Heaven
The main tool that Christians use to terrify children into handing over 10% of their lifetime income, and submitting silently to sexual abuse is the threat of eternal hellfire. However, heaven too is also far from pleasant. Consider:
~ Roedy (born:1948-02-04 age:68)
- The main activity in heaven is singing, accompanied by harp, the praises of the autocratic Jehovah. As the late Christopher Hitchens put it, it is like a celestial North Korea.
- Every day is exactly like the previous one, forever.
- You cannot leave, even via suicide.
- You don’t get your own house. You get a room in a huge communal home.
- Nothing has changed since the days of Adam. There is no Internet, radio, TV, movies, computers, phones… You are supposed to find Jehovah’s presence sufficiently diverting to entertain you for eternity. Even the presence of Justin Bieber would, after a day or two, cease to titillate.
- There no sex and no marriage. You were automatically divorced when you died.
- Everybody there is a prude and a mindless Christian who believed the entire Christian shtick without doubt, including Jonah and the whale and the talking donkey.
- There is no science, research, experimentation, books, schools or libraries.
- Every couple of centuries there are bus trips, lead by saints, to watch your loved ones and others writhing in hell. The saints really get off on this, and expect you to as well. The intent of these trips is to make you feel grateful and to give you a little pleasure boost.