# Atheist Heaven, -what would our slice of heaven be **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 5, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419 "2010-05-05T17:07:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![badlyburnttoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@badlyburnttoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badlyburnttoast)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/21 "2010-05-08T02:41:09Z")
Reincarnation, except I’d have at least some (preferably all) of my memories rather then starting from scratch this time. I rather like life, even with it’s downsides. I can think of nothing better then having another go at it, except this time with a little more experience. Sort of a [new game+](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Game_Plus). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/22 "2010-05-08T15:32:04Z")
A post-scarcity anarchist society without sexism, racism, homophobia,religion or capitalism. So yeah, something like Ian Banks’ _Culture_. ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/23 "2010-05-08T17:02:17Z")
[Austin Powers] As long as people are still having promiscuous sex with many anonymous partners without protection while at the same time experimenting with mind-expanding drugs in a consequence-free environment, I’ll be sound as a pound! [/Austin Powers] ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/24 "2010-05-08T17:46:16Z")
My atheist heaven is going to have cheesecake. Lots of cheesecake. Same with Dr Pepper and chocolate ice cream. Mmmmmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/25 "2010-05-08T21:44:23Z")
Wouldn’t it be ironic if there really is a heaven . . . and only atheists get in. (Agnostics get stuck in purgatory.) And oh yes, cats. Lots of cats. ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/26 "2010-05-08T23:22:43Z")
I’m a Trekkie. Guess. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/27 "2010-05-09T00:16:29Z")
> [@AtomicDog](#): > > I’m a Trekkie. Guess. 2009 Zoe Saldana and 1967 Nichelle Nichols constantly making out? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/28 "2010-05-09T01:44:53Z")
IMHO atheists and all others that have not accepted Jesus does decay, in that process they will actually live a live of that decay, and if in that life did not seek the Lord, die again, and decay further. Each process makes one ‘stinker’ each time, and less desirable to other people. Eventually if they go that long, the person will realize that they have no friends (such as the homeless) which they will seek the Lord to find out why, find Him and be given eternal life. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/29 "2010-05-09T06:17:29Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > IMHO atheists and all others that have not accepted Jesus does decay, in that process they will actually live a live of that decay, and if in that life did not seek the Lord, die again, and decay further. Each process makes one ‘stinker’ each time, and less desirable to other people. Eventually if they go that long, the person will realize that they have no friends (such as the homeless) which they will seek the Lord to find out why, find Him and be given eternal life. Take your hijack elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![nachtmusick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac91a4/32.png) [@nachtmusick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nachtmusick)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/30 "2010-05-09T06:19:36Z")
As others have stated, my atheist Heaven would just be an afterlife, period. Nevermind the eternal bliss. I recall a Sci-Fi story called “That Hellbound Train” (or something like that), where a man who had reached the end of his rope was approached by the Devil. The Devil offered the fellow a magic watch in exchange for his soul. The deal was that the man could stop the watch at any time he felt completely satisfied with his lot in life, and stop time. The only catch was that he had to use the watch before the Hell Train came for him. He took the deal, and proceeded to strive for a better life. He succeeded in bettering himself, and in making life better for those he cared for. No matter how good things got, however, he was never satisfied that he had achieved perfect contentment. There was always more to achieve, and the potential for greater happiness. In the end, the Hellbound Train came to collect him. The moral (I think) is that if Heaven is defined as a place of perfect contentment, then that place doesn’t exist. The fact that there is no Heaven, however, doesn’t mean we need a magic watch in our pocket to understand that we have nothing to lose in trying to get there. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/31 "2010-05-09T06:25:18Z")
> [@nachtmusick](#): > > I recall a Sci-Fi story called “That Hellbound Train” (or something like that), where a man who had reached the end of his rope was approached by the Devil. The Devil offered the fellow a magic watch in exchange for his soul. The deal was that the man could stop the watch at any time he felt completely satisfied with his lot in life, and stop time. The only catch was that he had to use the watch before the Hell Train came for him. > > He took the deal, and proceeded to strive for a better life. He succeeded in bettering himself, and in making life better for those he cared for. No matter how good things got, however, he was never satisfied that he had achieved perfect contentment. There was always more to achieve, and the potential for greater happiness. In the end, the Hellbound Train came to collect him. > > The moral (I think) is that if Heaven is defined as a place of perfect contentment, then that place doesn’t exist. The fact that there is no Heaven, however, doesn’t mean we need a magic watch in our pocket to understand that we have nothing to lose in trying to get there. Uh, you forgot a part: the part where the guy (who grew up in a railroad family) decided that being on the Train was about the happiest he’d ever been, and used the watch right then and there, much to the Devil’s dismay. (Obviously, this means you’re misremembering the whole “have to use the watch before the Train comes” thing.) Does that do anything to your theory? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![nachtmusick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac91a4/32.png) [@nachtmusick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nachtmusick)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/32 "2010-05-09T07:20:23Z")
Nitpicker. I read the story about 20 years ago; but yes, I did remember the part about him using the watch on the train. He then became the Train Conductor, and thus foiled the Devil. I left that part out because it was irrelevant to what I thought was the point of the story, and I was striving for brevity. The fact that he decided he was ultimately happy made for a happy ending, but it muddied my two paragraph summary. Do _you_ think the ending contradicts my theory? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/33 "2010-05-09T22:52:12Z")
Well, I’ll have to think about it a bit, but given that you seemed to base your theory of the story on an “ending” that really wasn’t the end, I believe so. But this is becoming a hijack, so I’ll not say more while I muse. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/34 "2010-05-10T00:36:55Z")
[QUOTE=manila] Also I really hope the theists would contribute to defining their idea of heaven [/QUOTE] Heaven, is to us the stars, which in spiritual terms are angels, the planets their wombs, and life on the planets their children, higher still and you have even more advanced forms, and higher still God Himself. When someone is given eternal life they are in the Kingdom of God, which is multi leveled, some will continue on the New Earth, a ideal planet where God provides all our needs and we play as His children, eventually taking off to the stars, different worlds each unique and wonderful, having children and rejoicing in them, mentoring them, and seeing them off on their own journeys. Eventually reaching a evolution status of a angel, raising a world full of children (such as mother earth), and meeting other heavenly beings, populating the stars. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/35 "2010-05-10T01:16:04Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Heaven, is to us the stars, which in spiritual terms are angels, the planets their wombs, and life on the planets their children, higher still and you have even more advanced forms, and higher still God Himself. When someone is given eternal life they are in the Kingdom of God, which is multi leveled, some will continue on the New Earth, a ideal planet where God provides all our needs and we play as His children, eventually taking off to the stars, different worlds each unique and wonderful, having children and rejoicing in them, mentoring them, and seeing them off on their own journeys. Eventually reaching a evolution status of a angel, raising a world full of children (such as mother earth), and meeting other heavenly beings, populating the stars. I find this no less realistic than my version of heaven: I am being fed the most succulent parts of a lobster tail while drinking Gewurtzriminer and listening to Anneke van Giersbergen sing while simultaneously being fellated by a clone of Salma Hayek and witnessing firsthand the hunting behaviors of a T.rex and possibly also squeezing Salma’s boobs. And actually, if most of that is unrealistic, I might settle for squeezing the boobs. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/36 "2010-05-10T04:49:55Z")
> [@Darryl\_Lict](#): > > My heaven would be Natalie Portman’s hell. Why not make it where she madly falls in love with you, and thus gets to enjoy it, too? ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/37 "2010-05-10T05:09:12Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Why not make it where she madly falls in love with you, and thus gets to enjoy it, too? Maybe her not enjoying it increases his enjoyment? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/38 "2010-05-10T12:07:39Z")
> [@](#): > > I recall a Sci-Fi story called “That Hellbound Train” (or something like that) Fantasy, obviously, not science fiction. You have the title right. It’s by **Robert Bloch** , best known (to his chagrin) from writing _Psycho_. It appears, among other places, in the anthology _The Best of Robert Bloch_ (for which it provided the cover illustration). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/39 "2010-05-10T12:12:56Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Heaven, is to us the stars, which in spiritual terms are angels, the planets their wombs, and life on the planets their children, higher still and you have even more advanced forms, and higher still God Himself. When someone is given eternal life they are in the Kingdom of God, which is multi leveled, some will continue on the New Earth, a ideal planet where God provides all our needs and we play as His children, eventually taking off to the stars, different worlds each unique and wonderful, having children and rejoicing in them, mentoring them, and seeing them off on their own journeys. Eventually reaching a evolution status of a angel, raising a world full of children (such as mother earth), and meeting other heavenly beings, populating the stars. [Moderator Note]Unless you are claiming to be an atheist, your posting is off-topic. _Take your witnessing elsewhere._[/Moderator Note] ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419/40 "2010-05-10T13:21:56Z")
I thought the OP specifically also asked for input from believers about their concept of heaven? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atheist-heaven-what-would-our-slice-of-heaven-be/538419.md?page=3)