Does heaven exist and how do you get there

T2daK

Was chatting to a friend today just wondering whats the official line on heaven in each religion might change if another one is better than mine. What kind of things can you do the get there. Apart from walking up the stairway?

Morbert

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1RsgKQYnTQ&feature=BFa&list=PLD966D6224EA97F83&index=11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7vJ6P_r3W0&feature=BFa&list=PLD966D6224EA97F83&index=14

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIUc4Kng1SQ&feature=related

N.T. Wright has some interesting opinions of Heaven and Earth (And Hell). I would recommend watching the videos above, as well as his other ones, such as:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zk31Uc_pCY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vggzqXzEvZ0&feature=related

Keylem

John 14:16

Douay-Rheims Bible
Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me.

antiskeptic

T2daK wrote: »

Was chatting to a friend today just wondering whats the official line on heaven in each religion might change if another one is better than mine. What kind of things can you do the get there. Apart from walking up the stairway?

Although the details will vary from religion to religion, all (bar one) give you a list of things you must do. These things might be meditating, renouncing your worldly goods and living a simple life, following certain ordinances (baptism, going to Mass, confession, etc. in the case of RC). What you must do will almost certainly involve obeying rules and regulations - even if that, at it's simplest, boils down to your trying the best you can to 'live a good, moral life' where you do your best 'not to cause harm others'.

There are very many religions and cults so rather than start by looking for a better one, you might begin by looking for a unique one.


Biblical Christianity is unique amongst all religions in that there is nothing you can do to get to heaven. It's a free gift from God. Or to put it another way, God does all the work - you don't have to do a thing.

Donatello

antiskeptic wrote: »

Biblical Christianity is unique amongst all religions in that there is nothing you can do to get to heaven. It's a free gift from God. Or to put it another way, God does all the work - you don't have to do a thing.

According to the Gospels, it seems as if something is expected:

Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,

a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'

Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?'

He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.'

And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

As the man says, how many sick people have you visited today? How many prisoners did you visit?

antiskeptic

Donatello wrote: »

According to the Gospels, it seems as if something is expected: As the man says, how many sick people have you visited today? How many prisoners did you visit?

For your information.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056276995

philologos

The beautiful thing is that God loved us first, He gave His Son for us so that we might be able to start a new relationship with Him. We are saved by God's mercy. We should be as interested in who God is and how we can come into relationship with Him as we are about getting to heaven. Knowing God in this life is profound and it isn't something to be skipped by by any means.

antiskeptic

philologos wrote: »

The beautiful thing is that God loved us first, He gave His Son for us so that we might be able to start a new relationship with Him. We are saved by God's mercy. We should be as interested in who God is and how we can come into relationship with Him as we are about getting to heaven. Knowing God in this life is profound and it isn't something to be skipped by by any means.

Or to put it another way, heaven is knowing God.

liamw

T2daK wrote: »

Was chatting to a friend today just wondering whats the official line on heaven in each religion might change if another one is better than mine. What kind of things can you do the get there. Apart from walking up the stairway?

I didn't realise you could change reality by switching from one religion to the next...

T2daK

Keylem wrote: »

John 14:16

Douay-Rheims Bible
Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me.

no heaven so

T2daK

liamw wrote: »

I didn't realise you could change reality by switching from one religion to the next...

sure no harm if its worth it

T2daK

Donatello wrote: »

According to the Gospels, it seems as if something is expected:



As the man says, how many sick people have you visited today? How many prisoners did you visit?

i have a sore throat that count?

T2daK

antiskeptic wrote: »

Although the details will vary from religion to religion, all (bar one) give you a list of things you must do. These things might be meditating, renouncing your worldly goods and living a simple life, following certain ordinances (baptism, going to Mass, confession, etc. in the case of RC). What you must do will almost certainly involve obeying rules and regulations - even if that, at it's simplest, boils down to your trying the best you can to 'live a good, moral life' where you do your best 'not to cause harm others'.

There are very many religions and cults so rather than start by looking for a better one, you might begin by looking for a unique one.


Biblical Christianity is unique amongst all religions in that there is nothing you can do to get to heaven. It's a free gift from God. Or to put it another way, God does all the work - you don't have to do a thing.

deffo heading after the last one so. all the riding i want and im in there no matter what

antiskeptic

T2daK wrote: »

deffo heading after the last one so. all the riding i want and im in there no matter what

Whilst it is true that your sin* is utilised to leverage your salvation - so I wouldn't go out of my way to discourage you from sinning - it's not quite as clear cut as that.

Whilst you don't have to do anything for your salvation as such, you are (whether you know it or not) currently exposed to a process which aims to find out what your heart's desire is, in relation to what God represents.

If it is concluded that your heart's desire doesn't yearn what God represents then your hearts desire will be granted to you. That place goes by the name of Hell. On the other hand, if your heart's desire does yearn for what God represents then your hearts desire will be granted. That place is commonly described as 'heaven'



*by 'all the riding i want' I 'm assuming you mean sinful sex (e.g. fornication)

liamw

T2daK wrote: »

sure no harm if its worth it

No, it's pointless in the sense that the OP describes.

You said you wanted to switch to to the religion that you think offers you the best afterlife. Why don't you just invent a new religion that has exactly what you would want in an afterlife? See, your thought process is ridiculous.

On a side note, how can you 'switch' religion i.e. how can you choose arbitrarily what you believe and what you don't?

Omentum

antiskeptic wrote: »

Or to put it another way, heaven is knowing God.

Or to put it another way, heaven is knowing.

antiskeptic

Omentum wrote: »

Or to put it another way, heaven is knowing.

Indeed..

T2daK

antiskeptic wrote: »

Whilst it is true that your sin* is utilised to leverage your salvation - so I wouldn't go out of my way to discourage you from sinning - it's not quite as clear cut as that.

Whilst you don't have to do anything for your salvation as such, you are (whether you know it or not) currently exposed to a process which aims to find out what your heart's desire is, in relation to what God represents.

If it is concluded that your heart's desire doesn't yearn what God represents then your hearts desire will be granted to you. That place goes by the name of Hell. On the other hand, if your heart's desire does yearn for what God represents then your hearts desire will be granted. That place is commonly described as 'heaven'


*by 'all the riding i want' I 'm assuming you mean sinful sex (e.g. fornication)

so if i go riding does that mean i'll be heading down below?

T2daK

liamw wrote: »

No, it's pointless in the sense that the OP describes.

You said you wanted to switch to to the religion that you think offers you the best afterlife. Why don't you just invent a new religion that has exactly what you would want in an afterlife? See, your thought process is ridiculous.

On a side note, how can you 'switch' religion i.e. how can you choose arbitrarily what you believe and what you don't?

u cant just invent a new religion they are steeped in history and proofs

Shane St.

where are the mods? this T2dak is a notorious homophobe who was banned from the LGBT section under the guise of Tksnackz. check the ip address

T2daK

Shane St. wrote: »

where are the mods? this T2dak is a notorious homophobe who was banned from the LGBT section under the guise of Tksnackz. check the ip address

Are you a spammer. you're def not going to my heaven anyway darling!!

antiskeptic

T2daK wrote: »

so if i go riding does that mean i'll be heading down below?

That would depend on the position you pref...

Oh, you mean Hell?

Well the view is that you (and everyone else who was ever born) are already headed there - whether you ride or you don't ride. In other words, your afterlife destination doesn't hinge specifically on your riding or not.

zephyrz

T2daK wrote: »

Was chatting to a friend today just wondering whats the official line on heaven in each religion might change if another one is better than mine. What kind of things can you do the get there. Apart from walking up the stairway?

Kill as many people as you can

Asiaprod

This tread is passed its shelf life.

T2daK has left the room for a break

@ zephyrz your on my radar