From: baseball@catch-the-fever.scd.ucar.edu (Gregg Walters)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: bored.....
Date: 19 Nov 92 07:18:04 GMT
Organization: Scientific Computing Divison/NCAR Boulder, CO

In article: 16726 of soc.religion.christian,
phys224@cantva.canterbury.ac.nz (stephen botha) wrote >>

>> if we lived in eternity, we would do everything,say everything,and think
>> everything infinitely many times.How could we not be bored? Lets face it,
>> whoever actually invented the idea of heaven forgot about that.

Given the possibility of eternity, it would follow that evolution within
that eternity would forever create new experiences and combinations of
relationships, forever increasing diversity.  Any particular spirit would never
experience the events or relationships that another experiences in another
part of eternity.  Each life experience in this world is unique, and would
be moreso in eternity.

If hell is also eternal, I imagine it to be unchanging - for example no
"stimulus" except something like "Chinese water torture" ... forever.
Or perhaps nothing but the taste of chocolate ... forever.  Or it may be
that the death of those not going to heaven is their final experience -
they will (unknowingly) miss a diversity they can't comprehend or won't
accept.

>> and if that eternity exists outside of time,then so do we;we would be an
>> oil painting for god's amusement.arent'nt we that already?

Yes, but I don't resent it.

>> I mean,he's constantly sending us floods,fire,pain,pestilage etc thoughout
>> time;he must enjoy it,why else would he make us all suffer so much?

Not only do bad things happen to good people, but good things happen more often
to all people, including bad people.  Most of the time the weather is OK, the
rivers peaceful, the fault lines motionless, and our fires just warm our homes
and the food we eat.

Most of our suffering is due to the things we choose to do to each other, even
as we perhaps thanklessly enjoy our blessings.  Only occasionally is our suf-
fering due to disasters.  We prove our worth for an eternal life by the way
that we refrain from hurting each other, and by the way that he help each
other cope with challenges like disasters.  Not everyone that identifies
themselves as Christian truly is.  Those who are true will nevertheless be
found in any of various stages of spiritual growth, wherein their behavior
may still hurt others, but by making amends and learning to refrain, they
will grow.  The price of freedom isn't a bullet in your enemy's head, it is
forgiving, self-restraint and bearing the pain.  Pain passes.  Pleasure passes.
The joy of a growing spirit is in learning how to live with both.  Pleasure
may seem nice, but overindulgence dulls our ability to cope with pain.
Escapism is not coping - it is avoiding.  The mature spirit has learned to
rise above the physical - I do not mean "out-of-body" - I mean to focus on
the discipline of your mind and how well you relate to others, rather than
the control of your possessions.

You can't take your physical possessions into eternity.  Is your spirit
ready for the diversity of eternity?

Few of us choose to be victims of disasters, but our subtlest choices always
carries an unknown degree of responsibility for being in the wrong place at
the wrong time.  The event is not a punishment for the choices.  No one should
take these events as a personal attacks from God.  The joy of life and freedom
is in the variety, although it permits disaster and trouble.  Sameness, even
in the form of uninterrupted goodness, either in this life or in eternity, would
not only be boring, but require an element of control that we would resent.

Again, is your spirit ready for the diversity of eternity?