Heaven: A Traveller's Guide to the Undiscovered Country

Heaven: A Traveller's Guide to the Undiscovered Country

by PeterStanford (Author)

Synopsis

An inquiry into one of the great religious mysteries - and what theologians, artists, writers, psychologists, priests, historians and people from all religions and walks of life have thought of heaven, where many of us still hope to go one day. Heaven's mysteriousness has lent it a discreet but powerful allure. There are two basic views: first, the afterlife will involve a vaguely defined spiritual peace - eternal solitude with God alone; the second allows for some overlap between heaven and earth, and hence relationships outside the central bond with God. Or is heaven religion's biggest con-trick but one that is impossible to debunk?

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 384
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 02 Apr 2002

ISBN 10: 0002571013
ISBN 13: 9780002571012

Media Reviews
In this valuable study, Peter Stanford explores the idea of heaven, which, like the notion of God itself, tells us something crucial about the human condition. From the very dawn of history, men and women have been convinced that there is something that transcends our mundane existence, which supports it and gives it ultimate value. Stanford's history of the ways in which people have conceived this 'other' world shows that, however we struggle to express this sense of the sacred dimension, it has been a fact of human life. But Stanford does something more. His account is witty, engaging and inclusive, but in the most charming way possible, it compels us to face up to our own mortality. Unless we do that, we will fail to make the most of our present life, never mind whatever may await us in the future. --Karen Armstrong, author of The Battle for God [ Heaven ] may be as close to Paradise as we get. -- Sunday Telegraph [A]n engaging narrative...it is worth reading [Stanford's] book for its elegant catalogue of the various future opportunities which may -- or may not -- be on offer. -- Antonia Fraser, New Statesman
Author Bio
Peter Stanford's previous books include biographies of Bronwen Astor, Lord Longford, Cardinal Basil Hume and most recently the Devil. He has also written an investigation of the Pope Joan legend and a polemical book, Catholics and Sex, which accompanied a Channel 4 television series. He contributes regularly to the Guardian and Sunday Telegraph and New Statesman. A regular broadcaster, he is also chairman of the national disability charity ASPIRE.