Heaven - Share your thoughts

[Edwardr]

If you believe Heaven exists, would you be willing to share what it means to you?

 

From childhood, we grow up learning about God and the afterlife. We learn by what we read and what we hear from others. Whether we believe what we learn, or not, we forever remain susceptible to listening to the ideas of others, if just for the sake of gaining the insight and possibly a newfound enlightening hope for ourselves to believe in. I believe that it’s just a natural human tendency to yearn for some spiritual answer to the lifelong question of – what’s next? Where do we go when we leave this life?

 

Just about everyone has at some time or another lost a loved one or in many cases possibly faced a life-threatening situation. It is at these times that we tend to ponder, even if only for a brief moment – Where do we go from here? What is heaven? What will heaven be like? We also realize that since our beliefs are unfounded in any scientific manner, we also have moments of doubt. Some of us choose to remain faithful, while others find no need to dwell on the subject. I believe that we all should live with what makes us most comfortable.

 

If in fact we do choose to believe, we form our own unique picturesque vision in our minds of what heaven is or may be like. And although our individual beliefs may be personal, they can also have inspirational value to others. And it is for this reason that I ask that you share your thoughts and beliefs with me.

 

THE PURPOSE:

 

There are literally tens of millions of people on this earth who are suffering terminal illnesses or suffer because a loved one is suffering or has already succumbed to illnesses or sudden death. At times like these is when we are most interested in hope of afterlife, but discussion is not readily available. I feel that a book of thoughts and ideas about heaven and the afterlife, provided by individuals like you, will be a great source of comfort and inspiration to others in their time of need.

 

I intend to distribute the book to hospitals, hospice organizations, and support groups around the world, to be offered - free of charge - to the terminally ill and their families; as an inspirational tool to help ease the fear that comes at that time in our lives. The book will also be made available to the public – in various languages – through the various retail outlets, both on the internet and in local bookstores around the world.

 

Never before has a work been published that offers the inspirational and enlightening thoughts of so many, on a subject so important to all.

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

 

I ask that you take a few quiet moments to use your imagination and write down what you envision heaven and the afterlife to be like, and share that vision with me – and the world. The benefit to others in need will be enormous. In a world blanketed with negativity and turmoil at this time, treat this as an opportunity to be a part of something positive and possibly helpful to others along the way.

 

Please submit your thoughts and beliefs about Heaven and/or the afterlife in reply here. If you feel hesitant about displaying your thoughts on the forum, you may send them directly to me, via email. I have created a separate email account for that purpose and promise that your desire for anonymity will be honored. That email address is [email protected]. I do intend to use all entries submitted in the book.

 

 

 

 

 

HOW TO SUBMIT ENTRIES:

 

Entries should include:

1) Author’s name – first name, last initial only – example (John D.)

2) Author’s age – in years only

3) Author’s location –examples: (New York, USA) (Sidney, Australia) etc.

4) Your written descriptive image of heaven and the afterlife.

 

All information above (name, age, and location) will be included in the book along with your entry.

 

Emailed entries should have the written text within the body of the email or attached to the email in a Microsoft word document file format. (Please DO NOT use PDF files)

 

Children’s thoughts are not only welcomed, but also encouraged. If you would like to write and submit your child’s thoughts on the subject – please do. Children’s thoughts are always enjoyably enlightening.

 

Please pass this on to your friends and family members and encourage their participation. We also encourage teachers to pass this request on to their students and their parents.

[Queso]

Earth is heavenliest

[Rade]

If you believe Heaven exists, would you be willing to share what it means to you?

The physical aspects of heaven are given in book of Revelation. Jesus informs that the Kingdom of God is within us. For me, the purpose of his "Word" is to explain to me how I can enter the Kingdom of God. I find that Jesus puts greater weight on the Kingdom of God than Heaven because he informs that both Earth and Heaven will pass away, but that his "Word" will live forever. I take this to mean that as I learn to understand how to follow his "Word" I move closer to the Kingdom of God--and, when I become "One" with the "Word" I will live forever within the Kingdom of God. A nice kind of warm fuzzy feeling :shrug:--a goal well worth the effort for a human being--to seek happiness within self in a way (by following the "Word") that also leads to life forever within the Kingdom of God. This I believe, but know not.

[TheBigDog]

Heaven = Carrot

Hell = Stick

 

Both are steering your stubborn-beast side toward getting along, and behaviors that facilitate getting along.

 

Bill

[sanctus]

I like your initiative very much Edwardr, but as I don't really believe anything as everything is only speculation (in my view) so I can't help you. But I'm sure a book like the one you are proposing can have many profits for believing people and would even be an interesting read for me, if it isn't just the re-copying of a part of any holy book.

 

Just one thought I had now, people seem to be scared of the fact that there might be nothing, but why is there something to be scared about? I mean if there is nothing you don't have any conscience or whatever so neither aany feelings, prceptions etc. ergo you won't even be able to notice that there is nothing. As I understand it the nothingness is the worst scenario for many people, so everything is ok as there is nothing to fear about nothingness...

[Alias]

Heaven is a spiritual state, it's what you want it to be. I think that as long as you have faith, heaven is yours to mold into the place you want to rest in the hands of God. YES, I BELIEVE IN GOD!!!!

[HappytheStripper]

1) Author’s name

2) Author’s age

3) Author’s location

4) Your written descriptive image of heaven and the afterlife.

 

1) HappytheStripper aka Ashley

 

2) 30 Something

 

3) Windows/System 32

 

4) A human constructed concept based on thought.. My thought..

 

Ashley

[Emre_1974tr]

[heaven is a n universe. But it has got different physical laws.

Matter is forever in this paradise.

 

No be ill, ne be old, no die, no war, no fight, .

 

Always in young body and in rich-lux life. Sex, eating drinking and other presents like our world's. But in paradise, we can see different presents too. This is forever physical life. No soul-no ghost. According to Quran we haven't got souls.

 

Regards.

[Boerseun]

Dying sucks, especially if there's still stuff you want to do, or stuff you simply haven't gotten around to. Because sure as bat guano, you won't get another shot at it. But the good thing is that 'heaven' is rather like that period between seeing the gas mask come prior to having surgery, and waking up hours later in your hospital bed. There's simply nothing. Nada. Zip. So, there's nothing to fear about it. You're not conscious, so why fret? You're gone - gone like last month's paycheck. There's no consciousness of a passage of time, simply because you have ceased to be.

 

Bill's got it right; heaven is the carrot, hell is the stick. There is genuinely nothing more to it. Maybe we should stand back and ask ourselves if it really is a good idea to have adults keep assigning serious attributes to the fairy godmother's castle.

[Southtown]

I'm partial to Revelations 21 myself.

I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, "Behold, God's dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away." He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." He said, "Write, for these words of God are faithful and true."

—

Rev 21:1-5 web

P.S. Heaven = sky.

[Glotesqyphon]

The word Shamaim (Hebrew for "heaven") suggests the idea of an ocean of fire.

 

To me, Shamaim is the subtle energy waveforms permeating the atmosphere and beyond into outer space. We all share in creating this Spirit world with our brains, which emit the waveforms in all directions. When we pass away, it could be that our minds are pulled out of our brains into this fiery ocean and our experience crosses over into the eternal dream state. But of course many cannot believe that there can be any experiencing without inhabitation of a body. Believe what you wish.

[Southtown]

The word Shamaim (Hebrew for "heaven") suggests the idea of an ocean of fire.

Where do you get the idea of fire? I hear it's just "great wind," being plural for wind/breath/spirit (shamah.) Hebrew plural is used not only as quantity, but also as quality as determined by context, e.g. Elohim meaning the singular "God" (great power.) Your "ocean" can obviously be a figurative for "great."

 

Ancient Hebrew Research Center - Home Page

[Glotesqyphon]

This would be an Hermetic interpretation

[Snocrash]

Heaven is this very moment... make it what you want.

[Glotesqyphon]

Heaven is this very moment... make it what you want.

 

well spoken

[InfiniteNow]

This is forever physical life. No soul-no ghost. According to Quran we haven't got souls.

Since there is already such discontent in the relations of various religious followers, I thought it worth while to point out that this particular comment is not (to my perspective) accurate.

 

A simple search of the Quran for the word "soul" returned 152 hits spread across 54 of it's 114 Suras:

 

The Koran - Search results for "soul"

[charles brough]

Last year I met a man whose wife had recently died. He asked me if he would be able to find her in Heaven when he got there. It was clear to me that this man was just waiting to die so he could be with her again.

 

I believe it is wrong to just look back like that. I had also lost my wife when I talked to him and I told him that after a year, I firmly decided that I would not give into grief any more, to get over it. I decided to look forward again and move on as best as I could. We need self-discipline in life to do what is best for ourselves and others. And that is what I have done. Of course, I still miss those 37 years and they still bring tears, but I move on with purpose anyway.

 

But, hay! it helps to know that "Heaven" really couldn't work! I don't care what the group dreams up to characterize heaven, it would all grow pallad and dull in short order. What happens when you smell a rose? After a few breaths, you cannot smell it any more. What happens when you eat too much, you get fat. So, in heaven are we to think we can just eat and eat all day without growing obese? What about all that beautiful greenry, also. I love the desert and would grow real tired of looking at forests. So, is Heaven for the desert lovers or the forest lovers? If I had only gold, I would grow real tired of gold, wouldn't you? After all, it is soft and very heavy. I even grow tired of people and like solitude at times. If everything goes right all the time, a person is unable to appreciate it. We have to go through hard times to really feel good when it is over.

 

Myself, I have only a few years left and am really not concerned or worried about it. I just know that all life is expendable. As Schopenhaur said, it is just posponed death. I expect there to come a final end. I also expect that I will have left a legacy on this Earth. I don't need to fool myself and to bolster impossible images of my future. We humans do best by adapting to the real world. That is what I have done.

 

charles, HOME PAGE