Former Skeptic Who Says She Died and Went to Heaven Describes Talking With God

[Lipstick on a Hillary]

I was prepared for "Heaven is for Real" to be hokey and hard to believe. Instead, I was touched to my core.

That was such a sweet account.  Loved it.

[mountaineer]

Thanks for the recommendations. As church librarian, I added "Heaven is for Real" to the stacks, but some of the others might be nice additions, too.

[Lipstick on a Hillary]

Mary Neal, MD :

To Heaven and Back

[Lipstick on a Hillary]

Don Piper

90 Minutes in Heaven

I believe this is the first book I was given on this subject.  Author is a Baptist Minister

[Lipstick on a Hillary]

Thanks for the recommendations. As church librarian, I added "Heaven is for Real" to the stacks, but some of the others might be nice additions, too.

Do you have an active Sunday School in your church?  If yes, the older kids would probably love Heaven is for Real. 

[mountaineer]

Not right now. It's a small church in transition (pastor left in a huff, took some of his groupies and badmouthed us to some of the families with children), but we  hope to rebuild children's ministries as soon as possible.

[NavyCanDo]

I love these accounts, and there are more and more of them coming out all the time.  They are wonderful reminders of what awaits us when we depart this plane.

You do have to put these to the test however. Question with Boldness, as they say.    If they are not biblically sound they should be avoided at  all cost.     Like the book that came out this time last year and was all the rage -  Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife.    I got it, read it, tossed it.  It was an “all-roads leads to heaven”  book.  And in a TV interview  the author  was asked if there was a Hell, and he said no.    When books like that come out and are sold to Christians like hotcakes, I wonder how many of these Christians are lead astray.

[NavyCanDo]

I was prepared for "Heaven is for Real" to be hokey and hard to believe. Instead, I was touched to my core.

Even a person had some doubts about what the boy experienced, the heartbreaking frustrating story of his parents trying to find out what was wrong with him was a great read in itself.

[Lipstick on a Hillary]

You do have to put these to the test however. Question with Boldness, as they say.    If they are not biblically sound they should be avoided at  all cost.     Like the book that came out this time last year and was all the rage -  Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife.    I got it, read it, tossed it.  It was an “all-roads leads to heaven”  book.  And in a TV interview  the author  was asked if there was a Hell, and he said no.    When books like that come out and are sold to Christians like hotcakes, I wonder how many of these Christians are lead astray.

Putting aside the fact that Alexander wasn't shooting for "biblically sound" when relaying his experience, I have to admit, I don’t believe in hell anyway, so it was certainly no biggie to me.  I actually admitted this to a fellow parishioner not long ago, and she assured me that many people in our congregation don't believe in hell either, which pretty well floored me.  They don’t broadcast it, but they DO remain silent during that part of the Apostle’s Creed, as do I. 

My minister read Alexander’s book, and thankfully didn’t toss it aside, taking issue with how “biblically sound” it was or wasn't, owing to the hell subject.   He saw the value of Alexander’s messages of all-encompassing love, and instead of dismissing book out of hand,  he incorporated a couple of Alexander’s experiences into our Easter sermon last spring.  Yes, our EASTER sermon.  (Remember when I was telling you about that at the time, Rappy?).    It was a wonderful sermon, speaking about Christ’s ascendance, and then his return, to which he contrasted with some of Alexander’s present day experiences and the profound messages of love received, in a very beautiful way.  This is no Silvia Browne New Age-ey church I speak of.  My minister looks after some of the most staid of the elderly Frozen Chosen imaginable.  He holds his Phd in Theology and his Masters in History.

Since I have also embraced spirituality, one of my favorite passages is Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”    I used to take this passage in a matter of faith.  Now I know it to be true, which makes my church experiences that much more meaningful-to me. 

 We'll have to agree to disagree on how "led astray" I am.   Hell, I'm probably more led astray by my colorful language and penchant for making fun of Sinky and Co. than because of any hell beliefs I hold. 

[jmyrlefuller]

There is a Hell-- Jesus does mention it in one of his parables (it's in Luke, I don't remember the chapter/verse offhand)-- but it's not at all the way it is portrayed in popular culture. It's not a burning Hell yet. That isn't to come until after the apocalypse (see Revelation). Satan doesn't have dominion over it; that's a Greek theory (Hades controlling the underworld and all). Hell is simply the repository for the souls of the dead, and pretty much everything that is written about Hell in the Bible says not much happens except sleep.

The Apostle Paul might very well strongly agree with you in your view, though. Paul takes a very worldly view of sin. He talks very little of Satan and Hell, but plenty on the sinful ways of the flesh and death. For Paul, it is ultimately we who are held accountable for our actions. It is why he speaks so emphatically about seeking the grace of God through Jesus.

[olde north church]

There is a Hell-- Jesus does mention it in one of his parables (it's in Luke, I don't remember the chapter/verse offhand)-- but it's not at all the way it is portrayed in popular culture. It's not a burning Hell yet. That isn't to come until after the apocalypse (see Revelation). Satan doesn't have dominion over it; that's a Greek theory (Hades controlling the underworld and all). Hell is simply the repository for the souls of the dead, and pretty much everything that is written about Hell in the Bible says not much happens except sleep.

The Apostle Paul might very well strongly agree with you in your view, though. Paul takes a very worldly view of sin. He talks very little of Satan and Hell, but plenty on the sinful ways of the flesh and death. For Paul, it is ultimately we who are held accountable for our actions. It is why he speaks so emphatically about seeking the grace of God through Jesus.

There is a difference between our concept of the "Underworld" of the Greeks and ours.  Zeus, God of Heavens and Poseidon, God of the Sea.  Hades, God of the Underworld, as in what is beneath the Earth, what we don't see.
Thanatos was the Greek god of death.  Our concept of Hades is a corruption of the Greek. 

[Lipstick on a Hillary]

 Paul takes a very worldly view of sin. He talks very little of Satan and Hell, but plenty on the sinful ways of the flesh and death. For Paul, it is ultimately we who are held accountable for our actions.

I absolutely agree with that.  I also believe there is a place for the sinful where they will go to account for and work through their own sins, but not the hell that most of us know and were taught to fear.

[Rapunzel]

I absolutely agree with that.  I also believe there is a place for the sinful where they will go to account for and work through their own sins, but not the hell that most of us know and were taught to fear.

Same here.