For the none believers, (and even those who do believe in Heaven/Hell) what if, when you die, you discover there is a Heaven/Hell? You've lived your whole life not believing...How do you feel now? Same for those who do believe...If you discovered after you die that none of it was true(of course there would have to be someplace after death for us to think these things), how would you feel, after spending your life believing?

I'm a Christian, and I would obviously feel very letdown if after I die I don't get to go to Heaven and be re-untied with family and loved ones. I would feel like my whole life was based around a lie, and it would be terrible. But I would much rather spend my entire life believing and having faith then to spend eternity regretting that I never believed.

What about you?

I wouldn't waste my lifetime wondering "What if". I'd live my life the way I want to. And I doubt all your family and loved ones will be in heaven.

I think all my loved ones will be in Heaven...The only thing keeping you out of Heaven is unforgiven sins.

And maybe you won't live your life thinking "what if"....but if you did end up in Heaven/Hell, what would your reaction be?

If I found out that there really is a heaven it would really shock me.
Would I then wish I had lived my life differently? No
I would simply ask him one question: Why did you never give me proof of your existence?

If I died and found out that I was going to heaven...I'd probably be pleasantly surprised, although I generally reagard the concept of heaven to be somewhat dull.

The key thing here is that you would feel that your entire life is based around a lie. The reason this is is because you have based your entire life around a belief system, and by its very nature, it requires you to make a chaice regardless of whatever eveidence may or may not exist for it. Ultimately, what that means is that you randomly must decide prior to knwoing anything about the subject whether or not your answer is right or wrong. When you are talking about something that you base your life around, that is quite a leap of faith to take!

Myself, on the other hand, I am an atheist simply because I have not been able to find any argument that I would consider to be a valid cause to believe in the existance of any given deity. I came to decision after taking into consideration a multitude of factors, including available evidence, objective evidence, and even subjective experience. The outcome of this is that my belief system isn't based on a random choice, but rather is a choice that I actively made (metaphorically speaking; I didn't actually sit down with a sheet of paper and write out the pros vs. cons). The outcome of this is my peace of mind. If I die, and it turns out I was wrong, I take great comfort in knowing that, even though I was wrong, I still did everything within my power to come to the right decision. I didn't have to decide on a random faith, and make a choice based on nothing but belief, and so didn't invest any major amount of emotional energy into the choice. It wouldn't mean that I lived my life as a lie, but rather that I was just wrong.

I'm an atheist as well. If there is a heaven then i'd be glad to go.

I personally wouldn't want to go to the Christian heaven...according to their holy writings [not the fairy tales told to them by their preachers/priests/ect] all you do for eternity is sit and sing praises to their god! BOOORRRRIIIINNNGGG! Their Hell seems to be more inviting [if a little warmer] - good conversations with the greats of history, probably good food [gluttony is a sin], lots of sex [sex for other than reproduction is a sin], lots of good drink [alcoholic consumption is a sin - according to a lot of Christian sects]. this all sounds like an eternal party as compared to an eternal church service....which would you want?

You totally just stole my sig photo.

given that I have a different view of the after life... I'd be walking right passed the chanty christia heaven and right into Summerland where the mead and rum and other assorted drinks flow, fornicate with some peoples, rest, relax, and then come back to this hellish place as something new to continue learning what I can. *nods*

Sc is my kind of after gig if i bought into it...

I'm also with Aquatis its rather boring the heaven construct... very uninspired..... why would i want to be with the folks i hob nobbed with on earth...no something about moving on is quite appealing....I'd fancy the idea of just nothing to do, nothing to be, no one to wait on, not even me, no should i eat this or drink that, be here go there, no thinking no nothing..just quiet nothingness....just freedom from it all...

the reincarnation idea is very unappealing i hope this is not even close to any truth, i would not want to come back here.....no thanks....

I like the cut of your jib Sounds pretty good to me. I would have to agree with everyone so far. The christian heaven holds little interest for me. Even it there was a heaven and thats were I ended up I would probably try to escape My personal belief is that if there is an afterlife it's what ever you want it to be, heaven for you will be very different then heaven for me. My heaven will have an r-rating and everyone is welcome.

I'm hoping the reverse, that everyone else would be wrong, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Atheists, the lot. Life can get very tiring and I'd like nothing better than to fade into oblivion once I'm done living.

Interesting. And what makes you think you will be reunited with them?

According to the christian philosophy I've heard, you are to spend eternity adoring god and singing his praises.

Not much about family reunions though.........

When I go to heaven or hell I will say "Well at least Scientology wasn't the real religion."

Just another of the billions of things I'm completely wrong about.

I'm assuming you mean the Christian Heaven and Hell.
If I were in Hell my reaction would be this: S**T
If I were in Heaven my reaction would be this: Well.... OK.

Lil sis, we've been here before, and will again. It is our call whether its a hellish place, or a garden of eden.






namaste

Lol.....Cadey, you never fail to crack me up !!!

when i found out the truth it crushed me like a ton of bricks coulden catch my breath or anything i felt paralized.

but now i know my father our god the first the last and for ever amen.

And ovah and ovah and ovah...

*stretches* Well... atleast there's a rest.

You do spend eternity honouring God...But I also believe that you get to be with the family and friends that you've lost...Quite a few Christians believe this, and it dosn't say in the Bible that you don't get to be with your loved ones again...

lmao
"Eff you Tom Cruise!"

Well if God is as loving as the bible says, he would know the remorseful souls and thus forgive them (Also if he were that caring and knows the hearts of us all, why did he let unforgivable sins even come to the ones who would later regret them?). I guess that would just leave the ones who would rather not go to heaven.

I hope he has a sense of humor because when he asks where I want to go I'm going to scratch my head and say "I'm gonna have to sleep on it."

I live my life the best as I could and to be a good person ... just in case 'what if ..'

I'm going to ask him why he wears white after labor day.

Who? God or Tom?

God...I could care less what Tom wears.

Why would God wear clothes? Anyway from art and dipictions he always wears white before and after Labor Day.

Anyway we all better start to worry about what Tom wears. Haven't you heard? He's God on Earth! The new messiah! He'll be passing out black jumpsuits and Nike sneakers for everybody! Oh yea and Kool-Aid. Everybody gets Kool-Aid!

The comparisons between Tom and Jesus are just considering their both the driving forces and figure heads behind their respective religions.

Whats wrong with Kool-Aid?

I know I was just teasing a little.

And I was refering to that "special Kool-Aid" if you know what I mean.( just more Ss and giggles.)

Sarcasm is a tool of the devil.

Not realy, it more of the tool of the occational joker or wiseguy.

Joker's and wiseguys are the devil too.

"Everythings the devil Bobby Bushey!" Quoted from Momma Bushey

Sorry, they've been showing that movie too much on Starz and I keep watching it repeatedly.

The moral of that movie was never live in a swamp town...because people are crazy there.

Two scenarios:

(1) Someone who's cruel to animals dies and finds himself at the Pearly Gates. He knows he's in trouble when he first sees St. Peter, who appears in the form of a dog. Whoops... it turns out the Bible was wrong about which species was created in the image of God.

(2) Sometimes I've tried to visualize arriving at a literal Christian Hell. (As a good neopagan, I take the "do no harm' precept seriously. If there is an afterlife, I think I'll end up where the average, faulty but basically okay people go. But what if there IS a hell?) First there would be the disorientation of waking up. Then you'd be aware of the temperature and a roasting smell. You'd look up and see this guy with an upper torso like Hulk Hogan. Except that his skin appears bright red. Sweeping your eyes downwards over the musculature, you realize (with disappointment if you're a woman) that the lower half of the body is that of a goat. Snaking through the being's shaggy legs is a lashing, serpentine tail with an arrowhead on the end of it. Your horrified eyes leap up to the guy's face and you see that his eyes are like empty holes in a huge furnace. There's a wickedly sharp set of horns on top of the guy's head. Suddenly you put it together. You realize this is The Devil. The first thing out of your mouth is... "Wow. Holy sh**".

Medieval Christian imagery is so grotesque it cracks me up.

If I end up in hell, I'll have to bring an endless supply of sunscreen lotion cause I hear it's quite hot there !!

I don't think "believing" in heaven just so you don't go to hell, would cut it. I think I life led following a righteous path and spiritual contemplation will lead to an understanding and oneness with God and Heaven.

I'm sorry I joked about hell in my post above-- I didn't mean to offend anyone.

I absolutely don't believe in hell. If the Creator is as descibed in Christianity, he is our heavenly father. No father would condemn his children to eternal suffering. Can anyone out there who's a parent seriously imagine condemning your kid to hell (joking aside)? No. You might punish them severely, but you do this in hopes that they will change and become good people. If God is our father he must be the perfect father, and no good parent is capable of giving up on their kids.

I would do a Jack Sparrow as he faced the maw of the Kraken draw my sword, jump on in and join my friends.

As a Pagan I like Silver have a different view of the after life. Putting me in a Christian heaven would be a hell. I'll stick with my own beliefs, who knows we might be right after all and you might be wrong.

There's nothing wrong with making jokes at the expense of Heaven/Hell......I'm sure they wont mind...As for offending other people, well if I'm still not banned from here, then that's OK too !!!

who needs swords!

Hmm...I don't talk to my relatives now...why in the hell would I want to be near them when I'm dead?

...

I do not believe in the Christian concepts of Heaven and Hell.Their Heaven would be more like a hell to me,as I would not care to spend the rest of eternity worshipping or praising anyone.I'd be extremely bored.

When I enter the realm of the Ancestors I want to look the proper warrior.

Just so you know they probably have guns in hell by now.

Nah!! I don't allow them.Guns are for wimps.

and sword aren't?

If your going to do it right do it the old fashioned way...get your knuckles dirty.

Ive bin supplying both sides with guns and I will use the profits to buy their majority stakes...I will be the the majority share holder of both heaven and hell

God will be getting my coffee while Satan answers the phones.

Swords are more fun.

And sorry...but you'll be on your own when it comes to answering phones.