Self, death and the afterlife (Christianity)

Question 1

What are the three purposes of a Christian life?

Answer 1

1. To glorify God
2. To prepare for judgement
3. To bring about God’s kingdom on earth

Question 2

How can Christians glorify God?

Answer 2

• By reproducing and filling the earth, they are supposed to spread the qualities of God that they represent
• They try and show God’s glory in their life and actions
• They tell others about God to try and encourage them to be Christians so they can also glorify God
• They try to make their lives more God-like in order to represent him in the world
• They draw people’s attention to God’s qualities in the world by talking and writing about him
• They engage in worship
• Also influenced to build a personal relationship with God by studying the Bible and communicating through prayer

Question 3

How can Christians prepare for judgement?

Answer 3

• After the Fall and the Doctrine of Atonement, the final step for reconciliation with God is judgement of their lives
• This is reflected in the parable of the sheep and the goats
• Although not all Christian’s believe in a literal depiction of the day of judgement, it is a widely accepted belief that we should strive for moral perfection in our lives
• Living in a world with evil means that we can choose to overcome evil and respond with compassion and generosity

Question 4

What quote can support Christian beliefs about judgement?

Answer 4

“he will separate them from one another as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats”

Question 5

How can Christians bring about God’s kingdom on earth?

Answer 5

• The kingdom of God is believed to be a reality where all of the created order, on earth and heaven, will follow God’s laws. For some Christians, this hope is eschatological as they believe Jesus will return and sin and death will be eliminated
• However, other Christians see the purpose of their lives as creating perfection on earth. The first step towards doing this is to repent all that is not God-like and work to bring the qualities of God to earth

Question 6

What did St Augustine believe about resurrection of the flesh?

Answer 6

• St Augustine believed that sin, caused by the Fall, had an effect on every human being, both spiritually and physically
• People’s souls and physical bodies were tainted with sin
• If the resurrection of Christ offered hope for the resurrection of humans, Augustine was sure that this resurrection must be physical
• In Augustine’s mind, Jesus rose and ascended physically, so if God was capable of this for him, surely he could perform this miracle for anything that has been created with a soul

Question 7

What are the three ideas about life after death?

Answer 7

Physical
Spiritual
Psychological

Question 8

What is physical life after death?

Answer 8

• Throughout history, people have expected heaven and hell to be a physical experience
• Doom paintings in many churches depicted hell and judgement as a physical place of torment

Question 9

What is spiritual life after death?

Answer 9

• In this modern era, the concept of resurrection of the body is not so widely held
• It is more believed resurrection is spiritual, therefore judgment and the afterlife will also be spiritual
• Some believe that there will be a final judgement at the end of time where all should will be judged

Question 10

What is psychological life after death?

Answer 10

• Many Christian’s who find traditional ideas of afterlife to be out of date
• No evidence for this so no reason it should be believed
• Therefore some people believe that a person who lives a spiritually fulfilled life experiences contentment and a person who is spiritually in conflict experiences suffering