Trailblazer
Veteran Member
I have no idea what these challenges will be but according to my religion we will continue to progress spiritually and we will be a service to others. The purpose of the challenges will be to get closer to God, whatever that means.What challenges do you think there would be for eternity? What purpose do you think there would be in fulfillment of those challenges?
I understand your point, and I often feel the same way, but the spiritual world is not something we can understand from this world. It will be nothing like this life so we cannot draw those parallels. It will be love and no hate, joy and no pain. The part I most worry about is living forever; because my life has been mostly pain I cannot imagine joy, so even if I had joy forever I wonder if I would even like it since it will be unfamiliar to me.I think religious people miss the fact that eternal conscious life would be the worst existence. If a person cannot feel pain they will become numb to joy. If a person is unable to hate then how can they understand the power of love. If a person is unable to die then how could they possibly live.
I do not know why God created that way, but I can surmise that it is a reward for the true believer who had to endure patiently through this material world, which is a storehouse of suffering for many of us.In every aspect of this universe their is a balance one side of a coin cannot exist and apart from the other side. So why do you think the creator of this universe would create a afterlife that is so philosophically different?
I believe it will be as it is depicted in the Writings of my religion because I know with certitude that my religion is the current Truth from God. There is not a lot of detail about the afterlife because (a) we could never understand what it will be like, not anymore than a child in the womb could understand what this world would be like, and (b) if we knew we would either want to die to arrive there sooner or we would want to perish...
“Know thou that every hearing ear, if kept pure and undefiled, must, at all times and from every direction, hearken to the voice that uttereth these holy words: “Verily, we are God’s, and to Him shall we return.” The mysteries of man’s physical death and of his return have not been divulged, and still remain unread. By the righteousness of God! Were they to be revealed, they would evoke such fear and sorrow that some would perish, while others would be so filled with gladness as to wish for death, and beseech, with unceasing longing, the one true God—exalted be His glory—to hasten their end.
Death proffereth unto every confident believer the cup that is life indeed. It bestoweth joy, and is the bearer of gladness. It conferreth the gift of everlasting life.
As to those that have tasted of the fruit of man’s earthly existence, which is the recognition of the one true God, exalted be His glory, their life hereafter is such as We are unable to describe. The knowledge thereof is with God, alone, the Lord of all worlds.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 345-346
It often feels unfair that we are not allowed to know more about the afterlife, given we are supposed to do what we do here to prepare for it, but I just try to do what I know I am supposed to do, improve my character and help others on their spiritual path. I try not worry too much about the afterlife, since I know I cannot know what it will be like.