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Chicago Democrat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-07-04 02:57 PM
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Slate: What is heaven like?
Slate's article is a must read for anyone who believes they are going to heaven!!

http://slate.msn.com/id/2095002/

Paradise Lite
In heaven, you'll be thinner, happier, and smarter—or so Americans think.
By Adam Kirsch
Posted Thursday, Feb. 5, 2004, at 12:05 PM PT

Heaven has always been a touchy subject for religion. In fact, as Peter Stanford shows in his new study Heaven: A Guide to the Undiscovered Country, the greatest prophets have had little to say about it. Of course, the Old Testament contains references to a world to come, and the foundation of the New Testament is Jesus' promise of resurrection and "the kingdom of heaven." But Moses and Jesus—and, for that matter, Muhammad—didn't spend much time actually drawing a map of the afterlife. In First Corinthians, St. Paul laid down the orthodox line when he simply refused to speculate about what heaven had in store: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love him."

(Snip)

from A Travel Guide to Heaven, a new Christian inspirational book. The author, Anthony DeStefano, takes his travel-guide conceit literally, declaring that paradise is "Disney World, Hawaii, Paris, Rome and New York all rolled up into one"—the "ultimate playground, created purely for our enjoyment." The disingenuousness of DeStefano's fantasy has to be read to be believed: He looks forward to a heaven where you are your earthly self, but thinner, younger, and prettier, and where you will do nothing but race from one game, hobby, or exotic sight to the next, "having fun" for eternity. No detail is too small for DeStefano's cruise-director God to take care of: "You shouldn't be shocked," he writes, if on Judgment Day "you feel a paw anxiously poking at your leg"—yes, Rover will be there, too.


Lots more! check out Slate
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tigereye Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-07-04 03:04 PM
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1. The movie Defending Your Life touched on this as well
Interesting how strongly cultural expectations play into these perceptions.
Heaven per se,always seemed somewhat of a boring concept to me, hence my preference on some level for the Buddhist concept of numerous lives in which to work out one's concerns.
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Chicago Democrat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Feb-08-04 01:50 AM
Response to Reply #1
6.  the Buddhist concept of numerous lives in which to work out one's concern
My belief
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ThoughtCriminal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-07-04 03:09 PM
Response to Original message
2. Immature visions
Ask a child - "Toys and candy"
Teenager - "Sex! Sex Sex!"
Adult - "Super Vacation Resort"
Senior - "Youth"
Me? - "Library card and Broadband"

Reality - if it exists, something better than humans can comprehend.


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CJCRANE Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-07-04 03:55 PM
Response to Original message
3. As Laurie Andersen said...
"Paradise is exactly like where you are right now...only much,much better".
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camero Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-07-04 04:18 PM
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4. Yuppie heaven....blech
Even though I wouldn't mind having my dog with me.

They probably have a Starbuck's in their version too.
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Syncronaut Seven Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-07-04 07:46 PM
Response to Original message
5. Heaven? I hope not!
It might spoil my mood.
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dArKeR Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Feb-08-04 02:49 AM
Response to Original message
7. I hope Whore Russert asks this question to AWOL!
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