THE CONTRADICTIONS OF HEAVEN

The Christians say Jesus came to save us from sin and death and Hell so that we could go to death to be with him forever in Heaven.  Heaven is the happiness of being with God.
 
The virtues of compassion and courage are useful here in earth but not in Heaven where suffering and vulnerability cease and there is only happiness. Some may argue that there is no point in having the virtues if they are no good in Heaven. The Catholic answer is that the virtues are good in themselves. They say that the virtues are not used in Heaven but the saints still have them. They say that Mother Teresa would be good even if she were on a planet where there was nobody to help. She was simply good. Translation: being good is what matters not doing good. Society will not agree with that so why is the Catholic faith such a force in society?
 
Catholics believe that God is not in the business of making people happier and enhancing their pleasure but is more concerned that they use their free will correctly and become good people. Again, society will not agree with that so why is the Catholic faith such a force in society?

So why do we associate Heaven with happiness then?

Regardless, Christians say God didn’t make us to be happy but to have joy. Does that make sense? It does if you understand happiness as wellbeing and joy as something you experience when you are very very far from well. If you had a lot of joy you would count as a happy person. So the Christians mean that God does not want you to feel good much but allows it occasionally! If we often have to sacrifice happiness that does not mean we are not here to be happy. It only means that sometimes happiness is a block to bringing about more happiness. You may have to confine yourself to the house and miss a lot of parties and become unhappy in order to study and gain the greater happiness and benefit of passing your exams.
 
The idea that we need to believe in God to be happy is heretical because God sometimes intends that people suffer depression and so on. Those who are happy are to have the attitude, "I accept happiness because God gives it to me and not because I like being happy. My motive is all about him." That is a very negative way to approach happiness. The idea that there is no real happiness without faith in God accuses the happy people who don’t believe or who don’t care if God exists or not of being frauds and of being a bad and harmful influence in society. If you follow God to be happy and not for his own sake then it is happiness you love and not him. Following God properly will be very stressful and difficult. It is hard to want to love God. And Jesus made it harder by saying you must love God in all that you do and with all your heart meaning emotions. He did say you can love your neighbour as yourself but he did not imply that self-love is allowed. And note that he said loving your neighbour as yourself is God's commandment meaning you must do it not for the sake of your neighbour but for God! That is not heartfelt love. Jesus did not command that we feel love for our neighbour - in fact he said we should not for we must love God with all and not most of our heart.
 
If you suffer great evil on earth, God cannot make it up to you ever! The evil still happened. He cannot make it up to you in moral terms or any other terms. So why should it matter to you if there is a good or moral God?  Don't be led into obeying alleged commands from him or following Jesus because Heaven appeals to you.  Defy.



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