How Do You View Heaven And Hell?

Well, when I still impulsively thought of Heaven and Hell as literal places, I pictured them pretty much like Tartarus for Hell and the Elysian fields for Heaven.

I was deffinetely influenced by Xena: The Warrior Princess and Hercules TV shows. :P

Heaven: Believers + god + fellatio

Hell: Great minds + the devil + party

" The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists. That is why they invented Hell . " Bertrand Russel

" I don't believe in an afterlife, so I don't have to spend my whole life fearing hell, or fearing heaven even more. For whatever the tortures of hell, I think the boredom of heaven would be even worse . "  Isaac Asimov

"I don't believe in an afterlife, so I don't have to spend my whole life fearing hell, or fearing heaven even more. For whatever the tortures of hell, I think the boredom of heaven would be even worse."  Isaac Asimov

_Tobli_

Why do people assume Heaven will be boring......?

[QUOTE="_Tobli_"]

"I don't believe in an afterlife, so I don't have to spend my whole life fearing hell, or fearing heaven even more. For whatever the tortures of hell, I think the boredom of heaven would be even worse."  Isaac Asimov

Lansdowne5

Why do people assume Heaven will be boring......?

I don't really have visuals of these places when they come to mind, they're more like feelings if that makes any sense, hell is suffering obviously but I kind of visualise it as spending eternity alone, separated from everyone and everything I love and value, unable to escape, heaven I don't really visualise, I just think of being reunited again with the loved ones I have lost, I don't pay much attention to the whole eternal bliss or being with god thing, seeing them again would be enough.

These aren't really biblical interpretations, just based off of my desires and fears really, but hey I don't believe it anyway so what's the diff really.

Well, most anyone here should already know what I think hell is like. :P  I think it is obviously a place where someone would prefer not to go, but I remain solid in the belief that it is a place whose ultimate goal is to make those inhabiting it realize that God loves the world, wants everyone in it to be happy, and that the only thing stopping them from being happy is their refusal, out of pride or whatever else, to return that love for the world.

As for heaven... well, to be honest I don't really know.  I know that some people try to piece things together from some of the description given in the Book of Revelation, such as a gold-plated city or such like, but frankly if heaven is supposed to be eternal bliss for everyone living there, I'd have a hard time reconciling that with the idea that it's a one-size-fits-all sort of place where everyone experiences the same thing.  The two options I can see are either that communion with God makes everyone's earthly interests disappear and makes everyone desire only to be with God for all eternity (although frankly that seems kind of anathema to the idea that God wants us all to be individuals with free will), or alternatively that heaven is something along the lines of a lucid dream from which you never wake up, where you can do anything.  I'm personally partial to the latter option, myself; that to me would be perfect.

Why do people assume Heaven will be boring......?

Lansdowne5

I think a lot of people tend to be strongly influenced by the European images of heaven as a place in the clouds where you just sit around playing harps for all eternity, and are perhaps not intellectually curious enough to think up of an alternate, more desirable impression of heaven. :P

Interesting topic idea, by the way.  Kudos.

Heaven: I imagine everything good about this world made more amazing by the presense of God and having a perfect relationship with him.  Also, everything that causes suffering, pain, and sin is completely absent.

Hell: Swimming in lava is pretty much what comes to mind.

This is what immediately comes to mind, I realize there is more to each however.

Hell: Swimming in lava is pretty much what comes to mind.

mindstorm

Backstroke or doggy paddle?

[QUOTE="mindstorm"]

Hell: Swimming in lava is pretty much what comes to mind.

GabuEx

Backstroke or doggy paddle?

More like drowning without ever dying. o.0

[QUOTE="GabuEx"][QUOTE="mindstorm"]

Hell: Swimming in lava is pretty much what comes to mind.

mindstorm

Backstroke or doggy paddle?

More like drowning without ever dying. o.0

Well that was a failed joke if I ever saw one. :P

Well that was a failed joke if I ever saw one. :P

GabuEx

lol, it was still funny minus my response. :P

I think a lot of people tend to be strongly influenced by the European images of hell as a place in the clouds where you just sit around playing harps for all eternity, and are perhaps not intellectually curious enough to think up of an alternate, more desirable impression of hell. :P

Interesting topic idea, by the way. Kudos.

GabuEx

I don't think it is a matter of being 'intellectually curious' as you put it, but rather some people just feel the need to spend time pondering over a topic they don't feel exists.MetalGear_Ninty

Well if you're going to declare heaven to be something, as those who refer to the image of harps and clouds do, it seems logical to me to declare it to be something that actually makes sense rather than just going by a painting you saw or something like that.  It's the whole "oh, heaven's stupid, who wants to just strum harps in clouds for eternity" lines that I am objecting to when I say that.

[QUOTE="MetalGear_Ninty"]I don't think it is a matter of being 'intellectually curious' as you put it, but rather some people just feel the need to spend time pondering over a topic they don't feel exists.GabuEx

Well if you're going to declare heaven to be something, as those who refer to the image of harps and clouds do, it seems logical to me to declare it to be something that actually makes sense rather than just going by a painting you saw or something like that.

So therefore it is easier to refer to the default position of what you've learned about heaven and hell dring childhood, or later in life.

When I think of Hell I see Sisyphus struggling to push a round boulder atop a hill, only to see it fall, I see Tantalus with a burning thirst in a tank of water attempting to drink, only to watch as the water falls away from him at every attempt.

And Heaven as clouds, light, gold, angels, and joy tightly molded into a perfect, gray (yet radiant) statue of bliss.

Hmm. I hadn't realized how much Greek mythology has affected my image of Hell.

But that's what I'm saiyng, to ascertain whether something makes sense or not, you have to think about it quite a lot. But in the case of an atheist, he or she might decide that their is no point in even thinking about, since they reject the concept of heaven or hell altogether, which is most likely for an atheist.

So therefore it is easier to refer to the default position of what you've learned about heaven and hell dring childhood, or later in life.

MetalGear_Ninty

It is easier, certainly, but that in no way refutes my statement that it is intellectually uncurious to just accept that heaven necessarily is just sitting in clouds strumming harps purely because that's the popular depiction of it.

If people don't want to think about heaven, fine; but if they are going to think about heaven, it seems to me that it behooves them to actually, well, think about heaven.  That's the problem I have with anything along the lines of "har har, Christians believe there is a big man in the clouds" - it is the worst of both worlds in my view: ignorant, yet still opinionated.  It is fine either to know or have thought little about something, or to have an opinion about something, but to do both is where a problem starts to form.

[QUOTE="MetalGear_Ninty"]

But that's what I'm saiyng, to ascertain whether something makes sense or not, you have to think about it quite a lot. But in the case of an atheist, he or she might decide that their is no point in even thinking about, since they reject the concept of heaven or hell altogether, which is most likely for an atheist.

So therefore it is easier to refer to the default position of what you've learned about heaven and hell dring childhood, or later in life.

GabuEx

It is easier, certainly, but that in no way refutes my statement that it is intellectually uncurious to just accept that heaven necessarily is just sitting in clouds strumming harps purely because that's the popular depiction of it.

If people don't want to think about heaven, fine; but if they are going to think about heaven, it seems to me that it behooves them to actually, well, think about heaven. That's the problem I have with anything along the lines of "har har, Christians believe there is a big man in the clouds" - it is the worst of both worlds in my view: ignorant, yet still opinionated. It is fine either to know little about something or to have an opinion about something, but to do both is where a problem starts to form.

And to be fair, this topic is not predominantly intellectual, the OP specifically says to say what comes into one's mind when they hear the words of 'heaven and hell' thus implying use of the subconscious, rather than the mediated response of the mind. Therefore, I feel it is fair to denounce a thought as intellectually incurious on that basis.

When I think of Hell I see Sisyphus struggling to push a round boulder atop a hill, only to see it fall, I see Tantalus with a burning thirst in a tank of water attempting to drink, only to watch as the water falls away from him at every attempt.

And Heaven as clouds, light, gold, angels, and joy tightly molded into a perfect, gray (yet radiant) statue of bliss.

Hmm. I hadn't realized how much Greek mythology has affected my image of Hell.

Stryder1212

Greek mythology is way cooler than Christianity though.

My visualization of heaven and hell has probably been influenced by movies and tv etc. Heaven would be white angels buzzing around a cloudy city whereas hell would be fire and never ending torture from cackling devils with horns and hoofed feet.

Greek mythology is way cooler than Christianity though.

domatron23

From a poetic and story-telling sense I've got to agree, in my opinion the exploits of Zeus and Heracles, etc. are far more enjoyable than the often somber mythos of redemption and punishment found in Christianity.

And to be fair, this topic is not predominantly intellectual, the OP specifically says to say what comes into one's mind when they hear the words of 'heaven and hell' thus implying use of the subconscious, rather than the mediated response of the mind.

MetalGear_Ninty

Touché, I suppose - but that does not stop me from nonetheless feeling that it is unacceptable to both not understand a concept yet at the same time hold an opinion of that concept.

And yes, this absolutely goes both ways - I apply this just as much to the "LOL scientists believe something came from nothing" crowd, too.

[QUOTE="MetalGear_Ninty"]

And to be fair, this topic is not predominantly intellectual, the OP specifically says to say what comes into one's mind when they hear the words of 'heaven and hell' thus implying use of the subconscious, rather than the mediated response of the mind.

GabuEx

Touché, I suppose - but that does not stop me from nonetheless feeling that it is unacceptable to both not understand a concept yet at the same time hold an opinion of that concept.

And yes, this absolutely goes both ways - I apply this just as much to the "LOL scientists believe something came from nothing" crowd, too.

I just didn't think that was what was being demonstrated in this thread..'tis all.

Heaven: I imagine everything good about this world made more amazing by the presense of God and having a perfect relationship with him.  Also, everything that causes suffering, pain, and sin is completely absent.

Hell: Swimming in lava is pretty much what comes to mind.

mindstorm

Those are almost exactly the same pictures I get in my head when I hear the words -- which is probably because both visualizations are based solely on our readings in Scripture.

[QUOTE="mindstorm"]

Heaven: I imagine everything good about this world made more amazing by the presense of God and having a perfect relationship with him. Also, everything that causes suffering, pain, and sin is completely absent.

Hell: Swimming in lava is pretty much what comes to mind.

Lansdowne5

Those are almost exactly the same pictures I get in my head when I hear the words -- which is probably because both visualizations are based solely on our readings in Scripture.

damn gamespot and the HTML BS. either way heaven - boring cliudy, hell- fun, fire n brimstone.Thessassin

heaven and hell...

The Scribblenauts level comes to mind.

The one where you must transport the people from hell to heaven.

If you don't know what i'm talking about, check out Scribblenauts.

other than that, falsity comes to mind, or nothing, or the fact that i'm atheist...