Learned minds for more than 10,000 years have written about Heaven.  Every religion has some form of Heaven or life after death.  According to a  Pew Research Center  study in 2012, approximately   84%   of the global population is considered theistic, meaning they are affiliated with a religion and believe in a higher power;   this is based on data from a comprehensive study across over 230 countries and territories.   The remaining 16% are called atheists.  To some degree, atheism is forced on the population by dictatorial governments. 157 of 232 countries have Christian majorities. Earlier this year, a Pew survey revealed that 70% of Americans as spiritual. While 28% of U.S. adults claim no affiliation with organized religion, this number jumps to 43% for those under the age of 30.  The younger generation is less inclined to be theistic. Seven in ten believed in Heaven, the same percentage as being spiritual.  In most ways, they ...

  We know there is life because we are alive.  We have seen deaths, and it is clear we won't live forever.  But this is my view.  Buddhists might disagree.  While I don't think there is any kind of afterlife, most religions promise or suggest that there is something after you die.  Aside for attempting to sway people into being better human beings, perhaps this final carrot at the end is why religion has done so well in the history of humanity.  Even if reality turns out to be my viewpoint, at least many religious-inclined individuals gain the benefit of some psychological relief about the coming inevitability. Hindu and Buddhism teach origins quite different from Islam and Christianity, but these two have rather similar beginnings because they developed in adjacent locales.  For Christians, in the beginning God created the heavens and Earth. Only on the fifth day did He bring forth life, in the seas and also flying creatures . Land animals and us...

One way to gain a reputation of being smart is to keep abreast of what is happening around you.  Here are some tips, in priority order. LIFE Today is June 20, the Monday holiday for Juneteenth, if you live in the U.S. and work for the federal government or live in those 18 states approving day.  Here are  other countries with a national holiday today , as for example Flag Day for Argentina and Corpus Christi in Columbia, which just had a presidential election: Gustavo Petro, former mayor of Bogota, was elected as the first leftist ( for social equality and egalitarianism ) president of the country.  While you would have surmised that the country's relationship with the USA would improve, just the opposite, for Petro has been very critical of the U.S. war on drugs.  There is room for agreement, as he further is strong on reversing global climate warming. The vice president is  Francia Marquez , the first Black women in that office, who vows to stand for "nob...