DEATH AND THE AFTERLIFE

Question 1

What does the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats say about death and afterlife?

Answer 1

Reminds its hearers that judgement is based on what is on the inside, which God knows and not what is on the outside - what can be seen by others. Teaches judgement is based on people’s actions first and foremost rather than their faith.

Question 2

Quote about actions to do with afterlife:

Answer 2

‘Truly I tell you whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’

• Matthew 25:40

Question 3

What is the difference between particular and final judgement?

Answer 3

Particular: the judgement of individuals at the moment of death
Final: the judgement of all people at the end of time

Question 4

God’s judgement takes place immediately after death:

Answer 4

• Biblical evidence for god welcoming people immediately into heaven or hell, for example parable of rich man and Lazarus
• It does not make sense for judgement to be delayed. Where else can a person’s soul go while it waits for judgement
• If heaven and hell are not understood as literaly places then there is no need to wait for final judgement for our reward or punishment

Question 5

God’s judgement takes place at the end of time:

Answer 5

• Majority of biblical evidence seems to delay judgement until all people are judged, apart from sheep and the goats
• Our bodies are needed for the reward or punishment of heaven or hell as we know our bodies decay on earth, there must be a moment where they are all resurrceted together
• As time means something different after deth, it is entirely possible that we will simply sleep until the moment judgement

Question 6

What is a traditional view of hell?

Answer 6

Talks about hell as a place of eternal fire and suffering. Many Christians think of hell as an idea of torture and punishment. However, many Christians struggle with the idea of a loving God punishing people but all humans have original sin, so they need to work to get salvation.

Question 7

What are other spiritual understandings of hell?

Answer 7

Some Christians may think of hell as a spiritual place. The language of the Bible should be seen as symbolic of a persons life on earth. Ex: if that life includes a guilty conscience then that will be felt when faced by Jesus at judgement

Question 8

Quote for hell:

Answer 8

‘For [hell], a wilful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end.’

• Catechism of the Catholic Church

Question 9

Hell is eternal:

Answer 9

• Both biblical and church teachings talk consistently of the eternity of hell, however it is interpreted
• It makes sense that people who are given the chance of following Jesus’ ways should be held to account if they live bad lives because god’s love is about justice
• Ultimately, people cannot be given an infinite number of chances to get to heaven and so there must be a point at which they fall

Question 10

Hell is not eternal:

Answer 10

• Some argue that those who do not get to heaven are simply extinguished or annhilated after a period of punishment
• As you cannot experience punishment outside of time, some might argue that hell cannot be eternal but within time in some way. Some have argued that hell only exists until the final judgement and the restoration of the world
• Many reject hell on the basis that the god of love would not punish babies who die and woould not punish people as disproportionately as the teachings on hell require

Question 11

What is a traditional view of heaven?

Answer 11

• It is where we will see God face-to face and where God ‘lives’. (Corinthians 13:12)
• A place of eternal reward alongside the Good (Lazarus being at Abraham’s side Luke 16)
• Every tear will be wiped away and there will be no more death or mourning (Revelation 21:1-4)

Question 12

What is heaven as a symbol?

Answer 12

An advantage of understaning heaven as a state is that it better helps to counter the criticism that heaven would be boring. The more symbolically we understand heaven,the more removed from time we can get. Heaven should simply be seen as a symbol of a person’s moral and spiritual life on earth.

Question 13

Heaven is the transformation and perfection of the whole of creation:

Answer 13

• Book of revelation vividly describes the end of time as a ‘new heaven and earth’
• Some christians might point to the need to build god’s kingdom on eath,, starting with the christian community. Good actions will lead to the transformation of all creation
• Following effects of fall, christians duty is to re-find the paradise that has been lost by adam and eve and use free will to rebuild it on earth

Question 14

Heaven is something other than the transformation and perfection of the whole of creation:

Answer 14

• Biblical texts point torwards heaven as a future place (or spiritual state) and very clearly not as something that will occur on earth
• Some might argue that heaven is not to be taken literally, whether it is to be ‘found’ in this world or the next. Heaven should be seen as a symbol of our next life on earth
• While heaven is a future place, it could be argued that it is possible to get glimpses of this future here on earth, perhaps through our observations of good actions in ourselves or others

Question 15

What does the Roman Catholic Church believe about purgatory?

Answer 15

Purgatory is prominently a Roman Catholic belief. It is an intermediate state (not place) after death which purges us from our sins. Its a time of purification and cleansing. Catholics believe hell is reserved for those who choose it by commiting serious sin and not being sorry for it

Question 16

What is universalism?

Answer 16

The idea that all people are saved and will go to heaven.

Question 17

What does John Hick say about universalism?

Answer 17

Hick rejects the idea that a God of love would condemn anyone to eternal suffering. He believes God would never send anyone to hell and therefore, he is a universalist

Question 18

Purgatory is a state through which everyone goes:

Answer 18

• The idea that purgatory seems to be more in line with the biblical portrayal of god as all-loving and just because it allows for ‘minor sins’ to be paid off
• Purgatory exists in the traditions of Christianity
• It is a view that allows for the grey areas of life to be taken into consideration because moral teachings are often presented as black and white

Question 19

Purgatory is not a state through which everyone goes:

Answer 19

• There is no need for a purgatory because a just God will reward those who have tried to follow good lives. The parable of workers teaches that we should all expect the same reward, no matter what our journey to that reward was
• Some argue that purgatory is a medieval invention by the Catholic Church that is wishful thinking
• The tradition of praying for the dead seems to come from a text that is not accepted by all Christians

Question 20

What is election?

Answer 20

The idea that God chooses where we go after death

Question 21

What is limited election?

Answer 21

The view that only a few Christians will be saved

Question 22

What is unlimited election?

Answer 22

The view that salvation is offered to everyone but only some will accept the offer and choose to be saved

Question 23

What is double predestination?

Answer 23

The view that God chooses those who go to heaven and also those who go to hell

Question 24

What is single predestination?

Answer 24

The view that God chooses those who go to heaven

Question 25

All people will be saved:

Answer 25

• The god of love would never allow anyone to be condemned to eternal suffering
• The Bible emphasises the fact that god calls everyone
• Religions reflect their cultures and so it cannot be wrong to say that one culture worships god correctly where others do not

Question 26

Not all people will be saved:

Answer 26

• Universalism removes freedom from people to choose their fate
• The Bible, as the authoritative text of Christians, is clear that both heaven and hell are realities
• The incarnation and sacrifice of Jesus are too significant to be devalued by the idea that all will be saved. Barth argued that salvation requires faith in Jesus

Question 27

What is a Roman Catholic belief on whether or not all people will be saved?

Answer 27

Catholic church understood the fall not to have affected human free will in the same way Calvin thought. Catholics believe that God has elected people for heaven but that, as we have seen, those who choose hell do so of their own free choice. Catholic views are sometimes called single predestination

Question 28

Quote Barth said about Jesus and salvation:

Answer 28

’ There is condemnation - literally none - for those that are in Christ Jesus’

• Barth, Church Dogmatics

Question 29

Who was a believer of double predestination?

Answer 29

Augustine and Calvin

Question 30

Who was a believer of single predestination?

Answer 30

Roman Catholics

Question 31

Who believed in limited election?

Answer 31

St Augustine - because of original sin nobody could earn salvation, it needs to be directly given by God’s grace

John Calvin also believed that God had predestined humans and God therefore selects the few to go to heaven

Question 32

Who believed in unlimited election?

Answer 32

Karl Barth - Jesus was God-made-human an as such he is both the one who elects and the one who is elected. As Jesus took on human flesh, all humans should have the potential to be saved