Life After Death and the World Beyond [antikvár]

EmINTRODUCTIONHeaven the concept of a world beyond material existence is a staple element of the collective consciousness of the human race, and has been for thousands of years. It forms part of ancient and modern pagan beliefs, and of the Christian, Islamic, Judaic, Hindu and Buddhist religions. A spiritual plane has been central to the faiths of most ancient civilisations, including those of the Egyptians, Greeks and native Americans. In some cultures heaven was (and is) perceived as a physical, literal place, peopled with gods and goddesses who to all intents and purposes resembled humans, although they possessed supernatural powers. Other societies, arguably more sophisticated, regard heaven as a mental construct. In the modem world, even many agnostics are convinced that consciousness does not cease with physical death, but survives and passes on to another place.Why? What is the purpose of such a place, physical or imagined? Was the afterlife perhaps invented as an aid for social control? If people could be persuaded to believe in a heaven for the righteous (and, conversely, a hell for those who'acted badly on earth), then crime would be less of a problem. Or is the concept of heaven just a piece of wishful thinking, designed to make the thought of the inevitability of death more palatable?Egyptian tomb painting showing the departed before Osiris, Isis, and Thoth, c 2850 BCOPPOSITE PAGE A thirteenth century depiction of a good man being taken to heaven and a greedy man to hell (Hebraica Romana Gallica)^ 9