@hashtaggrammar Hm. Interesting. What do you believe the Christian heaven is?
@MOTT It was always described to me as the place you go and have a good time with your loved ones forever. Like when your spouse dies, it's OK because they're just chilling upstairs waiting for you to arrive to the party. I totally understand why that's a comforting thought to many, but to me...nah.
@hashtaggrammar To me, it is a place where we can be with our Father who loves us and Jesus who died for us forever.
@MOTT It's the "forever" part that gets me. I'd be more into the idea if it was a nice little pit stop, and then you get to be reincarnated. I just like doing new things and experiencing new people all the time. I wouldn't want to just hang out with the same people all the time, even if it was Jesus.
@hashtaggrammar Let's put it this way. You do all those things here right? It will be similar there. Also, heaven is in a sense some sort of "pit stop" as you put it. God is going to make a new heaven and a new earth in which believers will reside (whether it is the same earth but restored, or simply other one is debatable), and there will be many things to explore and do there. Even for "the forever part". What do you personally believe about life and death?
@hashtaggrammar why do you believe that?
@MOTT My atheism is rooted in my desire to be a citizen of the world, not just my white American upbringing. Like other atheists I know, I just can't get over the fact that if I was born in many other places in the world, I'd be brought up with different beliefs. Everything else fell into place from there.
@hashtaggrammar What were you taught growing up?
My Christianity is rooted in my desire to be a citizen of heaven, not just the world.
@MOTT My parents both wanted my brother and me to decide for ourselves. My dad taught me prayer and how to have a relationship with God outside of religion. When I was 13 I questioned all of it, and never looked back.
@hashtaggrammar Interesting. Why did you question it? And why did questioning it lead you to the conclusion that it is wrong?
@MOTT I believe we can't actually be sure about any of it. I actually believe when we die we just cease to exist, but would like to think we get to come back and do it again. I also know the earth will die eventually, but I'm hoping we know how to move to another planet by then.