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| Paradise (by Jan Brueghel the Elder) |
death
experience.
Throughout
the centuries, many traditions have
had their own descriptions of Heaven. Wikipedia
ties these descriptions together with
this definition: Heaven… is a common religious,
cosmological, or transcendent place from which
heavenly beings (such as God, angels, the
jinn, and sky deities…) originate, are enthroned,
or inhabit.
Although
many religions agree that Heaven does
exist, they differ (sometimes sharply) as
to how one gains entry into this ultimate “Promised
Land.” Some Universalist traditions believe
that everyone will eventually get there, no
matter how troubled life here on Earth may have
been.
Other
traditions believe that entry into Heaven depends
upon the type of life one has led. A spiritually
“good” life (according to the beliefs of a particular religion) can result in immediate entry
upon death. A questionable life may instead first result in time spent elsewhere. And a
highly questionable
life? According to some doctrines, the result
can be eternal damnation.
Ancient
Egyptian faith included a rather arduous view
of the afterlife. In order to reach
Heaven, the
deceased
person would undergo a weighing of the heart
with the feather of truth. If the heart
was heavy with
sin, it would then be devoured.
Ancient
Judaism spoke of the shamayim,
located above
a dome-shaped firmament which covered the
Earth. It was there that Yahweh dwelled
in a
heavenly palace. (Yahweh’s earthly
dwelling was Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem.)
Islamic
texts refer to several levels of Firdaus (Paradise)
for those who do good deeds while on
Earth. Even the lowest level of Islamic Heaven
is said to be “one-hundred times better
than the greatest life on earth.” The highest
level is known as “Seventh Heaven.”
Resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven
Copyright April 18, 2014 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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