Separation of Church and State

We all know the Biblical quip "Let there be no division among the church". I plan on writing a post on that too. However, we see nothing in the Bible condemning civil religion. How did we get so far from the original Constitution?

When this great(?) nation was first developed, it absolutely was a religious state. We are reminded of things like the Salem Witch Trials. As terrible as they were, there is a lesson to be learned from these activities. More people than not participated to some degree. Clearly most, if not all, townsfolk were God-fearing people. While this occurred way before the Constitution was even conceived, it's very telling how church and state mingled; the public court handled religious cases. Yet this is only the tip of the iceberg.

The first appearance of this distinction was in Thomas Jefferson's letter to Danbury Baptists. All he talked about was how the First Amendment caused a "wall of separation". Fair enough. Government can no longer force the church to do anything, nor have a hand in any of its affairs. This was all it was meant to do. Early American schoolhouses all had a period during the school day set aside for Bible study. Harmless, right? Apparently not.

Over the next hundred years, after lawsuits and debates, religion is completely stripped from public schools. The Ten Commandments is no longer even allowed. I can cut the hypocrisy with a knife, being as most schools still state the Golden Rule, which was set by Jesus Christ. Maybe it's the fact that it's the Old Testament, but New Testament doctrine is okay.

The separation of church and state was not meant to secularize government, it was meant to unlegalize the church. I believe any government cannot effectively function without enacting Christianity. The reason: government is designed to do what's best for the people; no person would be able to do what's best for others without the fear of God and love of Jesus in them. We see what happens without it as corruption charges pop up left and right out of Washington.

As Atheism, Darwinism, secularism, and the trend of following alternative religions began to rise in America, the First Amendment was constantly under attack; as well as Christianity. People became less and less interested in their children learning about Jesus in the same place they should be learning how to read, write, and mathemetize. It's funny how people use things to their advantage althought that same thing was never intended to be used in the way they are using it. It makes perfect sense for government to keep out of religion, but it makes no sense vice versa.

We know what happens when children are raised with Biblical values. We witness the continuing degredation of society with each new generation. Even if one never becomes a Christian, learning about God at an early age results in a healthier moral foundation. Basically, even bad people are better with the knowledge of God. Societies are better as a whole with this knowledge. England seems to be doing okay.

Obviously a Christian state isn't the best either; this is how the Crusades began. Yet, a man such as Constantine is the perfect example. He never forced anybody to become a Christian, but simply by being a Christian ruler he singlehandely spread the Gospel throughout all of Europe with a single bound. This may not be as effective in America, but it is definitely better than the alternative. I say we return to the Colonists' America. The religious America. Whoever denies America being a Christian country is lying to themselves. Yes, it was settled to practice religious freedom, but that was a Christian religion. It's the same old "politically correct" debate. We can't force anybody to be Christian, certainly not a government. If you remember, the Bible is not politically correct. It does not say Jesus is for some, or most. It says He is for all. It does not tell us to possibly try to spread the gospel if we have the chance. It tells us to do everything in our power (by way of love) to teach people about Jesus.

No one should be forced to become a Christian, but everyone should be offered the chance. Just like every other part of life, sometimes the only place a person can learn this is in school. We don't need to eradicate teaching evolution, but certainly teach both that and creation as theories. Nothing more, nothing less. Keep the Ten Commandments - it has been reported classrooms are better behaved when they are posted in plainview. And most importantly,

don't be the lizard.

A Pagan Religion, Pt. 2

We celebrate Easter with Pagan symbols. This seems wrong, yet it continues nearly two thousand years later. In the spirit of Christmas, Easter also falls on and attempts to cover up a Pagan holiday ritual. This time, it is the feast of Ester. Eostre, in Old English, is a Pagan goddess associated with the month of April. It is a known tradition of the 2nd Century Church to replace Pagan holidays for those of a Christian element. Much in the same way God planned all things to parallel Pagan beliefs, these practices were put forth in order to make it easier for Pagans to become Christian. Quite a noble attempt, but the original disciples were never witnessed celebrating any holiday of the kind.

I understand and accept these attempts to ease Pagans into Christianity as righteous and worthy acts, but I also feel that America has taken it too far. Easter has become synonymous with bunnies and eggs. These are symbols of Easter, symbols of fertility, and Eostre is as well. What we use as tools to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus were originally symbols of a very Pagan nature. It seems silly to continue this practice. And people wonder why the American church seems to have no power.

I have learned that certain Christian denominations celebrate an authentic Hebrew Passover, but with a more gospel-related message. Some don't even celebrate Easter at all. Kudos to them. The enemy uses every way and mean he can to seperate us from God, and if this silly secular-laden holiday has succumed to his wrath, I would rather have no part in it. I'm not saying Easter is a satanic holiday by any means, but considering what it is based upon, it does tread upon dangerous shores.

We as Christians must be careful what we allow ourselves to get into. Christian-covered Pagan traditions are one of them. Of course it is completely acceptable, completely religious, and in some cases necessary to celebrate Easter. Just be careful what you use to celebrate. Remember, the things of God belong to God and things that are not do not belong to Him. The symbols of Eostre certainly are not the things of God. Therefore, be careful how you celebrate the death and rebirth of the Savior.

I propose the church stops using the term Easter. There are too many non-Christian beliefs and traditions associated with this name. Rather, we shall call it what it really is: Resurrection Day. This is the secondary name used for this joyous holiday, some American churches and other countries use this name, I say we adopt it world- and church-wide. If you are reading this, suggest it to all your friends, family, and clergy. We must break Christianity free from the Pagan traditions if we want to be taken more seriously.

Don't be the lizard.

Holy Corporate Holidays, Batman!

Today brings me to my next blog. The shameful, sacreligious practice of what I am dubbing "Holy Corporate Holidays". The bigwigs of commercialism are ruthless, but we all know that. They have figured out a way to squeeze every penny out of every American, while saving and earning buttloads of cash for themselves. Every opportunity is another form of capitalizing on things which should not be capitalized on. It scary to think that capitalism shares this root word. They even did it with 9/11. Over the past few years I have seen commercials for every form of "Twin Towers" commemorative memorabilia from coins to plates. Why, the day after Obama was elected (not even officially inaugurated) Publix was selling plates of his likeness.

The buck stops here. Every year Christians and secularists alike spend hard-earned money on holiday merchandise. Days like Mother's Day, Valentine's, New Year's, Independence Day, and Thanksgiving - those are fine. However, it is not enough to take advantage of American-made celebrations. The money grubbers deem it necessary to unleash a devastating fury of marketing on holy holidays. Christmas, Easter, Passover, Yom Kippur; nothing is too sacred to give it a capitalist twist. There are many reasons people give to these decisions; trying to secularize "fun" holidays, trying to take the sting out of them ("you mean Jesus actually DIED!?"), or even just the honest truth of making money. No matter the reason, it is a practice that must stop and we as Christians must fight this injustice.

Most of the secular traditions involving these holidays don't even make sense. You got the Easter Bunny, Santa, and the Chanukah Bush. Bunnies that lay eggs, a fat man who delivers presents to every single house in the world in one night, and something I don't even know about. Then there's all the decorations, and all the food, and all the partying. Think Mardi Gras. Why do we pig out on Easter? On second thought, why is pig the animal of choice for Easter celebrations? Jesus was probably Kosher, for God's sake. This holiday is a commemoration of Jesus DYING and REVIVING FOR US. He suffered immeasurable torment (physically, emotionally, and spiritually) so that we can still have fun and be stupid yet go to Heaven. When I think about the way America treats this holiday it makes me sick.

These secular traditions are a way to bring non-religious people joy during these holidays, yet they exploit the hard work of our Creator and people's mindless desire to appease the materialistic gods. They take the very real, very serious message out of these holidays and turn it into something silly, something "fun". As I have said before, there is nothing fun about the message of the gospel, and there certainly isn't anything fun about Jesus' Passion. There is no Jesus message in Easter-egg hunts, certainly not in sugar-coated marshmallows.

The other thing that bothers me is that the things for Easter all go on sale; fresh eggs, pork products, candies. Yet, during the same week Kosher items rise in price because of Passover. I wonder if Jesus had to pay double for the matzoh He used at the Last Supper? I understand Easter is supposed to be a celebration of Jesus defeating death and all that, but He can only rise if He had previously died, and there are very deep and serious reasons as to why He had to die.

Point being, secularism in holy holidays is unacceptable and needs to be boycotted. I'll admit it, I enjoy Peeps and I absolutely love Cadburry eggs, but these products do not need to made to portray the celebration of our Savior's sacrifice. Christians don't run around dressed as witches, whores, and other things we would never be during Halloween, why must secularists pretend during Christian holidays?

Don't be the lizard.

Egg Hunts and Bunny Rabbits

Of course I felt the need to write something about Easter, and of course it is going to be cynical and expose truths and fallacies in the holiday tradition. This is, after all, the holiest of holy holidays. This, is the celebration of Jesus' death. The day we were set free of death and all sin was forgiven. However, like all other holidays (both Holy and not), the secular world has adopted it for its own purposes and completely strips the meaning from it.

Easter falls one week after Palm Sunday. This holiday, while possessing a silly name, is also a very important day. This is the day Jesus came into Jerusalem in which He was to be put forth on trial, sentenced, and killed. The reason it is called Palm Sunday is because as Jesus rode into town on his lowly and humble donkey, people lay forth palm leaves in front of Him as a makeshift walkway. Like an everyman's 'red carpet'. This day was a very important one in the life of Jesus; it was the culmination of everything he worked and lived for. It was the second to last prophecy He fulfilled and it opened the eyes of thousands of people who otherwise never would have known about Jesus.

During this week Jesus spent His time in and out of Pilate's chambers, conversing with Him and letting him know how it is. He also prepared for what was to come. The last supper falls on this week, and finally, His crucifixion. It was only recently that I figured out how it is considered three days when Jesus was hung on Friday and rose on Sunday. It is not a literal, 72-hour period. Rather, it is the Jewish traditional method in which days are counted by sundowns rather than sunups. Full details can be found (here). Scripture prophecy never says how long the three days are which in Jesus would visit Hell, only that it would fall on three different days. If He was hung on Friday afternoon, consecrated on Saturday, and disappeared Sunday morning-that would make it three days regardless of the time.

Now, Jesus is risen and He begins appearing to His disciples, friends and family, and some serious disbelievers. Don't forget that two other major miracles happened during His death and resurrection. The temple curtain was torn apart, symbolizing mankind's new covenant with God, and a few dozen holy men rose from their graves as well. While the latter only appears in Matthew's gospel and is most likely an urban legend from the time, it is based on some truth.

Another miraculous thing occurred on Saturday, though. All the rabbits in the area-including the dead ones which all resurrected-stole the eggs from all the chickens, dipped them in whatever dyes they could find, and began hiding them throughout the city. People were amazed by this and on Sunday morning while Jesus was being discovered as "missing" the children were all busy finding these wonderful eggs. This account, as well as others like the Mardi Gras celebration and Christmas traditions can be found in the missing Second Book of Acts which described what the disciples told the Pagans to do on the holidays which they wanted to partake in but could not celebrate religiously.

All kidding aside, Easter is to Christians what Yom Kippur is to Hebrews and it is sad to see even it has suffered the secular treatment. I have realized the American church is part to blame in these atrocities but that is a blog for another day.

Christianity - A Pagan Religion?

I'm so sick and tired of people constantly berating believers with the claims that "Christianity is based on Pagan traditions" and "Jesus' life and death reflect many other religions' stories from way before His time". We are all aware of these things, or at least we should be. Now is the time for a different kind of intellectual to tackle these concepts.

My biggest defense against these truths is that God intended it this way. This of course takes a lot of faith to believe, but God always has, and always will know what He is doing. It is much easier for the believers of these many religions to believe in a story which seems similar to their own beliefs rather than something completely foreign. Especially if there is tangible evidence to do so. A good example would be baseball.

If you were born sometime in the middle of the 20th century, you've always heard the myths of Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle and all the other greats and their seemingly miraculous feats of athleticism, but they were a little hard to believe. Now jump forward some years and men like Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire are living out similar legends. This is the way Jesus worked, ancient myths existed in which people believed, but rumors started spreading of a man currently living who is doing and being similar things to those myths. Makes it much easier to digest and follow than, for example, always believing oranges are orange and apples are red until one day an apple comes out orange and all you hear is the story of it.

Most Christians understand, believe, and acknowledge that Christmas has its roots in Pagan traditions and falls on the same date as the "holiest" of those holidays. This doesn't take away from the power and holiness of what Christmas represents. Don't forget most of the original Christians, especially those who carried on the traditions, were Pagans before their conversion.

The second and stronger argument is that God was working in all those other religions. Sounds crazy and almost blasphemous, doesn't it? It's not, I assure you. For a very long time, the Hebrews were the only people who directly communicated with the monotheistic God we know and love today. What were all the other peoples in the world doing? Trying their best to connect with a deity or deities. To really go out on a limb, the Trinity is not much different from a religion that only believes in three gods.

Native Americans have the closest belief systems to a Judeo-Christian one. They certainly didn't have the Bible until the colonists came. Vikings lived among them for a while, yet they didn't take up Scandinavian beliefs. How could so many different tribes have beliefs so close to Christianity? Because God infused it in them from birth. We are all pre-programmed with some sort of conscience, some sort of knowledge of a higher power, and some kind of desire to connect to that power. Sometimes it's only a matter of trial and error until you get it right.

If the Old Testament is basically one large book working up to Jesus and His ministry, why can't Egyptian, Greek, Scandinavian, African, and Indian religions be prophecy or parallel to Him as well? Many psalms basically conclude that God created all and all creation praises Him for it. Psalm 19:1 states "the heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands".

If we take one example, the Greek myths, and compare them to Genesis, we see many of the same "myths". A woman who exposes the world to all the evils unknown to man before, a god who births another god, a great flood, a wife betraying her husband resulting in his death, an evil entity who lives in the underworld, and even a Leviathan. A book comparing the Judeo-Christian Bible to all the other religions would fill a library, it simply boils down to a matter of faith.

To steal an old adage, the proof is in the pudding. Many people claim it is very hard or impossible to believe in a Judeo-Christian religion, but it sure ain't easy to believe in any of the others either. It is a matter of the rewards. For me, Christianity is the most rewarding, and I know many people who feel the same who have tried a bunch of different religions. Even if this whole "Jesus thing" turns out to not be real, and that is a BIG if, there sure is a lot of personal proof that it does something amazing. Just one small fact, statistics show that most secular rehab centers have a much lower success rate to those who do it with a Scriptural bias. Experts call it the "Jesus factor".

I leave you with a short but very poignant story. On the way back from a Christian retreat one of the guys in the car was a recent immigrant from China. At the time he had been a Christian for about a year, but he grew up in China raised in the traditional way, including the religious beliefs of that region. We asked him why he is a Christian and, in his accent (with broken English), I quote "I've studied a lot of religions and Christianity just makes the most sense". Take that, Richard Dawkins.

Don't be the lizard.

A Simple Answer

One of the most confusing and biggest argument-starting passages in the Bible is Matthew's "wrong" interpretation of Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel". I found a website, linked at the bottom, which explains this concept in detail. I will only give a basic overview and my opinion on it.

To be perfectly honest, it really doesn't matter whether Jesus was born of a virgin or not, because it is a minor prophecy and He fulfilled the 600-something other prophecies that are directly linked to Him, including Abraham's near-sacrifice of Isaac, the first twelve fathers' names in English (which I will discuss in a later post), and God covering Adam and Eve's sins by shedding blood.

First, I will deal with the term "Emmanuel". This Hebrew word is exactly translated as 'God IS with us', not "God with us" as usually explained. One of Jesus' many descriptions is Emmanuel, or God is with us. If Jesus really was both a man and God, then this description fits.

Second, the verse states He will be called Emmanuel, not named. Neither verse says His name will be Emmanuel, only that some people will call Him this, but not as a name either.

The third and fourth points are dangerous and could completely unravel Christian theology, but they must be addressed for it is nothing compared to all the other evidence that proves God is real and Jesus was God.

Third, the verse in Isaiah is not a prophecy of Jesus. Rather, Isaiah is talking about his own son in the present time. Makes sense. This book, while heavily used to identify prophecies of Jesus, also majorly deals with Isaiah's own future as well as the near-future of Israel (not the 500 years later when Jesus was born). This fact, however, does not refute anything about Jesus. It only simplifies and disproves Atheists' arguments.

Fourth, the term "virgin" in Isaiah means something different in Hebrew than it does in English. The original word, 'almah' simply means young woman or maiden. Mary was certainly a very young woman. It is the word 'be’tulah' which explicitly means 'no sexual experience'. Mary was definitely a be'tulah, but the woman described in Isaiah was simply an almah, a maiden.

While this passage can certainly be a reference to Jesus' birth, it is not a direct prophecy. If anyone is basing their faith or church on this prophecy alone, they are incorrect and need to learn much more. While it is still a valid claim, be careful with this one around Atheists. Arm yourself with knowledge and know the Bible well, for failing to defend this misinterpretation can lead to disastrous results.

Here are the links:
Messiah Truth
Isaiah's Virgin

Is Jesus Mentioned Outside the Bible?

If you've ever stopped in and looked around a Christian bookstore, or even the Christian literature section of your local bookstore, the obvious answer is 'Yes". Of course that's only after the fact, starting around the 4th Century and is also a smart aleck answer. I feel the need to answer the question requires my beliefs to be inserted into this banter.

In sheer Jesus-style interrogation, I answer the question with a question. Why would Jesus be mentioned outside the Bible? The Romans have an infamous history of destroying history they deem as unfit, unreliable, or that which can tarnish their image. Recount the tale of the Library at Alexandria. While no definitive reason has been determined as to why it was burned, there is a major agreed theory that Romans were trying to change, if not get rid of certain history and knowledge.

Pontius Pilate is the only confirmed character mentioned in the New Testament, but someone must have carried on the tradition since Jesus' ascension. St. Augustine's "Confessions" was published awfully close to the events detailed in the book of Acts. Too close to be inspired by a false doctrine considering the New Testament was not a widely published book in his time. Consider this scenario: the Roman Empire was faced with a major uprising led by a single man, a man led by a deity which the Romans not only did not believe in but despised. Jesus posed a major threat to this empire, but also revealed the weakness within its power. Should Jesus allowed to flourish within Roman history? Certainly not. Writing Jesus into Roman history (which were the only other people writing history at the time) would be devastating. Not only did they put an innocent man to death, they killed the Son of God. Not an especially charming thing to include in their annals.

A simple answer to this question would be that supposing Jesus really existed and everything really happened the way it says in the Bible, the Roman Empire would not want to record it. Roman historians knew this, and considering all Roman historians had to report to the counsel and all the higher ups, they knew better than to mention anything about Jesus. Besides the fact that they would do everything in their power to crush the Christian movement. What a better way to convince people Jesus didn't exist than to "conveniently" exclude Him from your history. Picture this: if Hitler's rise to power began thousands of years ago and the people around that time had a feeling that his eminence would result in devastating results, wouldn't they do everything in their power to denounce him? The same goes with Rome versus Jesus. They wanted people to forget about Him and forget about Him they did.

Remember, everything in the New Testament after Acts are letters written, exhanged, and recorded in secret. It is likely there are many more letters that never made it into the Bible because they were intercepted by Roman soldiers. Know Jesus, know peace. No Jesus, no peace. The Romans were not big fans of peace. So there you go, my take on this topic.

Better Late Than Never (An Old Facebook Note)

Why Obama Is the Better Candidate But Neither One Is Sufficient

Forget all the platforms, all the rambling, all the beliefs. Let's look at the basic principle: this year's presidential campaign is not about who is going to do what or who has what beliefs, it is mainly (NOT solely, do not put words in my mouth) about attitude, personality, and reputation. It is a publicity campaign, each candidate trying to "outcool" the other. I absolutely agree Obama is young, inexperienced, and maybe not the best choice for international relations, but my opinions on the candidates is not based on merit, but rather how they interacted with each other and they way they portrayed each other.

Point #1: McCain was barely on the popularity chart until he chose Palin for his VP. Solely judging by the things she has said in public and what she assumed was private, McCain DID NOT pick her for substance. Unless if she is a sad reminder of how much substance the average American has. Straight up: Palin is an ignorant bimbo. God would never, NEVER want humans to DESTROY HABITATS for the sake of OIL. We have survived about 5,750 years without it, why do we now need to kill penguins and polar bears in order to drill for it. why do we need it at all? currently we are making Christian and Jew-killing sheiks rich simply because they had the luck of the draw and live in the Middle East. A bridge to nowhere? I was on one of those in a dream. It lasted for miles.... Do some homework. Check out Palin's look from days before running mate status, to minutes after. She has now become the "sexy librarian" hockey MILF. Larry Flynt is not just a pornographer, he is a political commentator.

Point #2: The things said about Obama by McCain's camp versus the things said about McCain by Obama's camp. I respect Senator John 6-Pack by backing away from the public's "terrorist" claims, but he didn't do enough. Sometimes just NOT doing something is not enough. The propaganda videos spawning from his campaign arsenals consist of things like "Obama is the AntiChrist", "Obama is a terrorist", if you vote for Obama "you are unpatriotic and unAmerican". Check out this video, it says it all (but you have to pay close, CLOSE attention to what the man is saying): HERE. Remember, God's reputation is on the line. I commend Obama for consistently praising McCain during the debates. McCain - nothing.

Biggest Note: McCain is older than dirt. If he dies, Palin becomes President. I'd rather be castrated.

Point #3: While McCain may have fought in wars (which makes him biased BTW), Obama was busy studying in school and going to church. CHURCH. Where has McCain been the past 20 years? I will tell you one thing -- not in God's house. Okay, Pastor Wright is a little wrong, but I agree with his sermons 99%. Why are people always first, so quick to judge; second, so quick to disagree; and third, so quick and easy to repeal statements that may be deemed "offensive". Let me tell you something, God is not afraid of hurting some people's feelings, especially if they are sinners. The Bible, being the ultimate doctrine of Truth (assuming you believe in that sort of thing) hurts a lot of people feelings. And it goes far beyond that, it kills people, it demeans people, it pigeonholes people, and it condemns people.

On that note, allow me to explain why neither candidate is good enough. This is going to be quick and brief, for I am planning to post a detailed explanation of this sometime in the future, but basically Obama is not Jesus. Will he make some change? Yes. Will he make a major difference? I can only hope. However, no one but God Almighty can truly change anything. He is our hope in troubled times, and these are troubled times. America is slowly losing all its values and any sense of a good moral conscience, and while there is a small group of good Jews and Christians scattered here and there, this country is generally pretty godless, and is become more so by the day. The more we embrace and glorify self-destructive lifestyles including but not limited to gangsters, homosexuals, and "sexual liberation", the more God will hand us over to our sin (read Romans 1). And the more we fall into the deadly pit of Capitalism (or American consumerism in my opinion) the deeper we sink into the pit of Hell. To quote myself: "a society cannot be sustained which constantly self-imposes on itself." And that is exactly what America does every day.

So, coming a little late, who are you voting for? It doesn't make a bit of difference as long as this society continues down the same godless, sinful, degradational, depraved group of perverts we are. I don't just mean sexually, I mean perversion to an extreme even the human side of Jesus couldn't comprehend. Perverting the laws, the Bible, nature, and ourselves. Until we stop to smell the death, we will never be able to live.

A Misconcepted Point of View

Credit goes out to the boys from The Holy Ghost Reception Committee #9 for that title and God for this topic. I would like to now cover society and the media's portrayals of Heaven and Hell. In the words of a dog owner, "NO, NO!" Most of what I see in movies and television and even in a lot of music is a completely misguided perception. There are no bars in Hell, there are no strip clubs, there isn't a bunch of lawyers running around ready to serve people who may need counsel. Hell is a place for people who distance themselves from God. It is for people who don't want a relationship with Him. It sounds childish, but it is like God saying "Fine, you don't want to hang out with me during your life, you don't get to be with me in the afterlife".

Honestly, we don't know what Hell is really like. Jesus describes it as "weeping and gnashing of teeth". It is a place for punishment. It's kind of like being eternally put in the corner. We do know there are no hangouts, no buffets, no playing volleyball near the Lake of Fire. In fact, it is also described as a place of utter darkness, so even if there were such things (and that's a BIG if), no one would be able to see them. Personally it is hard to believe that people like Hitler get the same punishment as someone like, say, Edgar Allen Poe. Or Jack the Ripper swimming the same lake of fire as Angelina Jolie. I understand anyone who doesn't follow God and His commands doesn't deserve a place in Heaven, but Atheist philanthropists certainly don't belong in the same place as murderers and rapists. Perhaps Dante was right in that regard. Nevertheless, movies like "Wristcutters" (as good a movie as it is) are completely wrong.

On the other hand, Heaven is not like what is seen in movies such as "Oh God". There, too, are no buffets or hangouts, at least not in the Earthly sense. The Bible says that we will spend our time solely worshiping God. There are castles, according to Jesus, and there are obviously winged angels, but whether us humans get them or not is up to debate. Heaven is our reward to doing what God tells and asks us to do. I long for the day to hear Jesus call me "Good and faithful servant". Here, too, it is hard to believe that there are certain people who don't make it to Heaven, but it is clearly described in the Bible that no one gets there without Jesus' help. Chris Rice's song "Sneaking Into Heaven" is the perfect description of how to get there.

One more thing, neither place is in a physical location. This greatly bothers me because people frequently claim Hell to be underground and Heaven to be in the sky. While they both exist, they are in a different plane, a different dimension if you will. I went to a church that played the noises recorded in that 'Russian geologists find entrance to Hell' fiasco one sermon. They presented it as if it were completely true. This is bad theology, there is no way for humans to find an entrance to Hell this side of life. The noises recorded in that hole certainly reflect the way Hell sounds, plenty of wailing and screaming, but it is not the real thing. Both Heaven's beauty and Hell's torment cannot possibly be perceived in our simple humans minds. Be careful what you see, hear, and read - there are a lot of people preaching false doctrine.

Don't be the lizard.


Further Reading:
What Does Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth Mean?
Scripture-Twisting