# Could you enjoy Heaven if the bad-guys made it too? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 20, 2014, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598 "2014-07-20T13:50:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/1 "2014-07-20T13:50:15Z")
Shortly in the future Dave steps in front of the proverbial bus, being a generally decent bloke the pearly gates swing wide for him and he’s welcomed into the realm of Heaven\*, naturally being heaven its pretty much anything a person could wish for and more. But after a while Dave notes something disturbing, over there is a bloke who’s the spitting image of Hitler\*\*, a little asking around determines that it really _is_ Hitler, turns out Der Fuhrer had a last moment change of heart and truly regretted all he had done, for this he was forgiven and has spent the last few decades\*\*\* in a state of absolute bliss with everyone else. Checking around Dave notices that quite a few historical bad-guys and less prominent people that would generally be considered to be evil have made it to heaven as well. Turns out that God is truly all-forgiving and entry to heaven is easy, for the truly unrepentant there is simple unexistance and no form of punishment. How much would this state of affairs bother you\*\*\*\*, would you shrug it off and enjoy yourself or would it taint the whole experience so much you would ask God to hit the big cancel button for yourself? \*please don’t turn this into a debate on the likelihood of such a place existing, for the purposes of this thread lets just assume that if you’re a non-believer it turns out you were wrong. \*\*may as well Godwinize my own thread \*\*\*not that time really has meaning in heaven \*\*\*\*again for the purposes of the thread you’ve made to heaven and only notice what Dave has noticed later ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/2 "2014-07-20T13:53:56Z")
That’s the USP of Christianity, isn’t it? As long as you **truly** repent of your sins, you are Saved. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/3 "2014-07-20T13:56:57Z")
What you are fundamentally (heh) asking is: **Can you be in Heaven and still have a sense of entitlement?** ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/4 "2014-07-20T13:58:55Z")
If I were there myself, I could hardly complain about anyone else who was. If there’s a heaven and hell, I’m fucked. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/5 "2014-07-20T13:59:47Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > That’s the USP of Christianity, isn’t it? As long as you **truly** repent of your sins, you are Saved. Well I was trying to not tie the scenario down to a particular religion, but yeah. > [@WordMan](#): > > What you are fundamentally (heh) asking is: **Can you be in Heaven and still have a sense of entitlement?** Could you expand on that a little, not entirely sure what you mean. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/6 "2014-07-20T17:20:23Z")
the answer is yes but who is Dave? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/7 "2014-07-20T17:37:47Z")
If Hitler can feel the bliss, I sure as hell can. That didn’t sound right… ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/8 "2014-07-20T17:42:49Z")
I think I’d prefer that to having knowledge of bad guys being in eternal torment. So, my answer is I hope so. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/9 "2014-07-20T17:52:41Z")
> [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > the answer is yes but who is Dave? Dave’s not here, man. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/10 "2014-07-20T17:54:04Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > What you are fundamentally (heh) asking is: **Can you be in Heaven and still have a sense of entitlement?** Heh. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/11 "2014-07-20T17:55:06Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > If Hitler can feel the bliss, I sure as hell can. > > That didn’t sound right… Depends on who Bliss is. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/12 "2014-07-20T18:00:21Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Dave’s not here, man. If Dave’s there, I don’t really care who else is. Anyways, if it’s MY heaven, the people I don’t like won’t be there and if they are they’re nice, right? So if I bump into Hitler he’s not going to kill me and if I bump into my high school bully, well, he’s not going to kill me either. Come to think of it, if those people have to be there, and it’s MY heaven, that sense of fear really shouldn’t even wash over me so I guess it really doesn’t matter who’s there. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/13 "2014-07-20T18:06:29Z")
If Heaven exists and Hitler is there how would you ever know? After all, the souls of \*\ \*Billions and Billions _\_ of people would be floating around. I think you’d have to be extremely lucky to locate your uncle who passed away just last week. Also, you’re in Heaven. Your life is over. The time for judgment and jealousy is past for you. I doubt you’d have the ability to care about anything, much less that someone who may not deserve it is there as well. ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/14 "2014-07-20T18:13:59Z")
The bad guys wouldn’t bother me as much as the constant singing and praising God that you have to do up there. According to the Christian bible, that’s all that goes on up there, a bunch of singing and praising for eternity. You’ll go nuts from that long before you start getting pissed off at the other inhabitants. You’re better off converting to Judaism, they don’t have to be part of a celestial choir that sings praises the praises of God for eternity. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/15 "2014-07-20T18:43:13Z")
as long as there are 32 flavors then i don’t care what else happens. ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/16 "2014-07-20T19:05:32Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > as long as there are 32 flavors then i don’t care what else happens. Nope, none of that. Just singing " holy holy holy holy…" over and over again for eternity. What makes you think there is a Baskin Robbins in Heaven? There is no mingling around talking to people like at a cocktail party either, just singing “holy holy holy”… It won’t matter who is up there because you’ll be too busy singing. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2014, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/17 "2014-07-20T19:19:17Z")
AKA **When Good Things Happen to Bad People** ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/18 "2014-07-20T20:03:46Z")
> [@Disposable Hero](#): > > Shortly in the future Dave steps in front of the proverbial bus, being a generally decent bloke the pearly gates swing wide for him and he’s welcomed into the realm of Heaven\*, naturally being heaven its pretty much anything a person could wish for and more. But after a while Dave notes something disturbing, over there is a bloke who’s the spitting image of Hitler\*\*, a little asking around determines that it really _is_ Hitler, turns out Der Fuhrer had a last moment change of heart and truly regretted all he had done, for this he was forgiven and has spent the last few decades\*\*\* in a state of absolute bliss with everyone else. > > Checking around Dave notices that quite a few historical bad-guys and less prominent people that would generally be considered to be evil have made it to heaven as well. > > Turns out that God is truly all-forgiving and entry to heaven is easy, for the truly unrepentant there is simple unexistance and no form of punishment. I’d prefer a middle ground for the unrepentant between “unexistence” and the usual eternal fiery torment, but aside from that, I have no issue with truly repentant evildoers getting into heaven. The problem then is - what from that point on? Do we get robbed of our free will, or could we sin up there? Aside from that, hey, if they’re truly sorry, then they’re truly sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/19 "2014-07-20T20:25:28Z")
(Ignoring the question of how I would feel about being stuck in Christian Heaven) I don’t see why not. I enjoy plenty of things in _real life_ despite there being bad guys everywhere. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2014, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598/20 "2014-07-20T21:10:48Z")
Playing along with the OP, and assuming that by “Heaven” it is meant a place that I personally would consider to be a heaven, I would have no problem with meeting anyone else there. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-enjoy-heaven-if-the-bad-guys-made-it-too/693598.md?page=2)