I Do Not Want to Go to Heaven

People ultimately have faith in order to get into heaven.  Heaven offers eternal life and pleasure.  So why not?  Imagine eating bowls of your favorite ice cream without worries.  As someone who has a sugar intolerance, that sounds wonderful.

But what gives you the most pleasure?  For me it is crossing the finish line after struggling to get there.  Maybe it's reading a thousand page book (wow, did I really just read that).  Or finishing a 5 K (those daily runs paid off).  Or going on vacation (after months of saving, working, and planning).

So for me, and I assume most, the best pleasures come after months of delayed gratification.  So if that is true, then heaven would be filled with work, sacrifice, and suffering.  That's why we invented purgatory and stories of angels trying desperately to save the downtrodden - because we instictively we know it's true that pleasure equals work and heaven has the ultimate pleasure.

Why do we ever get off the couch on earth when we can play video games, watch movies, and eat until we can eat no more?  Because that is not the ultimate pleasure.  And listening to angels play their harps in heaven for all eternity isn't the culmination of pleasure either.

So I do not want to have a heaven of nothing I have to work for ...

Why I Skip Church

My family wants me to go to church, especially on Christmas.  They say it is the least I can do to show respect for God.

But I do not want to worship a God that is so insecure that he needs me to go to church to honor him. I do not want to worship a god that is so insure that I needs to kneel in front of him.  I do not want to worship  God that is so insecure that he needs constant affirmation about how grand and wonderous he is whether it is a prayer or attending church.

My mom used to beg me to go for the children, but that seems hypocritical to me.  How can I bring my children to church if I do not believe in it?

My mom has gotten too old to make those demands anymore. I wish she could get better, but I won't pray for it.  It's impossible - part of God's plan, as they say.