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VIEWPOINTS: Where do we go when we die? If heaven is your answer - how do you picture it?

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Rosa Celeste: Dante and Beatrice gaze upon the highest Heaven, The Empyrean, 19th century by Gustave Doré from The Divine Comedy by Dante, Illustrated, Complete London, Paris & Melbourne: Cassell & Company Credit: Photo via Wikipedia

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Amanda.Greene@ReligionNews.com

Quickly,  what comes to mind when you read heaven?

A throne in the clouds? A place where the ice cream never runs out? A place full of limitless pleasure?

Recently, the subject of heaven - and whether or not its concept is actually biblical - has returned to the news. Christian apologist N.T. Wright has recently released a book that questions common notions of heaven called "How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels."

A Time cover story in April asked if we should be "Rethinking Heaven."

But wave two of the Baylor Religion Survey in 2007 shows 62.3 percent of those asked say there's "absolutely" a heaven while 19.6 percent say there's "probably" a heaven.

So what do you think?

Where do we go when we die?

Amanda Greene: 910-520-3958 or find WilmingtonFAVS on Twitter (@iwritereligion or @WilmFAVS), Facebook, Tumblr and Pinterest.

Topics: Faith, Doctrine & Practice
Beliefs: Buddhism, Christian - Catholic, Christian - Orthodox, Christian - Protestant, Freethought (Atheist, Humanist, Agnostic), Hinduism, Interfaith, Islam, Judaism, Mormon, Pagan
Tags: belief, heaven

Responses to This Viewpoint

A reward beyond life in THIS world…

| May 23, 2012

I often use the analogy that life is the process of painting a picture which can only be hung on the wall of history when the final stroke has left the canvass. Will we then have created something of inspiration, courage and beauty, or something that will lessen and repel posterity? As Humanists we strive always to leave a legacy that increases the world. For me, when I reach the end of my life, this would represent the greatest reward, and the most genuine comfort, for which I could hope. For me this a true Humanist heaven.
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‘It is a spiritual place of being, not a physical place.’

| May 21, 2012

"Therefore, not only should I not look for it physically because it is within, but I can experience heaven because it is also at hand."
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“Both life here and hereafter compose entry into mystery.”

| May 21, 2012

"Heaven will be the perfection of all that I have been graced to experience on Earth."
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‘The earthly life is the only life and should be treasured accordingly, not a staging area for “pie in the sky.’

| May 21, 2012

"Is betting on heaven and designing your earthly life to achieve it not similar to spending your grocery money on the lottery while going hungry?"
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‘Too many people defer happiness on the bet that it’ll come after death.’

| May 21, 2012

"Too many people defer happiness on the bet that it'll come after death. I've never really understood that, especially when there's so much bliss here for the taking now, so much happiness to be found in the small things - especially in the small things. Really, what is more perfect than an ordinary day spent in the garden or in the company of the ones we love?"
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Comments

  1. Amanda Greene | May 21, 2012 | 5:27pm

    This is a lovely group of responses. Bravo, WilmingtonFAVS writers!

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