Paradise

I am sure that when each of us thinks of paradise we have a very individual idea or notion of how paradise is realized.
My mother is currently and has for a very long time (for human standards) has a personal relationship with Jesus. She has communion with the Holy Spirit and speaks in tongues. She also interprets tongues spoken by her and others. I've seen it many times and it always fills me with a sense of awe and amazement. I'm never scared though. I know that it is very real to her but I still have a hard time explaining it to my contemporaries. I tried to speak in tongues once or twice but I just don't get the flow of it. I think about how much I wanted to have the experience. Other teens around me were just going off with the speaking in tongues and convulsing etc... I had my hands out and my arms up but there was just nothing coming through. I could tell that the adults there were disappointed in me.

Oh well.

So the Holy Spirit and I have a more low key relationship I suppose. Some people need to have this kind of tangible mystery in their lives to feel comfortable.
Muslims believe that Mohammad flew away on a winged horse. He ascended into heaven and is still alive.

At least Jesus died.

The Hindus have the coolest religion. The whole many armed god thing is just awesome. They must think that the whole Muslim, Jewish, Christian situation is insane. There they are with their elephant headed four armed god and donkey headed alligator god but they think the whole trinity of monotheism must be simply bats in the belfry. How funny is that?

Muslim men are being told that they can enter paradise if they are martyrs for Islam. Virgins and honey etc...
Mormons ride around and go to missions in distant lands and they got their version of the true religion from a guy that had conversations with angles. Now I am no theologian but I do remember that special weight was put on the words that Jesus spoke and one of the things that he said was that people and angels would come claiming that they bore the message of God, but that these were false prophets and deceivers of man. So did Joseph Smith not know that? If he did do you think that he would have believed the "angel" Moroni? I don't. At least the Mormons take care of each other.
Muslims and Islamoramadamas and Christians and Jews and Mormons and Catholics and Wiccans and Satanists and Druids and Jehovas Witness' and Seventh Day Adventists and Quakers and Snake Handlers and Shakers and Hindus and Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster all have their own convictions and idea of what paradise is.
For me paradise is throwing the tennis ball for Olive and watching her swim like a torpedo and then going to some place like the Tin Shed for dinner and drinks and good conversation.