ABILENE, Texas — On Sunday Christians around the globe will celebrate their belief that Jesus rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God.
Easter Sunday is the most significant day of the year for Christians, some of whom will go to church for the first time since Christmas Eve. To the outsider, it would appear that Christians of all sorts, no matter their denomination, are of one mind when it comes to Easter and its meaning.
That's hardly the case. Christian views on life after death are as varied as those held by people of other faiths.
"It's ambiguous all over the place," said Charles Wood, professor of Christian doctrine at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
One reason, Wood said, is that individuals interpret scripture in different ways. Add to that the fact the Bible describes more than one scenario, and the result is predictable.
"It's no surprise that we should have the kind of confusion we do," said Wood, author of "The Formation of Christian Understanding."
If Christians find themselves confused, imagine what people of other faiths must think. "Life after Death" was the topic of a recent meeting of the Abilene Interfaith Council, a loose-knit organization that meets monthly. People from several Christian denominations, and members of other faiths, gave their ideas about the next world — or whether one exists.
Each person talked about personal beliefs, not necessarily those taught by the religious institution to which they belong.
The Rev. Roz Thomas, associate rector of the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, kicked off the discussion by saying she does not believe in the traditional concepts of heaven and hell. She believes individuals enter eternity at a particular level and continue to grow in God's presence.
"It's a continuing learning process in my view," she said.
Sharon Norman described how her views of heaven and hell had evolved as she changed religions. Norman was raised Presbyterian and accepted traditional views of heaven and hell. At age 19 she became a Unitarian, a religion that does not believe in an afterlife.
"It was just the end of suffering," Norman said.
Now she is both a Unitarian and a Zen Buddhist and believes everything in the
universe is made of the same essence.
"When you die, it's just the essence of the universe changing," Norman said.
Fellow Buddhist Noel Singleton said the Buddhist teaching of reincarnation made sense to him before he became a convert.
"I believe I have always existed," he said.
Haywood Talib, an Islamic chaplain with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said he believes hell is permanent. He also believes the final resting place depends in part on the type of life lived on Earth.
"If I am going to heaven, I have to put my foot in it on this side," he said.
A Baha'i Faith representative, Sammie Garza, does not believe in a physical heaven or hell. Like Talib, she believes life in this world helps determine the kind of existence to expect in the next.
"There are levels of closeness or remoteness to God, depending on actions in this world," Garza said.
The Rev. Karen Johnson, minister of Unity Church of Christianity, said some of her members believe in reincarnation but others do not. She said Unity members are mostly in agreement that humans leave their "Earth suit" behind when they die.
"The part that goes on is consciousness and spirit," she said.
Archana Patel said most fellow Hindus do not believe in heaven and hell, but they do believe in another existence when this life ends.
"We believe death is not a full stop — it's a comma," she said.
Sandy Perry, a member of the Jewish Temple Mizpah, was taught "the pressure's on now" because there is no "next life." Instead, a person's being will be carried on in memories. However, she said Judaism teaches that Jews can believe what they wish about the afterlife.
Judy Lipshie was raised as a United Methodist but converted to Judaism at age 28 and has a mixture of beliefs.
"My faith is that heaven and hell are here on Earth," she said.
Christians in attendance were questioned about a perception that they believe heaven is reserved for those who profess a personal belief in Jesus Christ as lord and savior. Christians who hold that belief might be surprised at official church teachings.
The Faith and Message of the Southern Baptist Convention specifically states, "There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ."
Few other denominations make that statement. Vatican II, the Roman Catholic council of the 1960s, made the church's teaching clearer, said the Most Rev. Michael Pfeifer, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of San Angelo, Texas.
The catechism states that those who "through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart . . . may achieve eternal salvation."