That was a cool talk. So cool that I just forwarded the link to several of my family and friends, and encouraged them to watch it and comment.
I like the fact that he seemed to cover all the bases. He addressed the idea that
*even a soul does not grant us free will.* He addressed the idea that it still makes sense to try to make the right "choices." He showed that having no actual free will doesn't mean that we should or have to just throw up our hands and do nothing. And perhaps best of all, he shows how this idea (of free will being an illusion) helps us follow Jesus' counsel to "love our enemies."
At first I figured "Ugh, this is over an hour long." But within about five minutes I could tell that it was going to be an hour well-spent. So I recommend it to any others reading this thread. Even if you don't agree with what the guy says, it's still an interesting (thought-provoking) talk.
As for the classic description of Heaven, you're right, it doesn't sound all that fun to float around playing a harp for the rest of eternity. From an LDS viewpoint, LOL, I long ago imagined myself spending the rest of eternity sitting through boring church meetings, and decided that didn't sound very fun either.
Now if an afterlife could come with some freedom (such as to travel around exploring the Universe), that wouldn't be so bad. Ah well, even a short mortal life, blessed as I am in my particular circumstances, is still infinitely better than to not have existed at all. I've learned and experienced much that is good, and it seems to have been worth enduring the bad.
Re: the Bible and its description of God ... yeah, the Old Testament especially describes (what to me is) a scary Deity. I like Richard Bach's God better.