Your Question: Several prominent religions teach about the existence of heaven and hell. What is your view on the basis of your learning of your favorite book of life guidance, the Urantia Book? What happens to humans after death?
My Answer: Before reading what I have to say about your question, I would suggest that you have a look on the answer that I had given some time ago sharing my thoughts on doubts that people may have about the existence of God.
Now coming back to your question. You wanted to know my thoughts about the existence of heaven and hell. You also wanted to know what happens to humans after death. I am glad that you wanted to know about these on the basis of my learning of the Urantia Book. Since you had shown some inclination to know about this book, I would also suggest that you take your own time to read my blog articles based on the Urantia Book.
Belief in some kind of existence after death is one of the common characteristics of all religions. Many believe in the existence of heaven and hell, though they may not be so sure about those. Adding to the confusion is the modern day science which reject all such spiritualistic postulates! Yet it gives some consolation to simple humans to believe in the existence of heaven-the post mortal abode of good people and hell-the post mortal torture place for all bad people and sinners!
The idea is more or less the same in all religions, though they may differ widely in finer details. Heaven is the seat of God while hell is the seat of Satan or Devil or the Yama.
While the concept is much simple in religions like Christianity or Islam, the concept becomes a bit complex in religions like Hinduism. Certain other religions like Judaism or Buddhism do not support the concept of heaven and hell as some futuristic abode for human souls after death, though they recognize their existence as the abodes of the immortal non-humans.
Hinduism teaches about countless rebirths for all bad people before their souls get finally purified for ultimate dissolution with the Supreme Soul who is the source of all life.
While Christians and Muslims believe in life after death with the human personality survival for a better everlasting life in the heavens for all the good people and for an everlasting punishment for all the bad people, the Hindus do not believe in personality survival. For Christians, merely being good does not necessarily ensure an everlasting life in heaven; they also need to accept Jesus Christ as their savior and redeemer for ensuring their passage to the heaven.
The Muslim teachings are apparently the best in this context. All those who are real Muslims (slaves of God) who follow all the religious commandments strictly reach heaven after death for an everlasting life full of merry and happiness with the angels doing all kinds of assistance for that life full of pleasures and joys! On the contrary, those who lived the other way on earth will be judged for everlasting punishment in the hell of fire and torment.
All these teachings may appear as okay for the simple kind of peoples who do not have the mind strength to question any kind of authority. They are content with what they are taught. It would be very difficult for them to think differently from what had been imprinted in their minds from childhood by authoritarian parents and religious elders.
But for the intellectually keen people who cannot digest apparent falsehoods or thoughts that do not align with their logical minds, there could be some problem. Either they get confused or they simply run away from the religions and the spiritualists. They prefer to channelize their mental energies in other kinds of pursuits! At the fag ends of their human life, they fall in line with the religious thoughts and practices of their ancestors as it is the simplest and safest thing that they can do then! Yet some others though active in their minds with their own convictions and findings, prefer to be silent on these matters as they do not wish to antagonize their lesser evolved fellows around them!
I know, I have not yet answered your question directly. I would try to do it as simple as possible now. Let me confess one thing. All our religions have some truths in them. But they have enough untruths as well. Certain kinds of clever untruths are difficult to be separated and discarded by human logic alone! And that applies to what I say too. In other words, when I say some teachings in some religion as untrue, the other side can easily retaliate with the same argument!
It is really tough. But for those who are guided by the invisible divine guidance, it may not be always difficult.
The Urantia Book teachings are very elaborate. Let me try to put it as simple as possible.
The will of the Supreme God is behind the creation of all in this universe including human beings of earth. But human creation is not by any direct act of God. The human creation is by an indirect act which may be considered as a process of divinely administered and controlled evolution. The human creation on earth (or for that matter in any other planets in the universe) is not an accident, but it is with some divine plan and purpose.
The material body mechanisms of humans got developed by the controlled evolutionary process. Micro-organisms, plants animals got in to existence prior to humans. A single-celled bacteria could be termed as the original ancestor of all humans! This explanation is in line with modern scientific conclusions. The only difference here is that our scientists are not-so-willing to agree to the process of the divine control in evolution, though many of them privately agree to that concept now.
While the human creation is through the divinely controlled evolution, it is important to understand that this is not the only process by which life is created by the agencies of God in accordance with the divine mandates!
While the human creation is through the divinely controlled evolution, it is important to understand that this is not the only process by which life is created by the agencies of God in accordance with the divine mandates!
Humans are advanced kinds of animals and the principal difference is that they have an advanced brain that is capable of embedding certain divine thought mechanism within it. The human brain mechanism also has the capability to respond to certain universal communication channels in a vague manner. The most important difference of the human mind residing in the human brain, as compared to its animal cousins, is its ability to recognize the existence of its creator! Yes, human mind has an inbuilt mechanism that draws all humans of sound mental health, towards God.
At the same time, human mind is not created with any slavish submission to its creator. Human mind is divinely mandated as free-willed. Humans are capable of rejecting or accepting divine guidance!
Human body is not immortal. Inherently, humans and all material living beings are mortals. In other words, they are with material bodies that has an end. Its life span is limited. Every human has a unique personality and this personality is both inherent and acquired. Personality has several characteristics. Both personality and life are unique gifts from God-the supreme source of everything.
Human personality can potentially survive material death under certain conditions. Thus all human personalities do not survive after their death. Plants and animals have certain limited functions on earth. Those humans who do not survive death are also similar in nature.
Human mind becomes immortal soul with a unique personality when the human mind fully fuses with the god-fragment that resides within the human mind as a separate entity. This god-fragment is that enables the human personality to survive death and live again in another phase of existence. But the fusion of human mind and the god-fragment within can happen only when the human mind is decisively oriented towards God's will.
Whether a human being is potentially a survival candidate is not determined by the individual concerned. It is a function of certain universal agencies of God. A human mind with potential fusion capability with its god-fragment need not get aligned for fusion very easily. This process might take much time and might undergo several mind polishing processes. Such minds may be allowed to take re-births in different bodies till the mind polishing is complete.
Thus re-births are a fact. But all humans do not undergo re-births. Again, re-births for a man or woman on earth would not be on earth again. It would be in another planet or planets far away in the cosmos. Such a planet is a kind of heaven because these kinds of dwelling places are not evolutionary planets like earth. They are specially made planets for polishing and upgrading humans of survival potential after their initial material life and death on earth.
Even while having their new lives in those heavenly planets of marvelous creative beauty, some human minds may refuse to align with God's will which prevent their personality fusion with the god-fragment. In this case they may not face with death again, but face another situation. They fail to progress to higher levels of perfection and universal adventure. They remain where they are. Eventually, it might be like prisons for them. Such places of detention in the universe are the so-called 'hells'.
Aligning with God's will and surviving physical death for advancement in the universe career of everlasting life and adventure is not much difficult provided humans are sincerely willing reject evil ways of living and adopt life that is essentially in accordance with divine mandates.
Divine way of living essentially means a sincere desire to be god-like by enhancing godly qualities of love, compassion, honesty, creativity, patience, humility and above all with a desire to love the invisible Supreme God of all creations as a parent. A perpetual and willful rejection amounts to an evil way of living!
Fusion with the Universal Soul (Param Atman) and going beyond consciousness for achieving what is known as ' Moksha' or salvation is an erroneous concept. If that could have been the desire of God, there was no point for Him to create intelligent humans! Essentially, by creating humans through the process of controlled evolution, God has been attempting a unique creative method to develop extremely useful beings for universe administration. That is the creation of time-tested experiential beings who are required for certain kinds of universe administration.
Humans on earth and similar earth like planets elsewhere in the universe are essentially immortal beings under the process of creation! When their creative development go wrong, they cease to exist or their further development is curtailed. Otherwise they develop fully to become time tested immortal beings of remarkable utility for God.
I hope you now understand what happens after death to some extent. I also hope you could better appreciate the teachings of our existing religions as well.
At the same time, human mind is not created with any slavish submission to its creator. Human mind is divinely mandated as free-willed. Humans are capable of rejecting or accepting divine guidance!
Human body is not immortal. Inherently, humans and all material living beings are mortals. In other words, they are with material bodies that has an end. Its life span is limited. Every human has a unique personality and this personality is both inherent and acquired. Personality has several characteristics. Both personality and life are unique gifts from God-the supreme source of everything.
Human personality can potentially survive material death under certain conditions. Thus all human personalities do not survive after their death. Plants and animals have certain limited functions on earth. Those humans who do not survive death are also similar in nature.
Human mind becomes immortal soul with a unique personality when the human mind fully fuses with the god-fragment that resides within the human mind as a separate entity. This god-fragment is that enables the human personality to survive death and live again in another phase of existence. But the fusion of human mind and the god-fragment within can happen only when the human mind is decisively oriented towards God's will.
Whether a human being is potentially a survival candidate is not determined by the individual concerned. It is a function of certain universal agencies of God. A human mind with potential fusion capability with its god-fragment need not get aligned for fusion very easily. This process might take much time and might undergo several mind polishing processes. Such minds may be allowed to take re-births in different bodies till the mind polishing is complete.
Thus re-births are a fact. But all humans do not undergo re-births. Again, re-births for a man or woman on earth would not be on earth again. It would be in another planet or planets far away in the cosmos. Such a planet is a kind of heaven because these kinds of dwelling places are not evolutionary planets like earth. They are specially made planets for polishing and upgrading humans of survival potential after their initial material life and death on earth.
Even while having their new lives in those heavenly planets of marvelous creative beauty, some human minds may refuse to align with God's will which prevent their personality fusion with the god-fragment. In this case they may not face with death again, but face another situation. They fail to progress to higher levels of perfection and universal adventure. They remain where they are. Eventually, it might be like prisons for them. Such places of detention in the universe are the so-called 'hells'.
Aligning with God's will and surviving physical death for advancement in the universe career of everlasting life and adventure is not much difficult provided humans are sincerely willing reject evil ways of living and adopt life that is essentially in accordance with divine mandates.
Divine way of living essentially means a sincere desire to be god-like by enhancing godly qualities of love, compassion, honesty, creativity, patience, humility and above all with a desire to love the invisible Supreme God of all creations as a parent. A perpetual and willful rejection amounts to an evil way of living!
Fusion with the Universal Soul (Param Atman) and going beyond consciousness for achieving what is known as ' Moksha' or salvation is an erroneous concept. If that could have been the desire of God, there was no point for Him to create intelligent humans! Essentially, by creating humans through the process of controlled evolution, God has been attempting a unique creative method to develop extremely useful beings for universe administration. That is the creation of time-tested experiential beings who are required for certain kinds of universe administration.
Humans on earth and similar earth like planets elsewhere in the universe are essentially immortal beings under the process of creation! When their creative development go wrong, they cease to exist or their further development is curtailed. Otherwise they develop fully to become time tested immortal beings of remarkable utility for God.
I hope you now understand what happens after death to some extent. I also hope you could better appreciate the teachings of our existing religions as well.
[This blog is the 500th blog article of this blog site!]
