Can having imaginary friends prevent you from entering Heaven?

Answer:

I must say, your question was not one I would have expected.

Just over 1/3 of children invent imaginary friends. Those who do invent imaginary friends tend to be the oldest sibling in a family, an only child, and children who don't watch much television. In other words, children who have time to create a friend for themselves.  Having an imaginary friend doesn't mean the child is having problems, but children dealing with trauma will tend to create a friend to deal with the issue. Even when trauma is not involved, children will us an imagined friend to work through day-to-day issues. "Imaginary friends can also help children to cope with fears, explore ideas, or gain a sense of competence through learning from or taking care of the imaginary friend." [Kennedy-Moore].

Generally, having imaginary friends happens in childhood and they are dropped by the time the child reaches puberty. Interestingly, nearly all children will admit that their imaginary friends are not real, even while talking about them as if they are real.

Having imaginary friends is not see as an indication of any mental issues. It does correlate with having more creativity and, interestingly, greater social skills. What can be a sign of a problem is when imaginary friends continue long into the teenage years or adult years.

Having imaginary friends is basically role-playing for one. It is a form of storytelling. It isn't a moral issue and won't keep a person out of heaven.

Sources:

• Eileen Kennedy-Moore, "Imaginary Friends," Psychology Today, 31 January 2013.
• Allie Volpe, "Why Kids Invent Imaginary Friends," The Atlantic, 30 July 2019.