The bible is a mythological story along with every other religion. it was just meant to show people morals. just like any other story books that teach kids life lessons(but i would not recommend the bible for little kids it is kind of rated R) or reminders for some adults to treat each other like we would want to be treated. if your reading and translating the bible how most churches translate it to everyone you are bound to be confused at some the messages that are written in that book. the church neglects the knowledge which is written in front of your face like what and who is god, what and where is the garden of eden, what is the rapture and did the rapture happen already more than once, and how do we truly understand this book which this book was written 6 bc and then rewritten in the 16c by King James. so to understand this book you would have to translate it by looking tat the etymology of the word what it meant in that time. because the definitions changed over time. also to understand this book is mostly talking about your consciousness. this book was also made to confuse a person. written in plain sight what intention they had in 2 Corinthians 10:4-7 KJV. explains more on my page [journeytorealitytruth.wordpress.com]. but that is why also you cannot go by man alone on there word to tell you truth you have to seek and find the answer yourself. like it says in Matthews 7:8-13 I do not like the bible itself because of the fact that it is meant to confuse people that is why it is so contradictory and in some parts of the book made to make people hate one another for their color and sexual orientation. but most people do not seek the answers that are right in front of them. If you are really seeking the answer that you are looking for research and the answer you seek will be right there.

I have no no idea why people would love God. Even if he does exist, why should I love him? I have no idea. Why do people want to go to heaven? That is another thing I do not get? What is there that I could possibly want? And nor do I understand the difference between heaven and hell. They seem to me to be the same thing. I hear people say they love god so they can get into heaven. I feel that is a selfish reason to love someone. I love my loved ones for no other reason than I wish to be with them, comfort them, care for them, spend my life with them. To me, loving god seems like a selfish love, if you expect to get something out of it at the end.

This sounds like some hybrid Christo-Buddhist idea that has been concocted by a New Age soteriological group. Chrisitans end up here and then get to heaven by either grace or works depending on which flag they fly, through the sacrifice elicited by God's incarnation as Jesus. (Not my belief but the general gist of the doctrine). I don't know where their souls were supposed to have been pre-birth, I think the bible is silent on that point, but I may be mistaken.

I am not aware of Christian doctrine having reincarnation-y notions of voluntarily coming to earth. That is an idea coming from someone who probably doesn't adhere to Chrsitian notions of heaven and hell.

However you do have a point in that if heaven is so great why not bypass all this nonsense on earth and go straight to heaven. And the answer to that is that Christianity would be a suicide cult were it not for the bolted-on suicide prohibition that is there largely for just that purpose.