Change seems to be the singular, consistent force in the world. Our life spans reflect the natural, seasonal change that surrounds us all. We even thrive within change. Our hopes and dreams are shaped by the ticking of the clock.
A Christian's ultimate goal is usually stated as "heaven". Paul believed life was best lived focused on the afterlife.
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - Paul in 2nd Corinthians 4
Traditionally, Christianity has not emphasized the transitory nature of life, but focused on the eternal resting place of our souls. It is understood our time on earth will only represent a fraction of a second compared to our eternal existence.
Courtesy of Google when I searched "heaven". Just tickled this exists. Amazing.
Eternal life, heaven, whatever you want to call it, is a warm and appealing idea. Surely, everlasting life is humanity's greatest wish fulfillment. To step outside of time and become reunited with all our dead loved ones is the greatest hope one could possibly imagine. It makes this earthly suffering tolerable.
No doubt there are positive aspects in helping people realize the eternal. In doing so, some turn to view themselves as part of a larger plan or seek spiritual answers within their lives. However, many have posited that Christianity has overemphasized the afterlife to the determent of our lives on earth.
"The Christian religion and morality extols the glory of the Hereafter, and therefore remains indifferent to the horrors of the earth. Indeed, the idea of self-denial and of all that makes for pain and sorrow is its test of human worth, its passport to the entry into heaven." - Emma Goldman
The quote bites because, in too many cases it has been the true.
A few years ago I was surfing the channels and came upon Dr. Jack Van-Impe's stupefying television program (this is a one-stop show for laughs, Bible cherry-picking and fear-mongering). In this particular show, Van-Impe claimed that not only was global warming a hoax perpetrated by Al Gore, but that we could take comfort that even if it was real, "Jesus would be back soon" and it didn't really matter.
Just dawned on me that he goes by "Dr." Totally great way of getting some cheap creditability (speaking of creditability, posting ridiculous or bad photos of them is a cheap way to discredit someone.....but it's too fun not to).
I'm not claiming most Christians think this way, just that it was an extreme example of focusing on the afterlife, rather than focusing on life here on earth.
Focusing on heaven narrows one's focus in our spiritual vision. If Christianity is reduced to just a personal relationship with Jesus and my personal salvation - how do others fit into the picture? Is it okay for the church to focus on eternal salvation while the rest of the world rots in a worldly hell?
"What, in fact, is the Absurd Man? He who, without negating it, does nothing for the eternal. Assured of his temporally limited freedom, of his revolt devoid of future, and of his mortal consciousness, he lives out his adventure within the span of his lifetime..." - Albert Camus
I don't mean to say Christians should agree with all of the above quote. Nor should we ever stop talking about the afterlife - it's just we shouldn't miss Camus' point. The church needs to do a better job by focusing on our impermanence rather than the eternal soul. Our pastor recently said something that I have felt for a long time, "My goal isn't to get into heaven - but to be like Jesus". It's about being, not obtaining. Life is about the process not the end goal.
If we are focused on being like Jesus then people will be forced to notice. By focusing on the impermanence of life, we might actually increase the "harvest" of the eternal.
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