Why famous (and "powerful") people may have difficulties, in Heaven.

[several gratuitous pics of famous people - omitted here]

Go ahead, use your imagination, but don't judge too harshly now, it might bite you before we're though since this is about their difficulties in heaven, something that could just as easily apply to anyone, especially if you happen to be a bit of an attention whore or glory seeker yourself, and who isn't at some level from time to time since we all want approval and to be recognized in our heart of hearts whether we admit it or profess to the contrary or not it's a fundamental human desire or need.

To fully understand the premise and basis of the OP Title Statement - "Why famous (and "powerful") people may have difficulties, in Heaven." - You will have to read the following two pieces of writing (below), although I will try to nutshell it for you if I can, but you won't really and truly understand what I really mean, fully and completely, and thus won't be able to access the full weight of the potential for great and immense humor - unless you do take the time to read the "Sermon" or presentation by C.S. Lewis called "The Weight of Glory", and then the relatively short story "The Great Divorce".

NewAgeMan

The Weight of Glory, by C.S. Lewis (as ATS Topic, by NAM aka Bob)

The Weight of Glory - pdf (free!)

NewAgeMan

This story is a great and utterly hilarious allegory, about a bus trip "vacation" from hell to heaven, with wonderful insights. It's a very enjoyable and extremely humorous, if not gravely humorous, read. I hope you like it as much as I did.

The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis - Amazon

Free Download!

readanybooks.net...

Ok, in a nutshell...where to begin. (you've really got to read the suggested material to "get it")

The future "glory" we are promised in the hereafter is based on the idea of that of acceptance and recognition, or "fame with God" in being known, as we will come to know.

Thus, if one was used to having lots of attention (or "power") as part of their makeup or personality then they might become an attention whore and a glory seeker (or power mongerer) so when they get to heaven and they find that the glory is evenly distributed, to everyone, by the work of Christ and the love of God - why,then, some among them might have some serious questions when they reach heaven or the pearly gates or whatever you want to call it, along with a real dilemma - you can imagine how it might go...

...I hereby invite some of you to consider a certain famous or powerful person, and from their POV, pose some serious questions to your heavenly representative, or greeter, who's been sent to you to orient you and try to welcome you, into Heaven - and you'll see what I mean, especially if you accept the reading assignment.

Feel free to pose the questions from you famous person's "avatar" POV, but only answer from the POV of the heavenly representative/guide, if you've completely the reading assignment, that works. And having done the reading already I will try to refrain from playing everyone's guide until you also grok with me, to leave the fun for other people as to how you would try to help this famous person on earth (was) adapt to the new reality, which also just so happens to be the REAL one.

Barack Obama, Barry, if you read ATS, you are welcome to participate as well.

It's better this way, so that you can discover what is really meant by the title, than for me to try to spell it out for you, and hey we'll see how it goes.. can always make another post to clarify a little more if needed, regarding the kind of "difficulties" and dilemmas a famous or powerful person might have on reaching heaven, in terms of you know fitting into the new society, which is perhaps even larger than this one we now inhabit, just very very different in so many ways as C.S. Lewis so artfully and craftilly reveals in his Short Story "The Great Divorce".


Later, as the thread progresses, I would like to tell you a great joke, about fame, power, and the whole entire "world system", as it relates to this issue and phenomenon of "glory". It might surprise you.

One more thing - important note: As Lewis suggests at the end of "The Weight of Glory" it is essential that we take EVERYONE much more seriously in order to enjoy "true merriment" so this thread is NOT about just holding up parodies of people to ridicule. For this to work as planned we simply MUST therefore take these very people we might have in mind as seriously as we do ourselves and one another, and trust me on this it only make it all the funnier when we do. So again, it's not about just laughing AT people like Lady Gaga, Barack Obama, or God forbid, Justin Bieber or Miley Cirus, no as you'll see if you run through the reading material, that as we ponder the difficulties these people might have in heaven, that we are also considering ourselves at the same time, particularly those among us who might have a propensity for attention or glory seeking or in my own instance a slight case of narcissistic, megalomaniacal, grandiosity - but don't worry under the full "weight of glory" it brings me to tears! LOL

This has at least the potential anyway to be a very fun and perhaps even a hilarious thread, if you'll participate, and I promise to keep my own vainglorious showboating out of it and try to avoid killing my own thread as a result, because that kind of thing doesn't tend to go over very well, whether here on earth or, presumably, in heaven above!


Best Regards,

NAM, aka Bob (in all humility).

reply to post by NewAgeMan


No the rich and/or famous are not going to give you once ounch of their time or money in this world or next, but nice try

reply to post by AthlonSavage


I'm not trying to extort them!

Everybody will have difficulty entering something that doesnt exist!

Hell and Heaven are what you experience whilst in life which is good things and bad things. And when you die then you are no longer able to experience either or anything else! Finito!! No more worries, no more pain, no more abuse, no more BS, no more orgasms, no more fun, no more BS!

Isn't Greed one of the 7 deadly sins? Not that I entertain the idea of heaven's existence, but wouldn't most insanely rich folk, aside from those who inherited their wealth, end up in hell, as opposed to heaven? Trampling bodies on the treadmill should not sit well when it comes to judgment.

reply to post by RP2SticksOfDynamite


Unless of course we really do have an immortal soul and are more than just meatbags..

I think people who've had NDE's, some of which lasted quite a long time, might disagree with you.

It's another interesting type of wishful thinking though, but how can you be so absolutely sure of yourself about the hereafter and the timeless?

Then again I know that materialist-monism (matter alone is primary) runs rampant and is considered "scientific", but maybe, just maybe there's more going on under or over the apparent surface of things than meets the eye..

But for the sake of argument and the premise of this thread I guess I'm saying "let's pretend" as a type of thought experiment.

It may even be that famous and powerful and super rich people believe precisely as you do, that there is nothing else, and count on that "fact" but - what if they, and you, are mistaken..?

DestroyDestroyDestroy
Isn't Greed one of the 7 deadly sins? Not that I entertain the idea of heaven's existence, but wouldn't most insanely rich folk, aside from those who inherited their wealth, end up in hell, as opposed to heaven? Trampling bodies on the treadmill should not sit well when it comes to judgment.

"It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than it is a rich man (person of attachment to material riches) to enter the kingdom of God."
~ J.C.

So it's not easy, but it's not impossible either!

Ted Turner wants to go to heaven

At the end of the CNN article it's suggested that while he can't buy his way in that he nevertheless will have earned his way in by his accumulated good deeds.

He's been at enmity with Christianity most of his life, so he might have a hard time with the idea that the means by which he can get to go to heaven will be as a result of the work of another and nothing that he himself has accomplished, so one can imagine him petitioning his greeter with a very impressive resume.

Now that's he's turning 75 and slowing down somewhat, perhaps he might have the time to read some C.S. Lewis..?

It's good though that perhaps some among the super-rich and "powerful" are beginning to contemplate their salvation while there's still time.

Oh God it's so funny, YOU'RE so funny.