Self, death and afterlife Flashcards
meaning and purpose of life
glorify god and have a personal relationship with him
christians believe humans cannot know god (transcendent etc)
johns gospel- gods glory was uniquely reflected in JC
christians believe that because made in the image of god (Gen 1:27), they should reflect gods glory in their lives
JC taught disciples that their lives should encourage others to give glory to god
living a life that glorifies god means that christians experience the kingdom of god in this life and beyond
John 5:24 “whoever hears my word and believes him… will not be judged but has crossed over from life to death”
m and p of life
prepare for judgement
Gen 2 humans were created for a fellowship with god but disobedience led to alienation
god alone could restore relationship and did so with the reconcilaiting death of JC
final act of reconciliation that humans will face = judgement
JC: parable of the sheeps and the goats (matthew) that this would be based upon how people respond to those in need
heaven therefore, can be seen as a reward for good behaviour, which links to justification by works
m and p of life
to bring about gods kingdom on earth
kingdom of heaven:
rabbis thought kingdom linked to keeping of the Torah (613 mitzvoth), kingdom would be brought by god
jews of the day thought that kingdom of god would be messiah coming in the form of a military figure to liberate israel from roman rule
xtians believe jc inaugurated the kingdom of heaven
some xtians think of it in terms of a second coming of JC and a judgement day, (goats and the sheep)
kingdom will be fully realised after death, it is also a partial reality now
kingdom in earth continued
purpose to live in such a way to bring about kingdom:
- concept of stewardship of creation, caring for humans but also creation
- OT prophets spoke of new age marked by justice, peace and the fulfilment of everyones needs
- C8th Hosea envisaged god making a new covenant with all of creation
- instead of waiting for god to intervene: humans are called to work actively for the realisation of th kingdom on earth by perusing justice
Mark 1:15: “the time has come… the kingdom of god has come near. Repent and believe the good news”
concept of the soul
jewish
soul = ‘nephesh’ ‘ruach’
associated with the principle of life
nephesh was said to be given to adam by god
often linked with the word ‘heart’, as heart seen as the seat of the will
teaching of jc; word is often used aside ‘heart’ and ‘mind’ ie inner self
concept of the soul
greek thinking
plato: 2 spheres of reality
imperfect world which human live and only have a partial understanding of reality and truth
world of the forms
body perishes at death but the soul is immortal and after death is returned to the world of the forms before experiencing reincarnation
concept of the soul
modern thinking
many christians think if the soul as the moral and spiritual dimension of human life- distinct from the physical body.
soul is given by god before death and after death returns to god
ie dualism
humans in a holistic sense; physical and mental dimensions being linked at both perish at death
resurrection of JC
central tenant of christian faith for a number of reasons:
- forms basis of christian hope in an afterlife
- paul expressed memorably the sheer pointlessness of life and faith in the resurrection of jesus as simply fiction
- all 4 gospels state that the tomb was empty
- he was same but different, not subject to human limitations
- was a unique event
- jc through god had conquered death, which opened up the possibility of eternal life for humanity
- some think physical resurrection
- some thing spiritual resurrection
flesh resurrection according to augustine
fall affected adam and eve and the whole of humanity
- every human is infected with sin (physical mental emotional snd spiritual)
- humans are totally dependent upon gods grace to deliver them from eternal punishment
- christ saving death achieved atonement and physical resurrection showed believers what was possible for whom god had chosen
- were physical
- god could perform same miracle for anything created with a soul
- in physical resurrection, both the spiritual and the physical effects of sin are erased
spiritual resurrection
after death body decomposes or is destroyed by cremation
soul survives death and lives on with god
‘spiritual resurrection’ along the lines of what paul taught
use of analogy eg life cycle of a butterfly
various stages of life are physically totally different, yet essential identity is the same
1 Corinthians 15
paul believed JC death and resurrection had freed humanity from the power of sin and death and opened humanity to eternal life
resurrection of the body instead of the immortality of the soul
- not the resurrection of earthly body, that perished at death
- new spiritual and imperishable body, appropriate to new mode of existence after death
second coming of christ and the end of human experience were immanent
“the body that is sown is perishable”
“raised in glory”
“if there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body”
judgement, heaven, hell and purgatory
christian teaching
RC:
particular judgement: judgement that takes place straight after death and determines individual fate
general judgement: take place at second coming od christ and is upon humanity as a whole
free of sin directed to heaven
mortal sinners to hell/ eternal separateness from god
venial sinners are directed to purgatory (preparing for heaven)
j,h,h,p
physical
- end of world, JC will return in glory to judge all humans according to their deeds
- holy will be taken to heaven
- mortal sinners will be cast into hell to suffer torment
- venial sinners undergo period if cleansing , purgatory, and will enable them to enter heaven
j,h,h,p
spiritual
modern RC
heaven = spiritual state
hell is not a physical realm of torture
purgatory not a place
j,h,h,p
psychological realities
life after death lacks empirical evidence
life lived in accordance with ones convictions is spiritually fulfilled and so the individual experiences joy
opposite is true for one of inner conflict and thus may lead to the need for psychotherapy
