Special explores heavenly theories

She speaks with the Dalai Lama and an unsuccessful suicide bomber.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Proving she's in the spirit of the season, Barbara Walters feigns ignorance to the pair of "reindeer antlers" perched on her head as she steps from her office to greet a visitor.
No red nose for her, however. That would be undignified.
The veteran broadcaster is in a similar good mood about her two-hour special "Heaven: Where Is It? How Do We Get There?" 9 p.m. tonightTuesday on ABC.
"I think this is one of the most important pieces that I've ever done," said Walters. "I hope it will be inspirational and to some degree educational. I hate to say that because I don't want it to sound like Comparative Religion 101."
The special will seem like a departure to people who are used to seeing Walters primarily on "The View," or during her final years on "20/20" when she became most identified with celebrity interviews.
The topic seems impossibly broad and the questions unanswerable, although that doesn't stop many from trying.
The special, after a slow start that seemingly references every piece of culture that mentions the subject ("Tears in Heaven," "It's a Wonderful Life"), unfolds into a fascinating exploration of how the world sees the world beyond.
Highlights
Walters travels to India to meet the Dalai Lama and to a Jerusalem prison to interview a failed suicide bomber. She speaks to people, including Elizabeth Taylor, about near-death experiences, to religious leaders and to authors Mitch Albom and Maria Shriver about their books on heaven.
She poses some questions sure to become Walters legends: "Is there sex in heaven?" and "Would you like me to go to hell?"
The former elicits some interesting cultural differences. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, said there's no need for such earthly delights in a place where the Lord will give joy.
Meanwhile, Muslim suicide bombers are often told that martyrs will be rewarded with 72 virgins in heaven.
One man seduced by that vision, Jihad Jarrar, told Walters from a Jerusalem prison that unless she became a Muslim, hell would be her final destination.
"It's not what I want," he said. "It's what God wants."
Spirituality and science
Walters said she became interested in the topic after reading a story about a doctor who worked with children who had undergone near-death experiences. She was struck by a survey that showed nearly nine in 10 Americans believe in an afterlife, and nearly as many believe a heaven exists.
"Here we are at a time when we are so technically oriented, and we have a bigger and bigger spiritual need," she said.
The popularity of books like Albom's "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" indicates many people are searching for the purpose of life. "What if we just try to find out?" she asked.
She said she tried to ask the kinds of questions she believed people would want to ask yet would feel funny about. Upon hearing one fanciful vision of an unearthly paradise, she asks: "Is it possible that if heaven is this interesting that it gets boring?"
It's not all ethereal. Walters tries to dive into the science behind spirituality and hears an expert who dismisses near-death experiences as hallucinations.
The special also includes a probing look into the rise of evangelical Christianity. In an interview with Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, she uncovers a similarity to Jarrar: Both men believe that following their own God is the only guarantee of entrance into heaven. In Haggard's case, it's Jesus Christ.
"Does God mean for you to be so judgmental?" Walters asks him.
Walters, 74, relished the chance to do something new. She still enjoys her annual Academy Awards interview special, but said she left "20/20" because she was tired of the rigorous competition for big-name interviews.
"The next 'get' was always the next celebrity," she said.
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