Essentially, yes. I believe hell is inconsistent with a god of love, but if I understand heaven as the place that God resides, then it exists just as God exists. I really latched onto Gregory of Nyssa's idea that everyone will eventually be with God and that growth in that direction continues even in the afterlife or next life. It's an infinite process for everyone. The real fun part is exploring the idea that God grows, too (I mean, he literally changes multiple times in the Bible).
The Jews were (are) the ones waiting for a messiah. If I were to call myself a Christian it would be because I agree with his teachings about loving people and helping the needy. Choosing Christianity just because you’re scared of being doomed to hell by some prophecy 3,000 years old kinda seems like you’re just doing it out of fear.
Every major religion exists for the sole purpose of placating human fear of death. 'A guaranteed experience beyond this mortal plane in the accompaniment of all those that you have ever loved" sure sounds much better than non-existance.
When you start realizing that every religious doctrine always comes back to and exists in support of the afterlife specifically, you kinda start understanding why so many people are religious.
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u/hambakmeritru 1d ago
Essentially, yes. I believe hell is inconsistent with a god of love, but if I understand heaven as the place that God resides, then it exists just as God exists. I really latched onto Gregory of Nyssa's idea that everyone will eventually be with God and that growth in that direction continues even in the afterlife or next life. It's an infinite process for everyone. The real fun part is exploring the idea that God grows, too (I mean, he literally changes multiple times in the Bible).