Charts & Graphs

Afterlives

Six paths to paradise.

Destination Mode of Transportation Amenities Accommodations Cost
Paradise Islam Date and pomegranate trees, goblets of non-sin-inducing wine served by boy waiters, virgins, everlasting peace Gardens, brocade-lined couches, green cushions, beautiful carpets Repentance, righteousness, passing of God’s tests, including weighing of soul and judging of deeds
Valhalla Norse paganism Freshly slaughtered boar, liquor from goat’s udder, daily warrior fights Shield-roofed palace Glorious death in battle
Sukhavati Pure Land Mahayana Buddhism Music of birds, trees hung with precious jewels and gold bells, rebirth Purifying lotus buds on a terraced pond in a land of bliss Belief in Buddha Amitabha, invocation of his name at moment of death
Elysian Fields Greek polytheism Eternal sunshine, incense- and fruit-bearing trees, music, drinks, singing, dancing, wrestling Rose meadows on the banks of the River Oceanus at earth’s end Gaining the favor of the gods, living righteously
Heaven Roman Catholicism Eternal life, beatific vision, becoming godlike Pearl-gate entrance, God’s eternal presence Baptism, dying in God’s grace, penance in purgatory
Fields of Earu Egyptian polytheism Feasts, boating, checkers Fields and canals in the sky Mummification, being provisioned with spells and amulets