Theological Problems with Heaven, Paradise and Nirvana

1. The Problem of Evil
   1. Why Would God Create Suffering and Pain?
   2. The Existence of Free Will in Heaven Proves that Free Will Does Not Require Evil and Suffering
   3. Do Unfortunate Unborn Babies Go to Heaven When They Die?
2. If God Exists, It Would Put Everyone in Heaven Immediately
3. Is God Evil?
4. There is No Afterlife
5. Heaven, Hell and Purgatory

1. The Problem of Evil

1.1. Why Would God Create Suffering and Pain?

“If God is all-powerful and all-good, it would have created a universe in the same way it created heaven: with free will for all, no suffering and no evil. But evil and suffering exist. Therefore God does not exist, is not all-powerful or is not benevolent (good). [...] A theodicy is an attempt to explain why a good god would have created evil and suffering.”

"The Problem of Evil: Why Would a Good God Create Suffering?" by Vexen Crabtree (2011)

1.2. The Existence of Free Will in Heaven Proves that Free Will Does Not Require Evil and Suffering

There is no suffering in heaven, and no evil. This is by definition. It is a perfect place. The free will defence of evil states that God created evil because it wanted us to have free will; that free will was more important than anything else. If free will is of such importance that God creates evil in order to allow moral free will, then the beings in Heaven must have free will. Heaven is a place where there is free will, but no evil. This means that free will can exist without the presence of evil and suffering. This means that the free will theodicy is not valid. God could make the Earth and everywhere else the same as heaven, with the same free will but without suffering.

1.3. Do Unfortunate Unborn Babies Go to Heaven When They Die?

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.

2. If God Exists, It Would Put Everyone in Heaven Immediately

If God is good, then it does not want us to suffer. God should immediately put every thing in heaven. It would end all suffering, eliminate all evil, put a stop to all sins. There is no sin in heaven, no transgression, no bad things, etc. If free will is good, then everyone in heaven has free will, but also everyone is happy and nobody does evil. This is because evil doesn't exist in heaven: it's not possible to act badly just the same as it's not possible, on Earth, to sprout wings and fly around at will. If being in heaven is the ultimate good, then God would gladly put everyone in heaven. There is no disadvantage of doing this. If God wants to, it can. Why doesn't God want to put everyone in Heaven? 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 that God simply doesn't exist, or that Heaven doesn't exist.

An objection from a theist by email: God doesn't "force people to do things":

"You are basing your reasoning on a misunderstanding of the nature of a "loving" God. Love does not "force" people to do anything."

My response was: That's a useless excuse. Why doesn't God put everyone in Heaven? It would end all problems. Just stating that it doesn't do it because it doesn't force people to do things is rubbish. It FORCED millions of South East Asians to move from their homes in the aftermath of the Christmas 2004 tsunami, it forces millions of people to have diabetes, genetic disorders, unfortunate diseases, suffer natural disasters... it forces all these bad things on people, why won't God force heaven on everyone too? Is it true that God forces all the sufferings of life on people, despite their "free will", yet won't force happiness on them? What type of God is that?!! Certainly not a God that holds free will in much esteem, nor one that particularly cares about us! It is as if God was actually evil, or simply not there at all!

3. Is God Evil?

“To the present day, all theodicies have failed to explain why a good god would create evil, meaning that the existence of evil is simply incompatible with the existence of a good god. After thousands of years of life-consuming passion, weary theologians have not formulated a new answer to the problem of evil for a long time. The violence of the natural world, disease, the major catastrophes and chaotic destruction seen across the universe and the unsuitability of the vastness of reality for life all indicate that god is not concerned with life, and might actually even be evil. Failure to answer the problem of evil sheds continual doubt on the very foundations of theistic religions.”

"The Problem of Evil: Why Would a Good God Create Suffering?"
Vexen Crabtree (2011)

4. There is No Afterlife

Many religions have a concept of a blissful after life, or a blissful release from the cycles of life. There is actually 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 as 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 dont want release from this life!”

"Satanic Union of Gnostic Eidolon and Daemon using Belial: 4. Conclusions" by Vexen Crabtree (2003)

5. Heaven, Hell and Purgatory

What a breath of fresh air it would be to then revert to pagan beliefs in free will and the afterlife! Socrates, four hundred years before Christianity arose, 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"₁. 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, even though their Bible goes to great lengths to say otherwise. It's just lucky that they don't know the common-sense idea of heaven is 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.