For Those Who Believe in Heaven...

Ironmanpanda,
What's your thoughts on heaven?

I believe in Heaven but I also believe in Hell. I do not think everyone goes to heaven... But meah that's just how I believe I know not everyone agrees so be it. I do not believe everyone I have ever known that has died is in heaven, I'd like to hope so but I don't know if any of them are because I did not know their heart.

If there is a God, I believe he would be a loving God and that love would be a thread shared by all living beings. I have a connection to family that is always there, no matter how annoying or what baggage, or how often we communicate. They are family. If there is a spirit world, I would hope they would experience a spiritual evolution of pure love and greater wisdom . The connection they would have would be without their human imperfect love as we knew them. They would be connected to our soul and be there to give the highest encouragement and most positive energy, like channeling to bring out our best selves. I think their presence would always be felt, but they are no longer concerned with the physical; it is not relevent to them now.

I don't think they watch us. They're in heaven, after all. They're with God in a place of no pain or suffering. I just see them worshiping God and experiencing what real love/joy/peace ect. is really like.

This ^^^
If the ones who are in heaven looked down, I believe there would be lots of tears...don't you think. The Bible says that in heaven there are no tears, no sadness. That would be impossible if those that are there seen what was happening down here.

I believe that Heaven is a place where you can eat back your exercise calories.

YES!!!! Finally!!!! An answer worth saying LIKE!!!!!!!! hahaha

What makes us think we're alive? What if we're really dead and looking in on tuning the 'living' up in 'heaven'? Ever think of THAT!??!?!

I think they got Dish up there, with the expanded pack. Since they know all languages and have all abilities and everything is perfect and you can literally do whatever you want I am absolutely sure they'd be tuning in to you fixing dinner and folding clothes.

That is, if "God" is of the Abrahamic tradition and not Ancient Aliens who pioneered our species thru genetic manipulation with their own DNA.

Word.

LOL! This made me smile because I think we all wonder stuff like this...... but then I have remind myself that it's not for us to know right now so why try and figure it out. I never believed in anything after death until my dad died. Even though I was raised Catholic, I am just an extremely science-minded person and was trying to be rational.... person dies......person dies. Period. As a college honors student I did a research paper on near death experiences and life after death, and it was mostly focused on the idea that many doctors believe the "white light" and seeing of a person's long lost loved one at the time of their death was really a defense mechanism used by the brain to help ease the process of death. ---But after losing my dad as a young adult, I couldn't deal with the idea that he was gone and that's all there was to it. I have had many people tell me that they know their loved one is still there with them and they have given me many reasons why.... maybe this is also a defense mechanism we use to help us deal with the process of our loved one's death, I don't know. Personally I feel like my dad is checking in on me from time to time, but that he's just way too busy enjoying himself wherever he is that he doesn't obsess about my life and he knows he'll see me again when it's my time. None of us want our loves ones checking in on us all the time, I mean we all have naughty moments we don't want caught on film..... right???!!!! I recently read a book called "It Rains in February" by Leila Summers........... and the end was quite touching as to why she believed her husband's spirit was still there with her and her two girls after he committed suicide. You might want to read it, it was an eye opener to depression & co-dependency, neither of which I've ever dealt with. ANY-WHO........... my conclusion I think is right about where I started.... this stuff is not for us to know at this time. We are all here to prove ourselves in one way or another, and it will all become clear in the end. Literally. :noway:

For the sake of full disclosure, my perspective comes from the Christian Bible and I believe it.

Do you believe that all of your relatives and loved ones that have passed are there watching over you?

No. I believe they are otherwise engaged in the business of heaven. They are with the Jesus Christ. He is a lot more compelling and impressive than me.

And if they are, are they ALWAYS watching you? Like, do they "come down" and are "with" you at all times... guiding you throughout your day and throughout your life?

Should it suit Christ's will and purpose, then yes they can come down for his business. Samuel came back to chastise Saul. Elijah and Moses stood with Christ at the transfiguration account.

And if they do... are you the only one they watch over? Or do they have a full dance card and must "schedule" time with you?

Watching over you is really the role of the God who is omnipresent. His calendar is always open. That he takes an interest in any of us is amazing to me.

Or... do they just watch... like on television? Do they have several channels that they "subscribe to" to keep tabs on their living folks? And what if it's for someone that wasn't family or a close friend... just someone they had a crush on or just really liked... or maybe someone you just know is gonna be drama, so they'll always have interesting stuff going on... would that be a "premium" channel that they would have to request permission to have? You think, even in heaven, they're flipping through channels thinking, "All these channels and there's never anything interesting to watch..."

I don't know regarding this. Honestly, I don't imagine that they would even care. In the context of eternity and God's kingdom, it is of no significance. The focus is on the king of the kingdom.

There are many viewpoints. If you have more questions regarding this one, feel free to message me.

Completely agree; couldn't have said it better, myself.

ETA: One of the most thought-provoking books on heaven I've found: Heaven, by Randy Alcorn

For the sake of full disclosure, my perspective comes from the Christian Bible and I believe it.

Do you believe that all of your relatives and loved ones that have passed are there watching over you?

No. I believe they are otherwise engaged in the business of heaven. They are with the Jesus Christ. He is a lot more compelling and impressive than me.

And if they are, are they ALWAYS watching you? Like, do they "come down" and are "with" you at all times... guiding you throughout your day and throughout your life?

Should it suit Christ's will and purpose, then yes they can come down for his business. Samuel came back to chastise Saul. Elijah and Moses stood with Christ at the transfiguration account.

And if they do... are you the only one they watch over? Or do they have a full dance card and must "schedule" time with you?

Watching over you is really the role of the God who is omnipresent. His calendar is always open. That he takes an interest in any of us is amazing to me.

Or... do they just watch... like on television? Do they have several channels that they "subscribe to" to keep tabs on their living folks? And what if it's for someone that wasn't family or a close friend... just someone they had a crush on or just really liked... or maybe someone you just know is gonna be drama, so they'll always have interesting stuff going on... would that be a "premium" channel that they would have to request permission to have? You think, even in heaven, they're flipping through channels thinking, "All these channels and there's never anything interesting to watch..."

I don't know regarding this. Honestly, I don't imagine that they would even care. In the context of eternity and God's kingdom, it is of no significance. The focus is on the king of the kingdom.

There are many viewpoints. If you have more questions regarding this one, feel free to message me.

Thank you so much. You said what I wish I had been able to, but didn't really know if I could even get started. Crystal clear for me, though I am sure it won't please everyone.

There is so much more to the Bible than just the Old Testament. There is also the New Testament. I think it's too bad when people get fixated on certain things taken out of the Old Testament without studying and reading the whole Bible. I don't understand everything that happened in the Bible either but I do know that God sent His only Son to die on a cross for me. Jesus, who never sinned, left Heaven to come into this world and died an agonizing death as payment for my sins so if I give my life to Him I can end up in Heaven with Him. Trying to live by His rules is a small price for me to pay for what He did for me.

I'm sure I'll get plenty of ridicule for my post but I don't care. I'm secure in the knowledge of where I will spend eternity and who I'll spend it with. I just wish everyone had that same assurance.

No ridicule from my little corner of the world, just respect and support.
Me too hun :flowerforyou:

this is one of the reasons i just can't believe in heaven/ spirits/ guides/ traditional "god" figures. i refuse to believe that my grandma could watch me take a **** if she wanted to... or thats some creepy pervert could watch me have sex. its just so wrong. like i believe in the possibility of all things, but i had to stop watching medium because it made my paranoia issues worse. im already worried about people watching me. if i start believing in this stuff i wont be able to sleep at night. yes, i know how messed up that is. but i have parania and anxiety issues. i can't help it. im not always thinking about it, but its an annoying thought in the back of my mind.

ps: please don't come after me for speaking my mind a little. i dont want to get in the middle of a controvercy/argument in the forums. i respect others beliefs. this is just how i feel.


I totally relate to anxiety & not being able to sleep - I think too much...about everything & nothing!! But just wanted to share with you, my big brother committed suicide a number of years ago & although I had been raised a Catholic I found myself questioning everything I believed in. Like "God if you are real, SHOW me!!!" I quickly discovered that a cry like this is irresistible to God & I can now say with conviction that I know God is real & that Heaven exists & that my brother is there. He is not watching my every move but I know that he prays for me & I often have a sense his presence when I feel the presence of Jesus as I pray - everyone is united in Heaven, one big happy family!! God is all about relationships (He IS relationship - Father, Son & Holy Spirit) I do go to church, but church does not make you believe in God - if you are questioning His existence, I dare you to ask him yourself if He's real.

For the sake of full disclosure, my perspective comes from the Christian Bible and I believe it.

Do you believe that all of your relatives and loved ones that have passed are there watching over you?

No. I believe they are otherwise engaged in the business of heaven. They are with the Jesus Christ. He is a lot more compelling and impressive than me.

And if they are, are they ALWAYS watching you? Like, do they "come down" and are "with" you at all times... guiding you throughout your day and throughout your life?

Should it suit Christ's will and purpose, then yes they can come down for his business. Samuel came back to chastise Saul. Elijah and Moses stood with Christ at the transfiguration account.

And if they do... are you the only one they watch over? Or do they have a full dance card and must "schedule" time with you?

Watching over you is really the role of the God who is omnipresent. His calendar is always open. That he takes an interest in any of us is amazing to me.

Or... do they just watch... like on television? Do they have several channels that they "subscribe to" to keep tabs on their living folks? And what if it's for someone that wasn't family or a close friend... just someone they had a crush on or just really liked... or maybe someone you just know is gonna be drama, so they'll always have interesting stuff going on... would that be a "premium" channel that they would have to request permission to have? You think, even in heaven, they're flipping through channels thinking, "All these channels and there's never anything interesting to watch..."

I don't know regarding this. Honestly, I don't imagine that they would even care. In the context of eternity and God's kingdom, it is of no significance. The focus is on the king of the kingdom.

There are many viewpoints. If you have more questions regarding this one, feel free to message me.

Completely agree; couldn't have said it better, myself.

ETA: One of the most thought-provoking books on heaven I've found: Heaven, by Randy Alcorn

Yes! I started reading that book and it was so interesting. I don't know why I didn't finish it. I'll have to finish it or maybe start from the beginning again and read it all the way through.

*pops a 100 calorie bag of popcorn*
*sits back and watches*