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Why do descriptions of heaven seem highly materialistic?

Kilgore Trout

Kilgore Trout

Misanthropic Humanist
Because if you're content being poor and destitute in this life, then you'll get your reward of riches the next life, and then you'll be the one laughing at all those doomed people who are rich in this life.

What a genius plan for keeping people okay being poor.
 
Saint Frankenstein

Saint Frankenstein

Here for the ride
Premium Member
It seems to be simple psychology - promise your followers the reception after death of what you do not want them to have in life. It's a form of social control in that you make your followers accept suffering and inequality in life, downplay the importance of this life and dangle fantasies of an after death paradise before their eyes. It's great for keeping people complacent.
 
idav

idav

Being
Premium Member
dyanaprajna2011 said:
Take the Christian view of heaven, for example. Everyone gets a mansion, on streets of gold, with gates of jewels, huge kingly feasts. Or in Islam, rivers of milk, honey, and wine, with 72 virgins. Greed, gluttony, and lust.
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Wait, are you trying to say that Heavens streets are not paved in gold.:eek: What a jip!
 
George-ananda

George-ananda

Advaita Vedanta, Theosophy, Spiritualism
Premium Member
Why do descriptions of heaven seem highly materialistic?

Because people relate to material things. In higher spiritual realms material images fade away.

Also, in the Christian tradition, there are good and bad material things. They are not all bad. The beauty of nature, music, art, etc. are positive material things to be enjoyed in heaven. The negative material things are kept out of the heaven image; sexuality, greed, power, etc..
 
Saint Frankenstein

Saint Frankenstein

Here for the ride
Premium Member
George-ananda said:
Why do descriptions of heaven seem highly materialistic?

Because people relate to material things. In higher spiritual realms material images fade away.

Also, in the Christian tradition, there are good and bad material things. They are not all bad. The beauty of nature, music, art, etc. are positive material things to be enjoyed in heaven. The negative material things are kept out of the heaven image; sexuality, greed, power, etc..
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How is sexuality a negative aspect of the material world?
 
George-ananda

George-ananda

Advaita Vedanta, Theosophy, Spiritualism
Premium Member
saint_frankenstein said:
How is sexuality a negative aspect of the material world?
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Man is between the animal and the divine. Sexuality brings attraction to lower physical vibrations. The divinity pull is away from lower vibrations and to brotherly non-sexual love and not sexual lust.
 
Saint Frankenstein

Saint Frankenstein

Here for the ride
Premium Member
George-ananda said:
Man is between the animal and the divine. Sexuality brings attraction to lower physical vibrations. The divinity pull is away from lower vibrations and to brotherly non-sexual love and not sexual lust.
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I don't buy into any of that anti-sex nonsense. Sexual energy is the power of creation. Without sex, none of us would exist. In sex, we give and we take, we share ourselves with each other and give and take pleasure. Sex is also very healthy and can heal psychological and spiritual wounds. Sex is certainly divine. My Gods are very sexual and lusty.
 
ametist

ametist

Active Member
If in a holy book god is explaining itself as 'good', if you are a believer you dont go out and claim 'no god, you are not good. I know you better and you are bad'.you just accept that god is good. It is a trust relationship which is also named as faith. So when god says ' I created a heaven for you' you already understand it is the best god can intend for you. But in this life many reasons exist directly or indirectly to check our faith and review our choices.
 
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Sha'irullah

Sha'irullah

رسول الآلهة
psychoslice said:
Yes a simple answer, but the ego doesn't like a simple answer, it will ignore it.
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Is it just me but do you find the fact that so many religious texts try describing unworldly delight in such worldly manners.

Found in the Qur'an there are references to rivers of win win, milk and honey that are described as being unworldly when in reality wine, milk and honey are very wordily. It creates a paradox simply. All 3 of these things are physical and of this world so giving them unworldly properties is nonsensical.
 
Sees

Sees

Dragonslayer
Sterling Archer said:
Is it just me but do you find the fact that so many religious texts try describing unworldly delight in such worldly manners.

Found in the Qur'an there are references to rivers of win win, milk and honey that are described as being unworldly when in reality wine, milk and honey are very wordily. It creates a paradox simply. All 3 of these things are physical and of this world so giving them unworldly properties is nonsensical.
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In the desert the pleasures and goods seem divine after a while :D It's never been a mystery to me how the land and culture get infused with traditions...only with religions that have a universal monotheistic being with transcendent mind and being does the strangeness of it come through.

Europe and else where traditions are much more fond of the earth itself. In the Near/Middle East you have celestial and social aspect deities.

Anyways, I think it was a major influence and interesting to look over.
 
Ingledsva

Ingledsva

HEATHEN ALASKAN
saint_frankenstein said:
I don't buy into any of that anti-sex nonsense. Sexual energy is the power of creation. Without sex, none of us would exist. In sex, we give and we take, we share ourselves with each other and give and take pleasure. Sex is also very healthy and can heal psychological and spiritual wounds. Sex is certainly divine. My Gods are very sexual and lusty.
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I'm with you. Sex is good. :hugkiss:




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