Brian Wrote:But ‘happiness’ is a conditional state. One cannot be happy without knowledge of what it feels like to be unhappy. Thus, if you go to Heaven, you won’t be happy unless you have knowledge of your earthly unhappiness.
Hmm, interesting. If true, that might be why God allowed earthly unhappiness in the first place; so that, in light of any unhappiness/sorrows we've known here below, we may find Complete and Perfect Happiness in Eternal Life. And sure, if you want to say some memory of unhappiness here will remain, ok, I have no issue with that, maybe it will, I don't know; but only in such a way that, comparing said unhappiness here with their happiness there, the Saints of God may experience Perfect Happiness. God loves His Children and, like any Good Father, wants them ultimately to be Perfectly Happy; yet He also knows that, along with many of His Blessings etc, some trials and tribulations are also part of life here below, until they go to Heaven.
@Angrboda: Buddha was a Good Man, and I agree with him on this point. What he was saying, I believe, is that material desires don't lead to ultimate happiness, and thus should be rejected on the Path to Enlightenment from Above. Thus, he handed down precepts like the Five Precepts: "1. Refrain from taking life
2. Refrain from taking what is not given
3. Refrain from the misuse of the senses
4. Refrain from wrong speech
5. Refrain from intoxicants that cloud the mind"
Other Christians may disagree with me, I don't know, but imho, as Christians accepted and accommodated the teaching of the Ancient Greek Philosophers, where it was in accordance in Truth, and because they were Good Men, so also can we accept the teaching other Good Men, like Siddharta Gautama, or the Buddha, a Philosopher/Religious/Spiritual Teacher in Ancient India. Some Catholic Theologians believe in what is called Perennial Philosophy, which means there are elements of Truth in every non-Christian Religion too, hidden there by God as a Preparation for the Gospel. Have you heard of the Concept of Nirvana in Buddhism, which is like that of Mokhsa in Hinduism, and Heaven in Judaism/Christianity?
I believe Buddha was speaking of material, esp. sinful desires, like adultery, gluttony etc, not saying there is no Ultimate Happiness/Nirvana.
Btw, do you Atheists apply the same "Laozi's Principle: "Without the chance of failure, success is meaningless. Laozi taught that there is truth because there is falsity, ugliness because there is beauty, up because there is down." in your Philosophical Discourses about God and the Problem of Evil, when you're speaking about the problem of evil in this life? Lol, Laozi's Principle (which I'm just hearing of) is actually a Good Response to that, as is the Two World Theodicy I'm speaking of. Yes, what you've explained to me about Laozi's Principle is without doubt true in this life imfo; yet, in Heaven, as Brian's statement above also seems to imply, it seems to me that nothing more is needed than the memory that both success/failure were possible in this life, to be glad of the Final Success of having attained Heavenly Joy in Paradise. When we get a dream job, marry a dream spouse, have children, go on vacations etc, are we happy or are we not happy? Each of these things could have happened or not happened earlier, but when they did happen, they made us very happy indeed.
Thoughts?
God Bless,
Xavier.
