Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Religious folks: is there a "heaven"? And do you get in only if you're saved? Yes or no? There's a lot of wiggling and waffling on this in the above posts. I'm just trying to understand.

My answer from a background of protestantism that I have evolved for myself:

No there is no heaven. So no, salvation has no meaning to something that does not exist.

Cool. Thank-you. I wonder why the Lord's Prayer starts out "Our father who art in heaven...

^ just to add: the next line is "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." So I guess some people would say there is a heaven

PP here, and I was pretty careful to not presume to be giving any definitive answer for everyone.

And I believe that a great deal of the bible is not literal, including the Lord's prayer

I’m not PP, but: I’m not interested in what you believe. I’m interested in what your church teaches.

Anonymous wrote:I can't wrap my mind around this. If we commit to the Creed that "all those who believe in God shall not perish but have eternal life," what happens to those who are not Baptized? I guess that is the whole basis for proselytizing, to make sure everyone can go to heaven, right? But if I have problem believing that God is so vengeful and would really fault babies for their parents' decisions, then it seems hypocritical to baptize my child. I don't want to commit to something in a ceremony that I don't fully endorse.

Where does that leave me? Anyone else struggle with this?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s clear that anti-religion posters pose questions to make religion seem cruel, then flee and watch as people comment on their fake dilemma.

DP here. So let's say you are correct, for the sake of discussion.

Is that an illegitimate practice here? Is it possible OP feels religion is cruel, and wants to illustrate that in a religion forum? Is that not allowed?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Religious folks: is there a "heaven"? And do you get in only if you're saved? Yes or no? There's a lot of wiggling and waffling on this in the above posts. I'm just trying to understand.

Heaven is being with God for all eternity. You can go to Heaven if you want to. You don’t have to be perfect. You are already saved and given God’s grace by the sacrifice of His Son. You don’t have to do anything to earn it. (You can’t earn it, anyway; it’s too great a gift.) If you want to reject Heaven, then you have that choice. We all have free will.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Religious folks: is there a "heaven"? And do you get in only if you're saved? Yes or no? There's a lot of wiggling and waffling on this in the above posts. I'm just trying to understand.

My answer from a background of protestantism that I have evolved for myself:

No there is no heaven. So no, salvation has no meaning to something that does not exist.

Cool. Thank-you. I wonder why the Lord's Prayer starts out "Our father who art in heaven...

^ just to add: the next line is "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." So I guess some people would say there is a heaven

PP here, and I was pretty careful to not presume to be giving any definitive answer for everyone.

And I believe that a great deal of the bible is not literal, including the Lord's prayer

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Religious folks: is there a "heaven"? And do you get in only if you're saved? Yes or no? There's a lot of wiggling and waffling on this in the above posts. I'm just trying to understand.

Heaven is being with God for all eternity. You can go to Heaven if you want to. You don’t have to be perfect. You are already saved and given God’s grace by the sacrifice of His Son. You don’t have to do anything to earn it. (You can’t earn it, anyway; it’s too great a gift.) If you want to reject Heaven, then you have that choice. We all have free will.

Genuinely curious here: how would one "Reject heaven"?

I don’t think there is a pat answer for this. How you decide whether to reject or accept God is kind of a personal journey.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Religious folks: is there a "heaven"? And do you get in only if you're saved? Yes or no? There's a lot of wiggling and waffling on this in the above posts. I'm just trying to understand.

Heaven is being with God for all eternity. You can go to Heaven if you want to. You don’t have to be perfect. You are already saved and given God’s grace by the sacrifice of His Son. You don’t have to do anything to earn it. (You can’t earn it, anyway; it’s too great a gift.) If you want to reject Heaven, then you have that choice. We all have free will.

Genuinely curious here: how would one "Reject heaven"?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Religious folks: is there a "heaven"? And do you get in only if you're saved? Yes or no? There's a lot of wiggling and waffling on this in the above posts. I'm just trying to understand.

Heaven is being with God for all eternity. You can go to Heaven if you want to. You don’t have to be perfect. You are already saved and given God’s grace by the sacrifice of His Son. You don’t have to do anything to earn it. (You can’t earn it, anyway; it’s too great a gift.) If you want to reject Heaven, then you have that choice. We all have free will.

When you say "you" do you mean your soul? That's an immaterial thing as I understand it so what is it that is with God? I mean, what difference does it make if your soul is not with God for all eternity. Unless you subscribe to the idea of Hell.

Hell IS not being with God.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Religious folks: is there a "heaven"? And do you get in only if you're saved? Yes or no? There's a lot of wiggling and waffling on this in the above posts. I'm just trying to understand.

Heaven is being with God for all eternity. You can go to Heaven if you want to. You don’t have to be perfect. You are already saved and given God’s grace by the sacrifice of His Son. You don’t have to do anything to earn it. (You can’t earn it, anyway; it’s too great a gift.) If you want to reject Heaven, then you have that choice. We all have free will.

When you say "you" do you mean your soul? That's an immaterial thing as I understand it so what is it that is with God? I mean, what difference does it make if your soul is not with God for all eternity. Unless you subscribe to the idea of Hell.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Religious folks: is there a "heaven"? And do you get in only if you're saved? Yes or no? There's a lot of wiggling and waffling on this in the above posts. I'm just trying to understand.

Heaven is being with God for all eternity. You can go to Heaven if you want to. You don’t have to be perfect. You are already saved and given God’s grace by the sacrifice of His Son. You don’t have to do anything to earn it. (You can’t earn it, anyway; it’s too great a gift.) If you want to reject Heaven, then you have that choice. We all have free will.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Religious folks: is there a "heaven"? And do you get in only if you're saved? Yes or no? There's a lot of wiggling and waffling on this in the above posts. I'm just trying to understand.

Heaven is being with God for all eternity. You can go to Heaven if you want to. You don’t have to be perfect. You are already saved and given God’s grace by the sacrifice of His Son. You don’t have to do anything to earn it. (You can’t earn it, anyway; it’s too great a gift.) If you want to reject Heaven, then you have that choice. We all have free will.

Pp is describing protestant Christian heaven.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Religious folks: is there a "heaven"? And do you get in only if you're saved? Yes or no? There's a lot of wiggling and waffling on this in the above posts. I'm just trying to understand.

Heaven is being with God for all eternity. You can go to Heaven if you want to. You don’t have to be perfect. You are already saved and given God’s grace by the sacrifice of His Son. You don’t have to do anything to earn it. (You can’t earn it, anyway; it’s too great a gift.) If you want to reject Heaven, then you have that choice. We all have free will.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Religious folks: is there a "heaven"? And do you get in only if you're saved? Yes or no? There's a lot of wiggling and waffling on this in the above posts. I'm just trying to understand.

Heaven is being with God for all eternity. You can go to Heaven if you want to. You don’t have to be perfect. You are already saved and given God’s grace by the sacrifice of His Son. You don’t have to do anything to earn it. (You can’t earn it, anyway; it’s too great a gift.) If you want to reject Heaven, then you have that choice. We all have free will.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Religious folks: is there a "heaven"? And do you get in only if you're saved? Yes or no? There's a lot of wiggling and waffling on this in the above posts. I'm just trying to understand.

My answer from a background of protestantism that I have evolved for myself:

No there is no heaven. So no, salvation has no meaning to something that does not exist.

Cool. Thank-you. I wonder why the Lord's Prayer starts out "Our father who art in heaven...

^ just to add: the next line is "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." So I guess some people would say there is a heaven

PP here, and I was pretty careful to not presume to be giving any definitive answer for everyone.

And I believe that a great deal of the bible is not literal, including the Lord's prayer

Anonymous wrote:Religious folks: is there a "heaven"? And do you get in only if you're saved? Yes or no? There's a lot of wiggling and waffling on this in the above posts. I'm just trying to understand.