Well good luck, as there is no proof for life after death in any case. We must take it on faith.
ICXC NIKA
I can’t be expected to let that one pass.
I believe that solid philosophical proofs can be provided of both God’s existence, and his motive for creating the universe (charity; which desires the true wellbeing of another over one’s own.) Once those things are establishing, providing evidence for the reality of the afterlife isn’t really so hard.
We know that some people do a tremendous amount of good in their lives, doing their best to love others and follow God. We also know that many of those people suffer horribly; sometimes
because of their attempts to do the right thing and follow God’s will. However, we know that God’s will is for us to become better; not worse, and being more hurt and more persecuted is the same thing as being worse. We know this because we “get worse” when we contract malaria or cancer, and if being hurt by a disease makes us worse, so does being hurt by our fellow man.
Here’s the equation we’re left with.
P1. Following God’s will is beneficial for us.
P2. Following God’s will sometimes leads to persecution and death.
C. Therefore, persecution and death are sometimes beneficial for us.
However, it would be impossible for persecution and death to be beneficial for us if death was the end of our existence, and there were no other life in which the persecution was over. Therefore, there must be an afterlife, in which God protects the faithful, and finishes the work that was begun here; a life in which following the will of God
does benefit us directly. Saint Paul likewise expresses the futility of life without the afterlife.
“If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied.”
1 Corinthians 15:19
So we know that Heaven exists, and that at least some people go there.
I also don’t know what you mean by character so I will leave that alone.
Our decisions certainly shape the geometry of our life. But the decisions themselves do not carry over into eternal life if any.
Likes and dislikes are certainly part of who we are, but dislikes often arise from hurts we have had, or defects in our personality. CS Lewis did not “enjoy the society of small children”; he recognized this as a flaw in himself. I personally have an aversion to floral arrangements, because of many funerals I was dragged to in childhood, where there were mountains of flowers.
Dislikes based on past hurts or personality flaws cannot become part of our eternal self. (The same would apply to enjoyments of sinful activities.)
ICXC NIKA
The problem with this approach is that it makes man little more than a broken toy soldier which, if fixed, will always look more or less the same.
As for delighting in sinful activities, let me propose a thought experiment, to help make my point a little clearer.
Suppose that Barrabas the revolutionary stumbled out of Pilate’s presence furious over having been robbed of the chance to die for his cause, and absolutely incensed at Jesus and all he’d ever done. Suppose that he’d spent his whole life seeking greatness and mighty victories, and eventually concluded that only the Romans were a foe of sufficient scope, which was what got him arrested as a revolutionary and murderer in the first place.
Suppose that he spent the next three days stewing in his rage over having had someone else die in his place. Suppose that he wanted nothing but to fight and die in a great battle.
Then supposed that after three days of walking those streets in a daze, he felt a gust of wind at his back, and found himself surrounded by a penetrating light.
He turns to look at the figure, and falls to his knees in awe, because he can see the glory with his eyes, in spite of having looked down on Jesus in the past, he finally realizes that he holds the secret.
“Can you not see glory when it’s hidden?” he hears.
“No.” he admits, “I can’t, but tell me what to do to obtain it. Whatever it is, I will do it, master.”
This probably didn’t occur, but suppose for a moment that it did. This man, who is incapable of seeing the world in any terms but power and glory, and derives no joy from anything but victories. According to Saint Paul, if he chooses to spend the rest of his life as the apostles did; giving his life for the truth of the gospel, preaching and spreading the word of God, he will be rewarded for it. After all, Saint Paul said “God will reward each man according to what he has done.” Not according to his motives for doing it.
Yet, at the end of it all, when all is said and done, no matter what he does, his motives remain the same. He wants power and victory for himself, and nothing else will suffice.
Would such a man be capable of receiving any reward from God, without being effectively brainwashed?
Then, too, suppose a man heard the parable of the pearl of great price, and nothing else; taking the parable entirely literally. He says that he will commit his Earthly life to Jesus, if only he can have that pearl at the end of it. He proceeds to live his life like the purest saint, but at last, when he opens his eyes on eternity, the only words on his lips are “where’s the pearl?”
Bzkoss236 made a good point about how no human being has entirely unique desires, but I would say that we need to also take account of the vast difference between the human desires that exist. To suggest that some desires are simply reprobate by their nature, is, I think, too simplistic, and relegates large sections of humanity to the “to be brainwashed” pile of eternity.
