By Will GreenOne concern that a lot of people who aren't Christian have about the Christian concept of heaven is that you have to be a certain kind of person to go to heaven. That is, you have to fit a certain set of personality traits; you have to conform to whatever personality God says you need to have. And these traits won't necessarily be ones that you see as really being 'you'.
One response to this is that you can divide personality into two areas: personality and character, and that improvements in character never betray who we really are, and God only changes character.
Personality is like whether you are introverted or extroverted, whether you like reading, sports, horror movies, video games, etc. Character is whether you treat other people in the way you would like to be treated, i.e., your tendency to do the right thing.
An example of why this distinction is important comes from this thought experiment: if you are an introvert, you would probably feel like becoming an extrovert would 'betray' who you really are as a person, and if God imposed extroversion on you, it would seem a bit like mental slavery, perhaps. But think about this: does anyone feel that way when it comes to changes in character?
I would contend that everyone always accepts improvements in character as being consistent with who they really are. For example, suppose you had someone who was really rude to staff at restaurants and other places, and then someone is rude to them one day and they feel bad about it, so they decide not to be rude to staff any more. Nowhere in this process, it seems, would they stop and say, "Hang on, being more empathetic and treating people the way I'd like to be treated is not consistent with my true self!" It seems that if someone has realised that they ought to relate to people differently, there would be no sense of betrayal of one's true self.
These examples illustrate how the problem is resolved when you say that God changes us in character, not in personality. So when God changes us it's more like someone suddenly realising they should e.g. work on being more honest and empathetic, rather than deciding to become an introvert or an extrovert (a personality issue). And in heaven (or rather the new heavens and the new earth) we will be different because our characters will be perfect, but our personality will stay the same (if we want it to).
This verse seems a bit relevant, 1 John 4:7: "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."
Recommend
Comments (10)
I was always wondering if you get in with the uniform you desire or the one they give you. Do you go in as the 10 year old childmind, the raring to go 20 year old, the well rounded 40 year old or the wise 80 year old? Does it matter when you die? Obviously if you die at age 7 you cannot go in as a 70 year old but surely if you are 90 and have Alheimers and you go to heaven you wouldn't go like that as you wouldn't remember who you were.
if you aren't christian... why would you be concerned about the christian heaven since it doesn't exist. hmmmm.
I think God made us each with our unique set of characteristics and personality, its what make us individuals. Why would He give us that while on earth only to take it away when we get to Heaven?
I am not saying i am perfect, but I rather like the person God made me to be.. and I would not want to become like everyone else for eternity. Heaven sounds a lot more fun then that.
@tendollar4ways@xanga - I think people with Alzheimer's would have everything restored to before they got Alzheimer's, because that's who they are, and I guess that children who die would grow in maturity in heaven.
@Pcgecko85@xanga - Although I have seen this used as an argument against becoming a Christian.
Scripture's quite clear that Heaven demands perfection. in fact, that's what Heaven is: perfect union with God. it's not that far to the next step to think that everything that's broken in this life, what was originally created for GOOD, won't be gotten rid of because it's been perverted in some way in order to keep what's left of the good, but that it will be redeemed and restored, including our own bodies.
the tough part is that each of us has our own idea of what perfection is...and how to get there...
Honestly, I think christians lose themselves long before they go to heaven. The bible is very vague on the types of things that christians may enjoy in terms of entertainment, there are a lot of pastors who will happily fill in the blanks.
Example: For over two years I was a member in a fundamentalist church, and our pastor was extremely open about telling me what was wrong with me and my life. I had to obey my christian husband (who was verbally and sexually abusive, but had headship over me, so tough), and submit to him in everything - yet it was my fault if he didn't show up for church and my responsibility to try coaxing him out the door (wth?!). The books I liked were wrong, read something else. The movies I liked were wrong, watch something else. The music I listened to was wrong, listen to something else. TV was bad unless all you watched was christian themed tv shows or an all-christian network (my grandmother does that all day and I don't know how she stands it - variety is not our enemy!). I wanted to become a writer and was told not to do it because 'scary stories' aren't of god. When I was thinking about going to school to become a paralegal, one of my christian relatives (who also attended the same church), told me it was a bad idea because I'd be making more money than my husband, which, to the fundy, is definitely a bad thing. Also, other denominations of christianity were regularly maligned (mainly catholicism, which is really the only type of christianity I was ever comfortable with), rather than being seen as the brothers and sisters I thought they were.
The things I went through at that church were just part of a long list of things that turned me off to the faith entirely. If everything about me was so wrong my pastor felt compelled to change it, how the hell was I ever going to be good enough for god? His representative on earth had already done all he could to let me know I wasn't. I took a few years off from religion entirely then started exploring other religions, being sure to stay as far as possible from anything even remotely christian.
So, too late to make a long story short, christians don't have to worry about losing themselves when they get to heaven. They'll be forced to change everything about who they are eons before their death. Unless one happens to be an abusive christian man. Apparently you get to keep that. But those books, movies, music and non-church-centered things you love to do have to go.
Interesting post. Being an introvert, I wonder about things like whether I'll suddenly become bubbly and extroverted and a huge people-person (slash angel-person) in heaven. And then there's that issue, just like you said...would I be "losing" myself in any way? All we can rest and take hope in is that all tears and pain will be wiped away and that we will all be more than content with our Creator and Savior for all eternity.
@ZombieMom_Speaks@xanga - That's fundamentally at odds with my experience of Christianity, which has been evangelical but not 'fundy' I suppose in that sense. I don't feel my freedom is restricted, and if I did, then that would indicate that what I'm doing has no reasons behind it. Remember, if it's not in the Bible, we are told not to say 'God commands this' or 'God commands that':
1 Co 4:6: "Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for
your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying,
"Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not take pride in one
man over against another."
Regarding things like drinking and watching TV we are told that it depends on how you feel in your own conscience and what's right for one person isn't necessarily right for another. Perhaps I can watch Family Guy and American Dad without an issue, but someone else might have an issue because they will start making those sorts of jokes in public, etc. I believe this is what Paul was talking about in 1 Corinthians 8.
The other thing is that you don't have to do anything to be good enough for God. It says in Eph 2:1 that when we are saved we are 'dead in trespasses and sins' at the moment of salvation, which means that before someone is saved they are spiritually dead. Afterwards God will change their desires slowly to be more loving (according to 1 John, love is absolutely essential to being a Christian). The idea they can abuse God's grace and sin freely is a theoretical problem and not a practical one, because practically God has changed their desires.
@ZombieMom_Speaks@xanga -
My family and I went to a church sorta like that when I was little. It was dogmatic. You can't always trust and rely on what other people tell you, but you can trust Jesus and rely on Him. People can lead you astray and we make mistakes and mess up. We do wrong things, but that is why we need Jesus. Jesus never abused people or forced people to do things,we have a choice. His love is so great that He came down from Heaven to show us the way, to save us so that we no longer had to live by the old testament rules, but rely on Him in our imperfections and follow Him. The Holy Spirit helps believers understand the Bible and guides us.
"love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
1 corinthians 12 4-7
C: