Pat's Thoughts Volume 25: Heaven and Hell - Do you believe?

I have been questioning my beliefs lately on whether there actually is a Heaven and Hell, and who exactly goes to these places. As hard as it is to believe sometimes, I do believe that there is a Heaven and Hell.

I think that all people will be able to go to Heaven unless they committ a murder, rape someone, or molest a child. But what if someone murders someone in self defense? Will God forgive them and allow them to go to Heaven? What if someone gets an abortion? What if someone hires someone to kill someone? What if by violating one of the Ten Commandments once in your life enables you to go to Hell instead of Heaven? What if someone does not go to confession months and/or years before they die?

These are all unanswerable questions that I would like answered, but will we all have to wait and find out until we die? Is there anyway of correcting yourself if you do murder someone or committ another harsh act? How to people live with killing people or hurting people as if it's nothing? -Pat

I too have been questioning the existence of an afterlife, but I have also been questioning the possibility of god. I dont know why because life has been good lately, but for some reason I have been suffering a tremendous lack of faith. Its also wierd, because all my life I have been raised Catholic and I used to go to church often. But lately when the family goes, I always reply "no thanks." To answer your question, no, I do not believe in heaven and hell

I voted no, I don´t belive in a heaven or hell , though, not in the typical way we thought about it, I think heaven and hell are here in life, and I´d belive in honesty, in be real, in not do stuff we don´t like for us, in love, etc. I also belive in pay sins here in life, like recive gifts from god in life too, maybe I wrong and a heaven and hell exist, who knows all we die with that question and maybe we never knows, so I only have my faith in god, I don´t see him like a punisher , so, I don´t belive in a place with fire and torture like hell, some places in real life are worst than that though, I was raised catholic in the heaven and hell , purgatory stuff, but thank god I have parents who let me think by myself, search the answer for my own doubts about the meaning of life, I still searching and maybe I´ll be searching all my life without find the answer but here am I , trying anyway, so good luck in your own search pat and is not bad have doubts, keep you alive.

I do belive in a Heaven and Hell.

Heaven is a great place. You get to hang out with the people you love for all of eternity (IF, and only, IF, they accomplish all the requirements of the Guidelines of Heavens, which are unknown to me but maybe strict or not)

Hell is where Ha-Satan rules. Fire and hot Diet Coke await for you. Is a nice place were all the evil people (included those unpunished in life) would get their due with terrible tortures such as watching Gigli for all of eternity.

Yes I belive in Heaven, Hell and Purgatory.

Giorgio Luigi Gambino

I believe in afterlife, and I hope it exists. Why? I think there is a need deep down me to be eternal. Do you believe that your soul which is your part that enjoys learning, memories, love and all other spiritual experiences dies?
I hope there is a heaven and hell because there is another need inside me for justice. Frankly I don't think a person who kills one soul is the same as those who had gotten thousands of people killed in a war.
But the good thing about heaven and hell is that we don't decide who goes where, that decision is God's. I think God would give opportunities to those who deserve it to ask for redemption but those dark souls that have forgotten him wouldn't be given the chance to remember him and therefore their souls would remain in the dark. It is probably our worst punishment and fear to be forgotten by him.

I do belive in after life too, karma like budism and others religions called it, also belive in the power of actions, god give us when we deserved it and we pay for the wrong actions here or maybe in another life, who knows.is like a circular process though, we recived what we did for good or bad and our mission is learn of the mistakes for take better desicions in the future and don´t hurt anyone in this process.

My problem with reincarnation is that we forget all we have learnt, loved, etc. in the next life. It just wouldn't be fair and your need to be eternal would not be fulfilled that way. But like I said this is only the way I like it. I've not died to know what is going to happen!

well, we´arent highlander pal, so we can´t be immortal or something , we´re mortal, maybe our soul is eternal or maybe not, who knows, but I don´t wanna live forever, I guess is boring, I have troubles with imagine me with 70 now, less immortal, I rather a short full life than a empty eternity, though, so I´m pro death (j/k), but I wanna die one day and see what happens.
Plus an immortal life is to much, dont you think.

According to Catholic belief, there is a Heavan, a Hell, and Purgatory...

According to this belief:

Hardly anyone goes right to Heaven. If someone has committed *ANY* sins whatsover -- and hasn't attoned for them on this earth -- then they'll spend many years of "horrible punishment" in Purgatory.

According to Catholicism, Purgatory is a worse punishment than any possible punishment on earth. But, as opposed to Hell, it's temporary.

From what I understand from Catholicism... Purgatory is nasty, and, most of us will experience it... because... anyone with the slightest sin cannot be in the presence of the most divine. That's what they say: google it.

That scares me!

If you read my first post, I said I like to have eternal soul, not eternal physical life the way we have now. We can debate with private messages if you'd like.

Maybe is fun who knows, hot, kinda a tropical island for sinners (j/k)

BTW: I don´t wanna debate or argue, I respect your opinion like respect all and if you read my post again was more a joking one than a debate, so don´t worry the variety is the taste of life

If the choice be that there either isn't a Heaven or a Hell or there is, I choose that there is. This is a touchy subject, and I try not to be judging in this area, but generally, I would suppose that those who do not do right by this world will suffer in death while those who are moral will find reward. For me, I believe that the hope of entering Heaven is what ultimately pushes the beings of this world forward. There are those who may not believe so much in this life after death stuff, but that's how I percieve it. I really love the speech in Return of the King where Gandalf says "The journey doesn't end here."

I'm an American Baptist and I definetly believe in Heaven and Hell. I've thought about this alot and I tend to believe through my own readings that when the Bible discusses Hell it means that your soul will "die" as in, you will be thrown into the fire suffer horrible pain , then your soul will die. There will be no afterlife for you. So in essense the sinners who claim there is no afterlife can essentially be right because there won't be for them.
Without getting preachy here, Jesus claims quite a few times in the Bible that he will give us eternal life. I take that as meaning opposed to enternal death (hell).
Pat, I don't agree with you about how to get into Heaven. I was taught that being a good person was only half the battle. You also have to dedicate your life to God's way. Being nice simply isin't enough.
There was no Purgatory in my church. I'm always interested to hear more about it becuase I hope it exists.

The thought of the afterlife is, to me anyway, a coping mechanism. It kills me to think that I will never see the people that I have loved and lost ever again. Other people use the cop out of an afterlife to cope with that.

Heaven would be shit without my dog anyway. There's too many flaws with this kind of stuff that I have to think logically and refute it all.

I've had this same thought. But I'm convinced all Dogs go to Heaven. Technically they've never committed original sin so they have squat to be forgiven for. So they might be getting in on a technicality, but I'd take it any day.

But then all animals would be in heaven and how could we live with a load of dinosaurs and saber tooth mammals?

It'd be a bit naive to think only butterfly's and nice doggies go to heaven.

Without going off on a tangent, there is a huge difference between our pets and dinosaurs. That difference is love. I've been taught that (again more preachy stuff) through God's love that all can be conquered and that love is God's reason for our existence in the first place. He would never deny us that love.

Also I believe God's version of Heaven did exist on earth as Eden. Plenty of animals lived in Eden, so why woulden't there be again?

You forget, Only the GOOD ones get to heaven.

Maybe it's all a big acid trip...

Being Roman Catholic, I think it's already been explained. Though I'll allow my good friend GP to add his thoughts, should he decide to post.

But remember what Paulie said. Even if we've sinned many, many times, the time we'll spend in purgatory is only a couples day's time here on Earth. We could do that standing on our heads. Its just a little detour on the road to paradise.

I do believe in Heaven & Hell & I do believe in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

I too am a baptist so I do believe in Heaven and Hell.

when we die its like going to sleep for ever, we have no conscious so everything will be alrite.

Amen!

I haven't really thought of it deeply. Heaven sounds good to me, so I would like to go someday.

I was baptised Catholic and had to go to CCD and all that lovely stuff, and I still dont get any of it. Ive heard of Pergatory(sp),mainly as a ski resort, but never actually known what it was about, though maybe it was another term for hell.
Anyhoo, I dont really know.I try not to think about it too much. Death is a huge vast thing, which you can never really understand until you experiance it.Life is too fucking short to try to figure out death.

Purgatory is like jail: you must answer for your sins and if you do good you go to Heaven.

The years ou spend there depend of your sins. Adultery=200 years. Sounds like not a great place but better than Hell.

Giorgio Luigi Gambino

I'm interested to hear where you get the 200 years from. Is there like a list of sins and their corresponding years in purgatory? This is news to me.

Forgive me. I was just setting up an example. I'm just imagining how Purgatory might be that's all

Giorgi Luigi Gambino

Yes, I do believe in heaven/hell, but like mentioned, no one will really know until they die exactly what the "afterlife" is.

I often wonder, when I see or hear of people sacrificing their entire lives for a loved one, or dedicating their entire life for the good of others (Mother Theresa), if that shouldn't be an automatic "pass" to heaven???

On the other hand, I sometimes wonder if we can experience our "hell" here on earth. Don't we all know of at least one person who goes thru unbearable and horrible hardships that seems too much for one person's lifetime? Isn't this sort of a "hell on earth" with one thing after another happening to make this person's life totally miserable/burdensome????

Then too, what about the person who is totally "sinful" throughout his life and seems to skate thru life unscathed. He's gotta "get his just desserts????"


TIS