just testing the waters, so to speak, in these forums with what may be a somewhat cliched question, but...

for everybody who believes in heaven and especially hell:

do you have to believe in god to go to heaven, or is being a good person enough? is what god says right because he says it or does he say it because it's right?

for everybody else who at least believe in an after-life:

do the actions you take before your death in this world affect your standing on the other side, whatever it may be? what role do good and evil play in determining how you end up?

for the rest of us:

if our subjective existences are only temporary, what meaning does objective reality really hold for us? what is true if it's only true for us as long as we're alive?

just want to get some opinions here and see if anybody has any fresh gasoline to throw on the fire.

I don't think god is jealous or malicious or evil. Like your mother doesn't care if you play hide and seek or tag in your backyard, I don't think god cares what we do in this world he has created for us. We think it is important to him because we wish we were very special, but he made this place. He made all of it. To say that he put things there to test us would give him malicious intent. I don't think of god as that petty.

I don't think god cares what we do. It's only us people that care. As long as you live within your own morals, I think you have done ok.

how does one even come to the conclusion that he is alive or dead?

speaking of cliche...

read the bible, it does sort of contain all one needs to know about going to heaven or hell, the fascinating thing is the established concepts of a fiery hell and a heaven of perfect clouds is no where in there...

according to scripture, hell is eternal death, you die and stay dead...the "heaven" part is simply being resurrected into more heavenly forms and living in an utopian society after all the ugliness of the world is eliminated...this is best explained in 1 corinthians 35- 58. In Daniel 12 it sort of elaborates a little more on what exactly happens to those with their name in the book....i'm still learning this stuff myself.

"I don't think god cares what we do. It's only us people that care. As long as you live within your own morals, I think you have done ok."

this is where it gets tricky...the bible does have some specific rules and regulations to live according to Gd's will...it's true an arguement can be made that they are not Gd's words, but these are things he did convey to those who originally hear him...and should be considered, but i do believe that a person can figure out what Gd want's of them, if they devoutly believe in him and listen to their heart...but all Gd's have rules and regulations, why should Adonai be any different, does a person who really believes in Him and His son, really want to risk it?

it'd be easy if people could inately know right and wrong, but i think the world stands to testament that it's not something most of humanity is yet capable of

the wonderful thing is that if you actually read and come to your own understandings of the words, you realize that there's a lot of misleading guidance out there...just because they wear robes, doesn't mean they understand the word of Gd, or are even going to get to heaven...

the reincarnation aspect makes sense...but it's a tough fence to straddle between what Gd wants and what is not Gd approved.

the battle between good and evil has no effect on what happens after we die, that's all up to us.

speaking of cliche...

read the bible, it does sort of contain all one needs to know about going to heaven or hell, the fascinating thing is the established concepts of a fiery hell and a heaven of perfect clouds is no where in there...

according to scripture, hell is eternal death, you die and stay dead...the "heaven" part is simply being resurrected into more heavenly forms and living in an utopian society after all the ugliness of the world is eliminated...this is best explained in 1 corinthians 35- 58. In Daniel 12 it sort of elaborates a little more on what exactly happens to those with their name in the book....i'm still learning this stuff myself.

"I don't think god cares what we do. It's only us people that care. As long as you live within your own morals, I think you have done ok."

this is where it gets tricky...the bible does have some specific rules and regulations to live according to Gd's will...it's true an arguement can be made that they are not Gd's words, but these are things he did convey to those who originally heard him...and should be considered, but i do believe that a person can figure out what Gd want's of them, if they devoutly believe in him and listen to their heart...but all Gd's have rules and regulations, why should Adonai be any different, does a person who really believes in Him and His son, really want to risk it?

it'd be easy if people could inately know right and wrong, but i think the world stands to testament that it's not something most of humanity is yet capable of

the wonderful thing is that if you actually read and come to your own understandings of the words, you realize that there's a lot of misleading guidance out there...just because they wear robes, doesn't mean they understand the word of Gd, or are even going to get to heaven...

the reincarnation aspect makes sense...but it's a tough fence to straddle between what Gd wants and what is not Gd approved.

the battle between good and evil has no effect on what happens after we die, that's all up to us.