Stephen Hawking: ‘There is no heaven’ (OT)

Pure arrogance to claim something like Heaven or God doesn't exist and also pretty arrogant to think believers concepts of Heaven or God are very accurate.

Hawking is correct: religion is for people who are "afraid of the dark"

That's just my opinion, sorry.

if the claim is the original one: that "God" is a living physical being who lives in heaven and that "heaven" is a physical place in the sky or celestial firmament.

Would it be arrogance to claim that one does not believe in ghosts, that we haven't been visited by aliens (yet), that the gods of the Greeks and Romans are mere myths? I think your use of the word arrogance is off base, Karl. Hawking was not being arrogant.

rrradam,

Where? How about adding a link to point others to it?

I'm unaware of your experience.

I wonder how many religious people think God or Heaven are physical? Seems like a kindergarten idea to me but I suppose there are some.

What's the difference between an Alien and an Angel? Aren't Angels Aliens too? (they don't live here right?) Same for Greek or Roman Gods. They may be myths but with more reality than we think based on this principle: God can appear and relate to people in the form that those people expect and call the Spirit. Just like your Dad can dress up like Santa on Christmas. Our conceptual mental power can't contain a being that comprises the whole cosmos so it touches us as we can accept it, coming to a Christian as Jesus or a Hindu as Krishna or Durga.

Why the need to equate religion with heaven?

"Einstein was more brilliant man for he refused to claim there was no God or Heaven."

"With all due respect, you don't know what you're talking about."

"I've seen belief work wonders..."

"Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story - esp if the story is inspirational or hopeful" strategy?

Come on Karl! Who's being arrogant? How can you possibly say that God can appear and relate to people in the form that those people expect? Did God tell you this? I would call it pure speculation on your part, and a rather arrogant speculation at that

Yogananda asks his teacher.
"“Gurudeva, are all astral persons beautiful?”

His teacher replies

“Beauty in the astral world is known to be a spiritual quality, and not an outward conformation,” Sri Yukteswar replied. “Astral beings therefore attach little importance to facial features. They have the privilege, however, of costuming themselves at will with new, colorful, astrally materialized bodies. Just as worldly men don new array for gala events, so astral beings find occasions to bedeck themselves in specially designed forms.

“Joyous astral festivities on the higher astral planets like Hiranyaloka take place when a being is liberated from the astral world through spiritual advancement, and is therefore ready to enter the heaven of the causal world. On such occasions the Invisible Heavenly Father, and the saints who are merged in Him, materialize Themselves into bodies of Their own choice and join the astral celebration. In order to please His beloved devotee, the Lord takes any desired form. If the devotee worshiped through devotion, he sees God as the Divine Mother. To Jesus, the Father-aspect of the Infinite One was appealing beyond other conceptions. The individuality with which the Creator has endowed each of His creatures makes every conceivable and inconceivable demand on the Lord’s versatility!” My guru and I laughed happily together.

“Friends of other lives easily recognize one another in the astral world,” Sri Yukteswar went on in his beautiful, flutelike voice. “Rejoicing at the immortality of friendship, they realize the indestructibility of love, often doubted at the time of the sad, delusive partings of earthly life.

“The intuition of astral beings pierces through the veil and observes human activities on earth, but man cannot view the astral world unless his sixth sense is somewhat developed. Thousands of earth-dwellers have momentarily glimpsed an astral being or an astral world."

This is one of the areas where you lose ALL credibility.

My own mother and grandmother for starters, for chrissake. Add to this the bulk of the bible belt if not now (because we're in a frenzied transition) than certainly just a generation or two ago.

On top of that, the entire friggin Abrahamic institution in all three original forms was built on a literal interpretation, for heavensake.

C'mon, you think you're talking to idiots here? We know history, etc. Pull your head out.