Homework 54- Independent Research B

As a baptized Christian, and deciding a lot of what the religion teaches is ridiculous, I thought it’d be interesting to see if what is taught about heaven is ridiculous to myself as well.  I read from the works of Luke, John, and Matthew. I also spoke to one of my neighbors who is a retired nun. I figured that she spent a large portion of her life devoted to the works of the bible, so she should have good insights on the topic.

Luke, John, and Matthew:


The works of all three are fairly understandable. What is written in these texts is more about how to get into heaven rather then what heaven is. I think this is actually pretty smart to do. It allows people to make assumptions, so even if heaven doesn’t exist or isn’t great, people will still attempt to get in.

     “For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them” (John, 3:30).

 My interpretation of this quote is that everybody must accept god, and god’s word, all the time. This goes against my previous learning. I learned when making my communion that if you continue to make penance that god will forgive you for your sins and you will still go to heaven.  Its one of the many contradictions I’ve found in the Christian religion.  It’s like saying you can do whatever you want (except not believe in god as stated above) and as long you say sorry it  doesn’t matter.

“One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body.  Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.

     Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” And they had nothing to say” (Luke, 14).

This may not directly correlate with what it takes to make it to heaven or not. It does show some of the values Christians believe necessary to have a successful afterlife. The story is that Jesus broke Sabbath to heal a man. Breaking Sabbath is a sin, and sins supposedly keep you from the gates of heaven. The second part of this quote is Jesus questioning the guests, questioning their logic. He was trying to make the point that you have to handle serious and important situations no matter what. If you can justify why you are going against the Dogma, it is okay. This is a strong idea because it provides leniency for those who have sinned, but had a good reason to sin. One of the moral values has become present is that others’ come first. Jesus healed this man, which was technically a sin, but him healing the man is more important. Putting other people before the religious restrictions is good because it allows a person to be a wholesome community member. What this doesn't show however, is if you should put yourself before what christianity asks you to do. Which is a greater issue, but I haven't seen much proof for it. 

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew, 6:15).

I don’t like this idea because there are some things that are unforgivable. If somebody murders my mom, I’m supposed to forgive the murderer? Or else I wont be forgiven for anything? That seems ridiculous to follow. Not everything can be forgiven.

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Matthew, 6:1).

I understand where he is coming from, with the idea that you should do good to do good, not for anybody’s approval (except for god). But the way that it is written makes this idea seem extreme. It says you must not let ANYBODY see. It would be better to say, “Do not flaunt your good deeds to others.” The idea behind this you can let people notice, show not tell.

Overall, the readings do not specify what happens in heaven, but that if you do not follow the teachings of god you will face his wrath. Again his wrath is not specified, but I can imagine it isn’t pleasant. Probably something along the lines of being trapped in a room with four walls, floor, and ceiling made of cacti. These passages do tell you how to get into heaven. Believe gods word, try to sin as little as possible, put others first, and when you do sin, ask for forgiveness. Most of it is understandable, but there are some ridiculous parts, like the rest of the bible. But again I didn’t learn what the afterlife actually IS, just that there is one, and it can either be good or bad. 

The Interview:

After not making much progress from the readings I did, I thought I could find out some better information from my neighbor, Mrs. P., a retired nun.  I asked her about what it means to go to heaven and what heaven means. She answered saying that to go to heaven is god’s way of rewarding you. When it came to answering the question about what heaven is, she seemed unsure of herself. “Nobody can really define heaven. Only god knows what heaven really is.” I also asked her about her ideas on the afterlife, and she said that it is eternal, and can be either be a joyful, gleeful afterlife, or a painful afterlife. 

Based on this interview, I can only assume that nobody really knows what heaven is. And if nobody really knows what heaven is, it makes me wonder why people spend their whole lives trying to get there. Why do people try so hard for something that might not be all that great? Or might not exist at all? People just get these pictures from outside sources and assume that's what's true. Even if heaven is a rundown tenement building with overpriced rent.