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RE: What is heaven?
October 15, 2012 at 1:58 pm
(October 15, 2012 at 1:14 pm)Akincana Krishna dasa Wrote: I thought about how to answer this question, and decided I couldn't do it justice with a two sentence answer.
Hate to do this to you, but the best answer I can give is to direct you to this essay/book, which deals with these fundamental questions extensively:
http://www.suhotraswami.net/library/Subs...Shadow.pdf
It may be worth looking at or reading for anyone interested in a serious answer to these types of questions. Generally, the idea of accepting scripture as authority is seen as foolish or anti-intellectual. The book linked above makes a serious, philosophical case for scriptural authority.
(October 15, 2012 at 1:28 pm)Rhythm Wrote: Care to summarize the strongest points in that case (in your estimation)?
There aren't any strong points. Contrary to what Akincana says, the book can actually be summarized in a few sentences.
"Science concerns itself with only material things. It cannot answer philosophical questions. It is, therefore, limited and not a reliable source of knowledge. Therefore, and this is asserted without giving any reason, the Vedas should be considered the source of knowledge. Since your senses and science are not perfect, the better way to gain knowledge is through revelation - or what the book call darshana."
The rest of it goes on to expound Vedic philosophy as a given with all its mystical mumbo-jumbo.
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RE: What is heaven?
October 16, 2012 at 8:01 pm
(This post was last modified: October 16, 2012 at 8:04 pm by Norfolk And Chance.)
(October 13, 2012 at 4:51 am)Godschild Wrote: (October 12, 2012 at 6:05 pm)IATIA Wrote: And why should anyone care to go?
The things that would make me happy in heaven are considered 'sins' here on earth. Is there sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll in heaven? Are these 'sins' OK in heaven? If not, why would anyone want to go?
Hell has none of that, and breakfast is not served there either.
It's
All
Made
Up.
(October 13, 2012 at 4:30 pm)Godschild Wrote: (October 13, 2012 at 3:18 pm)frankiej Wrote: I want to know how you know this...
I study scriptures, there will be no rest, no night, no day, just eternal darkness.
Darkness? With all of those flames? Are you sure?
You are currently experiencing a lucky and very brief window of awareness, sandwiched in between two periods of timeless and utter nothingness. So why not make the most of it, and stop wasting your life away trying to convince other people that there is something else? The reality is obvious.
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RE: What is heaven?
October 16, 2012 at 11:20 pm
(October 16, 2012 at 8:01 pm)Norfolk And Chance Wrote: (October 13, 2012 at 4:30 pm)Godschild Wrote: I study scriptures, there will be no rest, no night, no day, just eternal darkness.
Darkness? With all of those flames? Are you sure?
There will be actual and continual darkness, the greatest darkness will be the absence of God. The flames you think that will be there IMO will not. The eternal punishment of fire is the representation of no love in hell. The absence of all love will be worse than anything man could conceive, so the fire is used to show man the true horror that man chooses when refusing Christ.
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.
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RE: What is heaven?
October 17, 2012 at 12:46 am
(October 12, 2012 at 9:24 pm)Akincana Krishna dasa Wrote: In the view of the Bhagavatam, there are many planets with lots of different qualities of life in the material realm. There are many kinds of heaven, including places with much much better facilities for material enjoyment (ie sex, drugs, music). There are many levels of hell as well.
Our planet is kind of like lower-middle class in the spectrum. Not that great, not that bad. There's a range of possibilities here. Some people live in comfort and opulence and enjoy a decent life. Others suffer like crazy, with all the shades of grey in between.
One achieves a certain destination according to one's desire and one's karma. The Christian conception of eternal hell is quite strange and does not at all match with the conception of an all-merciful God.
Every destination in the material realm is temporary. That's the limitation. Everyone in the material world has to die eventually, although some beings can live a very very long time, far beyond human life.
We are not this body, we are eternal spirit souls. If we uncover our natural, eternal spiritual identity, we can live a life of eternity and unending bliss and knowledge in the spiritual realm. Kind of like the Death Gate Cycle! Great fantasy series. 
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