Problems with Heaven, Paradise and Nirvana

1. Free Will in Heaven & the Problem Of Evil Part One: If God's will for us to have free will is the reason that evil exists, then why does it seem that no-one in Heaven can choose evil, but they still have free will? The existence of free will in heaven contradicts the idea that evil was created so that we would have free will. Either that, or there is no free will in heaven. If God is immoral for creating evil, I do not want to go to heaven. Also I don't want to go there if there is no free will!

2. If babies go to Heaven, what is the point of life's suffering? If babies go to Heaven despite not suffering the trials of life, why is suffering in life necessary for the rest of us? If God exists and has the capability of sending babies to Heaven despite the fact that they have no religion or belief, why doesn't God send everyone to heaven immediately, and therefore end all suffering? God must be an immoral sadist, or, heaven doesn't exist.

3. Free Will in Heaven & the Problem Of Evil Part Two: If there was an omnibenevolent god with free will existing in heaven, then, all people should automatically be in heaven too. That this isn't the case means that either god cannot do it (is not all-powerful) or doesn't want to (is not perfectly loving), or simply doesn't exist.

There is No Afterlife

Many religions have a concept of a blissful after life, or a blissful release from the cycles of life. My belief is that there is no afterlife.

"There is no heaven of glory bright, and no hell where sinners roast. Here and now is our day of torment! Here and now is our day of joy! Here and now is our opportunity! Choose ye this day, this hour, for no redeemer liveth!"

The Satanic Bible: The Book of Satan IV:2

"While Plutarch, Plato and gnostic texts describe this life a prison, Satanists' consider it a party! I may be a biased person to say so, but I think the Satanists' have got something right if they don't want release from this life! "

"A Satanic Union of Eidolon and Daemon" by Vexen 2003 Mar 19

Heaven, Hell and Purgatory

What a breathe of fresh air it would be to then revert to pagan beliefs in free will and the afterlife! Socrates, four hundred years before Christianity was even born, thought up a much more moral way for the universe to run: "the good go to heaven, the bad to hell, the intermediate to purgatory" [Russel 1946, p155]. It is so much more moral that those who behave well go to heaven, than the Christian doctrines of baptism, original sin and predestination. It is no wonder that such pagan ideas found themselves accepted by most Christians. It's just lucky that they don't know they're pagan in origin!

But pagan or not, beliefs in heaven, hell and purgatory, along with other beliefs in the afterlife, simply appear to be misguided cases of wishful thinking.