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Heaven

2010-05-17T20:53:02Z

USMC0811: "Terrorists" is an overused, vague term. "Islamic Militant Extremists" gives better imagery of the the nature of their religious and political means and motives.

'''Heaven''' (literally 'the sky') is the place where [[God]] dwells. It is a location (either physical or spiritual) reserved as the afterlife in many religions, especially the [[Abrahamic religion|Abrahamic faiths]].
[[Image:Gustave Dore Heaven.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Gustave Doré's illustration to the Divine Comedy, Paradiso Canto 1.]]

==Christianity==
In [[Christianity]] heaven is being in the presence of God with places prepared for the faithful by [[Jesus]] and is viewed as eternal bliss beyond that which can currently be known. Those who are allowed into heaven are said to be given new bodies that do not decay and death will be gone. [[Marriage]] is not a part of heaven. It is also possible there are different 'levels' of heaven. The conditions to enter heaven in Christianity, (the state of "[[salvation]]"), often revolve around some standard of piety achieved through knowing [[Jesus]].

===The essence of heaven===

Though there is much conjecture about what Heaven is like, its central core is that we will be with Jesus Himself. He has entered back into the presence of the [[God the Father|Father]] and has conveyed to us that the redeemed of the Lord will likewise be with Him where He is. Paradise may be to Heaven as the foyer may be to the inner room of a great Mansion. Without a doubt, Jesus responded to the penitent thief on the cross who turning to Him and said "Remember me Lord, when you come in Your Kingdom", saying, "I tell you most definitly, today, you will be with me in Paradise". He also said, "Where I am, there you will be also." And speaking of the time that we will be in the presence of Jesus, [[John the Apostle]] says, "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He really is."

With regard to what Heaven actually looks like, little information is given, and it is likely that the reality is beyond earthly comprehension. Artistic depictions of Heaven are usually characterized by bright, shining light; [[Dante's Paradiso]] is an example, although the overwhelming light there is at least partly a metaphor for divine [[love]].

===Entering Heaven===
Different Christian [[denomination]]s tend differ on the matter of what a person must do to be admitted to Heaven (see [[salvation]]).
==== Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity ====
In [[Orthodox Christianity|Orthodox]] and [[Catholic|Catholic Christianity]], belief in Jesus and proper works are often considered necessary and go hand in hand. [[Sin]]s of earth must first be cleansed through [[Purgatory]] before one can enter heaven. In some versions sufficient good deeds can lead to entering heaven even without belief in Jesus if one never had the chance to know about Jesus, such as pious Jews who died prior to the coming of Jesus.

==== Protestant Christianity ====
In [[Protestantism|Protestant]] Christianity there is no one standard, but most denominations were started with the understanding that salvation comes from belief in [[Jesus]] and acceptance of Him as a "personal Lord and Savior". This doctrine is know as [[Sola fide]]. [[Luther]] summed it up as salvation by faith alone. Much of Protestant and Catholic views can overlap with Catholics emphasizing good works and Protestants emphasizing a relationship with Jesus - which then shows its 'fruits' through good works, although purgatory is usually not a concept that Protestant churches follow. [[Anglican Communion|Anglicans]], who have a theology and church practice similar to Catholics, take a view very close to the view taken by Catholicism. Some Protestants, such as [[Calvinists]], believe that salvation is [[predestination|pre-destined]] by God. Those He has chosen will follow Him. Still others are universalist and hope that eventually everyone will enter heaven (although some of purging of sins may be necessary).

== Judaism ==
[[Judaism]] focuses much less on the nature and method of entering heaven, for which the [[Old Testament]] says little, but emphasize good deeds (''mitzvot'') on this earth and generally follows univeralist tendencies. Even [[Orthodox Jews]] rarely discuss the afterlife which is seen as unimportant, instead putting more emphasis on Philosophy, Mysticism, and especially Ethics.

== Islam ==
[[Islam]] emphasizes belief in God and acceptance of [[Muhammed]] as God's Prophet. There is also a physical component not found in Christianity and Judaism. Amongst certain fringe, fundamentalist sects of contemporary Islam, if one dies in [[Jihad]], no matter how bad he had been during his life, he is immediately lifted to heaven and given 72 virgins. This view is emphasized among Islamic militant extremists, who believe it applies to them when they kill "infidels" who they believe stand in the way of Islam.

==See Also==
* [[Paradise]]
* [[Hell]]

[[Category:Abrahamic Religions]]

Great Wall of China

2010-05-14T22:52:21Z

USMC0811:

[[Image:Great_wall.jpg|right|180px|thumb|The Great Wall Of China. Image by [http://philip.greenspun.com/ Philip Greenspun]]]
The '''Great Wall of China''' is a long wall located in [[China]], constructed in ancient times to act as a barrier against unlawful trespass. It is about 4,000 miles long and at several points it is more than 20 feet tall.

Work on the wall started in 500 BC during the rule of the first Chinese emperor, [[Qin Shi Huang]], connecting many older walls which were constructed by individual pre-unified Chinese states to keep out northern barbarians. Most of the work was done during the [[Ming Dynasty]]. <ref>Susan Wise Bauer, ''The History of the Ancient World''</ref>At regular intervals towers were built; they originally functioned purely as watchtowers, but later on they were modified to include [[cannon]]s and defenses against aerial attacks.

A long-standing legend holds that the Great Wall of China is the only [[human|man-made]] structure visible from space, or even that it is visible from the [[Moon]]. This legend probably originated with [[Richard Halliburton]]'s 1938 "Second Book of Marvels," which made this claim. In fact, it has been disputed whether it is even visible to the naked eye from low earth orbit. A 2008 article in Scientific American stated that, "The unglamorous truth is that the wall is only visible from low orbit under a specific set of weather and lighting conditions. And many other structures that are less spectacular from an earthly vantage point—desert roads, for example—appear more prominent from an orbital perspective."<ref>Scientific American, ''Is China's Great Wall Visible from Space? Though it stretches for some 4,500 miles, the ancient Chinese fortification is not as visible from orbit as modern desert roads'', by Mara Hvistendahl, February 21, 2008 [http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=is-chinas-great-wall-visible-from-space]</ref> In 2005 an [[American]] astronaut (of [[Chinese]] descent) succeeded in [[photograph]]ing the Wall. <ref>BBC News, Shanghai ''Great Wall visible in space photo'', by Francis Markus, 19 April, 2005 [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4459311.stm BBC News report of "China Daily" article 4/19/2005]</ref>

There is no truth to the notion that there are ''few'' human structures visible from space; Cecil Adams comments:

<blockquote>

Any number of man-made structures can be seen from space, provided we mean "structure" to mean "anything built." Many of these are things that look like long, straight lines when seen from far off, such as [[highway]]s, [[railroad]]s, [[canal]]s, and of course walls. If the orbit is low enough you can see even more, I have here a photo of [[Cape Canaveral]] taken during the Gemini V flight in which the big Launch Complex 39, used for the Apollo missions, is clearly visible. Another photo of the Nile delta, taken from a height of 100 miles, shows an extensive road network. Gemini V astronauts Gordon Cooper and Charles Conrad were able to spot, among other things, a special checkerboard pattern that had been laid out in [[Texas]], a rocket-sled test in [[New Mexico]], and the [[aircraft carrier]] that would later pick them up in the Atlantic, along with a destroyer trailing in its wake.<ref>[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_092.html Is the Great Wall of China the only man-made object you can see from space?] Cecil Adams, ''The Straight Dope''</ref>
</blockquote>

As to whether the Wall can be seen from space, Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean says, "The only thing you can see from the Moon is a beautiful sphere, mostly white, some blue and patches of yellow, and every once in a while some green vegetation. No man-made object is visible at this scale." <ref>NASA, ''China's Wall Less Great in View from Space'', 05.09.05 [http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall.html]</ref>

According to NASA director Adnan Lulla, "A lot has been said and written about how visible the wall is. In fact, it is very, very difficult to distinguish the Great Wall of China in astronaut photography, because the materials that were used in the wall are similar in color and texture to the materials of the land surrounding the wall -- the dirt." <ref>http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall.html</ref>

[[Image:Wall China.gif|left]]

The Great Wall was listed as World Heritage by the [[UN]] in 1987.<ref>www.thegreatwall.com.cn [http://www.thegreatwall.com.cn/en/]</ref> Although long sections of the wall are now in ruins or have disappeared, it is still one of the more remarkable structures on earth and China's best-known monument.

== References ==
<references/>

== See also ==
*[[Beijing]]
*[[World History Lecture Three]]

== External links ==
*[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9037891/Great-Wall-of-China Great Wall of China] Encyclopaedia Britannica.

[[Category:China]]
[[Category:Buildings]]
[[Category:Tourist Attractions]]
[[Category:Chinese History]]