Heaven: God's Challenges
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Preface
More people in the world believe in an afterlife, a heaven, than do not. In the U.S.A. 70% of adults believe in heaven. Based on popularity there are 5 main religions in the world, each having somewhat different views as to how to be saved, get to heaven, and have everlasting life. World-wide somewhat over 5 billion people believe in heaven. A reassuring belief is that the souls and bodies of the deceased will one day go to heaven to meet God face to face and be together with family and friends. Religious books, like the King James Bible, refer to heaven many times. But is heaven just wishful thinking? Is heaven a reasonable concept? In the following chapters, the challenges to God presented by heaven are discussed. The world holds 8 billion people with ages ranging from newborn to over 120. Over 56 million deaths occur each year and 300 different ways to die are seen. Heaven is complicated because the deceased come from 195 countries with 7139 spoken languages. Over 100 billion people have already died but only 4 people besides Jesus are known to have risen to heaven; two were deceased and the other two went to heaven and then returned to earth. How many more of the deceased are in heaven and in what form? If bodies are decomposed in the ground, mummified, cremated, frozen, disintegrated in a plane crash or lost at sea, what/who goes to heaven? The soul? Can the soul communicate? Does the soul carry a person's memories and history? Topics that are discussed include salvation, Jesus, the soul, causes of death, burials and cemeteries, mummies and cryonics, embryos, fetuses that miscarry, still births, the brain, disabilities, illnesses, pain, prodigies, geniuses, heaven's language, human evolution, heaven and the universe, age of heaven's residents, and much more. Emphasis is on the challenges God faces to establish and maintain a heaven as depicted by religious people and the Bible. Numerous verses from the Bible and many books, magazines and newspapers are cited in the discussions.
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About the Book
Billions in the world believe that death is not an end-all, and that the deceased go to Heaven to be with God, family, and friends for eternity. But is Heaven a reasonable concept or just wishful thinking? Over one hundred billion people have already died, many before Jesus died on the cross. Is God caring for their souls, and where are these souls?
James Fielding relies on his scientific background and spiritual experiences to share a unique perspective about the afterlife while attempting to answer complex questions that address who and what goes to Heaven. While utilizing scripture to support his examination of the challenges God faces while evaluating and diagnosing billions of deceased souls to maintain a healthy population in Heaven, Fielding examines diverse topics such as salvation, Jesus, the soul, causes of death, burials and cemeteries, mummies and cryonics, embryos and fetuses that miscarry, still births, the brain, disabilities, illnesses, pain, prodigies and geniuses, Heaven’s language, human evolution, the age of Heaven’s residents, and much more.
Heaven: God’s Challenges intertwines scientific and biblical insight to present a fascinating examination of the Lord’s obstacles, the afterlife, and the future of Heaven’s population.
About the Author
James R. Fielding grew up in a Lutheran household, was baptized as an infant, passed catechism class in ninth grade, majored in biology in college, and taught public school science. Later, he earned a PhD in developmental genetics, directed a research laboratory at a major university, advised graduate students, and published over seventy scientific articles. Heaven: God’s Challenges is his first book.