TIME Heaven and the Afterlife
The Biggest Mystery There Is • NO LIVING PERSON CAN KNOW FOR SURE WHAT HAPPENS AFTER WE DIE, BUT HOW WE THINK ABOUT THE QUESTION REVEALS MUCH ABOUT WHO WE ARE.
Religion • Whether it’s Christianity or other major belief systems, ideas about the afterlife are surprisingly complex and not set in stone.
What Jesus Really Said About Heaven and Hell • HIS IDEAS ABOUT THE AFTERLIFE ARE QUITE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT IS FOUND IN CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN THOUGHT.
From Fire and Brimstone to a Welcoming Hand • CHRISTIAN VIEWS OF HEAVEN AND HELL CAN DIFFER NOT JUST BY DENOMINATION BUT, OFTEN MOST SIGNIFICANTLY, BY THE LIBERAL AND CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENTS WITHIN THEM.
From Reincarnation to Seventh Heaven • BEYOND CHRISTIANITY, THE WORLD’S MAJOR RELIGIONS HAVE PARTICULAR BELIEFS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS AFTER WE DIE.
Heaven Across World Cultures • WHETHER THEY CALLED IT VALHALLA OR XIBALBA, PEOPLE AROUND THE GLOBE HAVE HAD SOPHISTICATED IDEAS ABOUT WHAT THE AFTERLIFE LOOKED LIKE AND HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE JOURNEY THROUGH IT.
The Dark Side of Heaven • GREAT ACTS OF VIOLENCE HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY THE PROMISE OF ETERNAL REWARD, WHILE CONSIGNING CERTAIN GROUPS TO HELL CAN BE A FORM OF EARTHLY CRUELTY.
The Arts • In movies, plays, books, and paintings, artists have created enduring visions of what Shakespeare called “that undiscovered country.”
A Heaven of the Imagination • NO LIVING PERSON CAN KNOW WHAT THE AFTERLIFE LOOKS LIKE, BUT SOME HAVE DONE THEIR BEST TO ENVISION IT.
Lights! Camera! Death! • MOVIES, BOOKS, AND TELEVISION SHOWS HAVE HELPED SHAPE OUR IDEAS ABOUT WHAT THE AFTERLIFE COULD LOOK LIKE.
The Sciences • University professors are increasingly taking up the question of what comes after life by studying the people who claim to have been to death and back.
On the New Science of Heaven • JUST HOW SERIOUSLY SHOULD WE TAKE THE STORIES OF PEOPLE WHO SURVIVE NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES AND COME BACK WITH TALES OF THE AFTERLIFE?
Heaven by the Numbers • Scientific research into the afterlife is built around surveys of people who have had a near-death experience (NDE). Here’s what those people have reported to researchers.
Tales from Beyond: A Greatest Hits Collection • RESEARCH INTO NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES IS NECESSARILY CENTERED AROUND THE STORIES PEOPLE TELL. THESE FOUR—TWO FROM PATIENTS, TWO ABOUT LEADING SCIENTISTS—PROVIDE EXAMPLES THAT ARE AMONG THE MOST THOUGHT-PROVOKING.
Heaven on Earth • While researchers pursue drugs and therapies that will extend life to ever greater limits, some religious leaders argue that we should focus on making the world we live in more like the promised paradise.
Let’s Not Meet Our Maker Just Yet • TECH BILLIONAIRES ARE SUPPORTING RESEARCH THAT SEEKS TO PUT OFF DEATH AND BODILY DECLINE AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.
The Man Who Thinks He Can Live Forever • Bryan Johnson has devoted millions to developing a life-extension system that he claims has given him the heart and bone health of a much younger man.
Making Heaven a Place on Earth • FORGET ABOUT THE NEXT LIFE FOR A MOMENT—MAKING OUR EVERYDAY WORLD MORE DIVINE MIGHT BE THE SURER PATH TO A BEAUTIFUL REWARD.
TIME Heaven and the Afterlife
Photo Credits
The End Is Here • DOOMSDAY PREDICTIONS ARE NOTHING NEW.
Above and Beyond • The human promise of heaven and life after death has inspired artists for centuries and can elevate the world around us.
