Where is Heaven?

[Chellow]

You seem to be implying that divine life is bound by the laws that bind matter.
That the Creator is bound by His creation. That matter gives God meaning rather than visa versa.

No God is outside of our realm, the laws that bind us here are not the same that binds us in Heaven. For example their is a way for God and the saints to hear our prayers in heaven, but no way for us hear our bothers prayer next to us.

Now science has stated that outside of our universe different laws of physics may be at work, their may be a Universe where there is no Progression of time and other properties that may emulate the properties that may resemble what we think Heaven is like.

Your question should be if God comes down here to Earth is God bound to the Laws that we are bound by. I say yes, because before time came into motion he knew what action he would take, and he would have made the laws of physics bend to his will.

 

[CHRISTINE77]

Somehow I think Heaven is out there in that vast universe of ours. I was looking at some photos from the Hubbel Spacecraft - beautiful galaxies and nebulae and black holes. There were some shots of our beautiful earth with our moon encircling it, and it struck me that God must see us that way - his beautiful, beautiful blue planet filled with his creations - plants and animals and mankind. Of course He sees us all individually too because he is omnipotent. But, man oh man, do we live in a gorgeous, incredible universe on an amazing unique planet!

 

[Riseof_Rome]

I’ve come to the same conclusion some time back. This also can explain our soul, can it be that our soul is nothing more than an alternate self that is linked to us. Gods control of space and time, how he can see the future and how one day can be like a thousand years.

Very good point. This notion is actually exciting, because if we can understand the nature of our human soul scientifically, then we can further understand God’s beautiful creation!

 

[Riseof_Rome]

Been watching Star Trek V ?​

…and it’s not.​

It’s not localised. We might as well ask “where” is the love between friends: it can be real, & have no position. Love, like Heaven, is not extended in place; it’s not a body - if it were, we could measure it and weigh it. And take its temperature. That sort of treatment can’t be applied to what is spirit; but spirit is a reality even so.​

Gods are often “above”, because the direction reflects their superiority to man; hell is “below” for a similar reason. Such language is symbolic; not direct description - Jesus is not seated on the roight side of a very ancient Deity, still less is Jesus seated on the right palm & fingers of this ancient Deity - yet Jesus is “on” the Father’s “right hand”. That means the Glorified Christ is in the very “highest” honour; it’s not a statement about His spatial location.

Your position sounds like what is known as Anthropomorphism - which is doctrinally dodgy (FWIW). Mormonism, with its material “God” , is Anthropomorphite.

IMHO, God is Heaven & Heaven is “in” God.

You make good points, but don’t confuse the intention of my question. I am not asking this to scientifically prove the existence of God, but merely to understand it. This question is more of fantasizing, or musing, then it is serious. If it turns out that heaven is as you say, God Himself, then I have no problem accepting that.

But I am simply reflecting on the odd coincidence’s that heaven is considered “upward”. Your response to this was

“Gods are often “above”, because the direction reflects their superiority to man”

But do not forget, the notion that “higher=more superior” derived from the notion that the pagan gods were above us in the first place, not the other way around. In other words, we would have no concept of “higher=more superior” if we did not beleive the higher powers were above us in the first place.

Again I say, why didn’t the Blessed Mother and the Son of Man simply vanish when it was time to depart? Why ascend if they were not physically going somewhere?

I also see the paradox in this. God does not limit himself to His own creation. Therefore, it does not make much sense that he would dwell in our universe. Again, these questions are more for entertainment then serious debate.

 

[Chellow]

Yes its only speculation of what God or Heaven really are. We can only draw so much from the bible and Church tradition we must also include science. My belief in God comes more from, I’ll say 80% from science and 20% from Faith.

I can better bring to God a lost sheep that knows some science then a nominal Christian that believes in once saved always saved.

 

[Riseof_Rome]

Yes its only speculation of what God or Heaven really are. We can only draw so much from the bible and Church tradition we must also include science. My belief in God comes more from, I’ll say 80% from science and 20% from Faith.

I can better bring to God a lost sheep that knows some science then a nominal Christian that believes in once saved always saved.

Good point. I just always wondered what it would be like after the Apocalypse, when everyone is rejoined with their bodies. Where would we go? That is a LOT of people all of the sudden alive again after thousands if not millions of years. I don’t know if the earth would be able to hold all of us. So, being that we would be physical beings once again, would we be on different planets, or different dimensions?

 

[cheeto1]

I like your question, and I don’t see that anyone’s answered it. It is only natural that
God would make it impossible to answer, or wouldn’t we embark on figuring out how
to get there of our own power? It’s funny how God wouldn’t allow the tower of Babel,
yet He allowed man to go to the moon…

 

[cheeto1]

Well. I just got the surprise of my life. For the homily, our priest said, “where
is heaven?” then he said, “heaven is not a place. It is a relationship with God.”
I have never heard a priest say this… What in the world is Jesus doing preparing
a place that doesn’t exist? Or could a priest be mistaken?

 

[Riseof_Rome]

Well. I just got the surprise of my life. For the homily, our priest said, “where
is heaven?” then he said, “heaven is not a place. It is a relationship with God.”
I have never heard a priest say this… What in the world is Jesus doing preparing
a place that doesn’t exist? Or could a priest be mistaken?

That homily concerns me. The mentality that heaven is merely a “state” then a place is an eastern philosophy idea. Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, etc all have the same view of heaven. I thought it was a fundamental Catholic teaching that heaven is a place. I’d ask about this.