Death and Dying: Eternity Vs. __________

So here is something I have been struggling with. I am a Christian, babtised at age 9 and go to church every once in a while. Mainly I believe that Christ is my savior and my one way ticket into heaven.
Where I begin to struggle in my head is the thought of dying and going to heaven\hell for eternity.... I mean eterinity is a damned long time. (I know this isnt' a conspiracy, but it has to do with religion so hopefully it will remain open so i can get some responce from others of you out there). Obviously, hell isnt' the place i want to hang my hat for the next infinity years.... but do i really want to stay in heaven FOREVER???? I struggle in my head, what if everything i have known about religion in general was all just what many people on here say it is, a made up source of info to controll the masses, and I die, and i become ...... nothing. Do i want to become nothing, and never feel again, never think again, never BE again??? or do i want to float around on streets of gold in heaven and sing praises to the king?? FOREVER??? i guess you could say i have a complex, because when i begin to think like this, i find it hard to breath, and it litterally Scares the crap out of me.
So what do others think\feel about this? Would you rather just die and be nothing, or would you rather spend an eternity on the "other side" what ever it be??

There is no "other side" but many of us have no problem with Eternity.

It is impossible for a conscious being to contemplate nothingness, but even where nothingness is, there is Eternity.

IamIronMan, I have thought about this many times. The thought can be quite disturbing. But then I think, 100 years is a long time to live on Earth. Heck, even 60 years is quite a long time.

I think as people grow older, the fear of death usually goes away; or, we just become more comfortable with it (sometimes the fear may never go away). Personally, over the years, I have become more comfortable with the idea of death. I've had enough experiences in my 2 decades to last a lifetime.

Now, what happens when you die? Thats the biggest question of all. We just don't know, until it happens to us.

Is Heaven real? I think it is a human construct more than anything else. It was created to make us feel more comfortable with the idea of death. The religions behind the ideas of heaven (as well as hell) were created as a controlling mechanism (in my eyes).

My best advice is this: if you must think about it, think, but don't go bonkers over it. A person's death happens when it happens. If you want to change your ideologies a little, look into reincarnation. Its still another belief, but I think it is more sound than the idea that we only live in this life once.

All you need to do in this life is the best you can do, so when you're on your death bed, it won't seem like you wasted it; and death won't be as scary. They also say that right before death, the body releases many types of chemicals into the brain so that you go without fear (essentially :-).

If there truly is a heaven and hell, I leave this quote for you: "To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell; Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven." - Milton

You just read as though you are struggling with many things! Is it that you are a Christian and only go to church every once in a while? Is it that you believe Christ is your only ticket into this place *heaven*? Is it death and dying that makes you struggle inside? Is it that you are unsure where you will be spending eternity? Or is it just the meaning behind eternity that makes you struggle?

I'm sure God in heaven would let you venture about if you were stuck there for eternity, or else he'd just keep you very busy with some mundane chore. But remember where there is no time, there is no perception of it either. Here and now there is time, so instead of struggling with what is to become of you, just live and value the time you have with yourself and all those people, places and things that mean so much to you.

From a Christian point of view; "He died so that we may live" not so that we shall worry, struggle and dwell on our darkest hour.
Mags