Heaven is the ultimate goal in almost all religions.
It's the pinnacle, the crown, the eternal reward.
But where is it? And what will it be like?
The Bible says little about heaven. One of the greatest mysteries in most Christian religions is about the place we should be seeking most.
Many faiths, for instance, believe heaven is invisible.
For Buddhists and Hindus, heaven is not forever, but simply a resting and preparation between each reincarnation.
Roman Catholics have sought to freshen their traditional images of heaven in recent years. "Divine dullness: Usual images of heaven don't impress Christians" was a headline in the Intermountain Catholic newspaper a few years ago.
Father Carlo Buzzetti, an Italian biblicist, believes most Catholics envision heaven as "a vague place of eternal survival, where happiness can become monotonous and where the absence of human passions creates an 'anemic' atmosphere."
He says the Catholic Church needs to find a way to teach that heaven will be built on the positive things from earthly existence.
He mentions that Pope John Paul II claimed the best way to imagine heaven is to reflect on the happiness one feels from doing good.
Father Buzzetti concludes by stating heaven may be envisioned as a place where the innocent no longer suffer, where there's no gossip or misery, where the strongest no longer win all arguments and where all the luck in the world no longer drops in the laps of the guilty.
The Rev. Terry Long, senior pastor at Calvary Chapel of Salt Lake, believes heaven will be far from boring.
"I don't think the word boring will even come to mind, more like, 'Wow, this is very cool,' " he told the Deseret News in the past.
"The joy of being reunited with those that have died before us, seeing God finally face to face — heaven is a place of total happiness (Revelation 7:16, 17). No more pain (Revelation 21:3-5). We receive a new body that will not get old or hurt (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)."
Jews do not have the same concept of heaven as the Christians have.
Rabbi Joshua M. Aaronson of Park City's Temple Har Shalom says "The Jewish concept is 'the world to come,' which is considered a place here on Earth in which all will bask in the glory of a profound relationship with God. There is certainly no discussion in the Jewish tradition of 'the world to come' being a boring place, except among comedians."
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that heaven is "the dwelling place of Jehovah God and of faithful spirit creatures; a realm invisible to human eyes."
They believe that most Jehovah's Witnesses will have an eternity of life, not in heaven, but on earth, according to "Jehovah's Witnesses: Proclaimers of God's Kingdom," published by the Watch Tower.
They believe only a limited number (144,000) taken from their faithful will leave earth and be granted "heavenly life."
And will there be singing?
"Jesus will not say, 'OK, folks, thank you for coming to tonight's meeting. Before we sing hymns Nos. 500 through 1000, I have a few announcements, followed by some prayer.'
"This is not to say there won't be singing, because Rev. 5:13-14 depicts it, but singing is just a slice of the worship pie," Pastor Travis Mitchell of the Sandy Ridge Community Church said.
The Rev. Steve Goodier of Christ United Methodist Church of Salt Lake believes his moments of heaven on Earth have been almost indescribably joyous and that they are glimpses of what heaven will be like.
What do other traditions, Muslims, for example, believe about heaven?
The Quran contains numerous references to an afterlife in "Eden" for the righteous.
Heaven is described in their sacred book as "the parable of the Garden which the righteous are promised! Beneath it flow rivers. Perpetual is the fruits thereof and the shade therein. Such is the End of the Righteous; and the end of the unbelievers is the Fire."
The highest Muslim heaven is "Firdaws Pardis," where the prophets and most faithful will dwell. In this heaven, there is no sorrow, pain or fear, only happiness and every wish is granted in a life of pure bliss. Families will be together, and even marital relations will a hundred times greater than earthly pleasures.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that the celestial kingdom (highest heaven) will be the ultimate in family life and marriage.
All that is done in the LDS Church is geared toward the Celestial, not one of the two lower kingdoms of heaven, the Terrestial or the Telestial, though both of those kingdoms exceed the current earth greatly in their glory.
"And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there (in heaven), only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy," (Doctrine and Covenants 130:2).
The absence of pain, sorrow, suffering and the learning of all knowledge can't be boring — but rather the ultimate in excitement.
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com