New Church Life May/Jun 2014 | Page 82

n e w c h u r c h l i f e : m ay / j u n e 2 0 1 4 how hardened their position is. Two teachings from the New Church especially come to mind. One is that it is not “belief,” but how we actually live, that determines where we go after death. No “ism” alone – neither theism nor atheism – sends anyone to heaven or hell. Another thing is that there is a middle ground between heaven and hell, the “world of spirits,” into which people first go when they leave this world. This is where we finally sort everything out (or rather, we are sorted out), and our true, inner, “ruling love” emerges. Those who are basically good will undergo a process of “vastation” there, whereby the unheavenly aspects of their character (bad affections and false ideas) are removed; and they will learn new truths in preparation for life in heaven. Those who are firmly set against God and the life o