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Many Mansions

Jamdoc

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As someone who also used drugs in my youth I know what you mean, but dont confuse what a friend of mine calls drugs, the devils attempt to mimic God and deceive people compared with the pure overwhelming love of God. You are comparing what is holy and perfect with what is sinful, hedonistic and depraved. Its like comparing a love for your wife/husband in a Christian marriage to someone who goes around having one night stands. One is God ordained and righteous, the other is sinful and morally questionable even by the worlds standards.
And as for the saying its just a high, that is not what I was trying to convey. As it states in the Bible you cannot help but cry out in praise, thats not the same as just singing like we do in church.
I consider anything that forces your mind into a state of euphoria and even takes control of your body, regardless of whether you will it or not, something that takes away your ability to rationally think, a high. Do I expect to be excited and have joy in seeing my creator? Yes. But do I expect to lose control of my own body and have it singing even though I dislike singing? I hope not. I expect to be lucid, and have rational thinking, and if the Lord commands me to sing, I make a conscious willful choice to do it, making a value judgement in my mind to choose what the Lord commands over my own distaste for the activity, even though I do not like doing it. You may consider singing joyful, I consider it like the Lord telling you to mortify your flesh and deny your flesh pleasure, something you don't want to do but you do to be obedient.
The reason I compare what you said to drugs is mostly because of how you describe it, a loss of control.
 
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GirdYourLoins

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I consider anything that forces your mind into a state of euphoria and even takes control of your body, regardless of whether you will it or not, something that takes away your ability to rationally think, a high. Do I expect to be excited and have joy in seeing my creator? Yes. But do I expect to lose control of my own body and have it singing even though I dislike singing? I hope not. I expect to be lucid, and have rational thinking, and if the Lord commands me to sing, I make a conscious willful choice to do it, making a value judgement in my mind to choose what the Lord commands over my own distaste for the activity, even though I do not like doing it. You may consider singing joyful, I consider it like the Lord telling you to mortify your flesh and deny your flesh pleasure, something you don't want to do but you do to be obedient.
The reason I compare what you said to drugs is mostly because of how you describe it, a loss of control.
Just found this. It explains it better than I do. I have added a couple of quotes from this which say what I was trying to get across -
"and as startling as the impact of first love."
"I understood that they made the music because they could not contain it. It was the sound of sheer joy."
"filled to overflowing with indescribable, unconditional love."

So let me know what you think.

What heaven's really like - by a leading brain surgeon who says he's been there: Read his testimony before you scoff...it might just shake your beliefs | Daily Mail Online
 
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Jamdoc

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Just found this. It explains it better than I do. I have added a couple of quotes from this which say what I was trying to get across -
"and as startling as the impact of first love."
"I understood that they made the music because they could not contain it. It was the sound of sheer joy."
"filled to overflowing with indescribable, unconditional love."

So let me know what you think.

What heaven's really like - by a leading brain surgeon who says he's been there: Read his testimony before you scoff...it might just shake your beliefs | Daily Mail Online

That doesn't change my main objection to it. That it is describing a state of euphoria that takes away your control and free will. You're not choosing God you're compelled. That's describing heaven like a drug.
 
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GirdYourLoins

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That doesn't change my main objection to it. That it is describing a state of euphoria that takes away your control and free will. You're not choosing God you're compelled. That's describing heaven like a drug.
I have a very different view of life to you. To cut a long story short, I suffered abuse as a child, turned to drugs alcohol and sex and then became a Christian, have been massively, but not yet totally healed and have now come to a place in life where I know its ok to be happy, even euphoric.
 
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Jamdoc

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I have a very different view of life to you. To cut a long story short, I suffered abuse as a child, turned to drugs alcohol and sex and then became a Christian, have been massively, but not yet totally healed and have now come to a place in life where I know its ok to be happy, even euphoric.
I want to be happy, but if I'm doing something that I would not enjoy doing sober, and I "can't help" but do it? That's not really me being happy that's me being high.
If my happiness is truly an important thing to the Lord? He wouldn't make me sing, or command me to sing, He'd command me to do something else that I'd say, really? I get to do that to worship you? How awesome!
but as of now, I don't see my happiness as being relevant, circumstances have conditioned me to that, and scripture has pointed out that things that I'd like, are specifically not in eternity, and an activity that I dislike doing is the main focus of most verses dealing with heaven, so.. I'm not sure how to see my happiness as being relevant to the Lord when it's decreed what I like I can't have and what I don't like is what I'm compelled to do. My coping mechanism? "Heaven's not about me, it's about God"
 
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