Author Topic: Would You Still Worship God If There Was No Heaven or Hell?  (Read 37870 times)

Offline David In Indy

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Re: Would You Still Worship God If There Was No Heaven or Hell?
« Reply #10 on: November 12, 2010, 03:01:12 am »
   I do not believe in Heaven or Hell.  One that can be located on a spatial or global
map.  I do not believe in a God either.  I believe that it is a form of self expectation,
that helps to relieve anxiety or fears.  It gives you a form of believe that helps you
to make yourself relieved under circumstances that leave you unable to find an
acceptance for the most difficult of fears or problems that you cannot find a reasonable
way to work yourself out of.  It helps many many people to place themself in an acceptable place to keep your psychi from falling apart.  When you reach such a level
of fear and difficulty, you are in danger of having a mental break.  In order to stop that
kind of reaction by the nervous system, they place their belief in "A God" in order to
make the physical mind and body lay the difficulty on an all powerful being.  ie God.
Someone or thing with the ability to handle any situation.  It takes the equation out
of their hands.  As to an afterlife, even when I believed in God, I never bought the
heaven or hell scenario
   I am probably going to get lots of flack from this, but I can live with that.






Not from me, sweetie!

God is what God is. I think God is very personal and our translation of God/Creator/Universal Conscience/Great Spirit orWakan Tanka/..... is different for each of us. And so are the concepts of Heaven and Hell.

Great answers everyone! Thank you! I originally started this thread because I am often disgusted and appalled by these so called religious people who claim to love God but at the same time speak so often of the gift of eternal life. So I started wondering if they would still love God even IF there were no life at all after this one. And it seems we've tapped into some very interesting and thought provoking answers. :)


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Marge_Innavera

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Re: Would You Still Worship God If There Was No Heaven or Hell?
« Reply #11 on: November 12, 2010, 12:08:39 pm »
The question in the header assumes a previous belief in the Christian concept of heaven and hell.  AFAIK, there's a less close connection to Judaism, since a common Jewish POV on the afterlife is that we can trust God to do what's best for us and that our focus is on what we do and don't do in the current physical, three-dimensional life.

I believe in karma and reincarnation.  It's an encouraging concept in many ways, although sometimes, well, inconvenient.  You never lose sight of the "fact" (" = belief) that you can't really get away with anything and it doesn't work either to look at a sorry state of world affairs and think 'well, the s**t will hit the fan long after I'm dead.'  You might very well be in the thick of it next time around!   :o

As far as Heaven and Hell is concerned -- as least as that's been traditionally taught: to wholeheartedly believe in that I'd have to believe in a deity who would do something more unimaginably cruel than any human being would be able to do: consign a person to suffering that not even death will end.  If I believed in a deity like that I'd do what I needed to do to appease Him/Her/It but wholehearted worship?  No way.  I could as easily worship a violent domestic abuser: "love and worship me or you'll suffer a terrible fate" fits that kind of psychology perfectly.

Of course, the basis of the original question and poll was there being nothing after death but total annhiliation -- not "no Heaven or Hell" but "no afterlife".  And I suspect that whatever concept most of us have of "God", in that case the emphasis would be more on making life better in the here and now.  Sounds depressing to me, but that's just my POV.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Would You Still Worship God If There Was No Heaven or Hell?
« Reply #12 on: November 16, 2010, 12:01:08 pm »
to wholeheartedly believe in that I'd have to believe in a deity who would do something more unimaginably cruel than any human being would be able to do: consign a person to suffering that not even death will end.

I know. I can't even wrap my head around that kind of cruelty. And since I believe the concepts of heaven and hell were invented by humans seeking to reassure themselves that justice prevailed in the afterlife even when it doesn't on earth ... I am astounded by the depth of cruelty that those long-ago humans were willing to embrace, theologically at least.


Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Would You Still Worship God If There Was No Heaven or Hell?
« Reply #13 on: November 16, 2010, 01:25:33 pm »
I know. I can't even wrap my head around that kind of cruelty. And since I believe the concepts of heaven and hell were invented by humans seeking to reassure themselves that justice prevailed in the afterlife even when it doesn't on earth ... I am astounded by the depth of cruelty that those long-ago humans were willing to embrace, theologically at least.

Does't suprise me in the least, not when you consider the depths of cruelty to which human beings sank in the course of the 20th century.  :-\

Of course, I suppose it isn't necessarily possible to know everything to which the New Testament was written in reaction, but I suppose if you are being ostracized by your own community, shunned by your own family, and (at times literallly) crucified or thrown to the lions by your government, there was some comfort in believing that the people who were doing all these horrible things to you in this world would be getting theirs in the next.  :-\
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Shakesthecoffecan

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Re: Would You Still Worship God If There Was No Heaven or Hell?
« Reply #14 on: November 16, 2010, 03:55:30 pm »
I'll go along with what Janice says.  ;)
"It was only you in my life, and it will always be only you, Jack, I swear."

Offline delalluvia

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Re: Would You Still Worship God If There Was No Heaven or Hell?
« Reply #15 on: March 09, 2011, 08:06:25 pm »
I'm not a Christian so the concepts of heaven and hell don't apply, but why wouldn't you still worship?  The gods can certainly make things easier or harder for you in THIS life.  Wouldn't you want to be on their good side?

Offline David In Indy

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Re: Would You Still Worship God If There Was No Heaven or Hell?
« Reply #16 on: March 10, 2011, 03:40:07 am »
I'm not a Christian so the concepts of heaven and hell don't apply, but why wouldn't you still worship?  The gods can certainly make things easier or harder for you in THIS life.  Wouldn't you want to be on their good side?

That is an excellent point, Del!
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Offline serious crayons

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Re: Would You Still Worship God If There Was No Heaven or Hell?
« Reply #17 on: March 10, 2011, 09:44:20 am »
I'm not a Christian so the concepts of heaven and hell don't apply, but why wouldn't you still worship?  The gods can certainly make things easier or harder for you in THIS life.  Wouldn't you want to be on their good side?

Hate to quibble, but heaven and hell aren't exclusively Christian concepts. In any case, though, your larger point is a good one.

But also, worshiping God doesn't seem like something that should be based on the prospect of punishment or reward, either on earth or afterward. You don't love your parents only because you think they'll raise your allowance or ground you, accordingly. And if you believe that God created the universe, wouldn't you appreciate him/her just for that accomplishment?


Offline Marina

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Re: Would You Still Worship God If There Was No Heaven or Hell?
« Reply #18 on: March 10, 2011, 10:34:39 am »
Quote
And if you believe that God created the universe, wouldn't you appreciate him/her just for that accomplishment?

Yes, very much so.   :)
“Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species -- man -- acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world.”
~Rachel Carson~

~Looking back on it, they both realized it was the best thing they ever had.~  - A Mother's Love

Offline delalluvia

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Re: Would You Still Worship God If There Was No Heaven or Hell?
« Reply #19 on: March 10, 2011, 03:35:28 pm »
Hate to quibble, but heaven and hell aren't exclusively Christian concepts. In any case, though, your larger point is a good one.

But also, worshiping God doesn't seem like something that should be based on the prospect of punishment or reward, either on earth or afterward. You don't love your parents only because you think they'll raise your allowance or ground you, accordingly. And if you believe that God created the universe, wouldn't you appreciate him/her just for that accomplishment?

Appreciate?  Sure.  But the OP was about worshipping a god.  And who says the gods invented the universe just for us?  It probably was for their own enjoyment, so appreciation only goes so far.