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    <name><![CDATA[Mike]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Dallas, TX]]></location>        
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      <rating>3</rating>
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  <date_added>Tue Apr 08 19:10:19 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Apr 08 19:10:19 -0700 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[At some point in my life, I realized the value of delayed gratification. Of course, I'm not always the best practitioner of it, but I still see its value. At some later point, I wondered about the connection between a belief in Heaven and the delay of gratification. That is, abstaining from certain things in this life, or at least not overindulging, in the hopes of eternal bliss in the afterlife. Also, having read the Bible straight through once but still not being an expert, I wondered what could be surmised about Heaven by drawing only from scripture. Anyway, this curiosity, an interest in Christianity and spirituality in general, and recommendation by a coworker led me to this book. <br/><br/>The author is a believer who is well-versed in scripture. He sees Heaven as sort of a cosmic playground that occurs after the second coming of Jesus. He claims that people who've already died exist in an &quot;intermediate heaven.&quot; At times, the book verges on feeling like sci-fi and fantasy. He asserts that the occupants of Heaven will exist in idealized bodies, which is actually a pretty common view of people in the resurrected state. He theorizes that some people might have their own planets, given the infiniteness of the universe. He also looks forward to the day when he has unlimited access to Jesus in corporeal form and can interact with famous historical figures such as Sir Isaac Newton and St. Paul. Overall an interesting book, if a little weird to get one's head around and, at times, redundant. ]]></body>
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