The Truth About Heaven and Hell: With Other Myths Fantasies

I went to Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia to see whatthey had to say about Heaven and Hell. These are my concludingthoughts from these two references, my emphasis added.1. "...depictions of heaven provide a revealing index ofwhat a society regards as the highest good. Hence thestudy of heaven is, in its broadest application, the studyof ultimate human ideals."2. "...heaven is the realm of afterlife where good actionsin the previous life are rewarded for eternity (hell beingthe place where bad behavior is punished)."Based on what I have heard and experienced from others duringmy life, I suspect that these two conclusions represent themajority of humans and their thinking. Time magazine, online,says: "...72% believe in a literal heaven, 58% in a literal hell."Time's article entitled "What Jesus Really Said About Heavenand Hell" by Bart D. Ehrman states:"The vast majority of these people naturally assume this is whatJesus himself taught. But that is not true. Neither Jesus, nor theHebrew Bible he interpreted, endorsed the view that departedsouls go to paradise or everlasting pain.