Descriptives - Heaven & Hell

[MrBishop]

Just watched "Constantine" last night and it struck me that there are a great deal of descriptives for Hell both in books and in the movies, and each variant has little in common with the other, other than if must be a fairly bad place to visit. The same goes for descriptives of Heaven, though often Heaven seems so boring sometimes that it's no wonder that people like sinning

Do you have a favorite descriptive-source for Heaven and/or Hell?

I like "Heaven" as imagined in the Robion Williams flick "In Dreams", where you literally build your own part of heaven and visit/allow visitors at your desires.

Constantine did a good job on the transition between Earth and Hell... but for pure descriptives, I still prefer Danté.

[Lief Erikson]

The last book of the "Chronicles of Narnia" paints a pleasant picture of heaven.

[Bombadillo]

Somehow I always wind up dismissing all descriptions of Heaven or Hell, because whoever's describing them is just speculating, like I might do myself if I felt like wasting time. Except: My sophomore religion teacher told us that if we were to actually see God (like we always wish to when we stubbornly say "where's the proof he exists then?") our hearts would burst and our souls would shoot to Heaven. That idea I like, because it's saying we shouldn't even speculate, because if we ever found out for sure, we'd die. It's beyond our imagination.

In one episode of TNG, I think Guinan described Q's "realm" or whatever to Data and Captain Picard in the same way. I like that source too.

As for Hell, for some reason I think it would be a whole lot more personal, and different for every person. The only thing everybody's Hell has in common in my head is darkness.

[Lief Erikson]

Originally Posted by Bombadillo

Somehow I always wind up dismissing all descriptions of Heaven or Hell, because whoever's describing them is just speculating, like I might do myself if I felt like wasting time. Except: My sophomore religion teacher told us that if we were to actually see God (like we always wish to when we stubbornly say "where's the proof he exists then?") our hearts would burst and our souls would shoot to Heaven. That idea I like, because it's saying we shouldn't even speculate, because if we ever found out for sure, we'd die. It's beyond our imagination.

That's scriptural. It was written in the Old Testament that anyone who sees God would die. People who see him see a form he takes on, rather than showing his true appearance.

Originally Posted by Bombadillo

In one episode of TNG, I think Guinan described Q's "realm" or whatever to Data and Captain Picard in the same way. I like that source too.

As for Hell, for some reason I think it would be a whole lot more personal, and different for every person. The only thing everybody's Hell has in common in my head is darkness.

Darkness is scriptural, and judgment varying from person to person also is scriptural. Jesus said that the people of Bethsaida would be punished more severely on the Day of Judgment than the people of Sodom, for instance.

[IronParrot]

A great deal of western society is founded on a cultural consciousness that presumes Heaven and Hell or equivalent opposing planes of immortality and death (Asgard and Helheim, Olympus and Hades, etc.) - and almost any binaristic conflict can perceivably be interpreted as an unconscious allegory of this opposition. Since so much human discourse frolics in the gardens of good and evil, it's not surprising at all that people would seek out to represent those realms in an undistorted (or less distorted) form.

There's an inherent and almost instinctual response to our cultural surroundings that drives us to curiosity about representing Heaven and Hell, because if you can't represent them, your ability to communicate about them is limited. It's not a question of correctness.

[Rían]

I think C.S. Lewis's description in "The Great Divorce" is very perceptive and intriguing!

[Spock]

C.S. Lewis was, from the very outset of his conversion, rather critical of the perceived carrot-and-stick approach to our eternal future: that heaven should be dangled before us as a bribe to moral behaviour, or, that not succeeding, hell be heightened in our consciousness to instil in us the fearful consequences of our actions.
.........................MOST INTRIGUING.......................
Hell is so shadowy and insubstantial that even the tiniest blade of grass cuts through the feet of its inhabitants. ‘All Hell is smaller than one pebble of your earthly world......

OK that's enough for now

[Rían]

Originally Posted by Spock

C.S. Lewis was, from the very outset of his conversion, rather critical of the perceived carrot-and-stick approach to our eternal future: that heaven should be dangled before us as a bribe to moral behaviour, or, that not succeeding, hell be heightened in our consciousness to instil in us the fearful consequences of our actions.
.........................MOST INTRIGUING.......................
Hell is so shadowy and insubstantial that even the tiniest blade of grass cuts through the feet of its inhabitants. ‘All Hell is smaller than one pebble of your earthly world......

OK that's enough for now

It's a fascinating book!

[Rána Eressëa]

In terms of descriptions, I think of heaven and hell both being very personal places for each individual person. Your worst fears and your most desired dreams. That's the only way I really think of them. Anyone who says "fire and brimstone" and "bright white light" just get a snort out of me.