First. No one really really knows what Heaven and Hell is like. No one has ever successfully been there and back, except for those who claim they have had near death experiences. Still, that's not quite the same . . . The only real description we have of it comes out of the Bible, but as my dad told me, they were told to the people of that day. They were told in ways that they could understand and picture. If Jesus suddenly came back one day, he may describe so that we can understand it better . . . for example, Hell could be trapped in the inner city of Chicago with no possible way out. This is simply how I see it and think it's like.

Have you ever seen What Dreams May Come?? It's a really good movie; probably one of the better ones I've seen this year. ( Yeah, better than Titanic ) I think it depicted rather well what I believe is Heaven and Hell ( interesting eh? )

Heaven is like being in the place you always wanted to come into reality. Heaven is big enough for everyone to have their own personal Universe which can be manipulated simply by using one's mind. People can do what was impossible on earth. The one thing I don't agree with the movie about is the absence of God. I believe that once people are in Heaven, they are greeted by him, and get to "see" him. No one can really see God, because his glory is too great. Not even the angels who are one step higher than us. But perhaps it would be easier to converse with him than it is on earth. It would be nice to be able to speak to God without the riddles of life blocking our ears.

Hell. Is it an actual place or a state of mind? It is a place where God does not exist, that's for sure. This is where Satan resides and tortures the people. Is it actual physical torture or mental torture? I think it's rather a state of being, where one is trapped in a place that can be escaped. It has everyone's own personal fear played out in a loop for the rest of eternity. That is a definite Hell, but is it the real one? Who knows.

This has been asked time after time: If God is so great, why does he let good people suffer? And to that question asked time after time, I have heard these answers time after time:
A. God is punishing them for something they did.
B. God is testing their faith in him, and seeing if they will stumble in their walk.
C. God is teaching them a lesson of life.
These answers seem too simple to me. Maybe they are the answers, but I feel as if there should be something else to it than just that.

This is something slightly more obscure. The Bible is the Word of God. He has guided the hands of the authors of the Bible, writing only what He deems necessary. Still, ( my dad wonders this too ) these people are only human. They all probably didn't keep a handy diary and pen along with himself and jot things down as events occurred. Things were left out or just forgotten, causing the Bible to perhaps be lacking (?) in something.
Ah, and then there's Job. Was he a real man? Or was a story, a parable, meant to teach us about our faith in God and how we should trust in Him no matter what happens...? There's a slight difference between a character and a real person.

To the Christians. Are you truly beliving in your religion, or are you blindly following a family tradition. I'm trying to avoid this pitfall by considering what I believe in, why I believe in it, and be able to support my beliefs; otherwise they are nothing. Add that to some pretty good facts and I will have a well supported belief.

Ah to be a Christian. Well, what is being Christian? Reading the Bible, doing as it says, praying, attending church, following the rules, etc. It's really good of you if you can do all of that -- you're a super Christian~, hehe. Well, that's all good and well. But have you ever thought outside of your religion? Or are you shutting yourself away from anything else in the world? If you find yourself under the latter category, you are no Christian. If you refuse to look at the world, I would consider you a bit closer minded.

OK, this is what I'm talking about. The Pharisees wondered about Jesus... he was hanging around what was considered the evils and dark underbelly of society; the prostitues, the lepers, the hypocrites, the people you just don't want to be with. Well, what about us? Are we doing that? Probably not. We want to remain clean and stay away from that kind of stuff.

I have a little story for you. There was a homosexual in this community... he lived a really good life. No one knew that he was. Then, word was spread by someone who found out. Pretty soon everyone knew. He was quickly shunned; he lost his job even though he was more than qualified for it. The minister of a local church spoke saying that what they were doing was right. Later this guy died of cancer which his friend said was probably caused by this whole incident.

Is that what Christians are supposed to do? Personally, I don't think so. The Bible says that homosexuality is wrong, but does that give us grounds to shun him, hate him, take his job away, take his dignity . . . Would Jesus have done that? ( That suddenly reminds me of those WWJD bracelets, shirts, etc. ) It's incredibly ironic that a homosexual can be barred from a church that embraces love, compassion, forgiveness... Something to think about.

This applies to everyone too. Everyone has sinned in one way or another, and many of us have done things we would like to remain hidden. If all of our sins got out, we would probably all be hating eachother, unless we learn to accept each other. That doesn't mean in all cases to just let someone sin and not make any effort in changing them. We should still spread the Word of God, and in many cases people DO change.

I suddenly thought of this because my English debate group is doing this topic. I am on the pro side, and suddenly see that there IS some good things, and that perhaps euthanasia isn't so wrong after all. ( Kevorkian still gives me the chills, but that's beside the point ) For those who don't know, euthanasia is associated with assisted suicide ( Kevorkian's job ). There are two different kinds of euthanasia: Passive euthanasia, and active euthanasia. The former is when a patient who is terminally ill refuses to go to extreme measures to lengthen one's life. Active euthanasia is when a patient who is terminally ill or in severe suffering seeks a doctor who will give them the means to kill themself ( lethal injection ).

Patients are the ones who choose to die, the doctors don't choose for them ( although that's been the case in some situations. That's where the cons come in ). The patients are always terminally ill, or in severe pain which is incurable. Passive euthanasia has already been mostly accepted by the church and the general public. It's the active euthanasia that they find so wrong. Why?

Euthanasia could be abused. Doctors could kill patients easily if for some reason they wanted to. The "vegetable" patients could be snuffed out without consent of the family. Some think it's morally wrong because they are taking their own life; they deem life so sacred that even if their days are numbered, and they suffer, they should live as long as they can. Is life so sacred when the dignity of our elders has been stripped away, when people lie comatose on hospital beds, unable to respond. Is that life? A beating heart with an unconscious mind?

There is such a thing as a Living Will. A Living Will is when a patient writes about how he/she wants to be treated in case he/she becomes a vegetable and there is no hope of recovering. The Living Will is observed in most states, some do not. This can come in handy, as long as the doctor is willing to follow the wishes of his patient. For those who think that euthanasia will be abused, it most likely will be if it legalized. But what law is not abused? Do you see the world in perfect order, even under the strictest government? No. That's not how the world works. Despite the toughest U.S. laws, people still kill, steal, lie, rape, and just put the world in more disarray.

Even though there are laws against euthanasia, I have heard that people go ahead with assisted suicide. It doesn't matter if it's against the law; the doctors, like Dr. Kevorkian, don't seem to mind. They do it anyway. Dr. Kevorkian has never been convicted. Funny in a weird sort of way.

My final comments that if euthanasia is legalized, it's all right as long as the government, doctors, and patients are all very cautious in what they do. Life is a serious thing, and people should be extremely careful when they decide what they want to do. Euthanasia for some is simply comfort that if they want to die when their life becomes so unbearable, they have a way out. They no longer have to sneak around, do things with utmost secrecy...

I read that a woman who was sick had a little party with her two daughters. Her daughters went to the store, bought lottery tickets, their mother's favorite stuff, and had a celebration. Then with the help of a doctor, she was killed, right in the arms of her daughters. Euthanasia is a powerful thing; it's letting someone go, even though have more time left, however agonizing those last hours are for that person. Perhaps we need to let go a little more.

Is this right in the eyes of a Christian? ( it always goes back to morality and religion ) Well, does God enjoy watching his children suffer from debilitating diseases? Probably not. Does he like it when they commit suicide? Probably not. However, we worship a God of love and forgiveness, right? That doesn't mean we can go around doing whatever we feel like, but in some circumstances it can drive a person over the edge. Put yourself in that person's shoes . . . If you had a way out, would you take it? Even if it meant ending your life before your time? Hmm . . .

"I am here for a purpose, and because I am a Christian, I must fulfill that purpose." Hopefully we're doing that . . . Just an nice quote that I heard from Berg on the announcemnts before lunch.
So. This is pretty much a summary of what's going on with me. Maybe you too. I strongly believe in the existence of God. I believe most of what the Bible says. I try my best to follow the rules. However, there is still a struggle in believing. I sound like I contradicting myself, I know, it's weird. I'm weird, actually, but oh well. I can't change that.

Mostly, my thoughts on everything above has either come from my parents ( who like to make supper time either a sermon or religious debate ), books, or just situations going on around me which make me wonder. I am trying to not succumb to the simple life of ignorance. I want to know what's happening in the world so I can reevaluate my life, what I've done, my religion, etc. To quote Calvin and Hobbes ( love that comic ): Why bother learning when ignorance is instantaneous? - something along those lines -

I guess that's all I have to say for now. I could go into more detail, I just can't think of it. There is too much in my head for me to sort it all out. As I said, I welcome constructive criticism, questions, comments, whatever. So, thanks for reading. ( The rest of my web page isn't this bleak )