than hell." This quote by Joel Stein which was published on Starbucks cups sparked an outrage that suggests that "heaven is a mere fantasy custom tailored to the desires of each individual One outraged indivudual responded to the quote on the Starbucks cup: "I was thinking it was sad that you looked at heaven that way. I wanted you to know about the heaven I know about and I look forward to go to" . So is heaven a fixed utopia that one reaches after a righteous life? Or is it just a dream of which everyone has their own version that can be obtained on Earth? An article that first questions the contemporary views of heaven leads to a debate about the existence of heaven and which ultimately challenges the existence of "God." Religion provides salvation for people during life and heaven is a facet of religion that ensures salvation after death. This practical and potentially controversial article challenges the existence of heaven, ridicules the existence of Jesus and forces one to question...Does heaven exist? Which may lead one to inquire: Does "God" exist?
Tone: casual and mocking
Do you think heaven exists? Why? How do you visualize heaven?
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16 comments:
wow, tough question Andrew
i am taught in my religion to believe there is a heaven.
more than anything i would like to think heaven exist b/c i like to believe there is a reward for being a good person, for following the rules.
so i guess the answer to your question is yes,i do believe in heaven.
Of all the articles to read. well i do believe there is a heaven because that´s how i was raised. i was taught to be a good person and to do the right thing for later on in life the gates of heaven would be wide open for me and i would be able to enjoy the ¨afterlife¨ and relax and see the other relatives that i once had with me hear on earth, but if i behaved bad the gates would be closed and i would fall to hell and never reach the bottom, because i would be falling forever and feel the extreme heat and torture for eternity. so i do believe in heaven and i picture it peacefully and i guess you can say like a reward, in a way.
of all the articles in the world, you would pick his one!!! anyway, to answer your question, I do believe that there is a heaven because that is how I was raised and that is how I am taught in my religion. I was taught that if i am a good person here on earth, when my time has come for me to go to the "kick-the-bucket" if you will, I will enjoy it peacefully in heaven....and if I am not a good person, I will fall into the depths of eternity where I shall forever suffer and burn....So yea I do believe in haven and God for that matter....
It's amusing how Stein attempts to satirically criticize the idea of heaven, and at the same time maintain an erroneous understanding of what it means to be given admittance into heaven. As a Christian, I was never forced to belief in anything. My parents never held a gun by my head and force me to belief in God. It would be hypocritical to do that and at the same posses the belief of individual will. You are never obligated to do anything you don't yearningly want to do; that violates the sole purpose of life. And when you disregard that purpose, you also tend to disregard the purpose of heaven.
well well well andy.....interesting article lol
i do believe there is a heaven, besides the fact that i was raised that way, thats what i- as an individual- believe. in my opinion, there has to be something beyond death. we cant just become (quoting dane cook) "a fertilizer to the earth, and return as beautiful trees.
great article....gets one thinking huh?
c ya next week andy! :D
why am i not surprised this article is in ur blog? ;) :P
well, i honestly believe there IS a heaven because without a heaven, i think one's life has no purpose. The thought of going to heaven and living eternally is one of the things that motivates people to live a good life. essentially, its the ultimate reward, and if it doesnt exist, what do we live for? whats the purpose of our life? our life would make no sense if we didnt have something to look forward to in the end. so, thats what I think. :)
to answer the second question, i beliee heaven is a place where we can enjoy the presence of God and praise him everlastingly. there will be no sorrow, no evil, no tears or anything. it will be the perfect place. now THATS something to look forward to, dont ya think? ;)
Mrs. Petrelli :P
heaven is exactly what u say, it is what you want it to be. That why everyone wants to go to their heaven. Not only that, but as the author of the article said, the religion's heaven only works if it is better than hell. I my self want to believe in heaven existing as I would rather heaven than nothing or hell. My second option is reincarnation. I want to believe in this because its better than nothing, but it doesn't mean I would kill in the name of a god who is against it. I dont want to be a person who believes one thing and does the oposite. On something based in this world, have you been practicing soccer?
I dont like it when people's excuse is "i was raised that way" i find that its good to learn about such things. I mean you make it seem you listen blindly to what your parents say.
"Mrs. Petrelli" it is arguable that the purpose on earth is not to gain admitance into heaven. there is the whole "The Lion King" "circle of life" we die and become grass which is necessary in the world. I myself believe God wanted us to come to learn. Admitance in heaven comes from good deeds. Not because that is your purpose.
well, admittance into heaven is a MOTIVATOR, not the actual purpose. its what we look forward to. our beliefs on what it takes to get into heaven differ because of what we believe, and i think its ok. :)
amazing edson, wonderfully argued.
japan! im not surprised.
i believe heaven is what the Bible says it is...i can imagine alot of things but when i "kick the bucket" i guess i'll find out. im just hoping for peace...the prefection of what many desire here on earth. peace.
actually this reminds me of the story of Candide, by Voltaire, a satire on the religious view regarding a current earthquake, whence church leaders had claimed all was and would be well because "all things work together for the good of those who love." church leaders used this as a thin mist to conceal their indifference...
which brings me to my point--heaven isnt an "opiate" to numb the pains of life. we are humans and it would be idiotic, preposterous to believe God, in his infinite knowledge, would merely mollify us with a utopian afterlife.
moreover, if you really got into what praise and worship is dude, you'd agree you could do it for a lifetime. its joyful, its powerful, its militant, its refreshing, lifting burdens even Voltaire would not have imagined. No, im not petted into submission by the fear of hell and cool clouds in heaven, i realize through experience that a holy life for God is well worth it. i contradict my human nature. its fun. its tiight. its REWARDING.
which also seems to set me apart from other brothas and sistahs in the Lord: its not that i dont look forward to heaven, its just that i think people have it in such high esteem that they decide not to do anything on earth. like the church leaders in Candide.
Good article my dude, well in my case, i do believe in heaven but not cause thats how i was raised, but because i chose to be my own , way. Heaven is a place that for me well, gets me away from my bad times, like when i have a lot of homework, i think heaven as an awesome get away, or sometimes when things arent going my way, i believe heaven is a place where there are people i want to be with, like Jesus for one, family, my girlfriend, and just friends.
To answer your second pregunta (question), my heaven is a place where all the latest technology is, where i can walk anywhere i want to with an ipod, or whatever is next, listening to music that makes me feel relax, heaven is the place where i will be with the one i love and not have any grudges, fights, or misunderstandings with anyone.....a worry free place
(that good enough?)
I believe heaven exist right here on earth, it is one of the states of life humans constantly go through. Heaven is a state of intense joy from our fulfillment of a goal or desire, but this intense joy is only temporary and is vulnerable to outside influences. I dont think as humans, we should look forward to going somewhere good after we die...we should make the best of the life we are living now...I feel being given life is something to cherish so why should we look forward to something after we die?, then we are looking forward to death...I think what we should be doing and focusing on is creating a life of unshakable happiness where we win over all our weaknesses, challenge all our problems with an attitude of never being defeated, and motivate others to do the same :)
Heaven, and any metaphysical conception, exists only in the mind of the believer and no where else.
HEAVEN-ANY PLACE OR STATE OF GREAT HAPPINESS
ANDREW MAN I KNEW U WUS GONE DO SUMTHING LIKE THIS. BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION HEAVEN MAN HEAVEN, I WOULD HOPE THERE IS ONE WEN I DIE CKUZ LIVING IS ALWAYS HARDER THAN DYING.
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