The process of being elevated to paradise involves a radical self-transformation, and many people are afraid that, during that transformation, they might lose some pivotal element of themselves. This post is intended to address these remaining concerns.
Fear: I'm Afraid that I Wouldn't Be Free to Make Decisions in Heaven.
Answer: Once again, as stated in post 2, Heaven does not effect one's ability to make choices or take actions. Your nature remains the same, and you know, at all times, what the right thing to do is, but you can still make decisions from time to time.
Fear: I'm Afraid that I Wouldn't Be Powerful, Wise or Rich Enough to be Happy in Heaven.
Answer: Again, since Heaven contains all good things, and perfects everyone, you would be powerful, wise and rich enough in Heaven to be happy.
Fear: I'm Afraid that There Won't Be Adversaries in Heaven, Which Would Make it Boring, Right?
Answer: Heaven contains everything which is good, including all appropriate challenges to bring pleasure and contentment. These challenges just don't endanger, or cause harm anymore. Again, a good example is a video game, or simulation, in which one can test their skills, but they have extra lives in case they mess up.
Fear: I'm Afraid that I'd Lose My Identity in Heaven; Becoming Just One Part of Some Cosmic Collective, Without Self-Identity.
Answer: As stated before, God does everything for a purpose. Therefore, he made human beings for a purpose as well, and he is quite capable of being a perfect collective, without our help. However, if he were to "assimilate" us; just turning us into tiny little clones of himself, there would be no purpose to that, since it would neither add to nor take away from his perfect union. Therefore, we will remain distinct and unique individuals, even if we go to Heaven.
Fear: I'm Afraid of Losing My Feelings in Heaven.
Answer: Again, we need to keep in mind these two principles; God does everything for a purpose, and Heaven brings everything to perfection. This includes our feelings. We wouldn't lose them, but they would be improved upon, so that instead of being utterly subjective, they would add to our appreciation of the truth, rather than taking away from it.
Fear: I'm Afraid of Losing My Will in Heaven.
Answer: The saints don't eradicate their own will, as some suppose. Rather, they make decisions, by their will, which conform with God's decisions, and since God's decisions are to work for the best, they also decide to work for the best. In short, your will would be perfected; not lost.
Fear: I'm Afraid of Losing My Intellect in Heaven.
Answer: The intellect would not be lost, but brought to perfection, just like everything else.
Fear: I'm Afraid of Losing My Physical Appearance or Physical Quirks in Heaven.
Answer: Appearance and physical quirks are another utterly subjective element, which we may identify with in passing on Earth, but like everything else, the appearance of people would be brought to perfection in Heaven. However, again, since appearance is subjective, its perfection is merely in its conformity to our will. Therefore, the saints in Heaven look just the way they wish to.
Fear: I'm Afraid of Losing My Memories in Heaven.
Answer: Like everything else, memories would be brought to perfection in Heaven. This means that the saints see what happened to them in this life with a greater clarity, and an understanding of God's purpose through it all. However, they don't lose their memories, as such.
Fear: I'm Afraid of Losing My Friends/Relatives in Heaven.
Answer: With the perfection of our intellects, losing track of the people we cared about in life would be impossible, and with perfected emotions, our relationships with them would be far superior to the ones we had on Earth.
Fear: I'm Afraid of Being in Heaven, and Losing My Friends/Relatives in Hell.
Answer: As previously stated, our wills, feelings and intellects would be perfected in Heaven, and we'd have a depth of judgement not possible in this life. Because of this, if anyone didn't make it to Heaven, we would understand why, and we would see God's condemnation of them as an act of respect for their freedom of choice. Furthermore, it would be an exercise of God's perfect justice, which we would love more than any human attachment.
Fear: I'm afraid of losing my selfishness/irritability/anger/some other negative character trait.
Answer: Insofar as these traits are capable of bringing about good, or being used in good ways, we would retain perfected versions of them in Heaven. Our personal distinctiveness, as stated before, would remain; but not the dangerous opportunity of sin.
Fear: I'm afraid I might not make it to Heaven.
Answer: Now you're on the right track.
Showing posts with label Heaven. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heaven. Show all posts
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Why Are You Afraid of Heaven; Part 2; Others.
There are many other people, things and states of being in Heaven, which cause people fear. This post will deal with those; first angels, then sources of our own happiness, then other human beings.
Fear: I'm Afraid that I Can't Trust the Angels in Heaven.
Answer: Heaven is a state of closeness to God so complete, that everyone and everything exposed to it must become perfect.
"but nothing unclean will enter it, nor any (one) who does abominable things or tells lies. Only those will enter whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."
Revelation 21:27
Therefore, the angels in Heaven are perfect, and can be completely trusted, just as God can be. The same is true for the saints in Heaven.
Fear: I'm Afraid that Eternity Would Seem Like Being Frozen in Time.
Answer: Being frozen in time means being unable to take any action, but this is not the case with eternal beings, like God and the angels, who can take action. To learn the nature of eternity, it helps to study the state of God's being. Although God can act wherever and whenever he pleases, his essential nature does not change.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Hebrews 13:8
Many people neglect the fact that eternity is BIGGER than time, not smaller. Being in eternity makes it impossible to change the nature of who you are, but it does not forbid you from taking any action.
Fear: I'm Afraid that the Nature of Eternity Would Make Missions, Accomplishments, Adventures, Etc, Impossible, Because Things Need to Progress Forward Through Time if you Want to Experience Any of That.
Answer: Since eternity makes actions possible, but not changes to your fundamental nature, missions, accomplishments and adventures are the very sorts of things that it does not make impossible. Furthermore, being eternal also means being able to experience every adventure in the world simultaneously, without ever sacrificing your own genuine safety. A bit like playing a hundred thousand video games at once, without any risk of being overwhelmed.
Fear: I'm Afraid that Heaven Won't Have Animals, Plants, Mountains, Etc...
Answer: Heaven will contain the perfections of everything that was good here on Earth. Therefore, it will contain not only animals, plants, mountains, etc, but perfect animals, plants and mountains, all perfected by God.
Fear: I'm Afraid that Heaven Will Consist Only of a Bunch of People, Running Around Serving Each Other, and Never Enjoying Anything.
Answer: When one is exposed to absolute perfection, enjoyment of it is guaranteed, no matter what else you happen to be doing. Therefore, even if we did spend time serving one another in Heaven, it wouldn't lessen our enjoyment, as it does on Earth.
Fear: I'm Afraid that Everyone in Heaven Will Be Boring.
Answer: To be boring means to fall short of perfection in some area, and God's presence in Heaven perfects everyone, as stated above. Therefore, no on in Heaven will be boring.
Fear: I'm Afraid that Somebody in Heaven Will Have it Out For Me.
Answer: As stated above with the angels, the saints in Heaven are trustworthy. Therefore, no one in Heaven has it out for you.
Fear: I'm Afraid that I Can't Trust the Angels in Heaven.
Answer: Heaven is a state of closeness to God so complete, that everyone and everything exposed to it must become perfect.
"but nothing unclean will enter it, nor any (one) who does abominable things or tells lies. Only those will enter whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."
Revelation 21:27
Therefore, the angels in Heaven are perfect, and can be completely trusted, just as God can be. The same is true for the saints in Heaven.
Fear: I'm Afraid that Eternity Would Seem Like Being Frozen in Time.
Answer: Being frozen in time means being unable to take any action, but this is not the case with eternal beings, like God and the angels, who can take action. To learn the nature of eternity, it helps to study the state of God's being. Although God can act wherever and whenever he pleases, his essential nature does not change.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Hebrews 13:8
Many people neglect the fact that eternity is BIGGER than time, not smaller. Being in eternity makes it impossible to change the nature of who you are, but it does not forbid you from taking any action.
Fear: I'm Afraid that the Nature of Eternity Would Make Missions, Accomplishments, Adventures, Etc, Impossible, Because Things Need to Progress Forward Through Time if you Want to Experience Any of That.
Answer: Since eternity makes actions possible, but not changes to your fundamental nature, missions, accomplishments and adventures are the very sorts of things that it does not make impossible. Furthermore, being eternal also means being able to experience every adventure in the world simultaneously, without ever sacrificing your own genuine safety. A bit like playing a hundred thousand video games at once, without any risk of being overwhelmed.
Fear: I'm Afraid that Heaven Won't Have Animals, Plants, Mountains, Etc...
Answer: Heaven will contain the perfections of everything that was good here on Earth. Therefore, it will contain not only animals, plants, mountains, etc, but perfect animals, plants and mountains, all perfected by God.
Fear: I'm Afraid that Heaven Will Consist Only of a Bunch of People, Running Around Serving Each Other, and Never Enjoying Anything.
Answer: When one is exposed to absolute perfection, enjoyment of it is guaranteed, no matter what else you happen to be doing. Therefore, even if we did spend time serving one another in Heaven, it wouldn't lessen our enjoyment, as it does on Earth.
Fear: I'm Afraid that Everyone in Heaven Will Be Boring.
Answer: To be boring means to fall short of perfection in some area, and God's presence in Heaven perfects everyone, as stated above. Therefore, no on in Heaven will be boring.
Fear: I'm Afraid that Somebody in Heaven Will Have it Out For Me.
Answer: As stated above with the angels, the saints in Heaven are trustworthy. Therefore, no one in Heaven has it out for you.
Why Are You Afraid of Heaven; Part 1; God.
The First possible reason to be afraid of Heaven is God, and what he wants from us. This can be divided into two categories; a lack of trust in the nature of God, and a lack of trust in his will for us. This post will address each in turn.
Fear: I'm Afraid that I Can't Trust God to Make Me Happy in Heaven.
Answer: God is the source of all Truth.
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:6
Jesus specifically says here that he is the truth, and therefore, he cannot lie. Some have a problem with this claim, saying that because God is omnipotent, he can do anything; even lie. However, this is specifically denied in the Summa Theologica; when the question is brought up of whether or not God can sin.
"To sin is to fall short of a perfect action; hence to be able to sin is to be able to fall short in action, which is repugnant to omnipotence. Therefore it is that God cannot sin, because of His omnipotence."
Summa Theologica, First Part, Question 25, Article 3
Because God can neither sin, nor lie, nor deliberately cause any harm, he can be perfectly trusted to provide people with happiness in his presence.
Fear: I'm Afraid that God's Heavenly Happiness Would Seem Somehow Artificial, Like a Drug.
Answer: "God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them."
Genesis 1:27
Since we only exist because God designed us, there is no one better to repair us when we're injured or unfulfilled, or aren't performing at peak efficiency. For example, if a technician designs a thousand cars; all based on the same design, he knows which kinds of oil and gasoline will be best for running them, and if, as stated above, that technician was also incapable of lying, then he would need to service each car properly when it was brought to him for repairs.
Now, the fuel that our souls need is happiness. Because of this, the happiness that God could provide us with is guaranteed to be much purer and more reliable than the kind found in any other place, and furthermore, it would feel more natural to us than the happinesses of this life; not less natural, because this happiness is what we were originally designed to run on. Therefore, God's happiness wouldn't feel artificial.
Fear: I'm Afraid that God Doesn't Want Me to Desire Any Good Things Other Than Him.
Answer: "We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:28
Therefore, God does all things for some purpose, though we might not understand it immediately. Now, God clearly created the physical universe, and he wouldn't have done this, if it served only to distract people from him. Therefore, God wants us to love both himself and his creations. However, he wants us to love his creations because of their goodness, so since he's more good than any creation, he wants us to love him more than any creation.
The real hang-up about this point is that I've often heard it said that we have to stay detached from things that are "not God." In order to understand these words, one needs to understand, at least on some level; the nature of God.
"Hence it is manifest that God alone has every kind of perfection by His own essence"
Summa Theologica; First Part, Question 6, Article 3
In short, in order to be the standard by which all good things are judged, God needs to have the combined and infinitely magnified goodnesses of everyone and everything you've ever seen, and much more besides. This paints a much different picture of God than the conventional one. Suddenly, he is both perfect being and perfect universe. Since the imperfect universe is only imperfect by relation to him, he must be perfect in ways that the universe is not, and must be able to fill the same void in human beings that the universe does, but to a much greater degree.
To simplify it, "worldly things" just means imperfect things, but "Godly things" means things that are perfect. To say that in Heaven, jars, or golf, or tea will come to a screeching halt is a bit incomplete, since God is the perfection of jars, the perfection of golf, the perfection of tea, etc... We look forward to his beauty, so that we can finally enjoy his perfection, and furthermore, the perfection of those around him as well, since no one can enter Heaven without being perfected.
This is a big issue when reading the writings of the saints, because most of them understood this so much, that it was almost second nature to them, but when they compared God and the world, and said that they loved God more than the world, they viewed God as more of a universe than a man. To say that you love sitting in a blank room with one man; no matter how fantastic, more than the entire world is a little silly, but to say that you love God's perfection AS a world more than the physical world's imperfection is far less silly, and in fact, is really very reasonable.
So, God does want us to desire good things in addition to him, but what he really wants is for us to desire the perfect things found only in his being/universe.
Fear: I'm Afraid that God Doesn't Want Me to Have Any Fears.
Answer: "I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one."
Luke 12:5
Therefore, God clearly wants us to be afraid; at least in this life. However, in Heaven, no one has the power to cast you into Gehenna. Therefore, there would be no one to be afraid of there.
The problem is that many people think of fear as being the same thing as thrills and excitement, and it's not. Thrills and excitement are good things, felt when we're experiencing pleasure, while fear is an unpleasant emotion felt when we or someone/something we care about is in danger. It can paralyze us, and keep us from reaching our full potential, and we wouldn't really mind losing our fears, if the source of those fears was gone; provided that we could still experience pleasant thrills.
Fear: I'm Afraid that God Doesn't Want Me to Have Any Dreams or Ambitions.
Answer: As with fears, hopes would cease to be in paradise; not because of despair, but because there's no reason to hope when you already have what you hope for. Being in possession of happiness, and every other good thing would make ambitions obsolete.
However, in this life, we don't have everything we could desire, and because of that, hope, dreams and ambitions towards perfection are not only good, but a virtue.
Fear: I'm Afraid that God Doesn't Want Me to Fulfill Any Ambitions in Heaven.
Answer: Being truly happy means having all good things, all at once and constantly. Since "good things" are anything which can be desired for their own sake, heavenly happiness means having everything desirable. Therefore, all possible ambitions would be fulfilled by heavenly happiness.
Fear: I'm Afraid that I Can't Trust God to Make Me Happy in Heaven.
Answer: God is the source of all Truth.
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:6
Jesus specifically says here that he is the truth, and therefore, he cannot lie. Some have a problem with this claim, saying that because God is omnipotent, he can do anything; even lie. However, this is specifically denied in the Summa Theologica; when the question is brought up of whether or not God can sin.
"To sin is to fall short of a perfect action; hence to be able to sin is to be able to fall short in action, which is repugnant to omnipotence. Therefore it is that God cannot sin, because of His omnipotence."
Summa Theologica, First Part, Question 25, Article 3
Because God can neither sin, nor lie, nor deliberately cause any harm, he can be perfectly trusted to provide people with happiness in his presence.
Fear: I'm Afraid that God's Heavenly Happiness Would Seem Somehow Artificial, Like a Drug.
Answer: "God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them."
Genesis 1:27
Since we only exist because God designed us, there is no one better to repair us when we're injured or unfulfilled, or aren't performing at peak efficiency. For example, if a technician designs a thousand cars; all based on the same design, he knows which kinds of oil and gasoline will be best for running them, and if, as stated above, that technician was also incapable of lying, then he would need to service each car properly when it was brought to him for repairs.
Now, the fuel that our souls need is happiness. Because of this, the happiness that God could provide us with is guaranteed to be much purer and more reliable than the kind found in any other place, and furthermore, it would feel more natural to us than the happinesses of this life; not less natural, because this happiness is what we were originally designed to run on. Therefore, God's happiness wouldn't feel artificial.
Fear: I'm Afraid that God Doesn't Want Me to Desire Any Good Things Other Than Him.
Answer: "We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:28
Therefore, God does all things for some purpose, though we might not understand it immediately. Now, God clearly created the physical universe, and he wouldn't have done this, if it served only to distract people from him. Therefore, God wants us to love both himself and his creations. However, he wants us to love his creations because of their goodness, so since he's more good than any creation, he wants us to love him more than any creation.
The real hang-up about this point is that I've often heard it said that we have to stay detached from things that are "not God." In order to understand these words, one needs to understand, at least on some level; the nature of God.
"Hence it is manifest that God alone has every kind of perfection by His own essence"
Summa Theologica; First Part, Question 6, Article 3
In short, in order to be the standard by which all good things are judged, God needs to have the combined and infinitely magnified goodnesses of everyone and everything you've ever seen, and much more besides. This paints a much different picture of God than the conventional one. Suddenly, he is both perfect being and perfect universe. Since the imperfect universe is only imperfect by relation to him, he must be perfect in ways that the universe is not, and must be able to fill the same void in human beings that the universe does, but to a much greater degree.
To simplify it, "worldly things" just means imperfect things, but "Godly things" means things that are perfect. To say that in Heaven, jars, or golf, or tea will come to a screeching halt is a bit incomplete, since God is the perfection of jars, the perfection of golf, the perfection of tea, etc... We look forward to his beauty, so that we can finally enjoy his perfection, and furthermore, the perfection of those around him as well, since no one can enter Heaven without being perfected.
This is a big issue when reading the writings of the saints, because most of them understood this so much, that it was almost second nature to them, but when they compared God and the world, and said that they loved God more than the world, they viewed God as more of a universe than a man. To say that you love sitting in a blank room with one man; no matter how fantastic, more than the entire world is a little silly, but to say that you love God's perfection AS a world more than the physical world's imperfection is far less silly, and in fact, is really very reasonable.
So, God does want us to desire good things in addition to him, but what he really wants is for us to desire the perfect things found only in his being/universe.
Fear: I'm Afraid that God Doesn't Want Me to Have Any Fears.
Answer: "I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one."
Luke 12:5
Therefore, God clearly wants us to be afraid; at least in this life. However, in Heaven, no one has the power to cast you into Gehenna. Therefore, there would be no one to be afraid of there.
The problem is that many people think of fear as being the same thing as thrills and excitement, and it's not. Thrills and excitement are good things, felt when we're experiencing pleasure, while fear is an unpleasant emotion felt when we or someone/something we care about is in danger. It can paralyze us, and keep us from reaching our full potential, and we wouldn't really mind losing our fears, if the source of those fears was gone; provided that we could still experience pleasant thrills.
Fear: I'm Afraid that God Doesn't Want Me to Have Any Dreams or Ambitions.
Answer: As with fears, hopes would cease to be in paradise; not because of despair, but because there's no reason to hope when you already have what you hope for. Being in possession of happiness, and every other good thing would make ambitions obsolete.
However, in this life, we don't have everything we could desire, and because of that, hope, dreams and ambitions towards perfection are not only good, but a virtue.
Fear: I'm Afraid that God Doesn't Want Me to Fulfill Any Ambitions in Heaven.
Answer: Being truly happy means having all good things, all at once and constantly. Since "good things" are anything which can be desired for their own sake, heavenly happiness means having everything desirable. Therefore, all possible ambitions would be fulfilled by heavenly happiness.
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