Do you have an image of heaven? Most people have a vague notion of billowy clouds and singing angels, but, when pressed, they have little idea about what awaits them in the afterlife. When asked for more details, many people are evasive-they don't want to think about it, because thinking of heaven inevitably means thinking about death.
Author and religious philosopher Laurie McRobert argues this is a mistake. Those who develop a clear image of heaven and sustain it throughout life can meet death in peace.
Individuals and the medical community alike are more and more concerned with dying well-of meeting and fully experiencing dying as a final, moving part of life. Having a clear image of heaven helps you face the dying experience lucidly and without fear, living life to the fullest extent, even at the end.
McRobert doesn't claim to prove heaven exists-each of us must choose whether to not to believe. Nor does she claim the image of heaven you create will match reality. Instead, she offers a series of moving shorts stories and tales to show how a deeply personal idea of heaven comforts and prepares us for our final moments on earth.
About the Author: Independent scholar Laurie McRobert received her PhD in philosophy of religion from McGill University, where she lectured in the Department of Philosophy. She lives in Toronto, Canada.
McRobert's books reflect her eclectic interests. Her first book, Char Davies' Immersive Virtual Art and the Essence of Spatiality, explored spatiality from the viewpoints of various disciplines, while Appearances: Genetic Mythology and Cosmic Instincts examined spatiality from a cosmic perspective.
McRobert followed Appearances with a book on Emil Fackenheim's struggle with evil, focusing on the Holocaust. She has also published an autobiography, written so that her children and grandchildren can connect with their past and heritage.
Getting to Heaven: A Kaleidoscope of Stories "just happened," according to McRobert, as if heaven itself wanted the book written.
