How Far Is Heaven?

[eggwards]

I just want to know, when did religions have to write in the rule that you couldn't run off and kill yourself to get to the grand reward (be it Nirvana, Heaven, etc.) so that the devout in horrible situations, such as extreme poverty, slavery, and serfdom (especially serfdom, it seems like the Catholic church, and later many of the Protestant denominations were built on keeping the serfs in their place with the carrot of having a afterlife worth living in servitude for).

I'm not familiar enough with Bible verses to know what verse tells you not to off yourself less you go to meet the devil, not live in the clouds, and of course in some places there's the misguided thing about killing yourself as a way to get vengeance on others - but there your performing a service - for people to cowardly to do it themselves. Instead heaven must be achieved by most by accident, by someone else's hand, or by natural causes.

Still, if it weren't for the "rule" don't you think there'd be more people trying to get to heaven than there are now?

Comments

[gullinbursti.livejournal.com]

It's not actually explicitly in the Bible; those groups (like the one I grew up in) that teach that suicide is a one-way ticket to hellllllfahr and daayumnation generally come to that conclusion through a deductive process (the one my denomination used is here detailed for your amusement):

1) The moment of death is the Last Chance you had to be saved,

2) If you die unforgiven, you go to hell,

3) "Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven." (Matthew 12:31)

4) Suicide = despair,

5) despair = Not Trusting in God,

6) thus despair = blasphemy against the Spirit,

7) and since you're dead afterwards, it's too late to repent, and it's not automatically forgivable,

8) so poof, prepare for gnashing of teeth and laaaaaakes of FAAAAHR!!


My current denomination is much kinder than that. Thank God.

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

I see. Interesting, still that despair still seems to be overwhelming enough to send many people over the edge, whether they have a relationship with God or not. I wonder if they should give up the scare tactic and try to be better at looking at what the problems these folks really have, individually and societally.