This page groups realms by the specific role a faith gives them in its own teaching. Wikipedia notes that "in the Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Islam, and some schools of Judaism, as well as Zoroastrianism, heaven is the realm of afterlife where good actions in the previous life are rewarded for eternity." Browsing by doctrinal status lets a visitor compare how differently two traditions rule on the same realm.
Facts
Overview
What Defines This GroupingRealms 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. 2 Peoples and Traditions CoveredAncient 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. 2 Status
Standing as a Comparative CategoryA standard comparative category in the study of religion 2 Learn More
The 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.
Doctrinal Status
Sources
1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Tree
2. Encyclopedia of Religion
Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005s.v. Heaven and HellView the Source Divinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptions
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