Republic of Heaven

The Republic of Heaven, in Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials, refers to the idea that humans must build their happiness in the here and now, and that the official Church's emphasis on the afterlife is no more than a diversion by the powerful to repress the common people, even by the monarchical sound of its name: the Kingdom of Heaven.

The phrase 'The Republic of Heaven' was coined by Gerrard Winstanley, the seventeenth century English Christian radical and leader of the Diggers in the English Civil War.

Winstanley wrote (quoted in Christopher Hill's The World Turned Upside Down):

[Priests] lay claim to heaven after they are dead, and yet they require their heaven in this world too, and grumble mightily against the people that will not give them a large temporal maintenance. And yet they tell the poor people that they must be content with their poverty, and they shall have their heaven hereafter. But why may we not have our heaven here (that is, a comfortable livelihood in the earth) and heaven hereafter too, as well as you? ... While men are gazing up to heaven, imagining after a happiness or fearing a hell after they are dead, their eyes are put out, that they not see what is their birthrights, and what is to be done by them here on earth while they are living.

Winstanley's ideals underpin much of the philosophy of Pullman's epic. Pullman comments [1]:

The kingdom of heaven promised us certain things: it promised us happiness and a sense of purpose and a sense of having a place in the universe, of having a role and a destiny that were noble and splendid; and so we were connected to things. We were not alienated. But now that, for me anyway, the King is dead, I find that I still need these things that heaven promised, and I’m not willing to live without them. I don’t think I will continue to live after I’m dead, so if I am to achieve these things I must try to bring them about – and encourage other people to bring them about – on earth, in a republic in which we are all free and equal – and responsible – citizens.

Now, what does this involve? It involves all the best qualities of things. We mustn’t shut anything out. If the Church has told us, for example, that forgiving our enemies is good, and if that seems to be a good thing to do, we must do it. If, on the other hand, those who struggled against the Church have shown us that free enquiry and unfettered scientific exploration is good – and I believe that they have – then we must hold this up as a good as well.

Whatever we can find that we feel to be good – and not just feel but can see with the accumulated wisdom that we have as we grow up, and read about history and learn from our own experiences and so on – wherever they come from, and whoever taught them in the first place, let’s use them and do whatever we can do to make the world a little bit better.

"The Republic of Heaven" may also refer to the Internet forum for the fansite Bridge to the Stars or to the Brighton, England based band of that name.

In Popular Media

A possible variant idea is Sosuke Aizen's attempts to overthrow the monarch of Soul Society in the manga and anime series Bleach, though whether he wants to establish his own monarchy/dictatorship or allow for a Republic of Soul Society is unclear.