On God Part XV- Will There Be Free Will in Heaven?

Okay. This question is really fascinating to me for a number of reasons but to really get in on the fun we have to jump inside the Christian bubble and essentially believe everything your standard Christian believes. In other words, it’s not much fun to answer this question with “Of course there won’t be free will in Heaven because God isn’t real and Heaven is not a real thing either hello darkness my old friend, etc.”

To get the most out of this thought experiment we’re pretending that a) God is for sure real and b) Heaven is for sure real and c) the whole Christian story is more or less real. Let’s begin.

Will there be free will in Heaven? You may have never entertained this question before. You might just think the answer is ‘of course’ and leave it at that. To me, it’s a fascinating one that causes a paradox of faith, in some regard. Let’s explore some of the ramifications of this question.

Okay. So why does it matter?

Why didn’t God just take away our free will on earth so that we’d all praise him the appropriate amount and make it into Heaven? From my standpoint I’d prefer to have free will compared to not having free will but I’d really super prefer to not spend eternity writhing in agony. If the whole biblical narrative is correct I think I’d be like, “Hey, God. Go ahead and force me to praise you for these few decades on earth if it will help me avoid endless torment later. That’s fine with me.” But God doesn’t want this because he wants us to “CHOOSE” to praise and love him, not be forced.

I’ve heard it argued that free will is an important part of the way God set everything up because he doesn’t want a bunch of zombie ants praising him because they’re forced to.

free will

He wants real humans praising him of their own volition (lest he cast them into eternal damnation, but that’s getting sidetracked).

free will

Irony. Stop. No. moving on.

So it’s important that free will exists because otherwise, God couldn’t be sure that we really love him. Fine. So for argument’s sake, we’ll say free will is indeed a thing that exists on Earth at the present.

Also, Heaven is a thing that exists.

In Heaven, there is no sin, no suffering, no sickness, etc. It’s just a really great time. This also poses no problem. Moving on, nothing to see here.

Except! No sin in Heaven would mean there’s no free will. Disagree? How can we have free will in Heaven but NOT have the ability to sin? If we cannot sin then we don’t have free will. At least that’s how it works on earth…and also logically. If we don’t have free will then we’re back to being a bunch of zombie ants mindlessly praising God. But he doesn’t want that, which is the whole reason we have free will on earth.

It’s a paradox.

One solution to this is that you CAN sin in heaven, but you’ll quickly be kicked out.

Similar to how Satan and his angels got kicked out of Heaven. 

If we go down this line of thought then we quickly realize it won’t take very long before everyone messes up and subsequently gets kicked out of heaven. If heaven really is as tough to get into as the Bible seems to indicate then there will already be far more souls in Hell than Heaven and if Hell is a one-way pit that you can’t escape and Heaven has a constant trap door under your feet then on a long enough timeline we’ll all wind up in Hell anyway.

I imagine almost no Christian is comfortable with the idea that Heaven is a trap door that we’re almost immediately going to get kicked out of.

If with free will each and every person messes up and sins pretty much immediately—which is the whole reason we need Jesus to come as a sacrifice for our sins—then it would make sense that we’d all mess up and sin in Heaven. But Heaven is supposed to be a sinless place. I’m having trouble rationalizing how we can both have free will in Heaven and have it remain a sinless place.

Another option is that Heaven is indeed a sinless place and once you’re in you don’t get kicked out and we just simply don’t have free will once we’re in heaven.

I think almost every Christian would agree with the first two points a) Heaven is a sinless place and b) once you’re in you can’t get kicked out. I’m guessing most Christians would recoil slightly at the idea that there’s no free will in Heaven.

We like the idea of free will because nobody wants to feel like we’re being forced in praising God. The idea that there is no free will in Heaven is problematic because ostensibly it was very important for God to give us free will so that we could choose whether or not to follow him. So, wouldn’t free will also be important to have in Heaven?

We’re only alive for at most 100 years so it seems odd that it’s super important for free will to be within our cognitive ability for those years but then it to not be important for the next 17,000,324,211,543,125,768,343,002 years. I mean, right?

Option Three: We have free will in Heaven… and we’re allowed to finally sin, guilt-free!! WEEE

The only way to get around the whole conundrum is if God finally just lets us be wild filthy monkeys and sin willy-nilly once we make it inside the Pearly Gates. I mean, sin is kind of just this made-up thing anyway so I suppose God could just decide sin itself no longer exists. Finally, we can do whatever we want and it’s no longer considered a sin. Kind of like how God can just do whatever he wants and it’s not a sin because God did it and God doesn’t sin.

Feel like wiping out the entire human race with a flood because they’re doing this thing you made up called ‘sinning’ too much? No problem. Genocide on a global level is not a problem because you’re God and God is without sin.

This does open a new can of worms. Why would God make such a big deal about sinning on earth only to let the whole thing slide once we get into Heaven?

Free Will on Earth

I’m personally more on the Sam Harris train that we don’t actually have free will at all. It seems like we do. It feels like we have it, but we really don’t. Assuming I’m wrong and we do have free will I don’t see a way for the biblical Heaven and Hell narrative to factor it in unless God is a lot looser with who gets in and he’s more okay with people sinning once inside the gates of Heaven.

My personal belief is that if God is real and Heaven is a thing that exists then he is either letting all of us go to Heaven—because Jesus died to cover all of our sins—or he’s kind of a major dick and created a whole planet of people knowing that a good percentage of them were going to writhe in agony for eternity.

If it is the case that God created a bunch of us knowing that a good percentage would writhe in agony for eternity then I’m comfortable in my belief that he’s not a good God. I think if it’s theoretically possible for God to exist in our universe (or outside of it…however you want to picture it is fine) then I think there is no guarantee that the God of our universe is good.

If he’s sending people to Hell, he’s not good. He’s a dick. That being said, I don’t think God is a dick. So, I don’t lose sleep over the idea of free will in Heaven because I think if God is real at all then he’s probably a good guy and a good guy wouldn’t send everyone who doesn’t praise him to hell.

Then again, a good guy wouldn’t care if people praised him. What kind of a narcissist would even want that? I’m really hoping people completely obliterated the intended word of God because if God is anything like we’ve been taught he’s got some serious little man syndrome and could probably have used a brother or sister to play with so he didn’t grow up thinking he was the only thing that mattered.

So what do you think? Is there going to be free will in heaven? If so, can you get kicked out? Is there something about this paradox that I’m missing?

On God Part XIV-Where is Everybody?!

Here’s a horrifying thought experiment. Imagine being God. At first, it would be awesome. You have ultimate power over everything. All of humanity is like a bunch of tiny ants compared to your power. But, how quickly do we get tired of watching a bunch of ants run around? Impressing a bunch of ants with our power wouldn’t be all that much fun either.

“But we are made in God’s image. We aren’t a bunch of ants.”

Okay, fine. Imagine you’re Lebron James and humanity is a bunch of toddlers. How much fun is it running around dunking on everyone when they can’t put up any reasonable resistance? All the toddlers think you’re super cool but kind of who cares what they think? They’re just dumb babies.

There’s nothing really to achieve because you’re all-powerful. You’re also already everywhere, so there’s nowhere to go. There’s no mystery to solve because you already know everything.

I think being God quickly loses its appeal…and then things get terrifying.

God always is and always was. We like to say that to other finite humans as a way to impress each other with how cool God is. Almost like bragging about how much our dad can lift. But imagine being the only conscious thing that exists. You’re it, man, because you haven’t yet gotten around to creating anything else. What a horrific nightmare to find out that you’re this all-powerful being that sits outside of time and space and you’re just there and you can’t leave and you’re all alone.

It looks like this…

You’re God and there is nothing else.

So you just kind of bounce around.

There is no beginning and no end and no one to talk to. It’s literally the stranded-on-a-desert-island thought experiment except you’re stranded alone in the entire universe. The story of God is like a real-life Twilight Zone episode. Where is everybody?!

But it’s worse than that. Much worse.

Not only is God there from beginning to end, but he’s also everywhere all at once. So not only are you just hanging out in the void of the universe but you somehow take up all the space. So, it’s more like being stranded in a box for all of eternity. No matter how big the universe is, you expand to fill that space. 

No one can let you out because there is no one above you. It’s just you. You’re God and you’re stuck in this universe-size box…forever.

No matter how torturous life gets we know we can always just kill ourselves and be done with it. God doesn’t have that option. He’s stuck, alone, in a box, no one to hear his screams.

It really makes you wonder what bully put God into this box. I can’t think of a better way to torture someone than to put them in a box that’s just barely big enough for them and then make them immortal. But, of course, since God is the ultimate authority he wasn’t put inside this box by some bully. This means that bully can’t change his mind and free God. God is just plain stuck.

Did God decide to be God or did he have any say in the matter?

Did God have the free will to decide to be this all-knowing, all-powerful, everlasting being or was it just thrust upon him?

Christians love to argue for the existence of God by saying “Something cannot come from nothing, and since something is clearly here that means something had to have made it.” Bravo. Using that logic we have to admit that God is also something so he had to have come from something. They get over that particular hurdle by saying the adult version of, “God is infinity plus one.” Everything has to come from something, except God. He just always was. In our hast to make God fit all the boxes of being the most kickass deity of all time we’ve created a torture chamber.

Sorry, God. There is no rest, no relief. You just always were. That means if we start from now and work our way backward we’ll never reach the beginning of God’s time being stuck alone in a box-shaped universe. God has been in solitary confinement on steroids for the last infinity years. No wonder he’s got some weird rules.

But that’s all in the past. Now we’re here! So, God doesn’t have to be so lonely. He’s still squished in his universe size box, but at least he has someone to talk to.

being-god

being-god

But now that God has us to hang out with he seems uninterested. He spent a few thousand years whispering into people’s ears about what he wanted us to do…and more importantly what he wanted us not to do…

being-god

but now he’s largely silent.

Anyway. I think being God would be horrifying.

If you enjoyed this brief article here are a few more of my musings on God.

Miracles in the Bible-On God Part XIII– Why I’m not worried about miracles being depicted in the Bible.

Dinosaurs and the Literal Bible-On God Part XII– Why aren’t dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible?

Pascal’s Wager-On God Part VII– Why I think Pascal’s Wager is dumb.

On God Part XIII- Miracles in the Bible

It’s been a while since I’ve published any posts. Sorry. Anyway, here’s a post about God.

People don’t appreciate biblical miracles nearly enough. Living during Bible times must have been a whole lot of fun. Examples include: People lived to be 900 years old, water was frequently walked on and/or turned to wine, and people sometimes got swallowed by a large fish.

It. Was. Wild. Continue reading “On God Part XIII- Miracles in the Bible”

Momento Mori- Remember That You Must Die

A young man was awakened during the night by the feel of covers slipping off his body and the faint draft of cold air. As he opened his eyes he saw a figure standing over him.

“Let’s go,” the figure whispered.

Frightened the young man scrambled to the corner of the bed. “Who are you?! How did you get in here?”

“I am death. And we are now known to each other.”

Perplexed the young man looked around. He must be dreaming. “A lucid dream,” he thought as he willed his body to wake up.

A cold realization came over the young man as he looked down and saw his body lying peacefully, still wrapped under the covers. This was no dream. He was dead. His time was up.

“Please, one more day,” the young man pleaded. “I have been so worried about what might be that and I just need one day to live freely knowing what is to come.”

Death looked down at the young man with pity. “One more day. I will return. Momento Mori. You can die tomorrow.”

With that, the figure was gone. The young man felt his eyes grow heavy as he felt himself slip back beneath the covers.

How will the young man react when he wakes up?

How would you react if you knew your time was up and at the last second you were given just one more day. Would you wake up sad or glad? A mixture of both?

Imagine being the young man and death not giving you that one extra day. How badly would you want to wake up just one more time? If death said you couldn’t have the whole day but you’d be allowed breakfast how much care would you take in tasting your breakfast? How much joy would you get from the most mundane activity if you knew this was your curtain call?

We are all the young man and we have all been given a pardon until tomorrow.

One of the keys to happiness is remembering you will die. I will die. But we are not dead. Not yet. But, there’s always tomorrow. And that is why we should be happy.

View life from the perspective that it must come to an end and we’re all living on borrowed time. Momento Mori, one day you must die. And that’s what makes life so beautiful.

Each night when you go to bed, think to yourself “That was life. But now it’s over.” And when you wake up the next day be happy that you’ve been given a one-day reprieve. Momento Mori.

If you enjoyed this article please share it with your friends and enemies. We’ll both be dead relatively soon. The least you could do is share my article.

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So You’ve Failed Miserably at Your New Year’s Resolution

Well, it’s January 3rd. Millions of people woke up today to the cold realization their New Year’s resolutions are toast. We had a good run, but after nearly 48 hours it’s time to officially tap out. It’s clear you won’t be waking up at 5 am in order to practice your Spanish while doing yoga and meditating. Now what? Continue reading “So You’ve Failed Miserably at Your New Year’s Resolution”

The Obstacle is the Way- Happy New Year!

Obstacle

 “The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”- Marcus Aurelius Meditations Book 5.20

Despite Satan’s best effort the year of our Lord 2020 is officially over. As we go into the new year I’m thinking of one of my favorite teachings of Stoicism— the obstacle is the way. Continue reading “The Obstacle is the Way- Happy New Year!”

Make One Thing Stick

stick

There are few bloggers who I consistently read. One of them is David Cain of Raptitude. He doesn’t post on a particular schedule that I’ve noticed but all of his posts are impactful if don’t rush through them. His writing will often sit in my inbox unopened for several days, weeks even. I’ve learned if I read one of his posts before I’m ready it won’t stick. But if I wait until I’m ready I always come away with something to think about.

Continue reading “Make One Thing Stick”

Multitasking is Sometimes Necessary But Usually It’s Just Awful

I’m in a continual battle to be in the present moment. In reflecting on what is and is not working I’ve noticed a pretty stark pattern: Multitasking nearly always takes me out of the present moment and makes my experience less enjoyable. Continue reading “Multitasking is Sometimes Necessary But Usually It’s Just Awful”

The Beauty of Boredom

My grandpa operates on a different level. He’s content in any situation and I’ve never seen him stressed out. Without ever specifically practicing mindfulness he’s a master. There are many life lessons I’ve learned from my time living with my grandpa that I hope to share. Today’s lesson is on boredom.

The Beauty of Boredom

He’s conquered boredom. Not conquered in that he has successfully kept himself busy enough to avoid boredom. I mean he’s conquered boredom itself. It’s not uncommon for me to come upstairs and see him just sitting in his rocking chair. Maybe he’s drinking coffee, or eating a Taquito. Usually, he’s just sitting.

He’s like a relic. A throwback to an era before we became distracted by the modern world and the allure that all the gadgets provide. I’ll ask if he wants me to turn on the TV.

“Nope. I’m alright.”

“Are you bored?” I ask.

“No, I’m just sitting.”

He doesn’t have a smartphone and doesn’t use social media. He doesn’t need to be doing anything in order to fill a void or keep negative thoughts from entering his mind. He’s content to just sit and be.

We live in a society where we’re always trying to do more, see more, live more, connect more. The net effect is we end up feeling frazzled and disconnected.

Watching my grandpa is a daily reminder to slow down and relax.

I think we’d all be happier if we spent a little time becoming friends with boredom. Instead of something to fear, boredom is a chance to unwind. It’s a chance to practice being content with ourselves, no outside stimulus needed.

If you can be content doing nothing, you can be content doing anything.

Who’s up for an experiment?

Ask yourself how you’re feeling right now in order to get a baseline.

Set the timer on your phone for five minutes. Next, set your phone down and just sit. Don’t watch TV, don’t look at your computer, don’t reach for your phone. Take five minutes and become friends with boredom.

I’m guessing most readers will feel they simply don’t have time for this experiment. There’s too much to do to purposefully welcome boredom. So they’ll rush off to their next task, the next article, the next nugget of wisdom.

We’d rather skim five articles than fully internalize one article. Maybe all you need to learn today is how to sit and do nothing. Maybe that feeling of not having time is exactly why this is an important experiment.

After the five minutes have finished ask yourself how you’re feeling. Did the five minutes of boredom help or hurt your overall well-being?

I’ve been doing this for the last several days. It’s become one of my favorite routines. No expectations, nothing that I should be doing instead. My task is to sit quietly and just be.

Ready? Go.

If you enjoyed this article please share it with your friends and enemies.

Manually Overriding Your Emotional Toggle

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Start Your New Year’s Resolutions Today

Manually Overriding Your Emotional Toggle

What if you could step back from your emotions and do a manual override? You’d essentially be able to choose to have a better attitude, to experience life through a calmer lens. How would that enhance your life?

I try my best to be mindful. Despite my desires to have more presence and patience I’m often ashamed at how easily I find myself thrown into a negative spiral.

The issue isn’t experiencing momentary feelings of negativity, the issue is remaining there.

Recently I’ve started a new visualization when I notice I’m upset. I imagine stepping back from myself and manually flipping my emotion toggle from negative to positive.

It looks like this…

toggle

toggle

toggle

Cute, huh?

This quick visualization does a couple of things for me. First, it reminds me that I have some control over the way I’m feeling. Our emotions happen on autopilot. But, much like a self-driving car, we can override the computer and take control. I can choose to be happy even if some outside stimulus is threatening to ransack my pleasant emotional state.

The second thing this visualization does for me is it gives me permission to let go and reset. When I try to convince myself to not let something bother me there’s always a voice somewhere in my head saying “But you were WRONGED!” and it’s almost like I’m letting myself down if I don’t remain angry.

When I continue down the path of being upset it negatively colors whatever period of time that feeling is there. If I have a bad interaction with someone on Twitter I can find myself being irritated at completely unrelated things. It’s not until that feeling dissipates that I can go back and analyze what went wrong.

Stepping back from myself and manually flipping the toggle back to positive has been a surprisingly effective shortcut.

When you start to feel yourself experiencing negative emotions try this exercise. Imagine stepping outside of yourself and manually flipping your emotional toggle from negative to positive.

This isn’t meant to convince you to be fake or not acknowledge that bad things are happening. Rather it’s the acknowledgment that bad and good things are continually happening all around us. Where we choose to keep our focus largely determines how we’ll experience the day. Give yourself permission to let go and reset your emotional toggle whenever the need arises.

If you enjoyed this article please share it with your friends and enemies

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