If it's true that people who suffer horribly go to heaven.... We here at DS are gonna have the biggest shin-dig heaven's ever seen !

God doesn't want us to suffer. I believe God is a loving God. I would agree that those who are severly disabled, handicapped, etc. will no doubt get into heaven. But you dont' have to suffer to get into heaven. God wants us to live happy, abundant lives. It's up to us to create the lives we want. Who knows whether our lives were predetermined before we got here? Know one can say for sure. But for whatever reason, we have created this image of God as being this thundering voice from above that judges us with little leeway for mistakes. Not true. My religion and belief is that the way to get to heaven is through Jesus. Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and that he died on the cross to save us from Sin, and you will be in Heaven some day. Read the book "Conversations with God". It is explained beautifully in that book.

Damn straight! Haha!!

Myspirit thanks for the comment. I too believe that God is a loving God. I will read that.

Katie for as far back as I remember I was told that God gives hardships to those who need to learn a lesson from it, grow from it or are strong enough to endure it. I believe that no matter what religion you are and whether you suffer or not that we are all greeted at the end of this life. Whether it be heaven or somewhere else. That would totally depend on your beliefs. I do know that here at ds there is much suffering and if this is true then we will have a great time in the end. We will finally meet face to face and what a reunion it would be for some.

Damn straight HDmom... luv and hugs

From a Yogic perspective; i.e., what I feel and believe re: God and our suffering.
Well, actually God is the universal all knowing activator or force that lies behind creation: us, the planet, the galaxies..the universes...almost beyond our fathom, but I feel that humans reflect that divine spark and that our suffering is a result of breaking karmic laws. You know, like in physics: for every action their is an opposite and equal reaction. Same holds true for us humans. We generate ideas, statements, actions, countries, wars,...and as a result of having evolved over 8 million lifetimes we continue to run like little gerbels on a wheel in a cage.
Doesn't sound fun does it...but if we take full responsibility for our actions, find a path of knowing (truth/action/spiritual undertaking vies a vie~ a guru like Jesus, or a Mahavatar Babaji, or a Moses, or Buddha, or some other TRUE incarnation of liberation) only then can be begin to see how each and everyone of us is connected to this giant never-ending wheel of incarnation.
We can achieve liberation: that's the good news, only the Piscean stronghold of man-made religious laws totally messed with the original laws as Jesus and other great souls profoundly offered to the world. We need to work towards that Christ consciousness, as I see it.
I recommend reading AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI by Paramahansa Yogananda.
It's used in all world religion courses on college campuses, but it's written so anyone can grasp the idea of how East meets West in terms of universal truth.
My goal: get off the freakin' gerbel wheel asap! If I suffer, it's because I have something to learn, but it's all a rather vast and mysterious dream~ even in the most painful of moments when we are so attached to our pain...I think most of us here can relate.
There are MANY sources of ideology on this Eastern perspective but thanks for letting me share mine for a time.

I believe in reincarnation and some sort of karma. But I'm with Myspirit, I don't think that "God" wants us to suffer.