Christianity
Islam
Judaism
Hinduism
Buddhism
Heaven & Paradise
Visions of a blessed afterlife — from the Christian heaven to Islamic Jannah to Hindu Vaikuntha — inspire hope and shape behavior. These descriptions of paradise reveal what each tradition considers the ultimate human good: the presence of God, the cessation of suffering, or eternal bliss.
Across the World's Religions
Christianity
- Practice
- Heaven — eternal presence of God; new heavens and new earth
- Key Text
- Revelation 21:1-4; John 14:2-3; 2 Corinthians 5:1
Islam
- Practice
- Jannah — gardens of paradise; nearness to Allah
- Key Text
- Quran 55:46-76, 56:11-38
Judaism
- Practice
- Gan Eden / Olam Ha-Ba — the World to Come
- Key Text
- Isaiah 65:17-25; Daniel 12:2-3
Hinduism
- Practice
- Vaikuntha / Goloka — abode of Vishnu/Krishna; moksha beyond heavens
- Key Text
- Bhagavad Gita 8:21; 15:6; Vishnu Purana 1.6
Buddhism
- Practice
- Deva realms; Sukhavati (Pure Land); Nibbana transcends heavens
- Key Text
- AN 3.70; Sukhavativyuha Sutra; Dhammapada 174