Religion and Heaven

    Over and over again, since my near-death experience in 1975, I hear people refer to all the reasons their religion says people will not get into heaven unless they do this or that to accept their religion's particular way.

    Besides my own direct experience of heaven, I have interviewed and studied hundreds of near-death experiences. With my colleagues, we have studied thousands of these testimonials to direct experiences of heaven. We universally agree on the following although our choice of words may vary:

    Religions that differentiate who they think will get in to heaven from who doesn't are basing this "fact" on generations of egos with the same goal – to control their flock. There is a lot of "good stuff" in each religion.

    But somewhere along the development of their integrity someone with their own agenda adds this kind of ego-oriented control dogma that eventually fabricates divisive and sometimes exploitive rules about their religion.

    An extreme example are the terrorists we are dealing with (or not dealing with) globally. We could call all religions that have this categorization of who in their flock is "in" or who is "out" of heaven – Brand Names, or Brand Name Religions.

    Based on the my own and countless others' experiences - the heaven we know is generic spirituality. Heaven is saturated with love for all of us because all of us are One. Everyone is inclusive. There is no dogma or other kinds of brand names in Heaven.

    There is only love. Love for self, love for each other and love for a Higher Power that can't be explained. In the presence of the Higher Power – or even just being somewhere around where the Higher Power exists – there is a constant sense of loving saturation. It's here too. If we let go of our ego and are open to feeling this loving saturation.

    So, in some ways, being here in the flesh, if we are living from our ego – is hell. And being here in the flesh, living as our Higher Power meant for us to live – is Heaven. Then when our body dies – we again as our true identity – return to Heaven. And that includes all of us – not just the ones who jumped through the controlling hoops of their man made religions.


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The following story shows us but one example:

"A big, tough samurai once went to see a little monk. "Monk," he said, in a voice accustomed to instant obedience, "teach me about heaven and hell!"

The monk looked up at this mighty warrior and replied with utter disdain, "Teach you about heaven and hell? I couldn't teach you about anything. You're dirty. You smell. Your blade is rusty. You 're a disgrace, an embarrassment to the samurai class. Get out of my sight. I can't stand you."

The samurai was furious. He shook, got all red in the face, was speechless with rage. He pulled out his sword and raised it above him, preparing to slay the monk.

"That's hell," said the monk softly.

The samurai was overwhelmed. The compassion and surrender of this little man who had offered his life to give this teaching to show him hell! He slowly put down his sword, filled with gratitude, suddenly peaceful.

"And that's heaven," said the monk softly.



Quote from: Ram Dass & Gordon, Paul. (1986). How Can I Help? Stories and Reflections on Service. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., pp. 99-100

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To find out more, be sure to check out my book

"The Natural Soul"

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    About Barbara Harris Whitfield
    Barbara H. Whitfield, R.T., C.M.T., is the author of many published articles and five books:
    She is past president and a member of the board of the Kundalini Research Network and has sat on the executive board of the I.A.N.D.S. She is a consulting editor and contributor for the Journal of Near-Death Studies. She is on the faculty of The Center for Sacred Studies where she teaches a course with Charles Whitfield called Unity in Practice. Barbara was a key subject in Kenneth Ring's groundbreaking book on the Near-Death Experience, Heading Toward Omega. He writes about her again in his latest book Lessons From the Light.

    Barbara has been a guest on major television talk shows, including Larry King Live, The Today Show, Man Alive, Donahue, Unsolved Mysteries, PM Magazine, Good Morning America, Oprah, Joan Rivers, Sonya Freeman, and CNN Medical News. Her story and her research have appeared in documentaries in the US, Canada, Japan, France, Belgium and Italy and in magazines such as Redbook, McCalls, Woman's World, McClean's, Utne Reader, Common Boundary, Psychology Today and many others. She presented talks on the Near-Death Experience to a group in the Capital in Washington, D.C. and also the United Nations in New York.

    Barbara lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, author and physician Charles Whitfield, MD. They share a private practice, helping adults that were repeatedly abused and traumatized as children.
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Visit my website at www.barbarawhitfield.com

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Last Modified: 01/26/2009

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