Eternal Life:Life After Death as a

Medical,Philosophical, and

Theological Question

Heaven on Earth?November 30, 2014

Organization Name

Heaven on Earth ?Table ConversationWhat do the words on the Lord’s prayer “that

your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” mean?

What is heaven on earth?

The Enlightenment(1650 – 1850 approx.)A period of time in Europe in which the areas

of science , philosophy, culture, and politics go through a massive change.

The enlightenment completely changed the perception of religion and the universe.

Enlightenment : ScienceCopernicus and Galileo – Proposed the truly

revolutionary heliocentric theory in opposition to the

Geocentric (or Ptolemaic) theory.

Enlightenment: CultureEuropean culture was no longer dominated

by the church.A person’s intellectual life began to develop

independently of the church and increasingly against it.

The Geography of HellPre-Enlightenment belief regarding Hell was

that it must be at the center of the Earth because (according to geocentric theory, perhaps) the center of the Earth is the farthest area removed from God.

Secular Attempts at HeavenKarl Marx: Marx’s critique against the

concept of heaven was to establish something like a ‘heaven on earth,’ which focused on

the ruling class and the labor class essentially becoming one, classless society: communism.

Marx believed that the wishes and values of humans wasted on an imaginary heaven could be realized on earth.

Essentially Marx wanted to bring heaven down to earth while Christians sought to transfer earth to heaven.

Did it work?

Secular Attempts at Heaven

We cannot build heaven on earth.

Garbage dump in Nicaragua

Though preferable to communism, capitalism doesn’t get us much closer to a heaven on earth.

We are not on earth simply in order to get to heaven some day, but to live truly human lives.

Earth does not become heaven, earth is not elevated to heaven. Our calling as Christians is not to build heaven on earth.

Earth will remain earth and heaven will remain heaven, but they are necessarily connected. “On Earth as it is in Heaven”

Even though heaven is where we are going, we have an obligation and responsibility as stewards of the earth.

Heaven on Earth

Heaven is not just a collection of our projected fears and unfulfilled desires.

The heaven of faith is different – it is the hope – filled reality that is God’s present and our future.

By hoping in heaven our understanding of the present world is different.

Heaven on Earth

Belief in a better different life (our future AND God’s present) does not allow a Christian to settle for present conditions.

Hope of heaven must voice opposition against present evils.

Heaven on Earth

Hope in heaven frees us from the compulsion of creating heaven on earth, of demanding happiness now.

Heaven on Earth

Hope protects against despair when we fail.

Heaven on Earth

Anticipation of an eternal life necessarily turns our attention to a meaningful temporal life.

Heaven on Earth

December 7 “The End of the World and the Kingdom of God”

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