Heaven: Our Enduring Fascination with the Afterlife - Hardcover

Miller, Lisa

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060554754 ISBN 13: 9780060554750

Publisher: Harper, 2010

Synopsis

“Wonderful.... A smart and accessible take on the ultimate question: What is Heaven? Lisa’s book is a good place to begin to find an answer.”
— Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion

“A rare combination of journalism, memoir, and historical research ... this smart yet heartfelt book leads us into the center of one of the greatest conversations of all time. And Lisa Miller is the perfect conversation partner.”
— Stephen Prothero, New York Times bestselling author of American Jesus and Religious Literacy

A groundbreaking history of the hereafter, Heaven by Newsweek reporter and religion editor Lisa Miller draws from both history and popular culture to reveal how past and presage visions of heaven have evolved and how they inspire us to both good and evil.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

A groundbreaking and accessible history of heaven—from 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 cherished—and shared—ideals 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 manipulation—to promulgate goodness and evil—as 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 universal—shared 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.

About the Author:

Lisa Miller is an award-winning journalist and an editor at Newsweek, where she writes regularly about religion, values, culture, and politics. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0060554754
• ISBN 13: 9780060554750
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368