Death And The Afterlife Flashcards
What do christians think the soul is capable of surviving?
Death
What idea do Christian’s reject about what happens to the body after death?
Christians reject the idea of reincarnation (bodily rebirth)
What do Christian’s believe happens in life after death and what happens to the individual?
Christians believe that resurrection takes place after a person dies. The person will be given a renewed ‘spiritual body’ to continue their journey into the afterlife.
How does Jesus’ tomb being empty imply to Christian’s that resurrection takes place after death?
Jesus’ tomb was empty, there was no physical body within the tomb which implies to Christian’s that he had been resurrected from death to eternal life.
How is Jesus being seen in physical form imply to Christian’s that resurrection takes place after death?
Jesus was seen in physical form after death and then ascended to heaven. Many Christian’s believe that after death Jesus continued in a transformed spiritual body in the afterlife.
What are the two issues of the story of Jesus’ resurrection?
1) are bible passages meant to be read metaphorically or literally? For example, is doubting Thomas a symbol of having faith in God or a metaphor to show that God is always with us?
2) is Jesus’ resurrection unique to him, is it something everyone will expect or is it only available to Christian’s? If the resurrection is really real why aren’t coffins in graveyards empty?
What St Paul strongly believe about the resurrection of Jesus and what did it meant for Christians?
He strongly believed that Jesus had risen from the dead and that his resurrection was a promise to all christians.
What was the verse that St Paul used to describe the resurrection of man, write the verse and how does it links to the resurrection that Jesus had promised us.
1) 1 Corinthian’s: ‘the body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable.’
2) Paul describes the earthly body as perishable but the resurrected body is imperishable. When we are resurrected we gain eternal life and overcome death.
How does the metaphor St Paul used of a seed link to resurrection for believers?
In 2 Corinthians St Paul uses the metaphor of a seed being sown, then being transformed into something greater. This highlights the transformation that believers undergo during resurrection. ( the resurrection body will be glorious, powerful and imperishable )
How does St Paul use the idea of a tent to explain what will happen once our earthly bodies are resurrected by God?
St Paul uses the idea of a tent to show that our current bodies are temporary and imperfect. In the resurrection we will receive eternal and glorified bodies that are permenant and perfect, just like a sturdy house.
Why do Christian’s believe that life after death is a miracle given by God?
They believe that it’s a miracle because the person is resurrected through the gift and grace of God.
What two parables emphasize the theme of judgement based on actions?
The rich man & Lazarus and The parable of the sheep and the goats.
How does the rich man and Lazarus and the parable of the sheep and the goats link to judgement?
In the story of the rich man & Lazarus, the rich man is judged for ignoring Lazarus’s suffering, which highlights that neglecting the needs of others leads to eternal separation from God. Similarly, the parable of the sheep and the goats teaches that caring for the ‘least of these’ determines whether you face eternal punishment or eternal life with God.
What was the verse in Matthew 25? (Starts with ‘whatever you did not do for one of the least of these’)
‘Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me, then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.’
Where do sheep go and where do goats go? (Explain why one goes to heaven or hell or why the other goes to heaven or hell)
Sheep go to heaven and spend eternal life with God because they took care of those in need, whereas goats go to hell and face eternal punishment since they failed to take opportunities to help others in need.
Who is heaven for?
Those that have been faithful to God
According to Christian’s, how long do you stay with God in heaven?
You live forever with God, with your loved ones in eternal worship.
Who criticised the belief about spending eternity with God and what did he say about it?
Bernard Williams wondered whether spending at eternity with God in heaven would get a bit boring after a while since we would be facing no challenges or even the possibility of failure. This could eventually get boring and cause life to have no purpose or meaning.
Who goes against what Bernard William says and what does it say about his statement on heaven being exhausting after a while?
Karl Rahner states that spending eternity with God is a timeless experience of complete union with God, where boredom is impossible. He also said that heaven is not like earth so time in heaven is very different to time on earth so boredom can’t occur because there is no sense of ‘time-passing.’
Who influenced Aquinas’s idea on the soul and what was the name of the individual’s work that he followed?
Aristotle influenced Aquinas ideas on the soul. Additionally, Aquinas followed Aristotle’s work called ‘De Anima’ meaning on the soul.
What did Aquinas believe the soul to be of every living thing?
The ‘form’ of living things.
Aquinas believed every living thing contained what?
A soul
What did Aquinas believe that the soul enables us to do so we can do what with God?
Aquinas believed that the soul allows us to reach our potential and accomplish our purpose so that we can live eternally in the presence of God.
What does ‘beatific vision’ mean?
It means coming face to face with God.
What verse spoke about beatific vision with God, what did this verse say and what does it mean?
In 1 Corinthians, it says that ‘for now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face.’ This means that we will only see God when we look in the mirror since we are all made in imago dei but after we die we will be able to see God face to face.
What did Aquinas also say about heaven getting boring? (Karl Rahner supported him)
Aquinas said that the past, present and future will all be brought together to avoid problems of heaven getting boring.
What does purgatory mean?
A place or state where the soul is purged from sin
Why did catholics believe that some souls needed to go into the purging process?
Catholics stated that some souls are not sufficiently cleansed to enter heaven. That is why they must enter purgatory so that they are fit for heaven.
What pope found a verse to prove the potential existence of purgatory, what was the verse and what made him come to the conclusion that purgatory exists from this verse
Pope Gregory found in the Matthew’s gospel that purgatory may exist because the phrase in the verse ‘in the age to come’ conveys that forgiveness is possible after death for certain sins. This verse is used to support the concept of purgatory.
why do Christian’s reject purgatory?
They reject purgatory because it’s not stated on the bible and does not support Jesus’ death on the cross
What is hell?
A place of eternal separation from God and a place of eternal pain and punishment
Who criticised the concept of God creating hell and why did he criticise it?
David Hume argued that eternal punishment in hell for sins committed in a temporary and finite human life is unfair and unjust.
Why did David Humes believe that the concept of hell goes against goes against God’s traits and nature?
He questioned how a loving and merciful God can condemn people to eternal suffering for finite offenses.
Who supported David Hume’s view on hell and what did they say?
John hick questions how believers can believe in a God of love that can forever punish someone with no chance of escaping it
What did John Hick say about the concept of hell being used to do what to people?
He believed that hell is used to manipulate and control people so that they can do good by saying to them that they will be rewarded for following God’s rules with heaven and if you misbehave you will be sent to hell.
what does limited election mean?
Only a few christians are saved.
when does God know who will be saved?
before we are even born.
what did Augustine think about the idea of being born as a ‘tabula rasa’ and why did he agree or disagree with this idea?
Augustine disagreed with the idea of all humans being born a blank slate because of ‘original sin.’
criticism of Augustine saying that we are all born with original sin and not ‘tabula rasa’
Jesus died to take away the sis of mankind so why would Jesus’ actions not wipe the slate clean
what did Augustine believe elected people to be saved?
only God’s grace.
what did John Calvin say about God predestining us to what?
God predestined some of us for eternal punishment and others for eternal life with God.
why don’t all christians agree with John Calvin predestining some of us to eternal punishment or eternal life with God?
It removes the idea of free will
what is unlimited election?
the belief that everyone will be saved.
what did Karl Barth believe about unlimited election?
Jesus brought salvation for the whole world.
who does Karl Barth believe God will save?
all believers of Jesus
did Barth believe in full universalism and explain
He didn’t believe in full universalism but did argue that all followers of christ will be saved. Also, because Jesus died for all of humanity it could be seen as unlimited election
what did John Hick believe about unlimited election?
He believed that all people will be saved no matter their beliefs. Everyone will reach God in the end.
what did John Hick believe about what afterlife is?
The afterlife iis a place where people can develop their faith ad grow towards making a choice for God.
what did Hick think about what different religions are?
different religions are just different expressions of the same universal human desire for God, so there is no right or wrong religion.
What did Pope Benedict say about John Hicks view on everyone being saved?
He argued that John Hick’s argument is making Jesus’ death on the cross pointless since everyone is being saved regardless of their faith. Whats the point of believing in Jesus, if we are gonna go to heaven anyway?
what Dawkin’s said about the afterlife
He rejects the idea of there being an afterlife and believes that the idea of there being an afterlife is to provide comfort in the face of death rather than being based on evidence.
what did Dawkins say about relying on scientific evidence rather than faith in religious ideas
He encourages people to rely on scientific evidence rather than faith in religious ideas like heaven or hell.
what did Bertrand Russell say about the afterlife?
there is no empirical evidence to support the existence of an afterlife. He believed that claims of an afterlife is just human imagination instead of facts.
Bertrand Russell saw the afterlife as a tool used by religions to do what to people
The afterlife is used as a tool by religions to offer comfort and control people and to reduce the fear of death.
key quote of Bertrand Russell and what does it mean
“i believe that when i die i shall rot, and nothing of my ego will survive.” Russell meant that when a person dies its the end of everything about a person.
