Heaven NOT a place, but a state?

[tru_dvotion]

There is a great handicap translating something that is not bound by time or matter into human concepts. Perhaps this cannot be explained or understood within the confines of human experience. What does it matter anyway? Let us just hope we can all make it there (place or state none withstanding)

 

[FelixBlue]

Exporter:

I have been reading Catholic Answers for aprox. 2 months.

Before I started to read this forum I was sure about everything Catholic. I had very few unanswered questions.

But now with so many “opinions”, references and quotes I am sometimes finding myself at a loss. You need to sift through the “I think so”, the “in my opinion” and the nonCatholic insurgent’s messages.

Good. You’ve woken up to reality. Yes, much of the faith is dogmatically defined; but there are many, many unanswered questions which are fun and even spiritually useful to speculate about and say “I think so…” “In my opinion”, etc. Such a question as found on this thread invites plenty of fun, and hopefully harmless, speculation…

 

[RobedWithLight]

Exporter:

I have been reading Catholic Answers for aprox. 2 months.

Before I started to read this forum I was sure about everything Catholic. I had very few unanswered questions.

But now with so many “opinions”, references and quotes I am sometimes finding myself at a loss. You need to sift through the “I think so”, the “in my opinion” and the nonCatholic insurgent’s messages.

There are a lot of open questions, and trying to answer them, even though in fact mere speculations, have been intellectually stimulating and morally uplifting. In short, its fun to speculate once in a while.

Gerry

 

[michael8975]

I believe this question was posed to Karl Keating on Catholic Answers Live, and the way he answered it was, “Heaven is a condition, not a physical place”.

Maybe the bible uses words to describe physical places because our finite minds can’t understand where the infinite live.

 

[Apologia100]

michael8975:

I believe this question was posed to Karl Keating on Catholic Answers Live, and the way he answered it was, “Heaven is a condition, not a physical place”.

Maybe the bible uses words to describe physical places because our finite minds can’t understand where the infinite live.

I can. Head towards the second star to the right, straight on til morning.

 

[Ahimsa]

ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP2HEAVN.HTM#Heaven

On this website it claims that the Pope said that Heaven and Hell aren’t places, but *states *of the soul. How could this be possible?
The Bible says Heaven is a “kingdom”, and in the book “Travel Guide to Heaven” it enthusiastically points out that Heaven is a place (and state). What’s going on here?

Is Hell a Blue State or a Red State???

 

[BLB_Oregon]

michael8975:

I believe this question was posed to Karl Keating on Catholic Answers Live, and the way he answered it was, “Heaven is a condition, not a physical place”.

Maybe the bible uses words to describe physical places because our finite minds can’t understand where the infinite live.

Yes. Eyes have not seen… it is beyond our understanding. If you say you have an understanding of Heaven in the bag, that’s pretty much a flag that you’re missing something.

My suspicion is, in fact, that we don’t even understand where we are now, let alone have the capacity to understand what our state will be then. After all, when in your past life have you fully understood yourself as you were then, let alone imagined correctly what you would be in the future?