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Gifts for all occasions in the Galleria! The "What is the Deal?" Deal-of-the-Week: Please donate to the Salvation Army for hurricane relief. December 25, 2005 The Reality of Heaven By Jan A. Larson On an ABC special last week, Barbara Walters investigated the meaning of Heaven and the afterlife with an assortment of theologians, believers and non-believers. Somehow I expected more answers from the show that Walters had described as "the most important I have ever done." The only thing that I found enlightening was that the number, 72, of virgins that await Muslim suicide bombers in the afterlife is not an absolute number, but instead, really just means "a lot." With nearly ninety percent of Americans believing in the existence of Heaven, it seems that Walters would have been able to uncover more "real" information on what awaits after we leave this vale of tears. Of course, there is a very good reason why no one, Barbara Walters included, really knows much about Heaven or the afterlife. This is because knowledge of these things is unknowable. All assertions about Heaven are obviously based on faith and teaching and not on scientific discovery. Even those that have had near-death experiences have, to some degree, been called into question due to the possibility that their "visions" of Heaven, deceased relatives, bright lights, etc. may, and I emphasize may, be due to physiological reactions to the situation in which they find themselves escaping their Earthly bounds as opposed to an actual glimpse into Heaven itself. Setting aside centuries old beliefs and religious dogma, can such a place as Heaven really exist? Let's start with a few facts. Scientists and mathematicians have used the observed laws of physics to describe the origins of the observable universe back to the fractions of a second after the "big bang." Current estimates put the age of the universe at approximately 14 billion years. It is understood that the universe is expanding, but it is unknown as to whether the universe will continue to expand forever or if eventually the expansion will cease and the universe will begin to collapse. There are many observed phenomena that are yet to be understood by science and almost all in the scientific community agree that there are many things in the universe that are yet to be discovered, never mind understood. Bringing this back to a level more easily understood, there are many basic questions that have not been answered. What existed before the "big bang?" Was space just empty? If so, what created the empty space? What caused the big bang and how did all the matter and energy in the universe come to be? If the universe is expanding like an inflating balloon what is outside the balloon? Is there an "edge" to the universe? Is the universe infinite? What does it mean for it to be infinite? Is this the only universe or are there many? Have there been universes before this one and will there be more after? I could go on and on. These questions and many others, like the question of Heaven, will never be answered by science. The answers to these questions are likely beyond the capability of the human mind to understand or comprehend. It is my belief that the human mind comprehends as much relative to all knowledge in the universe as an ant comprehends relative to Einstein. In other words, we are very simple creatures with very simple thought processes incapable of understanding and knowing all there is to know. If we can accept that, then there is no reason that there can't be a Heaven just because we can't explain it in the way I would explain taking a walk down the street for ice cream. Heaven may not be a physical place in the way we think of the kitchen as being a physical place, but it could be a place in another dimension that we do not have the capability to understand. It could be just as theologians described or it may be something entirely different. Most people want there to be a Heaven and an afterlife. We don't want to go through our Earthly life asking, "is this all there is?" The notion of Heaven makes the loss of a loved one less painful since we can believe that we will see them again at a future time and in a better place and it gives us a sense of purpose in life. A couple of the most revealing insights into the way people live their lives based on whether they believe in an afterlife or not were by award-winning author Mitch Albom and American Atheists president Ellen Johnson. Johnson said, "We weren't alive before we were born and we're not going to exist after we die. I'm not happy about the fact that that's the end of life, but I can accept that and make my life more fulfilling now, because this is the only chance I have." Albom, on the other hand, offered this observation. " If you believe that there's a heaven ... you may believe that you'll have to answer for your actions. So the way you behave here on Earth is changed." Atheists such as Johnson speak with such conviction. The convictions of people that apparently believe that only what can be observed and explained by science can exist. A very narrow-minded view, no matter how you slice it. Is there a Heaven? I don't know. No one will ever know for sure until he or she gets there. As I heard someone observe one time, there is no harm in believing in Heaven. If it exists, believers will be prepared. If it doesn't, well no harm done. On the opposite side of the coin, if a non-believer somehow finds him or herself standing at the Pearly Gates, he or she will have some explaining to do. -- Send feedback to the author. The "What is the Deal?" column will appears weekly on the Pie of Knowledge website. Guest submissions are welcome and encouraged. To submit an article to "What is the Deal?" click here. To subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list and receive early notification when a new column is available, click here. The Pie of Knowledge will never, ever divulge email addresses to any third party for any reason unless so ordered by a court of law. Contributions to the Pie of Knowledge are greatly appreciated. 
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