The concept of heaven as some sort of an otherworldly paradise, better than anything our mundane existence on planet Earth has to offer, is embraced by nearly all religions.

When asked if he was a pantheist, believing that the universe and God are the same, the eminent scientist Albert Einstein demurred:

Vernon Howell was a charming young man. A born-again Christian searching for the truth, he stumbled across a Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church and was soon converted. Seeking to know God, he...