What do you think heaven is like?

"Why do you want to talk about that?" someone may now rightly ask.

Especially in view of the fact that such a conversation may easily go off the rails and get into talk about full-blown religion. Which is prohibited by forum rules.

Well, thinking about our respective "Bucket Lists" (current thread) brings things like "heaven" to mind. That is to say, once your Bucket List has been done, what's next?

And, if we choose to do so, can we not have a philosophy-based and not a religion-based discussion?

Okay, how about putting it this way? Note that this thread's title talks about "heaven" and not "Heaven." Maybe that's enough to keep the topic within proper bounds? about "heaven" the philosophical abstraction, the dream, the ultimate reality? Whatever that means for each of us. And not "Heaven," the official subject of some individual's doctrinal religion?

But, again, why? Hopefully none of us are going to be going there for quite some time. Aren't there more immediately important things we should be talking about?

Well, yes, that could be argued. And any of us is free to post at any time about what we feel those important topics are, and get threads going about them.

But now it's time for me to admit that there was something else that got all this started in my head, other than the Bucket List thread.

A few nights ago my two adult sons, who live with me, and I were seated in the living room around midnight, drinking some cold ones, watching the TV screen with the sound turned down, flickering away on some sports channel or something. Then, as we often do, we just started talking. We have wonderful talks like this, often, about anything and everything, sometimes until 2 or 3 AM into the night. It's a great way that we spend time together. And learn from each other.

At one point the older boy asked, "Dad, what do you think Mom is doing in heaven right now?" (Marilyn, my dear wife who passed away four years ago). Well, that got it going. The three of us then had us a wonderful talk well into the night about what we indeed thought she might be doing, in heaven, or what any of us might be doing, when the time should eventually come. For us it was time very well spent, having that kind of talk. A wonderful sharing of ideas.

Then the thought stayed with me over the following days, making me wonder even more about that great beyond, and what we might expect to find there, especially after I had been following the Bucket List thread.

So again I ask: What do you think heaven is like?

I well realize that the Mods may need to keep a short leash on this thread, with the possibility that it may start wandering off at any time into non-secular (prohibited ) areas. So if they eventually have to pull the plug, so be it. I'll understand and I'll be cool with that

But maybe this topic is not so out of place on this forum as it might first seem. Now that as we are all facing the beast, it's not so unusual for us to at least ponder such things, and in fact it is more than likely inevitable that we should do so. So why not bring it up?

I guess I'm just really curious to see what you guys all think, those of you who will be interested enough to post your own thoughts on the subject.

So what do you think it's like? What do you want it to be like?

I'll start.

First, I believe heaven actually is a place, perhaps in a parallel universe or parallel dimension or something, not merely a mental abstraction. Something of us goes there when we die. I also think it's what we want it to be.Whatever was of value, desire, importance or source of affection to us here in this life will be paramount for us there. Matter dominates in this world. Thought dominates over there. We can simply think about a thing, any thing, and it will instantly become real for us. Thus, we may need to learn, as a child in a new place learns, to control our thoughts accordingly. Loved ones who have gone before us will be there, and we will be with them again, joyously reunited. They will help us as soon as we arrive, telling us what we need to know. I do believe that we will be able to recognize our loved ones when we see them there, although the forms that we all will have there will of course be different. We will continue to learn there, as learning is eternal.

As for me, I truly hope that the first thing that happens for me is that I will see Marilyn again. She will be young again (there is a saying that everyone in heaven is 30 years old!), in perfect health, and radiantly beautiful. She will greet me with that big smile she always had and with open arms. I'm hoping that she will be my guide as soon as I arrive, and instruct me, the "new guy," in many wonderful things.

I could go on, but perhaps this is enough of the vision that I myself hope to see.

Anyone else?

81:

Actually, at first I chuckled: good luck trying to be non-religious while talking about heaven -- that is absolutely an oxymoron.

But then you got my hopes up. We can talk about what is heaven to us. Not in the religious sense, just kind of what is nirvana to us.

But, then, you clearly did venture into the religious realm when you spoke of your wife in heaven.

In my opinion, that's a wonderful idea, but a topic for a different forum.

In answer to your subject: It doesn't exist.

That may not be politically correct (I was going to say PC, but that can be confusing in this Forum), but it is my opinion. It would be much easier to live life believing in it.

Mel (probably the last message on this thread?)

Todd:

I hope I'm wrong, too!!

Mel

“The poet only asks to get his head into the heavens. It is the logician who seeks to get the heavens into his head. And it is his head that splits.” G K Chesterton

I like to believe there is a heaven in one form or another. Who knows what that form may really be. At the same time, I take comfort in Mark Knopfler's haunting song "Our Shangi-La."

Cannot reply because mine is strictly a Biblical view point.

81, interesting question. I'll have to say that I don't know. I'm orthodox enough to say that I'm sure there is a heaven, and that it's where the chosen go after death. Now, what it's like?

Since none of us know any more about it than anyone else....and no one has any evidence to share about what it's like....we can all play. I also find it interesting that pretty much every society ever has had a vision of what the afterlife is about, and it's remarkably similar across time and across cultures. It's a place of rest and peace, where we lay our burdens down. It's appealing to consider that our loved ones are there as well.

How about our dogs? Are they there?

ARangel14 said...
Cannot reply because mine is strictly a Biblical view point.

Yeah, kind of in the same boat. I don't know how to discuss it other than in relation to what a certain book has to say about it. And we can't discuss that of course, and even if we could there are not a ton of specifics in the book that I rely on.

In fact, if I did not believe that certain book, I probably would not believe in heaven's existence. However, after a lifetime of -shall we say- a lack of belief in that book(Though that is really too mild of a description), about 30 years ago I oddly started to study it and ended up deciding there was a lot of evidence for what it claimed. I decided the evidence was so overwhelming that it was irrational for me not to believe it. Though we can not discuss that evidence, without that I would probably not believe such a thing as heaven existed. But, I do. Believe it, that is.

Post Edited (BillyBob@388) : 5/14/2015 9:08:18 PM (GMT-6)

Post PC, my dad always said that hell was an endless, perfectly straight and level interstate highway with no bathrooms.

Pratoman said...
I can only hope that heaven is a place where every old man has a Hollywood starlet on each arm, and is rewarded for living a good life, always doing the right things, and being faithful in marriage, by being allowed to engage in all forms of hedonistic pleasure.

With his wife's blessing.

Now that's something to believe in

Tom

I, too, commend you all.

We are walking on eggs with this topic yet we have broken nary a one!!

I truly thought this thread would be short-lived.

You folks are a class act!

Mel

Gary and I have had this discussion and many others around similar topics. Even though we differ on spirituality and beliefs, surprisingly we both believe almost identically what Gyguy described in his first post. I like these threads that are thought provoking and show how really caring and compassionate all you folks are.
Logos...where's your description of the "perfect" wave??

"I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library." ~ Jorge Luis Borges