Self, Death & Afterlife Flashcards
Gives brief summary of the parable of the Rich Man & Lazarus? Luke 16:19-31
Rich man (RM) ignores a beggar called Lazarus (L), he is tormented while L goes to heaven.
RM asks Abraham to warn his family to not sin, but he says if his family didnt listen to the prophets then nothing else could convince them.
What does this parable suggest about heaven, hell and purgatory?
They are portrayed as eternal, physical places.
It also indicated that judgment took place immediately after death, not the end of time.
What does Luther say about this parable?
That it shouldn’t be taken literally, it’s just a parable.
It symbolised the state of conscience after we do good or bad (satisfaction or torment).
When did the view that the afterlife was a physical reality become especially culturally pronounced?
During the medieval period
What does taking the view of spiritual resurrection and that of the flesh mean for the view that afterlife is a physical reality?
Resurrection of the flesh is the position that the afterlife is physical because it involves a physical resurrection.
While spirtual resurrection views resurrection, and thus the afterlife, as non-physical.
What happens to our bodies when we resurrect? And why do we believe this?
Our bodies are different and are improved.
Because this seems to be what happened to Jesus - his disciples didnt recognise him at first when he reappeared.
Paul’s quote that differentiates the earthly body from the resurrected body
“ The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour it is raised in glory; it is own in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a physical body.
Why do some find it hard to believe that they could be raised in a form that would be heavenly? What does Augustine point out to counter this?
Becuase our earthy bodies are so associated with sin & earthliness.
Augustine points out that this is much more beleivable than the joining of our spirit and our sinful, earthy bodies in the first place.
What does the empty tomb suggest?
That resurrection is physical, it was Jesus’ physical body that was resurrected but in a perfected form.
Paul argued for spiritual resurrection, what is something notable regarding the language he uses?
In his time, the idea of spirit was not necessarily contrasted with physical in the way it is today - a belief in that time was that ‘spirit’ was a kind of material thing, but a refined, perfected form of matter not subject to decay or death.
What does Augustine argue about physical resurrection?
That it must be physical since Christ’s resurrection was of physical body - since that represented the hope for all Christians that they would be resurrected.
What has happened the the belief of physical resurrection in modern times? & Why?
It has lessened amongst Christians, because…
- issued raised by physcial resurrection
- rejecting resurrection altogether
What do some interpret St Paul to be saying in Philippians 1:21-24?
He is saying it is better to die and be with Christ, but the ‘more necessary’ task is to live in the body in order to help spread Christianity.
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
What else does Paul seem to indicate to?
- Immediately after death, there will be a presence with Christ (particular judgment).
- Then, a non-physical existence in Heaven (as a state, since you wont be in flesh anymore).
What does N.T. Wright argue about the concept of the ‘soul’
“in none of these passages is there any mention of the psyche [soul].”
If early Christians had wanted to teach that what the mean by ‘soul’ is the “part of us which survives death and carries our real selves until the day of resurrection, they could’ve said so.”
Who does Wright say influenced the notion of the soul too much in western Christian culture?
Plato’s view - dualist notion.
He argues when gospels use the word ‘soul’, the meaning is much closer to the Hebrew world ‘nepesh’ - meaning living God-breathed creature.
What is Docetism?
A Christian sect which believed Jesus was spiritually resurrected in a non-physical body which only had the appearance of being physical.
- They were influenced by Gnosticism, thus Christianity & Platonism
- Antitrinitarian (rejects HT), they denied Jesus was human as they thought he was fully divine.
What are some contradictions with Docetism and the Bible?
It goes against, “the word was made flesh” (John 1:14).
it undermines the meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice during the crucifixion if suffering was only an appearance.
What does it mean if you believe the afterlife is a symbolic or pyschological reality?
There is no literal afterlife, heaven, hell & purgatory are only symbols for human psychology of happiness, suffering & repentance.
They are only eternal if they are places or states - if symbolic, they aren’t as they’re transcendent.
Why may a liberalist, who views the Bible as a human record of divine events, take the view that the afterlife is symbolic or metaphorical?
Becuase depictions of an afterlife aren’t literal, they should be interpreted as reflecting psychological realities that people experience in their life.
Why may a liberalist, who views the Bible as a human record of divine events, take the view that the afterlife is symbolic or metaphorical?
Becuase depictions of an afterlife aren’t literal, they should be interpreted as reflecting psychological realities that people experience in their life.
What is the problem with the psychological view of the afterlife, the liberal view of the Bible?
It’s difficult to see how it could grant the Bible authority if it’s derived by human minds.
It also makes scripture very (arguably, too) subjective - it opens up the Bible to interpretation.
What is purgatory?
it is a place of temporary punishment for those who’ve died after committing venial sins & hadn’t confessed them to receive forgiveness before dying.
What does the Catechism of the CC say about purgatory?
It is “the state of those who die in God’s friendship, assured of their eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven.”
The word ‘purgatory’ isn’t in the Bible, but 2 Maccabees 12:46 indicates an aspect of the afterlife where prayer can make a difference, what is this quote?
“It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins”
2 Macanese 12:46
What does the Parable of the S & G give evidence for in regards to purgatory?
It is biblical evidence against it - as there is no middle ground for those who are somewhere in between good & bad.
1 John 1:7
“The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us al from sin”
If Jesus’ blood cleansed us all from sin, why would purgatory be needed?
What is the moral argument for purgatory?
It seems unjust for people to be condemned to hell for a minor venial sin.
Yet, it seems to conflict with God’s justice that he allow someone who died in a state of sin to be allowed into heaven.
Thus, purgatory provides the best moral & just solution to the problem of dying in a state of venial sin.
What was the sale of indulgences?
The policy of the Catholic Church to accept money in return for forgiveness of sins.
If you gave the Church money, priests would pray for recently dead relatives, claiming to get them out of purgatory faster.
What did Luther claim purgatory was & what did he write about the practice of the sale of indulgencies?
Purgatory was ‘fabricated by goblins’
He wrote a 95 thesis critique of the practice of the sale of indulgences.
What was Hick’s view of purgatory?
He believed in a type of purgatory where after death people could continue existing in a ‘resurrection’ world whereby they would continue to have a chance to redeem themselves and become better (soul making).
- Part of Hick’s Universalism
People often feel uncomfortable with Hick’s universalism because it means terrible people like Hitler would eventually go to heaven.
How does Hume’s reasoning justify this?
Sending someone to Hell cannot verse be justice as, as a punishment, it is always disproportionate.
Sins are finite, whereas hell is infinite.
What is Hick’s universalism often criticised for?
For making moral actions purposeless, because you will go to heaven regardless.
How does Hick’s soul-making theodicy attempt to address the criticism that moral actions would be purposeless?
It claims moral behaviour is needed to be saved but everyone has limitless chances to become virtuous.
