Home›Heavens›Belongs To TraditionBrowse ByBelongs To TraditionThis page groups realms by the wider field of belief that describes them. Wikipedia notes that "major views on the afterlife derive from religion, esotericism, and metaphysics." Browsing by belongs-to-tradition lets a visitor find every realm described within the same field of belief.FactsLearn MoreBelongs To TraditionSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedRealms of blessedness, reward or divine dwelling, gathered from unrelated cosmologies so they can be read side by side. What each tradition means by such a place - who reaches it, on what terms, and whether it lasts - differs sharply, and nothing here should be read as one shared idea of heaven. 2Peoples and Traditions CoveredWell-attestedAncient Egyptian, Ancient Greek, Norse, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist and Aztec cosmologies, together with modern Pagan and Spiritualist belief. These are unrelated traditions and the heading is a comparative convenience, not a claim that they describe the same place. 2StatusStanding as a Comparative CategoryWell-attestedA standard comparative category in the study of religion 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedRealms 1Learn MoreThe heavens This group gathers the heavens, the upper and celestial realms of the world's cosmologies, the dwelling-places of gods, the blessed dead or the highest states of being. Conceptions of heaven vary widely, from a single divine abode to elaborately layered celestial spheres. The browser will find the heavenly realms the atlas gathers from across the traditions. The entries describe each realm's inhabitants, character and place in its cosmology, reporting each tradition's own account rather than merging them.Belongs To TraditionFilter Results19 entriesAdherents Today MaximumAll13,000 (1)121,962 (1)5,000,000 (2)14,800,000 (1)17,000,000 (1)30,000,000 (1)324,000,000 (1)1,200,000,000 (1)2,000,000,000 (1)2,300,000,000 (1)Adherents Today MinimumAll13,000 (1)111,691 (1)4,000,000 (1)5,000,000 (1)14,800,000 (1)17,000,000 (1)25,000,000 (1)324,000,000 (1)1,200,000,000 (1)2,000,000,000 (1)2,300,000,000 (1)Basis of the Membership FigureAllChurch-Reported Rolls (3)Independent Survey (7)National Census (3)Scholarly or Demographic Estimate (8)Era of Decline End YearAll529 (1)550 (1)1200 (2)1600 (1)Era of Decline Start YearAll380 (2)651 (1)863 (1)1000 (1)1521 (1)Era of Modern Revival End YearAll1990 (1)Era of Modern Revival Start YearAll1930 (1)Establishment StatusAllDeclared Not Established (1)Disestablished (3)No Establishment (1)Varies by Province (4)How the Expectation Is EnforcedAllCodified Obligation With Consequences (2)Customary Norm (6)Obligation to Support, No Set Rate (1)Preached Expectation, Not Enforced (1)Membership Figure As OfAll1969-12-31 (1)1990-01-01 (1)2001-01-01 (2)2001-03-01 (1)2004-01-01 (1)2005-01-01 (1)2006-01-01 (1)2008-01-01 (1)2010-01-01 (5)2011-01-01 (1)2011-01-27 (1)2011-03-01 (1)2011-12-19 (1)2012-01-01 (2)2012-12-18 (2)2013-01-01 (1)2014-01-01 (1)2016-12-31 (1)2020-01-01 (5)2021-01-01 (1)2022-01-01 (1)2025-01-01 (1)2026-08-13 (1)Origin Period End YearAll3000 BCE (1)700 BCE (1)600 BCE (1)500 BCE (1)400 BCE (3)50 (1)632 (1)712 (1)800 (1)988 (1)1428 (1)1708 (1)1848 (1)1863 (1)1954 (1)Origin Period Start YearAll3300 BCE (1)1500 BCE (2)1400 BCE (1)600 BCE (1)586 BCE (1)500 BCE (2)300 BCE (1)30 (1)500 (1)610 (1)1325 (1)1499 (1)1830 (1)1844 (1)1848 (1)1946 (1)Position on MarriageAllMarriage is held to be monogamous, with remarriage after divorce sanctioned under specified conditions (2)Marriage may licitly be polygynous (1)Position on SexualityAllSame-sex orientation or practice is held to bar full membership or participation (2)Same-sex sexual relationships are held contrary to teaching; LGBT individuals are welcomed as members but not ordained, and same-sex unions are not blessed (1)The body holds no single settled position; the question is actively and openly contested within it (3)Position on UsuryAllInterest is permitted but bound by ethical constraints against exploiting the poor (1)Interest of any kind on a loan is forbidden (1)Practice StatusAllDiscontinued as a state religion (4)Living, and in active revival (1)Living, and practised in varied local forms (5)Partly restricted: some elements are closed to outsiders (7)Standard Rate ExpectedAllNineteen percent. (1)Ten percent. (2)Two and a half percent. (1)Status TodayAllHistorical; not practised continuously (4)Living tradition, practised today (15)Revived or reconstructed in the modern era (1)TheologyAllAncestor-centred (1)Animist: persons and powers in land, water and living things (1)Dualist: two opposed cosmic principles (1)Duotheistic: a divine pair (1)Henotheistic: a supreme being above served lesser divinities (1)Monistic: one ultimate reality behind all appearance (1)Monotheistic: one God (8)Non-theistic: no creator god is central (2)Panentheistic: the divine both within the world and beyond it (1)Polytheistic: many gods (8)Show ResultsBrowseCompareAncient Egyptian ReligionBelongs To Tradition1 entryAncient Greek ReligionBelongs To Tradition1 entryAztec ReligionBelongs To Tradition3 entriesBahá’í FaithBelongs To Tradition1 entryBuddhismBelongs To Tradition3 entriesChristianityBelongs To Tradition1 entryHinduismBelongs To Tradition2 entriesIslamBelongs To Tradition2 entriesJainismBelongs To Tradition1 entryJudaismBelongs To Tradition1 entryLatter Day Saint MovementBelongs To Tradition1 entryNorse PaganismBelongs To Tradition2 entriesShintoBelongs To Tradition1 entrySikhismBelongs To Tradition1 entrySlavic Native Faith (Rodnovery)Belongs To Tradition1 entrySpiritualismBelongs To Tradition1 entryWiccaBelongs To Tradition1 entryYorùbá Religion (Ifá)Belongs To Tradition1 entryZoroastrianismBelongs To Tradition1 entrySources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. Encyclopedia of Religiontier 1Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005s.v. Heaven and HellView the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.