RE: Is there free will in heaven?
November 20, 2011 at 11:27 am
(This post was last modified: November 20, 2011 at 11:39 am by The Grand Nudger.)
It seems that a certain bent of folk is a "context nazi" until we meet some cherished belief of their own.
Heaven is an other-worldy kingdom ruled over by a benevolent and supremely powerful dictator. This dictator has armies at his command, and can effectively suppress rebellion even when the rebels are supernaturally powerful beings. His subjects never question him, they are all well taken care of, and happy. This kingdom will last for eternity.
Let's take a look at the context of this story, the culture and time that this vision of heaven finds it's origin in. Just so happens that heaven (and hell) as we currently see them really got fleshed out in Europe, during the dark ages, under fuedal society. This is anthropomorphism extended into the realm of "the unknown". There is no reason to assume that there is an afterlife. If there were, there is no reason to assume it would be like our lives. There is no reason to assume that an afterlife would need a king, or the trappings of human societal structure at any level. There is no reason to assume that an afterlife would play out like a human life circa 3000BC-1300AD. Yet, it would seem that some of us simply couldn't help ourselves. We've envisioned a heaven that is a sort of mirror for the situation we found ourselves in as uman beings when these beliefs were being shaped. This is a pervasive issue for me with regards to heaven. One never hears any stories about an afterlife that don't begin, at a fundamental level, with anthropomorphism. This type of reasoning has shown itself to be in error so many times, and at such a massive scale, that there should be a natural law against it's use. As Epi has mentioned, it all starts with a little wishful thinking.
Heaven is an other-worldy kingdom ruled over by a benevolent and supremely powerful dictator. This dictator has armies at his command, and can effectively suppress rebellion even when the rebels are supernaturally powerful beings. His subjects never question him, they are all well taken care of, and happy. This kingdom will last for eternity.
Let's take a look at the context of this story, the culture and time that this vision of heaven finds it's origin in. Just so happens that heaven (and hell) as we currently see them really got fleshed out in Europe, during the dark ages, under fuedal society. This is anthropomorphism extended into the realm of "the unknown". There is no reason to assume that there is an afterlife. If there were, there is no reason to assume it would be like our lives. There is no reason to assume that an afterlife would need a king, or the trappings of human societal structure at any level. There is no reason to assume that an afterlife would play out like a human life circa 3000BC-1300AD. Yet, it would seem that some of us simply couldn't help ourselves. We've envisioned a heaven that is a sort of mirror for the situation we found ourselves in as uman beings when these beliefs were being shaped. This is a pervasive issue for me with regards to heaven. One never hears any stories about an afterlife that don't begin, at a fundamental level, with anthropomorphism. This type of reasoning has shown itself to be in error so many times, and at such a massive scale, that there should be a natural law against it's use. As Epi has mentioned, it all starts with a little wishful thinking.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
