Quote (Vio @ 15 Jun 2011 03:59)
First of all, I'm just not going to respond to weasleface anymore. I'm perfectly fine with people disagreeing with me, but he's just ridiculing me, and the argument is going in circles with every post he makes.
nate86: You miss the part where I'm actually saying that I don't believe in an actual heaven the way it is described in the Bible. When I read about heaven, I find it to be a metaphor to all that's good in life. God judges us continuously, and what we do has very direct consequences, already way before we die. That's the way I see it, and I don't see a reason why this couldn't be true.
Read the book of Job, preferably with a study guide. There are many verses in the bible that make it clear that when good/bad things happen, we're not necessarily being rewarded or punished directly by God. Specifically in the book of Job, it outlines numerous examples of "bad people" that seem to prosper, and never face punishment (in this life). Certainly you can witness the same around you, good people that have horrible lives and circumstances, and seemingly bad people that have great lives that act with impunity.
From a free will perspective, this makes complete sense; if you were punished directly for each bad thing you did, pretty soon you'd stop doing bad things, thus negating your free will. Likewise if you're constantly rewarded for good behavior. Why do you think dogs are so trainable? Because we punish for bad, and reward for good. The dog ends up being a "dumb" creature that merely follows our commands. This is not what God wants from us, he wants us to do things in his glory without reward or punishment, of our own free will.