Going to heaven
Sir: As a firm believer in the reality of heav- en, I must have been among many who read with some relish Monsignor Gilbey's discussions on the life hereafter with John Mortimer, a self-confessed atheist (6 July). Subsequent correspondence now seems to be bordering on the ridiculous as the two consider the eligibility for a place in heaven of Mr. Mortimer's virtuous Hindu.
It seems to have been overlooked by both these intelligent and entertaining men that Heaven is accessible to those of us who believe firstly that it is there, and secondly that it is through the virtue of Another that it has been made available to us at all. Both have succeeded in painting for me a rather disagreeable picture of Heaven as a kind of celestial Travellers' Club, the members of which constantly draw attention to what they believe to be their impeccable creden- tials that entitle them to membership.
Perhaps if anyone takes this matter seri- ously he might recall Socrates' famous aphorism that a wise man knows himself to be a fool, and therefore realise that a righ- teous man (or a virtuous Hindu) knows himself to be a sinner.
R. A. Massie-Blomfield,
Cavina School, P.O. Box 43090, Nairobi
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