NationStates Jolt Archive

So, is it a place for people who didn't believe in Jesus, but lead good lives, to go until they accept Jesus, or what?

It was invented by the Catholic Church during a time of declining revenues. A person goes to purgatory to be purged of their sins before ascending to heaven, and by getting the preist to pray extra the one in purgatory, it will not last as long.

(Generally, to get the preist to do this cost extra)

So, is it a place for people who didn't believe in Jesus, but lead good lives, to go until they accept Jesus, or what?

unbaptized babies, "virtous pagans" etc. you pretty much got it.

if dante is to be believed Ceaser, aristotle, socrates, saladin, and homer are all in purgatorio, sounds like a place i wanna be :cool:

unbaptized babies, "virtous pagans" etc. you pretty much got it.

if dante is to be believed Ceaser, aristotle, socrates, saladin, and homer are all in purgatorio, sounds like a place i wanna be :cool:

I thought that was limbo, with purgatory being where the people who weren't good enough one way or the other to get into heaven or hell went to earn their way into heaven. Or something.

unbaptized babies, "virtous pagans" etc. you pretty much got it.

if dante is to be believed Ceaser, aristotle, socrates, saladin, and homer are all in purgatorio, sounds like a place i wanna be :cool:

Okay, all I wanted to know.

I thought that was limbo, with purgatory being where the people who weren't good enough one way or the other to get into heaven or hell went to earn their way into heaven. Or something.

I thought purgatory=limbo

I thought that was limbo, with purgatory being where the people who weren't good enough one way or the other to get into heaven or hell went to earn their way into heaven. Or something.

Yeah, thats what I recall from when I read the Divine Comedy... Limbo is the place to go. Purgatory is llust Hell, only for people who were more virtuous, and they get to continue on to Heaven after a suitable amount of time...

How exactly do you calculate how long you are supposed to be in purgatory anyway?

It was invented by the Catholic Church during a time of declining revenues. A person goes to purgatory to be purged of their sins before ascending to heaven, and by getting the preist to pray extra the one in purgatory, it will not last as long.

(Generally, to get the preist to do this cost extra)

No, it was thought up because no one can appear before God in sin. Well, we sin our whole lives, even when we're Christians, so how can we stand before God? Well, we must be sanctified, or made holy. Because the Roman Catholic Church believes that Christians are saved by grace and works, they believe that we can also be sanctified by works. So, after death, those who did not accquire enough merit (or who didn't do enough works) go to purgatory to accquire the needed merit to become holy.

Evangelical protestants reject this, because they say the Christians are saved by grace alone.

Also, there is no evidence for purgatory in the Canon. The Roman Catholics use the Apocrypha to support this doctrine. Because the Protsetants do not believe the Apocrypha to be inspired, they believe there to be error in them, the references to purgatory being a few.

purgatory sounds good if you ask me you can just relax somewhere life (well okay death) is bearable because it still swings both ways

Also it seems like the place for all night partying away from boring priests and just close enough to hell to make it an island in the Mediterranean or maybe Caribbean *needs a holiday*

purgatory sounds good if you ask me you can just relax somewhere life (well okay death) is bearable because it still swings both ways

Also it seems like the place for all night partying away from boring priests and just close enough to hell to make it an island in the Mediterranean or maybe Caribbean *needs a holiday*

No, purgatory sucks, because the point is to purify yourself before ascending into paradise by enduring arduous, hell-like trials. Such things include (iirc) having to climb up a great big mountain, carrying a giant boulder on your back while walking around in circles, and other things, like being engulfed in flames constantly.

No, purgatory sucks, because the point is to purify yourself before ascending into paradise by enduring arduous, hell-like trials. Such things include (iirc) having to climb up a great big mountain, carrying a giant boulder on your back while walking around in circles, and other things, like being engulfed in flames constantly.

:eek: then what the hell is the peaceful place where the great greeks and romans hang out?

So, is it a place for people who didn't believe in Jesus, but lead good lives, to go until they accept Jesus, or what?

It was mainly made up to make God seem nicer, after the image of Hell got worse...

:eek: then what the hell is the peaceful place where the great greeks and romans hang out?

Limbo. First cirle of Hell.

They cannot ascend into Heaven, but they were virtuous, so they aren't realyy punished, as such, they just have to live in some dreary, cold, probably damp place.

Limbo. First cirle of Hell.

They cannot ascend into Heaven, but they were virtuous, so they aren't realyy punished, as such, they just have to live in some dreary, cold, probably damp place.

Isn't that the place for unbaptized babies, too?

Isn't that the place for unbaptized babies, too?

no thats purgatory, man this is getting confusing

:eek: then what the hell is the peaceful place where the great greeks and romans hang out?

First level of Hell, Limbo. That's where people like Virgil and Plato go. According to Dante, there's a big light in a tower that represents human reason. In the Divine Comedy, the spirit of Virgil led Dante through Hell and Purgatory, but then handed him over to the angel Beatrix because he wasn't able to enter heaven.

Basically, Limbo is for virtuous pagans and the really nice who didn't get into heaven. Purgatory is sort of like hard-labor prison. If you converted late in life, then you got stuck in purgatory, because even though you converted and accepted Christ, you didn't do it earlier enough and needed to work off your sin.

Of course, the entire modern concept of heaven, hell, and purgatory was heavily influenced by Dante's work, which was really just his rant about what the Church should do.

No, purgatory sucks, because the point is to purify yourself before ascending into paradise by enduring arduous, hell-like trials. Such things include (iirc) having to climb up a great big mountain, carrying a giant boulder on your back while walking around in circles, and other things, like being engulfed in flames constantly.

It's basically the same torment you'd suffer in hell, but you don't mind so much because you know you'll wind up in heaven eventually--at least according to Dante.

no thats purgatory, man this is getting confusing

No, because purgatory is only for those who had faith. Babies are too stupid to have faith. So, the parents can baptize the baby, making the decision os faith so s/he will be safe if s/he dies before s/he is old enough to make the decision for him/herself. So a baptized baby would go to purgatory, and an unbaptized baby would go to limbo. Or so my understanding of Roman Catholic theology says.

No, because purgatory is only for those who had faith. Babies are too stupid to have faith. So, the parents can baptize the baby, making the decision os faith so s/he will be safe if s/he dies before s/he is old enough to make the decision for him/herself. So a baptized baby would go to purgatory, and an unbaptized baby would go to limbo. Or so my understanding of Roman Catholic theology says.

You got it, and according to Dante, it doesn't take an awful lot to make the jump from hell to purgatory. There's one guy in Purgatory, way at the bottom, I believe, who was a complete bastard his whole life, and as he lay dying, he made like a hand gesture of repentance to Mary or something, and that got him in the door.

You got it, and according to Dante, it doesn't take an awful lot to make the jump from hell to purgatory. There's one guy in Purgatory, way at the bottom, I believe, who was a complete bastard his whole life, and as he lay dying, he made like a hand gesture of repentance to Mary or something, and that got him in the door.

And that is one reason why I am not a Roman Catholic. Two, actually: prayer to Mary and insincere repentence.

And that is one reason why I am not a Roman Catholic. Two, actually: prayer to Mary and insincere repentence.

Yeah the whole catholic icon worship thing is strange to me, seems like a hold over from the pagan religions.

The Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches believe that purgatory is either a place, process, or period of existance after death. If a person is in purgatory that means he is definitely getting into heaven. It is a time/place where people are allowed to understand why their sins were truly awful and to remove any leftover inclination towards sin and the pain of earthly existence. There is no pain implied.

Limbo, is not a part of Catholic or Eastern Orthodox doctrine and is a theory of a theological possibility that some people believe in. The Church has said it's not impossible, but there is really no way to say it does or doesn't exist. The reasoning for it is that God is so super merciful that there were some pretty cool people who led good lives but weren't completely alright with God. So they wouldn't suffer for terrible sins, nor would they be rewarded with heaven. A lot of contemporary Catholic theologians believe that these people would be saved by Christ if they didn't have an opportunity to discover Christianity correctly somehow.

And that is one reason why I am not a Roman Catholic. Two, actually: prayer to Mary and insincere repentence.

Don't take this personally, but I don't see any real difference in silliness between the Catholic teaching on repentance and the Protestant variants. Or between that and the idea of sacrificing a cow for propitiation. Actually, the cow makes a bit more sense, as you're giving up something of value to receive expiation.

Yeah the whole catholic icon worship thing is strange to me, seems like a hold over from the pagan religions.

Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians don't worship icons or statues any more than we worship pictures we keep of loved ones.

No, purgatory sucks, because the point is to purify yourself before ascending into paradise by enduring arduous, hell-like trials. Such things include (iirc) having to climb up a great big mountain, carrying a giant boulder on your back while walking around in circles, and other things, like being engulfed in flames constantly.

screw that I'd give up after about 5 minuets and have a lie down on my comfy bed of glass

Lazy demons with a very good union FTW

Edwardis has the best explanation so far.
Certain Christians believe Purgatory is what people endure after death and before entering Heaven. Sin damages us, and we must be fixed or cleaned up. This cleaning is painful because we have grown attached to sin.
Purgatory is distinct from Limbo, which is not a necessary part of Catholic belief. The last couple popes said that it is likely that some pagans enter Heaven (no need for Limbo). The Lord probably provides some means of salvation for those who don't have access to the revealed faith of Jesus or the sacraments.
You can find an online version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to get an accurate description of the belief. CS Lewis had some good quotes about it, too.

Let's go right to the source:

Interviewer: Ladies and Gentlemen, we’re privileged to have with us a man known around the world as Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.


Jesus: That’s me.


I: How are you Jesus?


J: Fine, thanks, and let me say it’s great to be back.


I: Why, after all this time, have you come back?


J: Mostly nostalgia.


I: Can you tell us a little bit about the first time you were here?


J: Well, there’s not much to tell. I think everybody knows the story by now. I was born on Christmas. And actually, that always bothered me, because I only got one present. You know, if I was born a couple of months earlier I would’ve got two presents. But look, I’m not complaining. After all, it’s only material goods.


I: There’s a story that there were three wise men.


J: Well, there were three kings who showed up. I don’t know how wise they were. They didn’t look very wise. They said they followed a star. That don’t sound wise to me.


I: Didn’t they bring gifts?


J: Yes. Gold, frankincense, and I believe, myrrh, which I never did find out what that was. You don’t happen to know what myrrh is, do you?


I: Well, I believe it’s a reddish-brown, bitter gum resin.


J: Oh, great. Just what I need. What am I gonna do with a gum resin? I’d rather have the money, that way I could buy something I need. You know, something I wouldn’t normally buy for myself.


I: What would that be?


J: Oh, I don’t know. A bathing suit. I never had a bathing suit. Maybe a Devo hat. Possibly a bicycle. I really coulda used a bicycle. Do you realize all the walking I did? I must’ve crossed Canaan six, eight times. Up and down, north and south, walking and talking, doin’ miracles, tellin’ stories.


I: Tell us about the miracles. How many miracles did you perform?


J: Well, leaving out the loaves and the fishes, a total of 107 miracles.


I: Why not the loaves and the fishes?


J: Well, technically that one wasn’t a miracle.


I: It wasn’t?


J: No, it turns out a lot of people were putting them back. They were several days old. And besides, not all those miracles were pure miracles anyway.


I: What do you mean? If they weren’t miracles, what were they?


J: Well, some of them were parlor tricks, optical illusions, mass hypnosis. Sometime people were hallucinatin’. I even used acupressure. That’s how I cured most of the blind people.


I: So not all of the New Testament is true?


J: Naaah. Some of the gospel stuff never happened at all. IT was just made up. Luke and Mark used a lot of Drugs. Luke was a physician, and he had access to drugs. Matthew and John were okay, but Luke and Mark would write anything.


I: What about raising Lazarus from the dead?


J: First of all, he wasn’t dead, he was hung-over. I’ve told people that.


I: But in the Bible you said he was dead.


J: No! I said he looked dead. I said, “Jeez, Peter, this guy looks dead!” You see, Lazarus was a very heavy sleeper, plus the day before we had been to a wedding feast, and he had put away a lot of wine.


I: Ahhh! Was that the wedding feast at Cana, where you changed the water into wine?


J: I don’t know. We went to an awful lot of wedding feasts in those days.


I: But did you ever really turn water into wine?


J: Not that I know of. One time I turned apple juice into milk, but I don’t recall the water and wine.


I: All right, speaking of water, let me ask you about another miracle. What about walking on water? Did that really happen?


J: Oh yeah, that was one that really happened. You see, the problem was, I could do it, and the other guys couldn’t. They were jealous. Peter got so mad at me he had these special shoes made, special big shoes, that if you started out walkin’ real fast you could stay on top the water for a while. Then, of course, after a few yards, badda-boom, down he goes right into the water. He sinks like a rock. That’s why I called him peter. Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I shall build my church.


I: Well, that brings up the Apostles. What can you tell us about the Apostles?


J: They smelled like bait, but they were a good bunch of guys. Thirteen of them we had.


I: Thirteen? The Bible says there were only twelve.


J: Well, that was according to Luke. I told you about Luke. Actually, we had thirteen. We had Peter, James, John, Andrew, Phillip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, that’s a different James, Thaddeus. How many is that?


I: That’s ten.


J: Simon, Judas, and Red.


I: Red?


J: Yeah, Red the Apostle.


I: Red the Apostle doesn’t appear in the Bible.


J: Nah, Red kept pretty much to himself. He never came to any of the weddings. He was a little strange; he thought the Red Sea was named after him.


I: And what about Judas?


J: Don’t get me started on Judas. A completely unpleasant person, okay?


I: Well, what about the other Apostles, say for instance, Thomas, was he really a doubter?


J: Believe me, this guy Thomas, you couldn’t tell him nothin’. He was always asking me for ID. Soon as I would see him, he would go, “You got any ID?” To this day he doesn’t believe I’m God.


I: And are you God?


J: Well, partly. I’m a member of the Trinity.


I: Yes. In fact, you’re writing a book about the Trinity.


J: That’s right, it’s called Three’s a Crowd.


I: As I understand it, it’s nothing more than a thinly veiled attack on the Holy Ghost.


J: Listen, it’s not an attack, okay? It happens I don’t get along with the Holy Ghost. So I leave him alone. That’s it. What he does is his business.


I: What’s the reason?


J: Well, first of all he’s a wise guy. Every time he shows up, he appears as somethin’ different. One day he’s a dove, another day he’s a tongue of fire. Always foolin’ around. I don’t bother with the guy. I don’t wanna know about him. I don’t wanna see him. I don’t wanna talk to him.


I: Well, let me change the subject. Is there really a placed called hell?


J: Oh yeah, there’s a hell, all right. There’s also a heck. It’n not as severe as hell, but we’ve got a heck and a hell


I: What about purgatory?


J: No, I don’t know about no purgatory. We got heaven, hell, heck, and limbo.


I: What is limbo like?


J: I don’t know. No one is allowed in. If anyone was in there it wouldn’t be limbo, it would just be another place.


I: Getting back to your previous visit, what can you tell us about the Last Supper?


J: Well, first of all, if I’da known I was gonna be crucified, I woulda had a bigger meal. You never want to be crucified on an empty stomach. As it was, I had a little salad and some veal.


I: The crucifixion must have been terrible.


J: Oh yeah, it was awful. Unless you went through it yourself, you could never know how painful it was. And tiring. It was very, very tiring. But I think more than anything else it was embarrassing. You know, in front of all those people, to be crucified like that. But, I guess it redeemed a lot of people. I hope so. I would be a shame to do it for no reason.


I: Were you scared?


J: Oh yea. I was afraid it was gonna rain; I thought for sure I would get hit by lightning. One good thing, though, while I was up there I had a really good view; I could actually see my house. There’s always a bright side.


I: And then three days later you rose from the dead.


J: How’s that?


I: On Easter Sunday. You rose from the dead, didn’t you?


J: Not that I know of. I think I would remember something like that. I do remember sleeping a long time after the crucifixion. Like I said, it was very tiring. I think what mighta happened was I passed out, and they thought I was dead. We didn’t have such good medical people in those days. It was mostly volunteers.


I: And, according to the Bible, forty days later you ascended into Heaven.


J: Pulleys! Ropes, pulleys, and a harness. I think it was Simon that come up with a great harness thing that went under my toga. You couldn’t see it at all. Since that day, I been in Heaven, and, all in all, I would have to say that while I was down here I had a really good time. Except for the suffering.


I: And what do you think about Christianity today?


J: Well, I’m a little embarrassed by it. I wish they would take my name off it. If I had the whole thing to do over, I would probably start one of those Eastern religions like Buddha. Buddha was smart. That’s how come he’s laughing.


I: You wouldn’t want to be a Christian?


J: No I wouldn’t want to be a member of any group whose symbol is a man nailed onto some wood. Especially if it’s me. Buddha’s laughing, meanwhile I’m on the cross.


I: I have a few more questions, do you mind?


J: Hey, be my guest, how often do I get here?


I: Are there really angels?


J: Well, not as many as we used to have. Years ago we had millions of them. Today you can’t get the young people to join. It got too dangerous with all the radar and heat-seeking missiles.


I: What about guardian angels? Are there such things?


J: Yes, we still have guardian angels, but now, with the population explosion, it’s one angle for every six people. Years ago everybody had his own angel.


I: Do you really answer prayers?


J: No. First of all, what with sun spots and radio interference, a lot of them don’t even get through. And between you and me, we just don’t have the staff to handle the workload anymore. In the old days we took pride in answering every single prayer, but like I said, there were less people. And in those days people prayed for something simple, to light a fire, to catch a yak, something like that. But today you got people praying for hockey teams, for longer fingernails, to lose weight. We just can’t keep up.


I: Well, I think we’re about out of time. I certainly want to thank you for visiting with us.


J: Hey, no sweat.


I: Do you have any words of advice?


J: You mean like how to remove chewing gum from a suede garment? Something like that?


I: No, I mean spiritual advice.


J: Well I don’t know how spiritual it is, but I’d say one thing is don’t give your money to the church. They should be giving their money to you.


I: Well, thank you, Jesus, and good night.


J: Well, good night, thanks for having me on here today. And by the way, in case anyone is interested, bell-bottoms will be coming back in the year 2015. Ciao.


-written by George Carlin

Don't take this personally, but I don't see any real difference in silliness between the Catholic teaching on repentance and the Protestant variants. Or between that and the idea of sacrificing a cow for propitiation. Actually, the cow makes a bit more sense, as you're giving up something of value to receive expiation.

Eh... The Roman Catholics basically say that as long as you confess and go to the Mass and etc. etc. etc. you will be saved by grace imputed to you in those works. So the works save you regardless of your heart. They don't say that, but that's the application.

The Protestants say the you must have faith and only that faith is means of salvation. So the heart is the only thing that matters. Not that works don't matter; we're only talking about salvation or no salvation right now though.

And that is one reason why I am not a Roman Catholic. Two, actually: prayer to Mary and insincere repentence.

Can I ask what you mean by insincere repentence?

Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians don't worship icons or statues any more than we worship pictures we keep of loved ones.

So they say. But their actions say otherwise. And it's not Biblical. There is one Intercessor for the Christian: Jesus Christ. Anything beyond that is idolatry. But I still think Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodx are Christians.

Can I ask what you mean by insincere repentence?

They say all the right stuff and make all the right signs, but don't mean it or believe it.

I think that many Catholics have sincere repentence. Probably among all religions that have a concept of repentence, there are those who are sincerely repentent and those who are insincere.

I would agree. You also have to look out at people who call themselves Catholic just because their family is. I met a person who claimed to be Catholic but didn't follow any of the teachings of that religion.

Also, I really don't think you can know the intentions of all Catholics. I mean in today's world if they didn't want to bother being good people or being sorry why go on with the facade? No one's going to do anything about it.

I think that many Catholics have sincere repentence. Probably among all religions that have a concept of repentence, there are those who are sincerely repentent and those who are insincere.

No offence, but I think there are many more in the Roman Catholice Church who are insincere. The whole idea of works gaining salvation (though it existis everywhere) lends itself to the thought that "as long as I do A, B, and C, I'm good and I don't have to worry about anything else." And this idea/practice is very common in the Roman Catholic Church, though those people aren't even Christian and are therefore, not truly Roman Catholics.

I would agree. You also have to look out at people who call themselves Catholic just because their family is. I met a person who claimed to be Catholic but didn't follow any of the teachings of that religion.

Also, I really don't think you can know the intentions of all Catholics. I mean in today's world if they didn't want to bother being good people or being sorry why go on with the facade? No one's going to do anything about it.

Who are you agreeing with on what?

I'm agreeing with Gladstad.


The Catholic Church teaches that freedom from serious sin is the ticket from heaven. Nevertheless, no one but Jesus has gone into heaven of his own power or voilition. All who are saved are saved wholly by Christ.

I'm agreeing with Gladstad.


The Catholic Church teaches that freedom from serious sin is the ticket from heaven. Nevertheless, no one but Jesus has gone into heaven of his own power or voilition. All who are saved are saved wholly by Christ.

Are you Roman Catholic, may I ask?

Yes, I converted to it a few years ago from Atheism.

Yes, I converted to it a few years ago from Atheism.

That's good. :)

unbaptized babies, "virtous pagans" etc. you pretty much got it.

if dante is to be believed Ceaser, aristotle, socrates, saladin, and homer are all in purgatorio, sounds like a place i wanna be :cool:

That's the first layer of hell. Otherwise known as limbo.

Purgatory is for people who didn't die in a state of complete grace, but were not so bad that they had to go to hell. It was sort of a divine county jail. I believe that they've since admitted that it was a load of horse snot and done away with it, but then again I may now be the one who'se thinking of Limbo.

So they say. But their actions say otherwise. And it's not Biblical. There is one Intercessor for the Christian: Jesus Christ. Anything beyond that is idolatry. But I still think Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodx are Christians.

And your basis for asserting that Catholics are all big ol' liars and secretly worship icons when no one is looking would be...what, exactly?

Disagree with other people's religions all you want, by all means, but the "Catholics = idol worshippers!" argument is just silly.

I'm a Methodist. I ignore questions of the afterlife.:)

Personaly I don't believe in heaven,hell or purgatory/limbo, think how boring things can get when you are forced to follow a set routine now imagine the same thing for thousands of years/ eternity. this is heaven. I have a back injury and live with pain on a daily basis (ranging from a 4 to a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10) I am used to it. eventually most if not all people can adjust to anything. I have had people try to say to me that I would be "changed" so that the boredom/adjustment would not happen but if this is so then it isn't "Me" that is experiencing heaven or hell just something with my name

And your basis for asserting that Catholics are all big ol' liars and secretly worship icons when no one is looking would be...what, exactly?

Disagree with other people's religions all you want, by all means, but the "Catholics = idol worshippers!" argument is just silly.

They do not believe that they are worshipping idols. They believe they are venerating the saints.

Which I see no Biblical basis for and believe that it amounts to idolarty. But if they can come to no other conclusion using Scripture, the whole of Scripture, and nothing but the Scripture, I beleive they are in error, not sin.

They do not believe that they are worshipping idols. They believe they are venerating the saints.

Which I see no Biblical basis for and believe that it amounts to idolarty. But if they can come to no other conclusion using Scripture, the whole of Scripture, and nothing but the Scripture, I beleive they are in error, not sin.

We catholics are not exactly "by the book" christians, just to make a side note.

Worshipping a page is perhaps idolatry, showing your respect to someone you think led a virtous and unparalleled life is not. It's like a "religious homage"

We catholics are not exactly "by the book" christians, just to make a side note.

Worshipping a page is perhaps idolatry, showing your respect to someone you think led a virtous and unparalleled life is not. It's like a "religious homage"

And I reject that as idolatry. If you give any more respect to them than you would a regular human, it is idolatry, in my mind.

Sorry, to keep harping on it, but that's how I feel.

You have your right to do so, noone is really saying that you cannot have an opposing view. Just expressing my personal point of view.

For me, for example, your presbyterian faith fails to grasp the true aspect of the scriptures by either trying to adapt too much, or following them too much to the core.

In other words, you are all heathens, but you have every right to be it.

No offence, but I think there are many more in the Roman Catholice Church who are insincere. The whole idea of works gaining salvation (though it existis everywhere) lends itself to the thought that "as long as I do A, B, and C, I'm good and I don't have to worry about anything else." And this idea/practice is very common in the Roman Catholic Church, though those people aren't even Christian and are therefore, not truly Roman Catholics.

No offense? That's laughable. You most certainly did mean to be offensive and I assure you I did take offense. Congratulations, you've achieved your purpose. Run along now, Fundie. Don't you have a snake to handle?

Personaly I don't believe in heaven,hell or purgatory/limbo, think how boring things can get when you are forced to follow a set routine now imagine the same thing for thousands of years/ eternity. this is heaven. I have a back injury and live with pain on a daily basis (ranging from a 4 to a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10) I am used to it. eventually most if not all people can adjust to anything. I have had people try to say to me that I would be "changed" so that the boredom/adjustment would not happen but if this is so then it isn't "Me" that is experiencing heaven or hell just something with my name

That's assuming that time in the afterlife exists the same way our mortal time does. Personally, I don't think time for spiritual existance exists in the same way it does for physical objects.
As for being changed, I think that people just experience things in a way that we can't yet on Earth.
For example, I didn't know that I liked movies very much at all until I saw my first horror movie when I was young. Now I really really enjoy watching some movies. I'm not a different person, I just didn't know what I was missing.