If heaven is so much better, why do we cling so much to this life?

[MysticMissMisty]

Salvete, omnes!

Here is a quick (or maybe not so quick) question for folks:

If we are told repeatedly in Sacred Scripture and elsewhere that heaven is to be so much better than this earthly life, then why do we cling so much to this life?

For instance, why do we seek medical treatment with the end goal being to live and not die if we are confident that we are in a state of grace and that we will, after death, be in a far better place? Why not just accept death, then, instead of clinging to life through medicine or other means?

Why, indeed, even put so much care into this life at all? Why consider at all of importance compared to the next? Is it not logical to care far more for the next life than for this one? Indeed, even God seems to consider our welfare in this life of pretty great importance, as He ascribes a high degree of sin and penalty for, say, taking the life of another. Should not the victim, if he be a Christian in a state of grace, be glad to have passed on to the next life and to have left this life behind, if the next is to such a great degree (perhaps beyond our comprehension) better than this one?

This next question may sound provocative, but, along with the above, it could theoretically be asked as well: Why, when a baby is stillborn or when it is even aborted do we care so much, since the babe is in a better place than this life anyway, free from all the fallenness of sin and other)?) imperfections in this life?

Another absurd question, I know, but, again, it could theoretically be asked in this context: Why is suicide, then, so bad?

Believe me, I am not asking these questions rhetorically, just using them to try and clarify this whole issue better.

Gratias.

 

[MysticMissMisty]

Another point might be looking at this ever-so-brief life in the context of eternity.

Since this life, and, indeed, both its sufferings and its joys are all so brief, why should we value them so much? As much as we do? If eternity is so much better and so much, frnakly, longer…

Do not even the Scriptures tell us that we should prefer heaven to this life? That this life is only passing away and perishable?

Is it not wrong to cherish this life so much and to want to live in it as long as we can? I mean, of course, Paul himself says that he is torn, though he says he might wish to stay here to continue to help his churches. But, what about those of us who are not engaged in such missionary work as he or other religious are? Why should we wish to prolong our lives as much as possible? If we should wish it, should we only wish it to help us grow even more in sanctification and for no other reason such as the earthly pleasures we have here?

 

[JapaneseKappa]

I think the answer is very simple. The voice in your head that never gets tired of asking “what if I’m wrong?”

 

[Ad_Orientem]

You are right in pointing out that we cling too much to this life. This is due to our fallen nature, which has disordered desires that cloud reason and dominate our will.

As to why we should generally try to preserve our natural lives and those of others (albeit lower in priority to spiritual life), there are several reasons. First, because God made this life to be lived. Second, because we can serve others in this life in a way we cannot do hereafter. Third, because at death our disposition towards God is fixed forever, and we want to grow as close to him, and as much like him as possible before it is fixed permanently. We want to bring him as much glory as possible, and to know and enjoy him in heaven as much as we can.

This must be held in tension with the reality that at any time we could fall from grace and lose him forever at death (although falling mortally becomes less likely the more one grows in the spiritual life). For that reason we should be happy to accept death if we are in a state of grace. But I do not think we should seek it out.

Earthly pleasures are not wrong in themselves, but it would be wrong to live for them.

 

[JackVk]

I think the answer is very simple. The voice in your head that never gets tired of asking “what if I’m wrong?”

That is a valid point. It will either be the greatest thing ever, or it’s game over.

What’s more, this world is familiar. There’s a song by Matt Maher that says, “How can you go home again/if you’re not sure you’ve ever been?” Truth be told, God’s Fatherhood and Eternal Life can be an intimidating thought for me sometimes. It’s such a grandiose claim that it can blow your mind.

 

[Bradski]

I think the answer is very simple. The voice in your head that never gets tired of asking “what if I’m wrong?”

The atheist has already come to terms with not existing. On his death bed he might say: ‘I wonder if I was wrong. Anyway, I’ll soon find out if I was’.

The person of faith has to confront the possibility of non-existence. On his death bed he might say: ‘I hope to hell I wasn’t wrong. Because I’ll never know if I was’.

It would be nice if there was an ante room of some sort so one of us would have the pleasure of saying to the other: ‘See, I told you so!’

 

[littlestsouls2]

In response to one of your questions:

Sin is easy and can bring immediate pleasure; love, on the other hand, can be difficult, even if we know that the reward for loving God is infinitely greater than we can conceive. We do not give this enough thought; ‘the whole land is made desolate, for no man layeth it to heart.’ (Jer. 12:11)

 

[GEddie]

Because all we know is natural life and our natural bodies. Simple, really.

ICXC NIKA

 

[lax16]

Salvete, omnes!

Here is a quick (or maybe not so quick) question for folks:

If we are told repeatedly in Sacred Scripture and elsewhere that heaven is to be so much better than this earthly life, then why do we cling so much to this life?

For instance, why do we seek medical treatment with the end goal being to live and not die if we are confident that we are in a state of grace and that we will, after death, be in a far better place? Why not just accept death, then, instead of clinging to life through medicine or other means?

Why, indeed, even put so much care into this life at all? Why consider at all of importance compared to the next? Is it not logical to care far more for the next life than for this one? Indeed, even God seems to consider our welfare in this life of pretty great importance, as He ascribes a high degree of sin and penalty for, say, taking the life of another. Should not the victim, if he be a Christian in a state of grace, be glad to have passed on to the next life and to have left this life behind, if the next is to such a great degree (perhaps beyond our comprehension) better than this one?

This next question may sound provocative, but, along with the above, it could theoretically be asked as well: Why, when a baby is stillborn or when it is even aborted do we care so much, since the babe is in a better place than this life anyway, free from all the fallenness of sin and other)?) imperfections in this life?

Another absurd question, I know, but, again, it could theoretically be asked in this context: Why is suicide, then, so bad?

Believe me, I am not asking these questions rhetorically, just using them to try and clarify this whole issue better.

Gratias.

We cling to life because it is all we know and because life is sacred.

 

[Memaw]

Salvete, omnes!

Here is a quick (or maybe not so quick) question for folks:

If we are told repeatedly in Sacred Scripture and elsewhere that heaven is to be so much better than this earthly life, then why do we cling so much to this life?

For instance, why do we seek medical treatment with the end goal being to live and not die if we are confident that we are in a state of grace and that we will, after death, be in a far better place? Why not just accept death, then, instead of clinging to life through medicine or other means?

Why, indeed, even put so much care into this life at all? Why consider at all of importance compared to the next? Is it not logical to care far more for the next life than for this one? Indeed, even God seems to consider our welfare in this life of pretty great importance, as He ascribes a high degree of sin and penalty for, say, taking the life of another. Should not the victim, if he be a Christian in a state of grace, be glad to have passed on to the next life and to have left this life behind, if the next is to such a great degree (perhaps beyond our comprehension) better than this one?

This next question may sound provocative, but, along with the above, it could theoretically be asked as well: Why, when a baby is stillborn or when it is even aborted do we care so much, since the babe is in a better place than this life anyway, free from all the fallenness of sin and other)?) imperfections in this life?

Another absurd question, I know, but, again, it could theoretically be asked in this context: Why is suicide, then, so bad?

Believe me, I am not asking these questions rhetorically, just using them to try and clarify this whole issue better.

Gratias.

Sin and death are the consequences of Original Sin. We are created with a strong instinct of survival because we were not meant for death in the first place. Jesus Christ came and died for us so that HE could help us be prepared to face death when it comes. Illness and accidents are consequences of earthly life because of original sin. Miscarriage and still born babies are not deliberate acts caused by us. We care, because we love. Abortion and suicide are deliberate acts and done because of lack of love, for God and man. Sometimes we loose hope. That’s why we need to pray for all mankind and ourselves included. Christ gave us HIS Church to help us. This is the year dedicated to God’s Mercy, let’s pray for that for ALL. God Bless, Memaw

 

[EveningSkye111]

I think because a lot of people are afraid to die.

 

[puzzledtoo]

" …why do we cling…" Because of egotism and fear.

“The atheist has already…” Not all. I used to know one that on his death bed was terrified he was right and that when he died there would be nothing left. He fought physical death like a person with a fear of heights might hang onto a rope or ledge with no way to climb to safety. There was no getting him to let go. The look of fear he had in his eyes was pitiable.

 "...ante room of some sort..." Maybe there is. :). After all we do love to say " I told you so."

 Blessings to all.

 

[MysticMissMisty]

The way I’ve always looked at it 'til I started more carefully considering certain verses in Sacred Scripture is that, while this life has its troubles and we certainly don’t like those, it also has its joys which GOd created for our enjoyment. While the next life will be better in that we will not have to deal with all the effects of sin, there will surely also be some differences to this life. So, the good things in this life will differ from teh good things in the next. Each of these are good, but each of them are different. So, I’ve always thought that we should desire to live in this life to enjoy the good things of this life and we should also look forward to the next life because there will also be good things there.

However, certain verses of Scripture seem clearly to state that would should put the things of the next life on a higher plane than those of this life, even the good things(?).

After all, this life is said not to be our “home” and, implicitly, our “home” is all around a better place, is it not? Or, am I missing something in this understanding of this notion?

Also, I believe that, in one passage, Paul states that we “groan” as we wait for the next life. So, apparently, we are to mourn the state of being in this life in favor of the next?

So, witht hese and, I believe, other verses in mind, what are we to do with this life? Should we not anticipate with all fervency the day of our death and actually, indeed, wish for it to come as soon as possible? After all, even John the Divine cries, “Come, Lord Jesus!” at the end of his prophecy.

So, are many folks here saying that the only reasons to wish to live, though, of course, noble ones, are to serve others and to be sure that we are, indeed, in a state of grace before death?

My understanding of the purpose that Christianity is to serve is to make our lives here and, arguably, in the next world better. Christianity provides the basis for our enjoyment of this life and the next both with ourselves and with one another (the latter being most important After all, life without relationships both with God and with others is vanity.) For instance, we love others because we wish for them to enjoy life to its fullest, if you really think about it. After all, why, for instance, do we not murder? We do not murder because we are not to take the life of another because that other has the right to enjoy the life that God has given him. Someone might say that we do not murder because the other person may not be in a state of grace or may have more work to do in this life to serve others. But, wait. Why, ultimately, is that person serving others and trying to remain in a state of grace? I would argue, because he wishes to allow others to live the best life possible here and in the next world. Christianity, to my mind, provides the foundations but is not the utter, true, absolute end-all and be-all of life. I mean this in the sense that it is not an end unto itself (I would argue). Rather, it serves the ultimate goal of makin this life and the next the most joyful/“happy” it can be for us and others as we relate to God and to one another.

I am indeed wondering whether this understanding of the Faith that I have just articulated goes in any way at all against Catholic teaching? In Catholic teaching, is sanctification an ultimate end unto itself (The “Telos” of this life and the next)? Or, is it, as I have stated, the basis for living life in the best way possible?

If my understanding is, in fact, correct, what do we do about verses in Scripture that seem to state that we should prefer the next life to this one, over all, end of story? )unless, again, I am somehow misunderstanding this)?

 

[GEddie]

Also, I believe that, in one passage, Paul states that we “groan” as we wait for the next life. So, apparently, we are to mourn the state of being in this life in favor of the next?

No. We groan because of the effects of mortality on our beings; not because of a desire to be dead.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Iron_Donkey]

Salvete, omnes!

Here is a quick (or maybe not so quick) question for folks:

If we are told repeatedly in Sacred Scripture and elsewhere that heaven is to be so much better than this earthly life, then why do we cling so much to this life?

For instance, why do we seek medical treatment with the end goal being to live and not die if we are confident that we are in a state of grace and that we will, after death, be in a far better place? Why not just accept death, then, instead of clinging to life through medicine or other means?

Because we were not intended to die. We die because we fell, but we were designed not to die at all. That God now raises us after we die to an even better position does not change the evil of death. We still have a purpose here, which affects how we will be in the next (more important) life.

This life is here for a reason. In it we grow, come to know God, and help others to do the same. We prepare ourselves to see God face to face, and make our choices influencing what will happen when that does. The second life is a continuation of the first. While the second part is indeed more important, the first leads up to the second and affects how we enter.

Why, indeed, even put so much care into this life at all? Why consider at all of importance compared to the next? Is it not logical to care far more for the next life than for this one? Indeed, even God seems to consider our welfare in this life of pretty great importance, as He ascribes a high degree of sin and penalty for, say, taking the life of another. Should not the victim, if he be a Christian in a state of grace, be glad to have passed on to the next life and to have left this life behind, if the next is to such a great degree (perhaps beyond our comprehension) better than this one?

The next life, being eternal, is indeed more important, which is one of the reasons why we ought to live this life in a ways that is helpful to the next. There are three reasons why taking the life of another is still evil that come to mind: it violates the principle that we are meant to live now and have purpose here (as mentioned) and so is wrong in itself (so it is a sin); in ignoring our purpose now, we dispose ourselves to ignoring purposes in general (so it damages us and makes us even more disposed to sin, as sin does); and we can’t know that the other person is in a state of grace.

Perhaps the victim will be happier, perhaps not; but even if he will be, the ends don’t justify the means. We were not just put on this earth as a hold over until we finally die and go to heaven, we are here to grow as people, make our choices, and basically become who we decide to be. To cut that short is an offense against the very nature of what it is to be human.

This next question may sound provocative, but, along with the above, it could theoretically be asked as well: Why, when a baby is stillborn or when it is even aborted do we care so much, since the babe is in a better place than this life anyway, free from all the fallenness of sin and other)?) imperfections in this life?

The salvation of those who die before being able to reason, why generally thought to be pretty likely, is not actually assured. But even if it were, the same answer above applies: the earthly part of our existence is here for a reason, and that child was unjustly deprived of it. Will things be better that way, for them or for the world? There is no way we could know, but either way they are still deprived of the good of an earthly life, and their purpose within it.

Another absurd question, I know, but, again, it could theoretically be asked in this context: Why is suicide, then, so bad?

Believe me, I am not asking these questions rhetorically, just using them to try and clarify this whole issue better.

Gratias.

Similar to the above, except we’re murdering ourself.

 

[fhansen]

Salvete, omnes!

Here is a quick (or maybe not so quick) question for folks:

If we are told repeatedly in Sacred Scripture and elsewhere that heaven is to be so much better than this earthly life, then why do we cling so much to this life?

For instance, why do we seek medical treatment with the end goal being to live and not die if we are confident that we are in a state of grace and that we will, after death, be in a far better place? Why not just accept death, then, instead of clinging to life through medicine or other means?

Why, indeed, even put so much care into this life at all? Why consider at all of importance compared to the next? Is it not logical to care far more for the next life than for this one? Indeed, even God seems to consider our welfare in this life of pretty great importance, as He ascribes a high degree of sin and penalty for, say, taking the life of another. Should not the victim, if he be a Christian in a state of grace, be glad to have passed on to the next life and to have left this life behind, if the next is to such a great degree (perhaps beyond our comprehension) better than this one?

This next question may sound provocative, but, along with the above, it could theoretically be asked as well: Why, when a baby is stillborn or when it is even aborted do we care so much, since the babe is in a better place than this life anyway, free from all the fallenness of sin and other)?) imperfections in this life?

Another absurd question, I know, but, again, it could theoretically be asked in this context: Why is suicide, then, so bad?

Believe me, I am not asking these questions rhetorically, just using them to try and clarify this whole issue better.

Gratias.

The next life is just a continuation of this life. This is the only life we’re given and all life/existence is a matter of God’s will-He put us here- and therefore important. And He put us here for a reason, ultimately to come to know and love Him to the greatest extent we can without the benefit of “seeing” Him " face to face"-and to help others do the same. We have a purpose while we’re here.

 

[Bill_Martin]

God gave us earthly lives for a reason; they should not be treated with scorn or derision, as if they are just an unfortunate obstacle.

There are two extremes that we should avoid. Worldliness is the obvious one. Focusing only on what we can see and touch without regard to the spiritual is an easily recognizable vice. Most Christians are at least conscious of this as a problem, even if we fall into it.

The more subtle one is the rejection of the earthly life as something to be ashamed of or as some evil that unfortunately befell us, rather than a gift from God. He created us as body and soul, not one or the other. Treating our earthly life with disdain tells God that He was wrong to create us this way. This is more subtle a vice than worldliness because it doesn’t feel as wrong; it appears to be the correct way of opposing the worldliness which confronts us all the time.

Taking care of our bodies, defending the earthly lives of others, and making sure that we use what we are given to the fullest extent of our ability for as long as we can in service to God, while being aware that this is not the only life and refusing to worship it as a god itself is the correct middle approach.

 

[zamyrabyrd]

Because we were not intended to die. We die because we fell, but we were designed not to die at all. That God now raises us after we die to an even better position does not change the evil of death. We still have a purpose here, which affects how we will be in the next (more important) life.
This life is here for a reason. In it we grow, come to know God, and help others to do the same. We prepare ourselves to see God face to face, and make our choices influencing what will happen when that does. The second life is a continuation of the first. While the second part is indeed more important, the first leads up to the second and affects how we enter.
The next life, being eternal, is indeed more important, which is one of the reasons why we ought to live this life in a ways that is helpful to the next…There is no way we could know, but either way they are still deprived of the good of an earthly life, and their purpose within it.

I hope you don’t mind that I am keeping only part of your post. I do believe that we indeed are here to grow. But not only that, in the words of Paul, be whatever is “good or lovely”, in other words to try to reflect we only “know in part”.
I am a musician and think it important to bring beauty into the world. There are some who left cathedrals of sound behind like JS Bach as those who gave us monuments of actual structures or in art.
Similarly, those who love are also reflecting that other world. It doesn’t actually matter to me what religion that particular person has when they express beauty or charity. I think the length of my life was important to discover along the way what I needed to learn. If someone had cut that short, I wonder if at an undeveloped stage, what kind of condition I may have been left in.

 

[Vic_Taltrees_UK]

Because it will be too late to adopt an attitude. Now is the only time we will be able to adopt an attitude.

The only way to care for the next life is to care in this life. There isn’t another way.

We also have to continually check ourselves against the principle “do to others as you would be done by”.

And caring should lead to interceding.

We’ve also got to look about boundaries as to whether to pray and do something, or pray only. E.g if a person nearby is in a predicament, perhaps we can pray and call an ambulance or give them some food. If far off, we may pray and as a long shot in a very few cases try to influence if prudent, but should beware of being nagged into joining a campaign that is mainly there for someone to look good campaigning, when we should pray only.

If we ourselves are sure of heaven we have no idea whether the next person is so they should be given more of a chance, perhaps God has something extra good for them just round the corner in this life (which could be low key and easy for another to despise like simply the time they need to think just a little more - I know I could do with lots more of that).

We don’t know we aren’t kidding ourselves as to our own state of grace therefore we ought to long for yet another chance. St Paul knew he was doing good giving his life in building up others in their calling, so he was modelling the good conscience that came from trueness to his own calling. At no time did he try to throw away or dodge what he was called to.

Your various “questions” are groups of questions that are quite diverse and the next group is similar and similarly diverse and logic would lead you to regroup them as different subsets (preferably in bullet point format).

Arma virumque cano - isn’t life just epic!

 

[meltzerboy]

I think the answer is very simple. The voice in your head that never gets tired of asking “what if I’m wrong?”

Yes, we may not be so confident of our going to heaven after all. Apart from the fear some may have of going to hell, others may also have fear of purgatory or just oblivion. The latter does not necessarily mean we do not believe in G-d but only that we are not designed to live forever. Even a temporary loss of personal consciousness until our eventual resurrection is frightening to many of us.

We also may fear separation from our loved ones, whether temporary or permanent. This earthly life is the only life we are familiar and comfortable with, and, as Shakespeare writes, “what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause.”