A groundbreaking and accessible history of heavenfrom the earliest biblical conceptions of the afterlife to the theologians who frame our understandings to the convictions and perceptions of everyday people
Drawing on history and popular culture, biblical research and everyday beliefs, Heaven offers a new understanding of one of the most cherishedand sharedideals of spiritual life. Lisa Miller raises debates and discussions not just about our visions of the afterlife, but about how our beliefs have influenced the societies we have built and the lifestyles to which we have subscribed, exploring the roots of our beliefs in heaven and how these have evolved throughout the ages to offer comfort and hope.
She also reveals how the notion of heaven has been used for manipulationto promulgate goodness and evilas inspiration for selfless behavior, and as justification for mass murder.
As Miller demonstrates in this absorbing and enlightening book, the desire for a celestial afterlife is universalshared by the faithful around the world and across religions. It is as old as the Bible itself. While there are many notions of what exactly heaven is and how we get there, Jews, Christians, and Muslims all agree that heaven is God's home. From the Revelation to the Left Behind series, Augustine to Osama bin Laden, Muslims in the West Bank to American Mormons baptizing their dead, Heaven is a penetrating look at one of our most cherished religious ideals.
The Washington Post - Scott Russell Sanders…intriguing…[Miller] wears her learning lightly…she knows how to translate theological ideas into plain language. She is as lucid in deciphering the arguments of Thomas Aquinas or Martin Luther as in interpreting a lyric from the Talking Heads or testimony from survivors of near-death experiences or data from opinion polls.
Categories:
- Science & Math
- Biological Sciences
Publisher : Harper
Author : Miller, Lisa
Language : English
Edition : 1
Published :2010-03-23
Number Of Pages : 368
Binding : hardcover
ISBN-10 : 0060554754
ISBN-13 : 9780060554750
Item weight : 1.05 lb
Dimensions : 1.1 in x 6.4 in x 9.3 in
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