LITR 5737: Literary & Historical Utopias
Historical Presentation 2007
Tuesday, 19 June:
Historical presentation: Cindy Goodson: Heaven as utopia?
Heaven as a Utopia
Our Final Destination??
Objectives/Questions:
- 3a.To investigate historical, nonfiction attempts by “communes,” “intentional communities,” or even nations to put utopian ideals into practice. Admittedly, all utopian communities eventually fail (or at least submerge), but how to get beyond “They don’t work” as a discussion-stopper? (For instance, even if all utopias fail, that doesn’t stop people from imagining or attempting utopias.)
- Is the concept of heaven as a Utopia fictive, non-fictive, man-made or scientifically proven, etc.? Why?
- 3g. What is utopia’s relation to time and history? Does a utopia stop time, as with the millennial rapture or an idea of perfection? Or can utopias change, evolve, and adapt to the changes of history?
- To consider this heavenly place would we have to do away with our language and everything become even more arbitrary than it is now?
A Working Definition:
• Kingdom of Heaven or Kingdom of God – the abode of God (1 Kings 8:30) and where God is enthroned (Isa. 66:1; Exod 24:9-11).
• In the myths of many ancient near Eastern peoples, heaven appears as a god. The gods were called upon as witnesses of international treaties (covenants).
• Heaven and earth were often included in the list of divine witnesses. In later Jewish writings, prophets and visionaries were granted visions of the heavenly world and even the opportunity to ascend to heaven, contemplate God, and travel about in the heavenly regions observing heavenly secrets, including the abodes of the righteous and the wicked dead and their respective rewards and punishments.
• The NT book of Revelation stands in this tradition. An open door appears in heaven so that the early Christian prophet John may see heavenly secrets (Rev. 4:1). Apocryphal Christian apocalypses are especially concerned with the punishment of the wicked (The Apocalypse of Peter, The Apocalyspe of Paul).
• For Christians, heaven is where Christ is.
• The most important aspects of the concept of heaven are the beatific vision and mystical union. In the beatific vision of God, the person’s “seeing” is his or her complete understanding and love of Christ. In this earthly life one can “see” this understanding and love only “through a glass darkly”; in heaven one sees “face to face” (1Cor 13:12)
• Heaven is the state of being in which all are united in love with one another and with God. It is an agape, a love feast. Heaven is the community of those whom God loves and who love God.
Background Info
The importance of the use of metaphors:
• Traditional Jewish and Christian thinkers recognize that metaphor expresses a a deeper reality than can be attained through the overt sense. This matter of thinking can be called “metaphorical ontology.” Ontology is the study of “being” as such and in itself; it attempts to penetrate to the essence (“is-ness”)of particular things and of the cosmos in general. Metaphor is the use of words overtly denoting one kind of object or idea in place of another to suggest an analogy between them or a deeper meaning beneath them. When the Psalmist says that the Lord will cover you with his feathers and that you shall trust “under his wings” (Ps 91.4), he was not suggesting that you will be a bluejay or an eaglet in the nest. When Jesus considers himself as the door, he does not mean that he is a construction of planks. Etc.
• The Practical Outworking of the Kingdom
• Salvation demands a radical shift from his old references to a new “blank canvas” whereon newly defined Kingdom Concepts of such things as family, the work ethic, sexuality, and personal worth are placed. This “canvas” must be so established that all things find a new place on it. Science, history, geography, art, etc. are reoriented and their meanings and purposes flow from this new view through Kingdom “eyeglasses”. The picture on the left illustrates the “line upon line, precept upon precept” method of teaching. (The Biblical reference to this indicates that this is not the best method, but is necessary because of stubbornness.) A method showing integration into the Kingdom view might look like that on the right.
• See Table (handout)
The Processes and the Rewards
A Christian Perspective:
• Be Baptized
• Remain faithful to the teachings of the Bible – namely the teachings of Jesus and the apostles
• The Resurrection – First, the righteous will be raised and given their new body (Phil 3:20, 21) pg 120
• The Judgment – Can be understood through parables – pg 122
• The Place of Reward: Heaven or Earth?
– The Lord’s Prayer asks for God’s Kingdom to come… Mt 6:10
Other Heavenly Utopias
• Description of Paradise in the Qur'an:
• Janna (Paradise, Heaven) is called by eight names in the Qur'an: Jannatu al-Khuld, Darul as-Salam, Darul al-Qarar, Jannatu al-`Adn, Jannatu al-Ma`wa, Jannatu an-Na`im, `Illiyin, and Jannatu al-Firdaus. Janna is the Arabic word for "garden." 1 They have been translated into English as: paradise, a garden on high, a home that will last, garden of eternity, garden of everlasting bliss, gardens of delight, home of peace, home of the righteous, etc. 2
• The Prophet Muhammad is quoted as saying that everyone will see God on the Day of Resurrection, as easily as one can see the sun when there are no clouds. 3
• There will be no sickness, pain, sadness or death there. The Prophet Muhammad said that there are things in Paradise "which no eye has seen no ear has heard and no human mind has thought of." 4
Images
· The Gates of Heaven
Daniel Robison’s 2005 presentation – Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment”
“Buddhism has the best Heavenly Utopia” – A variety to choose from:
by:
Kusala Bhikshu
• The Buddha borrowed from the Brahmanic tradition: the concept of karma had been established in India by the time of the Buddha, and heavens and hells were part of the cosmology as well. The Buddha used these concepts to explain Rebirth, and life after death.
• Buddhism has a best heaven. Everything is just the way you want it to be. In this heaven, there is no reason to change anything. You are ultimately happy. The problem is that it's not permanent, as is everything in Buddhism. One day in the heaven realm is equal to 400 human years, and your stay is four thousand heaven years, so you will be there a really long time.
• But, one day the karma that put you in this heaven will be used up. You are only in heaven as long as your Karma account has merit in it. You can only draw from your Karma account while in heaven, because there in no way to make a deposit. You can't practice generosity or compassion, and you're not striving to gain wisdom. When the karma that put you in heaven is used up... you're reborn... And that would probably make a lot of folks really unhappy. Who wants to leave a perfect place?
• The second heaven realm, which is a lower one, is where things are almost perfect. Like a Donald Trump heaven. It could be better, if only you owned one more building or house. The next realm is the human realm, where all of us find ourselves in this lifetime. This is the best place for us to be, because this is the only place we can become enlightened. The next lower realm is the animal realm. The animal realm is marked by wanting to have sex, wanting to have food, wanting to have sleep, and being totally confused. Can animals be reborn as humans beings? Yes, if they come into contact with the Dharma, see a Buddhist temple, or smell incense burning. The next realm is called the hungry ghost realm. The hungry ghost is often pictured as a giant creature, with a large stomach and a pinhole for a mouth. In the hell realm, the worst place, you find the most suffering. Your are given little hell bodies when you enter. Then, one day you might be walking through a forest, when all the leaves on a tree turn into razor blades and fall, cutting you into a million pieces. You cry out in pain, and your hell body resurrects, so you can be killed over and over again. So, do Buddhists go to heaven? ...Yes they do!... Do Buddhists go to hell? ...Yes they do!... Do Buddhists go to Christian heaven or hell? ...No they don't!!!
Images of the Anti-Heavenly Dystopia
Links/Works Cited
• Links
• http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma/heaven.html
• http://www.scripturewise.com/WvKoG.htm
• http://www.veritas-ucsb.org/library/russell/home.html
• Books
• Bible Basics (A Study Manual)- Duncan Heaster (2002)
• Harper Collins Bible Dictionary