death and afterlife Flashcards
disadvantage of heaven being a spiritual state
-Christians traditionally believe in the resurrection of the body in some way, not just a person’s soul.
biblical reference for heaven being a spiritual state?
- John 14:1-3 ‘my fathers house has many rooms’ could be taken symbolically
advantage of heaven being a spiritual state
-problem of bodily resurrection (continuity, identity) are solved.
biblical reference for heaven being a physical place
-Revelation 21:1-8 ‘I saw the holy city’ and ‘I heard a loud voice from the throne’ suggests physicality as voice and throne are physical things.
what is the Catholic view of heaven as a physical place?
- soul leaves body at death
- soul is reunited with a glorified body to come face to face with God
- it is a state of supreme and definite happiness
- this is the beatific vision
two problems with heaven as a physical place
- you need a physical body for a physical heaven. Dead bodies don’t just go missing from graves and or bodies decay.
- where is it?
what is heaven as a symbol of life on Earth ?
- heaven is now, there isn’t an afterlife.
- challenges idea that heaven is paradise as there is so much violence in this world.
what does D.Z. Phillips say about heaven as a symbol of life on Earth ?
eternal life is a quality of this life, lives morally in obedience to God.
disadvantage and advantage of heaven as a symbol of life on Earth?
disadvantage = means we only have 1 life. advantage = no problems of where heaven is and how to get there and it overcomes the body soul problem
biblical reference to suggest that Hell is a physical place
Revelation - “the lake that burns with fire” . lake is physical so suggests hell is physical
2 disadvantages of hell being a physical place
- where is it?
- punishing people eternally seems unjust just for one bad thing
biblical references to suggest that hell is a spiritual state
- Mathew 25:31-46 “eternal punishment”. eternal suggests spiritual state as physically things can’t last forever.
disadvantage of hell as a spiritual state
if hell is spiritual then how are we suppose to experience pain and suffering without a body
advantage of hell as a spiritual state
if you argue for a body soul separation then hell being spiritual makes sense.
what is the Catholic teaching of hell
- punishment is eternal separation from God
- it is self-exclusion
what is alienation and P.Tillich’s views on it
- he said “heaven and hell must be taken seriously as metaphors for the polar ultimates in the experience of the divine” (God)
- hell is a metaphor for a psychological sense of alienation
- alienation from God would mean a feeling of guilt for not fulfilling your potential
hell as a symbol of life
- hell could represent the negative elements of ones life or of our conscience
- Gregory of Nyssa suggest that hell is a result of the guilty conscience when one comes face to face with God
what is purgatory for Catholics
- another stage of the soul’s journey
- souls are purified before they go to heaven
what do some Protestants argue about purgatory
it is the gap between individuals imperfection at the end of this life
hicks view on purgatory
-makes sense as a way to bridge between our imperfection at death and the perfection of heaven.
particular judgement
gods judgement takes place immediately after death
General judgement
gods judgement takes place at the end of time
biblical reference to suggest that gods judgement takes place immediately after death
Luke 16:19:31 “the poor man died and was carried away by the Angels to be with Abraham”
biblical reference to suggest that gods judgement takes place at the end of time
Matthew 25:31-46 “when the son of man comes in his glory”
