Can Souls In Heaven Help People On Earth?

[Cheerful Charlie]

Question, if one goes to heaven, can one witness what goes on down here on Earth? Can someone in heaven help somebody in need? Or is that forbidden? Or just not doable? Can one approach God and ask for his intercedence?
Would lack of ability to help people on Earth make one sad in heaven?

 

[bilby]

How does Superman clean his cape if he spills indestructible Kryptonian mustard on it?

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

How does Superman clean his cape if he spills indestructible Kryptonian mustard on it?

But would you be sad if in heaven (or hell) you could not communicate with mortal earthlings? Would you be mad at God for failing to allow that? Why would God not make that possible?

 

[bilby]

How does Superman clean his cape if he spills indestructible Kryptonian mustard on it?

But would you be sad if in heaven (or hell) you could not communicate with mortal earthlings? Would you be mad at God for failing to allow that? Why would God not make that possible?

I guess that depends on whose opinion you accept regarding what is or is not canonical.

Perhaps Superman can simply burn it off by flying into the Earth's yellow sun. Perhaps all Kryptonian condiments were destroyed when the planet exploded, rendering the question moot. Perhaps the whole idea of Krptonian mustard is just silly.

When we ask questions about stories, the answers are dependent only upon whom we accept as a legitimate author, and which authors' work we reject as non-canon. Anyone can author fan-fic, and debates about the validity of any particular part of the complete body of work are futile.

 

[rousseau]

Can souls in heaven help people on earth?

I'll file that one away in the things one can read on the internet in 2016 folder.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

But would you be sad if in heaven (or hell) you could not communicate with mortal earthlings? Would you be mad at God for failing to allow that? Why would God not make that possible?

I guess that depends on whose opinion you accept regarding what is or is not canonical.

Perhaps Superman can simply burn it off by flying into the Earth's yellow sun. Perhaps all Kryptonian condiments were destroyed when the planet exploded, rendering the question moot. Perhaps the whole idea of Krptonian mustard is just silly.

When we ask questions about stories, the answers are dependent only upon whom we accept as a legitimate author, and which authors' work we reject as non-canon. Anyone can author fan-fic, and debates about the validity of any particular part of the complete body of work are futile.

Why would God make it hard or impossible for souls in heaven to help? Is God mean and spiteful? Does this seem to hold up the concept of God as good and all powerful, or is it yet another example of a Universe that operates without a God?

Canonically, the Bible speaks of a heaven. The nature of heaven unstated as such. My little question is meant to ask some questions that make the idea of heaven seem even more remote and unlikely.
Do you think this might make a few Christians think harder about the nature of God, heaven and the goodness of God?

 

[Tom Sawyer]

One of the key aspects of the Christian faith seems to be that the souls of our dearly departed are "watching over" us. This would indicate that the people up in Heaven can follow what's going on down on Earth, either by leaning over the balcony, using some form of magic well, or having an Earth channel on the flatscreens in their apartments.

I would imagine that there's nothing preventing one of them from floating over to some angel and saying "Hey, my granddaughter Lucy is passed out in a back room and a bunch of frat guys are about to gang rape her. Could maybe somebody look into doing something about that?", but the angel would just say that Lucy is dressed like a whore so she was pretty much asking for it and it's not really a "divine intervention" type of scenario and he should come back if his high school is about to lose a football game.

 

[Syed]

Question, if one goes to heaven, can one witness what goes on down here on Earth? Can someone in heaven help somebody in need? Or is that forbidden? Or just not doable? Can one approach God and ask for his intercedence?
Would lack of ability to help people on Earth make one sad in heaven?

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

One of the key aspects of the Christian faith seems to be that the souls of our dearly departed are "watching over" us. This would indicate that the people up in Heaven can follow what's going on down on Earth, either by leaning over the balcony, using some form of magic well, or having an Earth channel on the flatscreens in their apartments.

I would imagine that there's nothing preventing one of them from floating over to some angel and saying "Hey, my granddaughter Lucy is passed out in a back room and a bunch of frat guys are about to gang rape her. Could maybe somebody look into doing something about that?", but the angel would just say that Lucy is dressed like a whore so she was pretty much asking for it and it's not really a "divine intervention" type of scenario and he should come back if his high school is about to lose a football game.

Ah yes! Guardian angels. Part and parcel of the Catholic Church's teachings. And saints. All being or course pagan ideas, Roman lares and penates.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lares

[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genius_%28mythology%29
[/URL]

 

[bilby]

I guess that depends on whose opinion you accept regarding what is or is not canonical.

Perhaps Superman can simply burn it off by flying into the Earth's yellow sun. Perhaps all Kryptonian condiments were destroyed when the planet exploded, rendering the question moot. Perhaps the whole idea of Krptonian mustard is just silly.

When we ask questions about stories, the answers are dependent only upon whom we accept as a legitimate author, and which authors' work we reject as non-canon. Anyone can author fan-fic, and debates about the validity of any particular part of the complete body of work are futile.

Why would God make it hard or impossible for souls in heaven to help? Is God mean and spiteful? Does this seem to hold up the concept of God as good and all powerful, or is it yet another example of a Universe that operates without a God?

Canonically, the Bible speaks of a heaven. The nature of heaven unstated as such. My little question is meant to ask some questions that make the idea of heaven seem even more remote and unlikely.
Do you think this might make a few Christians think harder about the nature of God, heaven and the goodness of God?

I doubt it. Nothing else does. Why should this question?

It's far from the only (or even the biggest) flaw in their belief system.

 

[DBT]

Question, if one goes to heaven, can one witness what goes on down here on Earth? Can someone in heaven help somebody in need? Or is that forbidden? Or just not doable? Can one approach God and ask for his intercedence?
Would lack of ability to help people on Earth make one sad in heaven?

Syed, imagine yourself having died, but now find yourself residing in Heaven....putting aside virgins and the pleasures they offer for a moment, if you can see your family, the one's still alive on earth suffering, would you not like to help them overcome their suffering if you could? Or would you be happy just to watch them suffer?

What would you do? Petition God for aid? Be satisfied with the explanation that their suffering is finite?

 

[Tigers!]

My little question is meant to ask some questions that make the idea of heaven seem even more remote and unlikely.

More remote and unlikely to whom?

- - - Updated - - -

Syed, imagine yourself having died, but now find yourself residing in Heaven....putting aside virgins and the pleasures they offer for a moment, if you can see your family, the one's still alive on earth suffering, would you not like to help them overcome their suffering if you could? Or would you be happy just to watch them suffer?

What would you do? Petition God for aid? Be satisfied with the explanation that their suffering is finite?

If our thought processes on heaven were the same as on earth that might apply.

 

[ideologyhunter]

What if the "souls" who are "up there" were dimwitted meddlers in your life -- always nagging at you, bringing up things you'd done in the past, offering advice based on their own dimwitted life choices, expecting a lot from you in the way of favors, attention, maybe loans; what if their analytical skills were deficient, if the times they did directly act in your life the results were stupid...if their "souls" are their essence, then they'd be operating at the same stupidity level. Why would I want beings who were always trapped in their own little rat maze of thinking to guide me any further? Statistically, a lot of those souls are going to be nimrods. The kind of souls that would urge you to renew your commitment to orthodox religion, marry that 35-year-old virgin you always talk to at book discussion group, or vote for Trump.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

How many angels can fit on the head of a pin?
How big is the pinhead?
What kinds of angels?
Is the pinhead in heaven?
Do the angels get to fold in their wings?
4.6 million is the answer, including the ones with just a toe touching, if the angels are in heaven, wings folded.

 

[funinspace]

Question, if one goes to heaven, can one witness what goes on down here on Earth? Can someone in heaven help somebody in need? Or is that forbidden? Or just not doable? Can one approach God and ask for his intercedence?
Would lack of ability to help people on Earth make one sad in heaven?

There actually isn’t very much within the NT about how life would be in the Christian theological heaven. There is stuff about how fancy and gilded it is, but that doesn’t explain much. Below are a few verses that touch on the ‘human-soul’ existence there. It seems that people will be essentially lobotomized, as with no tears/morning one could not really give a shit about loved ones headed off to God’s eternal Auschwitz or the crap that happens to people on earth. Your spouse(s) will be irrelevant to your new life. But one will at least still be able to drink wine and munch…

Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Mt 22:30 “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.”

Lk 22:18 “For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes."

Lk 22:28-30 “You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom…”

The reality is that most all Christians make shit up about how heaven will be, mostly pretending that they don’t really know much, as they go with ‘the Bible doesn’t say too much on it’. Of course today, a huge portions of Christians have thrown out the whole eternal Auschwitz thing as well as it is pretty gross. They opt for near universalism, or just a permanent death for the bad people.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Why would God make it hard or impossible for souls in heaven to help?

When I numbered among the Faithful, it came to me that Hell was unChristain. the God i still believed in would not punish one for ETERNITY for a finite amount of sin.
I determined that it must be a test. The final test. I couldn't imagine being happy in Heaven if anyone was suffering in Hell. And stated my intention to take someone's place. If i got to Heaven (pretty much a given, because i worshiped the Right God, in the Right Way), I was going to go to Hell and pass my salvation to someone who was suffering.
Holy shit-snacks, was that wrong.
I was told, at great length, by many people, that salvation was not transferable. That my being in Heaven was part of the plan just the same as my Catholic friend being in Hell was partly the plan, and mostly her choice, and certainly the Pope's fault. God didn't want anyone taking any action apart from the divine Plan.
And if I couldn't help people in Hell, i certainly couldn't help people that were on the way to Hell for the choices they were making.

For some reason, there's this big line at Death. While you're alive, you can make up your mind and change your mind, and dedicate yourself to any idea, but once you're dead, and can actually SEE the evidence of which church had it right, it's too late to make any changes. There's something special and holy in making up your mind before tha last little bit of clinching evidence, they insist, so you have to be right based on faith. Peeking ahead or sending friends on recon, that's not tolerated.

Of course, there's also the wit who said i wasn't really thinking this through, would i trade places with Hitler. They always go for Hitler.
I pointed out that he'd been in Hell three times as long as I'd been alive, at that point, I was pretty sure he was beginning to feel one or two regrets. He may even have repented. Wouldn't it be the Christain thing to offer him a chance at redemption, then?

Apparently that wasn't the Christain thing, though. I mean, where would the Church be if they couldn't threaten you with having Hitler as a roommate in Hell?

 

[funinspace]

For some reason, there's this big line at Death. While you're alive, you can make up your mind and change your mind, and dedicate yourself to any idea, but once you're dead, and can actually SEE the evidence of which church had it right, it's too late to make any changes. There's something special and holy in making up your mind before tha last little bit of clinching evidence, they insist, so you have to be right based on faith. Peeking ahead or sending friends on recon, that's not tolerated.

Funny how that is....Yeah, the Eastern Orthodox guys/gals have a much more interesting take on this with their near universalism.

Of course, there's also the wit who said i wasn't really thinking this through, would i trade places with Hitler. They always go for Hitler.

What? Why wouldn't they go for Gandhi

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Many early Christians did not believe in Heaven, after the second coming of Jesus (Coming real, real soon!) Earth would be remade anew. We would not die, suffer diseases, or old age.

"Heaven will be just like where you are now, only, much, much better".
- Laurie Anderson

St. Augustine's City of God has a long "book" on how this is all supposed to work. Including a chapter on how a material human body can burn in hell forever. Augustine must have been a real hoot at parties. The idea of an idealized immaterial heaven seems to have been more of a Gnostic take on what heaven is all about. How many fundamentalists still take the Augustinian idea of heaven on Earth is hard to say. It is an idea that actually derives from the final chapters of the more well known prophets. Jeremiah and Isaiah.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Funny how that is....Yeah, the Eastern Orthodox guys/gals have a much more interesting take on this with their near universalism.

Of course, there's also the wit who said i wasn't really thinking this through, would i trade places with Hitler. They always go for Hitler.

What? Why wouldn't they go for Gandhi

I suppose they didn't know enough about Gandhi, really. But they're really sure NO ONE would stand up for Adolph... And if you say you would, then you're not a Real Christain.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Imagine Hitler in heaven, spending his time going to the 6 million souls he killed and having to apologize to each one.