Self death and the afterlife in theology Flashcards
The afterlife as a physical reality
This view has been the most popular view throughout most of Christian history. It became especially pronounced culturally during the medieval period. Dante’s long poem The Divine Comedy inspired the popular imagination with its vivid descriptions of hell, heaven and purgatory. A physical view of the afterlife also reflected extreme versions of medieval life on earth, where torture (Hell) and feasting (Heaven) was common.
St Paul and resurrection
Paul calls the resurrection of Jesus “the firstfruits”, indicating that it was the first resurrection after which ours would follow. Paul claims that Jesus saved us from our sinful state, which Adam caused. Paul emphasized the importance of Christs ressurection: “ If Christ did not rise, your faith is pointless.”
He explicitly says in Corinthians , “Sown a physical body, raised a spiritual body”
Spiritual resurrection
Spiritual resurrection is argued to make more sense of Jesus’ post-mortem appearances. Jesus appeared to his disciples after he rose from the dead, he appeared to be able to disappear and reappear at will, which proponents of spiritual resurrection interpret as indicating a non-physical form. It could also make sense of the fact that he wasn’t initially recognised. This could suggest that our resurrection will be non-physical too, and thus the after life is a non-physical state. St Paul even called our future resurrected bodies ‘spiritual’ bodies.1 Corinthians “Sown perishable, raised imperishable.” “ “ Sown physical body raised a spiritual one”
Criticisms of a spiritual ressurection
What about the empty tomb? Jesus’ physical body had disappeared upon his resurrection, which seems to show that he was raised physically. It suggests it was his physical body that was resurrected in a physical but perfected form
Criticism of a physical ressurection of our earthly bodies
The cannibal problem for physical resurrection. What happens to our earthly body seems incompatible with physical resurrection. It rots away in the grave or is destroyed by fire in cremation, upon which its elements are returned to nature. What if one person cannibalised another person so that their dead body became part of the cannibal’s body? Such cases generate the puzzle of how both bodies, that of the cannibal and the cannibalised, could possibly both be raised, if there are parts of one which belong to both? The issue is far more extensive when you consider that many people are cannibals in a more indirect way. Decomposing bodies are used as nutrients for plants, which might then be eaten by another person, or by an animal who dies and is then eaten by a person. This issue was much debated in the 2nd century.
The afterlife as a symbolic or psychological reality
This view is that there is no literal afterlife. The concepts of heaven, hell and purgatory are only symbols for human psychology of happiness, suffering and repentance. The stories in the Bible about them are just about how to be happy, avoid suffering and when to repent.
Purgatory
Purgatory is the Latin word for ‘to purge’ or ‘to make clean’. The Catholic Church teaches that it is a place of temporary punishment for those who have died after committing venial sins (meaning sins that do not deprive a soul of grace) but had not confessed them to receive forgiveness before dying. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that purgatory 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 parable of the sheep and the goats
is biblical evidence against purgatory. In the story people are divided into the good (sheep) and the bad (goats). There is no middle ground third option for those who are somewhere inbetween good and bad.
Hicks view on LAD
Hick believed in a type of purgatory – that 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). This is part of Hick’s universalism, the view that all people will be saved. An omnibenevolent God would not damn anyone to Hell. It cannot be justice for any person, no matter how much evil they have done, to be given an eternal punishment.
We all eventually become “ children of God”- link to Hicks soul making theodicy.
Criticism of hell
Proportionality- true justice requires punishment to be proportional to the crime. For example, it is not justice to imprison someone for life for a minor offense such as parking their car in the wrong place. Hume argues it cannot be justice for God to give an infinite punishment for a finite crime.
What are the 4 posssible purposes of Christian life?
- To achieve a personal relationship with God
- To create heaven on earth
- To Live out your faith
- To spread the word of God
What are the three potential meanings life could have for a Christian?
To GLORIFY and have a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with God
“ Before I formed you in the woumb, I knew you,”
So they may live out their lifes purpose and fully show their gratitude to God and all he created. Despite his transcendant nature, an attempt to know God and nourish a relationship with him through prayer or good works is fulfilling to a theist.
To prepare for JUDGEMENT
After Gods ultimate sacrifice, his son we are able to be saved one again. If we repent for our sins throughout our life, and do works to support our souls. As Jesus taught in his parable of the sheep and goats
To create HEAVEN on EARTH
“Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as there is in heaven.”
Prayer Our father, links to the concept of Stewardship and is an approach taken by certain liberal Christains, even so far as to say a metaphysical heaven does not exist but must be created by us here on earth.
Mortal VS Venial sins
Mortal sins cannot be forgiven, they separate us eternally from God.
Venial sins can be forgiven in purgatory if not forgiven on earth, in co fession perhaps.
Objective immortality in process theology
After death, all beings exist forever in the memory of God as ‘objects’. Not subjects existing and thinking after death. And because God is an immortal necessary being his memory is infalliable so you are never forgotten.
But isnt a life after death in Gods mind meaninglesa as we cannot feel any joy or love there?
Augustine on physical ressurection
