100 places to see after you die by Ken Jennings

Yes, this was written by THAT Ken Jennings of Jeopardy! Fame. 

This is a non-fiction book that explores the afterlife as it is depicted in myth, religion, books, movies, television, music and theater. The shear volume of details here is mind bending. Starting with mythology and religion, what strikes me is that for all the differences that we are all supposed to have, the paths to heaven and hell seem pretty similar. There are also convenient gaps in information for inconvenient truths – like babies that die before being baptized going to hell – or look for the loophole!  Themes of rings of hell, crossing over rivers, being met by family and friends are mostly there. The details may end up slightly different, but all in all they are similar.

The differentiation in the destinations and path begins to be apparent when we get to how other mere mortals interpret the concept. When creative people begin to tell stories of what to expect, definitions of Hell, Brimstone, Heaven and even God begin to take on the shapes of the cultures these are developed in. Why are there so many incarnations of God as a male being? And how many people picture an old white dude with a beard?  How can this be true if we are all created in God’s image? That would mean that God would be half male and half female (as depicted in the 1991 movie Switch), and ethnically 31% Asian, 25% Middle Eastern, 18% Caucasian, 15% Black, and 12%Other. I think you get my point. 

I admit the places to go and see in the worlds defined by people seem far more attractive than the ones defined by religion and myth. The depressing concepts of eternally paying for sins in fire and brimstone could have driven the ideas of a nicer “afterlife” to look forward to.

This book has some seriously funny asides, but in general this is more an exploration of what these ideas are. Is art imitating life, or the other way around? What do we all really believe? This book lays it all out for us to examine and determine for ourselves what we may be exposed to. There never seems to be any slideshows or photo albums to review after, however.