Will You Still Be A Christian If Heaven and Hell Don't Exist?

Would you still attend Church every weekend, give grace before meals, and pray every night before hitting the hay if you knew that Heaven does not exist? No reward after death, not anything ever.


Would you even be a Christian without the candy at the end of the long winding road? Would you still worship God knowing that His plan was to just erase your existence after death? Would you still obey the dogmas of your priest knowing that Hell could not and never would torment you?


Will you still be a Christian if Heaven and Hell doesn't exist?

I think you may be missing something about Christians, namely the fact that we have actual real life experiences that confirm our faith.
You are way off if you imagine that the Christians who are posting on this forum have not gone through some horrific personal experiences and can only attribute our survival through all that, to the power of God and the Love of Jesus.
Do you think we get our religion from a book?
No, we get it from the very word of God.
It just so happens that the Bible teaches us things and it is good for the soul to meditate on these things.
But, our faith does not come from a book.
I am sorry if you do not understand that.

reply to post by jmdewey60


Whats this have to do with the thread? +_+

reply to post by TheB1ueSoldier


TBS - you are clearly a thinker & I'm assuming you're asking out of genuine interest (-as opposed to wanting to shout down the Christian response). I'll therefore offer a cuple of straight answers.

Firstly, real disciples of Christ are engaged in a daily, nay hourly battle with temptation and disobedience to God. The way is HARD. It involves denying yourself things you are drawn to, even crave, when no-one else is looking and no-one else will ever even find out (as many of the battles take place in the heart and mind) - at least in this life. It requires soberness, self-discipline, self-control and watchfulness. It requires trusting what the Bible says at difficult times. It involves others looking down on you with a pitiful 'the poor guy's deluded', or, sometimes outright hostility against you when you only believe what you do because after careful study and serious heart-searching you've concluded Christ was who he said he was, so you decided to follow his way.

It is far from uncommon for true disciples to lose friends and even family. In some parts of the world you may lose opportunities in life, such as jobs you are well suited for. In some places you may have to live in constant fear of physical abuse, imprisonment and mortal injury. Do not underestimate the commitment a Christian has made. It is the giving of one's very self to the eternal God in utter worship and adoration that he could give up his beloved child for my sake.

(Sorry - I have to pause in a moment's silent reflection.)

Oh, the love of my Father in Heaven!

So there you have it: that is the life of a Christian. Consequently the Apostle Paul expressed what every true disciple feels in answer to your well-posed question: "If Christ is not risen from the dead, we are of all men most to be pitied". If there were no resurrection from the dead we would have battled on and on seemingly endlessly all for what? - Nothing.

What you may not have grasped is that Heaven is not the delight of our soul because it is a place of enjoyment or even joy. It is because it is a place where there is no moral stain or imperfection - even in the heart of those who were once earth-bound. To know that the battle against temptation and rebellion against the Father we love has been won will be inexpressible fulfilment and peace. To live face to face with our Maker with nothing to separate us will be untold satisfaction and wholeness. And we taste it even now in small measure as we read and believe the promises God has given concerning the future. Take away this hope and the Christian faith is meaningless.

Secondly - would a person continue to serve God even if he/she had no reward, and God was apparently even cursing them while they obeyed him/her? If you sincerely wish to discover the answer, please read the Book of Job. The answer to that question is at its very heart. (And, as an interesting aside, it may well be the most ancient of Biblical writings. It apparently dates from thousands of years before Christ, and as such simultaneously constitutes both an insight into ancient wisdom and a study of the human heart that remains relevant to modern man.) The answers are too profound to spell out in brief. Too much would be lost in oversimplification.

You're asking deep questions, the answers to which are necessarily profound. Thanks for the opportunity you've given me to think them through and reflect.

reply to post by pause4thought


Thank you for being more generous than me in your assessment of the motive behind the question.
And thanks for being calm in your answer.
I think you did a good job in restating what I may have meant, in calmer circumstances.
I have to admit I wrote my post in a fit of anger.
That may have not been an appropriate reaction but I could not help feeling that way despite trying to look at it rationally