My eyes drew back from their distant stare to gaze away from the picture. I gazed back from yesterday and looked intently toward the cross at the front of the church.

I wondered: How does Jesus fit into all of this?

I had never quite seen the connection between Jesus and all of the pictures of Heaven.

Yea, I knew what the cross meant; but it just didn’t connect the pictures of Heaven I had ever since my earliest visits to one church or another.  Not only was it not connected, but what I did know didn’t seem to make any sense.

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I guess my biggest pictures of heaven had come more from Christmas than Easter.

My picture of Heaven was like the Christmas Eve broadcasts of Papal majesty with smoke and robes… and singing of the Hallelujah Chorus to God by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Then, of course, there was the seasonal hope of an angel who just wasn’t quite good enough to earn his wings until he could save George Bailey.

And Catholics worship Mary, too… and Saints (with a capital “S”): Christopher, Valentine, Patrick (Irish Saint of parties), Francis and lots of statues.

The angels in paintings and windows of their churches and Cathedrals all seemed to paint a picture of Heaven with a rather mythological glow.

And the Mormon’s… (Aren’t they called: The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints?), with Joseph Smith and multiple wives.

How are they any different than the followers of the Prophet Mohammed who had multiple wives?

(Is that OK with God?)

They celebrate Christmas and Heaven big time; just like the Catholics, with their old established church worship.

(I think Catholics call it ‘liturgy’ and I know it used to be in Latin.)

Mormons seem  like a modern christian church with a new “Book of Mormon” instead of the Bible to explain all this.

Seems kind of like the two young men working out their own salvation at your door, with their magazine to explain the Bible.

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