Persuasive Essay on Heaven Is Make-believe

Heaven. A place of eternal happiness and complete relaxation, free of any problems or worries. While this idea may seem appealing to some, the probability that a place like this actually exists is extremely low. Heaven plays a significant role in many religions, most notably in Christianity where it appears in the bible. Although this could be all the proof you need to claim that heaven is a real place, the bible itself was written thousands of years ago and therefore its credibility is questionable in the present day. Another major reason that proves heaven to be make-believe is the fact that no one has ever legitimately seen it, even though some people have claimed to. Even if heaven was real, the concept is utterly illogical as these points clearly justify that it is a make-believe place and was merely created to comfort people about the idea of the afterlife.

Many people have claimed to see visions of heaven during events such as near-death experiences, however, this wouldn’t make any sense as you have to pass away to reach it. Aside from these experiences, there is no physical evidence that proves this theory either. No photos or digital proof have been recorded over the years, and there were no witnesses to justify the ‘visions’ people were seeing. Therefore, how do we know if heaven is real if we’ve never actually seen it? Logically, these visions could have easily been someone’s response to a traumatic experience, which is proved further by the NCBI. They state the symptoms of near-death experiences include, “long-term depression, broken relationships, disrupted career, feelings of severe alienation, inability to function in the world, [and] long years of struggling with the keen sense of altered reality.” The organization, ‘Frontiers’, also states that people may feel “a sense of peace, see a bright light, encounter deceased relatives or religious figures, and transcend space and time”. Thus, when someone encounters a near-death experience, their sense of reality can alter, causing the illusion of heaven that they go on to believe for years after the event. Together, these reasons support the idea that heaven is a make-believe place, by describing the concept accurately and stating that there is no proof anyone has seen it in person. It also demonstrates how the imaginary place can be confused with symptoms that take place during life-threating events.

The main representation of heaven comes from the bible and is depicted as a place you are rewarded to live in if you follow the Lord’s teachings and spread his word. These requirements are reinforced in Matthew 5:17-20 where it states, “Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” The rules to follow are simple enough but how do we know if the bible’s information is trustworthy? After all, it was written thousands of years ago in around 120 AD, and therefore it could include minor errors between copies, or problems with the translation since the original bible was written in Hebrew. There is also little to no information that states your soul goes to heaven when you die and is instead seen as more of a ‘kingdom’ or sanctuary for people who are loyal to God. John 14:1-7 is a prime example of Jesus speaking about heaven, especially in the lines, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” This passage uses the metaphor of a mansion with many rooms to simulate the kingdom of heaven, however this idea can be easily misunderstood and confusing for some. It then results in the reader not being able to determine the difference between the truth and false information embedded in the reading. Since the bible was written so many years ago, everything inside could have been fabricated and nobody would have ever found out. Along with being written so long ago, the bible’s descriptions are confusing and hard to follow, which evidently supports the claim about heaven being a make-believe place. If heaven was real, there would most likely be much more information about it in the bible and it would be described in a more succinct and concise manner.

There are numerous reasons surrounding the statement, “Heaven is make-believe”, that prove it to be true. This includes the two major points, no one has ever seen heaven in person with their own eyes, and even though it was included in the bible, the information describing heaven was possibly incorrect as it was written after Jesus’ death. The first point is supported by the evidence of near-death experiences which seem to cause hallucinations, as well as there being no proof of heaven, physically. With the second point, it is supported by the large gap in time between now and when the bible was written, therefore decreasing its integrity. This also includes the varying descriptions of heaven that can be frequently misunderstood. Collectively, these arguments’ connection to the claim is further supported by the data found in a variety of trusted sources, including professional organizations or the bible.