All Comments (27)

Reading the messages posted in this thread reminds me of the passage in the Bible that addresses the foolishness of carnal wisdom (see 1 Corinthians 1:17-31). God's ways are greater than ours. God's wisdom is infinite. The difference between the believer and the unbeliever is that the former understands this because he has the Spirit, while the latter considers what is only humanly attainable and renders it is all nonesense.

It makes perfect sense that a person who does not have the Spirit cannot make sense of spiritual things. To understand the Spirit is to know the Spirit.

Wouldn't it be great if all the Christians went to heaven NOW, leaving the world to the rest of us sinners?

Cal writes of the afterlife:

"Yes, I believe in life after death because Jesus taught about it..."

Jesus also said:

"...sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me."

How's THAT lesson workin' out for ya, Cal?

God is good - good in his apathy.

Oh sweet delusion, how you comfort me; oh sinners, please give me money so I can pass on more platitudes!

I don't think anyone has been visited by a dead relative or friend. perhaps they are evil spirits - whatever they are, they are purely evil and are an illusion to distract those that are vulnerable. Once you're dead, I believe the only was you can live again is through God and Christ - God is good and he doesn't want to frighten us or misguide us. No one on earth can explain what happens after death; we can only go by what is written and taught by the use of the Word,(language) and communication - which God gave us also.

I don't think that the Bible is bogus. I think that it is a Bronze/Iron Age tribal history, and as such, may have value to scholars -- butnot much to the rest of us.

As for Jesus & the New Testament (NOT a product of Jesus, who was most likely an illiterate itinerant rabbi,) I have little quibbble with what Jesus actually SAID, except with regard to the supernatural, which was probably added/spotlighted by the cult of personality which followed him.

That said, what he DID say was neither terribly original nor terribly profound. Mostly anecdotal, it did not even provide a coherent theological structure, unlike many magical thinkers. Kind of slapdash, as it were.

The New Testament is a footnote to the aforementioned tribal history -- all resulting in a rather tired, "So WHAT?"

chicagua
were you a sacrificial lamb in a previous life?

your statement

"It is good to know I am going to live forever in Jesus Christ.
People who do not believe in this truth will burn in hell FOREVER. Aren’t they afraid?"

is a much more profound illustration of the moral infancy of true believers like yourself than a literary genius like myself could ever concoct.

Chiguaga: Wrote:

"It is good to know I am going to live forever in Jesus Christ.
People who do not believe in this truth will burn in hell FOREVER. Aren’t they afraid?"

Absolutely terrified. Where do I send the money to pay for my ticket to hell? Jerry Falwell is dead but I'm sure somebody picked up, is filling his giant shoes, (almost as big as the pope's).

http://www.hoax-buster.org/sellyoursoul tells you why you should be terrified of churches. The Bible says the being in the burning bush was Devil, not God. You do believe the Bible is the word of some supernatural being? How do you know it's God' word, your minister said it is?

That being, the one in the fire of hell that Moses made the deal with to recover from his life of misery brought on by murder is the father of Jesus ya know. Only an idiot would go to a church and worship Devil. Of course the whole Bible is a hoax. Stupid is as stupid does.

CHIGUAGA writes:
"It is good to know I am going to live forever in Jesus Christ."

You know no such thing. You believe. There is a world of difference between believing and knowing.

There is no "truth" to your belief, just opinion. Your opinion and the corporate opinion of Xianity.

And why would anyone be afraid of your vision of hell? That may work on your kids, but on adults? Please!

Childish stuff, Chiguaga.

What's important to me is not weather to live after death. What's important to me is how to live a life sharing my life with ones who have less than I am. Then, God will decide wheather to let me live after my death!

It is good to know I am going to live forever in Jesus Christ.
People who do not believe in this truth will burn in hell FOREVER. Aren’t they afraid?

Jerry Falwell is in the next world being hounded, sued, etc by those who gave him their life savings in an effort to buy a ticket heaven. The heirs that got shorted will be along too.

Every action one person takes to the degradation of another will be avenged in the next world. The purpose of hell is to keep the degraded out of the next world. There is no evidence that hell is so while the next life is for real, a part of the imagination of all natural normal people. You are natural normal?

Guess what all those Jews did/are doing to Hitler. I was going to send you to the hoax buster site but I can't find the picture of "the revenge of Jews and others." He must have taken it out. No one has ever needed hell for all non Christians more than Hitler. Big Al Capone had 235 of the finest people who ever lived, folks he murdered or had murdered waiting for him. The next world is a fun place but not for the righteous or the wrongeous either one. Non participants get to watch.

If all you have to go on is the Bible you got a serious problem. The Bible is bogus. I'm sure you know that by now. Don't Jesus being proved to be a "woman with a wife" do something really good for you?

Your two line essay tells me you are in the cusp between realizing what Jesus said and what Henry said have the same validity and coming to know natural law concerning more life after this life. Once you get that gun of hell away from your head you will see that more life after this life is a matter of natural consequence, that God does not interfere and death will be much less threatening.

They can't really kill you. If they do take this life you can wait for them in the next world, they'll be along, and return the favor. That's where the wistful thinking of hell originated, criminals wanting to have other people's cake and eat it too. By now you know that too, that sweethearts don't think things like hell up for no good reason and employ them to become wealthy big shots like your good friend the late Jerry Falwell.

I read your whole essay. Twice.

Can anyone tell me what would a christian do if he died and went to heaven, and was greeted by 72 virgins?

Bram, what other delusions do you suffer from?

Henry,

Your comment makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Christian believers who have a deep and loving relationship with Christ experience quite the opposite of what you seem to think. If you believe in the promises of the Bible, why would the thought of death be the least bit difficult?

Nate,

Nice retort. See spot run?

Who is this Jesus? Aside from the 4 gospels, we know nothing of his life. There is not a single reference to him from any contemporary source. The gospels were written about 30 years after his death and in a language he would not have recognized.
Christians cannot tell you the date he was born or died - not even the years. One dating of his life from biblical scholars is 4bc to 29 ad. He lived about 33 years and for 30 of those years did nothing that was recorded in any credible source. He started his preaching after he turned 30 and in the course of the next two to three years managed to accumulate the grand total of 12 followers. WOW! He also stated that he would return in "power and glory" within the lifetimes of some of the people hearing his voice. How is that working out???
Get real Thomas. You have a forum and should not be using it to foster such nonsense.

Nice answer Cal, but you do need a new photo to accompany your columns and postings. Your expression is not sincere.

Jesus said in my Father's house are many mansions. Are we in one of the purgatory mansions? Was Jesus sent to this purgatory to help the sinners change their ways. The immortal soul to be cleansed for entry into the kingdom of God?

Finally, a solid, reasonable post from Mr. Thomas.

How can a renowned and seemingly intelligent man say such stupid things?

The Choice:
Keep Believing in Heaven
or
Grow Up

and come to terms in a mature way with the fact that we are all going to die.

Religion is largely a denial of death mechanism. And a way of displacing the sufferings of this life into a fairy tale afterlife where everything will be peachy.

Read the Pulitzer winnng The Denial of Death (e Becker) for some practical and spirtual guidance
to accepting the reality of this life, and finding meaning without believing in fairy tales.

If there is an after-life is there 1 Heaven or does each Faith have its own? Each Faith is different and has its own Heaven concept. If that's the case where is each one's Heaven?

If there is an after-life is there 1 Heaven or does each Faith have its own? Each Faith is different and has its own Heaven concept. If that's the case where is each one's Heaven?

If there is an after-life is there 1 Heaven or does each Faith have its own? Each Faith is different and has its own Heaven concept. If that's the case where is each one's Heaven?

If there is an after-life is there 1 Heaven or does each Faith have its own? Each Faith is different and has its own Heaven concept. If that's the case where is each one's Heaven?

If there is an after-life is there 1 Heaven or does each Faith have its own? Each Faith is different and has its own Heaven concept. If that's the case where is each one's Heaven?

If there is an after-life is there 1 Heaven or does each Faith have its own? Each Faith is different and has its own Heaven concept. If that's the case where is each one's Heaven?