Throughout the ages, and spanning every civilization is the belief that if a person is good enough or meets certain requirements, they can spend an eternity in some kind of paradise.  This Blog is designed to examine a few different culture's views on "Heaven", and to discuss similarities, differences, or where we are spending Thanksgiving this year.  Feel free to add comments, links and pictures.


     Perhaps the most read mythology comes from the Greeks, and it is no surprise that they have an awesome place for awesome people to go to when they die.  The Elysian Fields or Elysium refer to a beautiful meadow in the epic Homer.  This is a place where the favored of Zeus exist in happiness.  A place where the dead have been judged and found worthy.

     Another pretty popular abode for the dead can be found in Norse Mythology.  Valhalla was the heaven of the Vikings, a large hall where wounds healed quickly and meat was readily available.  This place was ruled by their god, Odin.  Warriors constantly fought and trained to stay at their best physical condition.  Translated, Valhalla means "hall of the slain".

     Unless you have been living under a rock for say, 2000 years, you probably have heard of the Bible.  As the basis for the world's most popular religions, the Bible ought to have a lot to say about Heaven, right?  Interestingly enough, the Bible is a bit vague about where the "good" go in their afterlife.  So vague that each religion that stems from the Bible seems to have their own opinions.

     

     I want to be very clear that I am not putting any religion down, and have no interest in "winning" any theological debates with this blog.  The information I found online was the most objective and inoffensive that I could come up with.  The following is simply information to highlight the differences among biblical based religions.  If anything I found is out of line, post to this blog and we can figure it out together.

     Islamic faith acknowledges the validity of the "Pentateuch", the first five books of the Bible.  They rely, however, on the teachings found in the Qur'an.  In his commentary on Surah 55:72, Ibn Kathir stated: "The Prophet Muhammad was heard saying: 'The smallest reward for the people of paradise is an abode where there are 80,000 servants and 72 wives, over which stands a dome decorated with pearls, aquamarine, and ruby, as wide as the distance between two cities.'"  I read a few passages from the Qur'an, and found no reference to what women receive in paradise. Who CAN make it to paradise then?  Surah 4:57 says: "But those who believe and do good deeds, We will admit them to gardens (Paradise) in which rivers flow, lasting in them forever"

     The LDS church is another religion that has sprung from the teaching of the Bible.  They also have several other scripture on which they place their faith.  Doctrine and Covenants chapter 16 deals with the Mormon concept of Heaven.  They believe that there are three aspects of Heaven, the Celestial, the Telestial, and the Terrestrial.  Which aspect of Heaven a person can enter depends on their faith, works, and deeds.

     Judeo-Christianity has a different take on Heaven than  Muslims or Mormons do.  With this theology, there is one heaven, and one way to get there.  John 14:2,3 states, " In my Father's house are many mansions, if it were not so I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am there you may be also."  The book of Revelation paints images of "streets of gold", "crystal seas" "pearly gates" and the like, but that's about where the descriptions end.  Christians also believe the way to get into Heaven can be found in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

     These examples are but a few of the many different ideas that we as people have come up with.  All of our recorded history is interlaced with gods, devils, hells, and heavens.  Even in our current time, there is still much debate about the specifics, but it seems clear that this question about what happens when we die will only be resolved upon our deaths.

     I eagerly await any comments or feedback you have to this blog, be gentle or brutal, I would really like to know your thoughts!