If Heaven/Hell is real...

[GoodbyeDave]

The concept of heaven and hell given by the OP may be very common, especially among Protestants, but it's not universal in Christianity. Many Catholic and Orthodox theologians would say that you effectively create your own afterlife: virtuous people are drawn to God, sinners are unable to approach him. St Isaac of Syria wrote that even the Devil could go to heaven, if he could bring himself to say sorry.

When one reads the New Testament, however, Jesus seems much closer to the fire-and-brimstone school of thought. Of the people of Capernaum he said "It will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in that day for that city. To hell thou shalt be cast down!" — and that was just for not listening to his sermon!

 

[McBell]

The concept of heaven and hell given by the OP may be very common, especially among Protestants, but it's not universal in Christianity. Many Catholic and Orthodox theologians would say that you effectively create your own afterlife: virtuous people are drawn to God, sinners are unable to approach him. St Isaac of Syria wrote that even the Devil could go to heaven, if he could bring himself to say sorry.

When one reads the New Testament, however, Jesus seems much closer to the fire-and-brimstone school of thought. Of the people of Capernaum he said "It will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in that day for that city. To hell thou shalt be cast down!" — and that was just for not listening to his sermon!

That is because many people teach traditional instead of biblical, especially if they are some rural preacher who has no formal theology training.

Still, the fact remains there are those who do believe the OPs version of heaven/hell.
Seems to me it isn't a huge leap to think that it is to them the OP is addressing.

It like starting a thread to talk about mac and cheese being a favourite food and someone posting that not everyone likes mac and cheese.

 

[Neo Deist]

Still, the fact remains there are those who do believe the OPs version of heaven/hell.

Ok.

Seems to me it isn't a huge leap to think that it is to them the OP is addressing.

Ok.

It like starting a thread to talk about mac and cheese being a favourite food and someone posting that not everyone likes mac and cheese.

Ok. Every thread gets derailed. There's more than one side to every story.

 

[VioletVortex]

Then there would be am awfully manipulative ******* in the sky.

 

[Talmai]

In the context of early Buddhism, the gods do not determine our destinies, and the heavens and purgatories/hells are not eternal but are proportionate to one's kamma.

A Buddhists idea of the afterlife seems to make more sense if I'm honest but even still leaves many questions open.

I take back all of the things I wrote about an afterlife and a monotheistic deity in this thread. When I wrote those things I was considering one of the two major Abrahamic religions, and I was repeating things a Calvinistic relative talks about.

Reason tells me that a Buddhist or Dharmic perspective on afterlives and afterworlds makes sense indeed. The rigid belief that a human being lives here once and then lives in Gehenna forever is a belief that implies the punishment does not have to fit the crime. If, from my perspective, cutting off somebody's hand for stealing does not fit the crime, then sending a person to live in Gehenna forever does not fit the crime(s) they committed in one life on earth.