On Heaven: What Different Faiths Believe
- play show:
Date: 22 April 2010
What Happens in Heaven?
For desert-dwelling Muslims, Heaven was a lush, green garden, filled with springs, rivers and flowing wine. For ancient Jews it was the site of their holy temple, rebuilt brand-new after its destruction by the Romans. And for African-American slaves, Heaven was the place where "the first would be last, and the last would be first.” In her new book, Newsweek writer Lisa Miller explains why our image of eternity is shaped by our life on Earth now - a reflection of our hopes, anxieties and longings for justice.
Lisa Miller, author of Heaven: Our Enduring Fascination with the Afterlife
A Lesson in Rapture Theology
Begins at 28 min 28 sec
A growing number of Christians look forward to the Rapture, the day when, according to First Thessalonians, believers will be launched into the clouds “to meet the Lord in the air.” And many think that day is coming soon. Mark Schaefer explains the (short) history of belief in the Rapture, which he says dates to the beginning of the 19th century.
Rev. Mark Schaefer, United Methodist Chaplain and Professor of Philosophy and Religion at American University
The Great Escape, a sermon on the rapture by Rev. Schaefer
Web Extra: The Full Interview
Tim LaHaye, Painter of the Apocalypse
Begins at 41 min 48 sec
The modern portrait of the Rapture as a day when planes crash from missing flight crews and driver-less cars veer off the road comes largely from Tim Lahaye. He’s the co-author of Left Behind, a series of 16 books about an Evangelical Christian vision of the end of the world. He joins us in the studio to introduce us to his new book, The Edge of Apocalypse.
Tim LaHaye, co-author of the Left Behind Series and a new book called Edge of Apocalypse
When Fido Gets 'Left Behind'
Begins at 50 min 25 sec
“You've committed your life to Jesus. You know you're saved. But when the Rapture comes, what's to become of your loving pets who are left behind?” So begins the Web site Eternal Earthbound Pets, which offers a unique service – post-Rapture pet care. For about one hundred dollars, Bart Centre or one of his atheist associates will agree to take care of your dogs, cats, birds and small caged mammals, in the event that you are removed from the Earth. It’s one of a crop of new Web sites (among them a post-Rapture postal service) that are turning the end of the world into a business opportunity.
Bart Centre, author of The Atheist Camel Chronicles and founder and co-owner of Eternal Earth-bound Pets
Web Extra: The Full Interview
