I was raised in the church, so I was taught that heaven is a beautiful place we go to when we die, because of the sacrificial death on a cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, whom Christians consider to be God’s one and only son. This is what most Christians are taught when they are children by the Christian education program that we in the church call “Sunday School”.

Since then I have struggled with several issues related to this teaching. First of all, if heaven is a place, then where is it? Outer space? Another planet? Another solar system? Another universe? In the book of Matthew, in Chapters 5, 6 and 7, what is often referred to as the “Sermon on the Mount”, Jesus makes some very interesting points about suffering, spirituality, morality, and heaven. I think some conclusions can be drawn about heaven in particular in Matthew…