Death And The Afterlife

Question 1

Is heaven, hell and purgatory physical

Answer 1

Revelation in 20-21 no more tears or sadness, implying physical

Origen viewed heaven as a restoration of earth, human relationships with God are restored

Question 2

Augustine on heaven being physical

Answer 2

Purified soul reunites with its glorified body.

Question 3

Paul 1 Corinthians 15

Answer 3

Before it meets god face to face, known as the beatific version

Question 4

Augustine on hell

Answer 4

Wicked are punished for eternity, Gods justice is seen

Question 5

Issues raised with physical

Answer 5

Where is the place of embodied existence

Identity - different body

Continuity - what age is my body, body has changed

Question 6

Spiritual place

Answer 6

Gregory of Nyssa and Origen see hell as a state of anguish, your conscience that tortures with regrets and realisation of sinfulness, end when the world was restored

Catholics view hell as a self chosen exclusion from God, an alienation from God

Question 7

Symbolic means

Answer 7

States of morality and experiences during life is what heaven, hell and purgatory is

Heaven is the sum total of all the happiness and goodness experienced

Hell is the total suffering from the consequences of sinfulness in this life

Question 8

DZ Philips on eternal life

Answer 8

Not a reference to life after death but it is a quality of this life, lived morally in obedience to God

Question 9

What does symbolic solve

Answer 9

Issues of identity

Continuity

The need for a life after death

Question 10

Problems with symbolic

Answer 10

No hope or comfort for those who have died in faith

Question 11

John Hick

Answer 11

The idea of infinite suffering for finite sin seems unjust

Question 12

When will judgement take place

Answer 12

At the end of time - sheep and goats

An immediate/ particular judgement will take place at time of death. Jesus to the thief ‘today you will be with me in paradise’

The Catholic Church - particular and final judgement

Question 13

Limited election

Answer 13

God has chosen those who will be saved

God elected only certain people to be saved

Calvin - single pre destination, his followers developed his teachings into double pre destination

Question 14

Problems with limited selection

Answer 14

Christs death ineffective// some would say it’s effective for those elected

Non elect are not chosen for damnation just not chosen

John AT Robinson the damnation of some to hell is not consistent with a belief in heaven

Question 15

Unlimited election

Answer 15

All people are called to be saved but there is a possibility that not all are saved, because some will refuse Gods grace

Question 16

Aquinas and Catholicism on unlimited selection

Answer 16

God elects the righteous for heaven the wicked select hell by rejecting God

Question 17

Karl Barth like Calvin

Answer 17

We cannot presume to know who is saved this decision is Gods

Question 18

Universalism

Answer 18

God wants all to be saved

Hick supports due to his soul making theory

Gods grace is effective for all

Question 19

Issues for universalism

Answer 19

If we reject God and go to heaven do we have free will

Robinson and Hick say that Gods love would win over all eventually to be saved

Did Jesus need to suffer then

Can those outside of Christian faith be saved then