Remember when "atheist" had a negative connotation?

I went to a funeral yesterday and the preacher started describing what heaven is like. It sounded like something a child would come up with. Gates made of pearl, streets of gold, just very basic childish ways of thinking or imagining an afterlife.

You'd have to be a brainwashed idiot to actually believe in that mess.

VerminMeat wrote:

I went to a funeral yesterday and the preacher started describing what heaven is like. It sounded like something a child would come up with. Gates made of pearl, streets of gold, just very basic childish ways of thinking or imagining an afterlife.

You'd have to be a brainwashed idiot to actually believe in that mess.

I cringe when I hear folks describe heaven. "Won't I get bored playing a harp all day?" lol

Consider this:

1. You Will Have Greater Capacity for Joy

2. You Will Have an Ever-Increasing Capacity for Joy

3. You Worship an Infinite God

What no eye has seen,

what no ear has heard,

and what no human mind has conceived—

the things God has prepared for those who love him.

p.n. wrote:

Minor point re: "lack of belief is (not) a belief."

Spanish, for one, is a language that makes the distinction clearer. "Believing not [X]" is distinguished from "not believing [X]": one uses the subjunctive, the other uses the indicative.

It would be nice if that distinction were in English, but it isn't. Some confusion results.

That distinction is perfectly accessible in English as you pointed out in your own note. It is simple laziness with the language that causes the confusion.

VerminMeat wrote:

I went to a funeral yesterday and the preacher started describing what heaven is like. It sounded like something a child would come up with. Gates made of pearl, streets of gold, just very basic childish ways of thinking or imagining an afterlife.

You'd have to be a brainwashed idiot to actually believe in that mess.

Exactly. Why is it assumed that people wouldn't want to actually have a natural world? Instead there is a Vegas like vibe.

How do streets of gold even function?

thejeff wrote:

VerminMeat wrote:

I went to a funeral yesterday and the preacher started describing what heaven is like. It sounded like something a child would come up with. Gates made of pearl, streets of gold, just very basic childish ways of thinking or imagining an afterlife.

You'd have to be a brainwashed idiot to actually believe in that mess.

I cringe when I hear folks describe heaven. "Won't I get bored playing a harp all day?" lol

Consider this:

1. You Will Have Greater Capacity for Joy

2. You Will Have an Ever-Increasing Capacity for Joy

3. You Worship an Infinite God

What no eye has seen,

what no ear has heard,

and what no human mind has conceived—

the things God has prepared for those who love him.

I just cringed too. Why do you get to describe it?

Cringewworthy wrote:

thejeff wrote:

I cringe when I hear folks describe heaven. "Won't I get bored playing a harp all day?" lol

Consider this:

1. You Will Have Greater Capacity for Joy

2. You Will Have an Ever-Increasing Capacity for Joy

3. You Worship an Infinite God

What no eye has seen,

what no ear has heard,

and what no human mind has conceived—

the things God has prepared for those who love him.

I just cringed too. Why do you get to describe it?

Anybody can describe it.

No guarantees on accuracy though.

Cringewworthy wrote:

thejeff wrote:

I cringe when I hear folks describe heaven. "Won't I get bored playing a harp all day?" lol

Consider this:

1. You Will Have Greater Capacity for Joy

2. You Will Have an Ever-Increasing Capacity for Joy

3. You Worship an Infinite God

What no eye has seen,

what no ear has heard,

and what no human mind has conceived—

the things God has prepared for those who love him.

I just cringed too. Why do you get to describe it?

I purposefully did NOT describe it. I just said, in so many words, that we will appreciate it :-)

The quote, if you are curious, is from 1 Cor 2... but I wouldn't call it a "description"

thejeff wrote:

Cringewworthy wrote:

I just cringed too. Why do you get to describe it?

I purposefully did NOT describe it. I just said, in so many words, that we will appreciate it :-)

The quote, if you are curious, is from 1 Cor 2... but I wouldn't call it a "description"

People just don't appreciate their life in the real world.

thejeff wrote:

VerminMeat wrote:

I went to a funeral yesterday and the preacher started describing what heaven is like. It sounded like something a child would come up with. Gates made of pearl, streets of gold, just very basic childish ways of thinking or imagining an afterlife.

You'd have to be a brainwashed idiot to actually believe in that mess.

I cringe when I hear folks describe heaven. "Won't I get bored playing a harp all day?" lol

Consider this:

1. You Will Have Greater Capacity for Joy

2. You Will Have an Ever-Increasing Capacity for Joy

I think you're confusing heaven with the peak of an acid trip, because that's exactly what it feels like.

Stagger Lee wrote:

thejeff wrote:

I cringe when I hear folks describe heaven. "Won't I get bored playing a harp all day?" lol

Consider this:

1. You Will Have Greater Capacity for Joy

2. You Will Have an Ever-Increasing Capacity for Joy

I think you're confusing heaven with the peak of an acid trip, because that's exactly what it feels like.

I have been told that it is even better, actually :-)

thejeff wrote:

I have been told that it is even better, actually :-)

Yeah, people say lots of things, don't they?

kibitzer wrote:

thejeff wrote:

I have been told that it is even better, actually :-)

Yeah, people say lots of things, don't they?

People make a lot of noise. They actually say something less often.

thejeff wrote:

kibitzer wrote:

Yeah, people say lots of things, don't they?

People make a lot of noise. They actually say something less often.

Well we'll keep waiting for you, I guess.

What would a 5k be like in heaven? Would everybody win and set a heaven's record? Or would everybody just be happy running with god the pacer?

Participation medals for all.. wrote:

What would a 5k be like in heaven? Would everybody win and set a heaven's record? Or would everybody just be happy running with god the pacer?

Is there sex in heaven? Do you have kids there? Are you the age you were when you died when you get there?

shopping for a better place wrote:

Participation medals for all.. wrote:

What would a 5k be like in heaven? Would everybody win and set a heaven's record? Or would everybody just be happy running with god the pacer?

Is there sex in heaven? Do you have kids there? Are you the age you were when you died when you get there?

Christ was clear on the question of marriage and sex in heaven. Mark 12:25, “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven".

My guess, that is that infants and children who died on earth will be resurrected as adults. As for adults who died at whatever age- It wouldn't matter because God will give us immortal bodies and age will have no meaning. Will anybody look "old" in heaven, who knows. Christ was 33 yrs old when died and was resurrected. He probably still looks like a 33 yr old man. Have no idea about "everyone wins" in a 5k, like participation trophies??? Haha.

Participation medals? Nah wrote:

shopping for a better place wrote:

Is there sex in heaven? Do you have kids there? Are you the age you were when you died when you get there?

Christ was clear on the question of marriage and sex in heaven. Mark 12:25, “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven".

My guess, that is that infants and children who died on earth will be resurrected as adults. As for adults who died at whatever age- It wouldn't matter because God will give us immortal bodies and age will have no meaning. Will anybody look "old" in heaven, who knows. Christ was 33 yrs old when died and was resurrected. He probably still looks like a 33 yr old man. Have no idea about "everyone wins" in a 5k, like participation trophies??? Haha.

That wasn't very clear. What do angels do?

if you are old but immortal that doesn't sound fun.

"thejeff" is what you get when you combine Descartes and contemporary "self help" psychology. In proving the existence of the *concept* of god, he believes he has proven the *material existence* of god (he seems to think that a concept, like anything in the world, must have a cause greater than itself-- hence his ability to approximate a perfect god *in thought* supposedly proves the material existence of such a thing!). And, believing in the existence of god just feels so darn good that we should all do it (something the deist Descartes would have considered childish).

To summarize: thejeff, your ability to *describe* your god proves nothing. Likewise the older descriptions of god you reference. There is only "faith" and not-faith, and you have chosen faith. And, your faith means nothing to the unfaithful. It does not help us or makes us feel good. It is just another concept, and one we reject.