These took loger to get to than I would like, sorry guys.
Do you believe there is one, everyone-together Heaven, or some sort of compartmentalized everyone-gets-what-they-want/believe/etc thing? Or do you not believe Heaven is something comparable to corporeal life in any meaningful way?
That is, a good, nice, God-fearing, doing-everything-right, Christian from the 12th Century, would he end up in the same Heaven as, say, a 21st-century good, God-fearing, love-spreading Canadian cleric upon death? Or do both get a Heaven that's somewhat comparable to what they expected to end up with/be satisfied with? Or should we view Heaven as some sort of Nirvana-like state of mind, being continually blissfull/happy?
Even more general - how do you think Heaven could conceivably work (yes, I admit, "God's ways are beyond human understanding" is an actual, sensible answer to this question - but it's also a dull one)? In my view of Heaven I might want to be reunited with my grandparents as I knew them - the loving elderly people who took me on trips and told me warm stories - but I imagine they might prefer coming back as their 25-year-old versions. Are both aspects of their persona present in different forms? Are both present in "different" Heavens? Etc etc.
Questions from an agnostic forever searching for meaning in life - in religion, philosophy, anything - wanting to believe but failing, and adrift in life.
I really like the idea of a corporeal heaven. It's damn comforting. And from a logistical perspective, I think that everyone would see/experience what they would expect/need to experience, though I think it would be physically the same plane/place. Otherwise, you'd spend a few millennia going “WTF is this?” At pretty well everything. But the streets of gold, and cherubim playing instruments, and peeking through clouds to see what's going on elsewhere... nope. Well, maybe that last one, 'cuz that would be cool to be able to do.
So I would hope that you would see your grandparents as you remember them, and they would see you as they remember you, and y'all'd be able to reunite, but that ultimately you'd each see each other for who you truly are (what that looks and feels like,
*shrug* hell if I know). And since there's peeps I'd like to meet from a few centuries ago, they better be in a reachable place, 'cuz me and Augustine and Paul need to have a chat.
OTOH, the Nirvana option, where we simply cease to suffer and become one more drop in the ocean of eternity has considerable merits as well. Because the amount of BS I've seen that arises from what I just described is horrendous and often sexist, abelist, and ageist, and well, that ain't a heaven I would want to be part of. And because this option is harder for most folks to wrap their heads around, I have a feeling it may be 'more correct,' if that's a thing in this area.
Short answers to your questions: Both, sure (because that's how we understand our surroundings), yes, yes, and why not.
Aside: There was a joke that went around in the Neo-Pagan circles I travelled in that was something to the effect of: The Christian and the Pagan both end up in the underworld/hell, the Christian sees lakes of burning fire etc., the Pagan sees Elysium.
I have a feeling that that has influenced my perspective more than I care to admit.
And complete aside: "God-fearing" is icky. It leaves out the wonder and curiosity part of 'God is awesome,' and leaves only the fear and trembling part, which rather misses the point IMO. But there's also no good substitute phrase that I know.
And re: "wanting to believe but failing" - modern church mantra: Belong, Behave, Believe. The way our parents and grandparents grew up was: Believe, Behave, Belong.
And 'behave' is no longer 'speak when spoken to, father knows best, etc.', it's 'go make the world/your community a better place, don't be an ass, etc.'
Belief, at least for some denominations is... not optional exactly, but kind of squishy. At least, that's been my experience.
Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib, Post-Trib, or Amillennial?
Personally: Eschatology is not my bag. It's an interesting philosophical discussion at best, but I just don't feel like I have a personal stake it in. Statistically I'll be long dead, and since scripture is fuzzy, and none of the theologians I've read have made compelling arguments, I hate to say it, but I simply don't care. And also truly don't understand those who get all in a lather about it. So, sorry to take a really interesting topic and kill it, but this one's just very 'meh' for me.
And since now I'm curious, I wanna see if my denomination has anything to say about this. To the website!
Denominationally: Huh. The most I could find was from the Articles of Faith, put together back in the 20's. The final article, fittingly, says this (among other things): “We joyfully receive the word of Christ, bidding His people go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, declaring unto them that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, and that He will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. We confidently believe that by His power and grace all His enemies shall finally be overcome, and the
kingdoms of this world be made the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ.” So, apparently I'm not a heretic according to my employing denomination. Good to know!
