death and the afterlife Flashcards
(25 cards)
what is scholarly support for the afterlife being of a physical form?
- references in the bible
- for example, the parable of the sheep and the goat and lazarus and the rich man - augustine:
- hell was created after the original creation of the universe, it must be within time
- if its within time, then its within space
- so the afterlife must be physical
- “bodies pained by fire”
what is scriptural support for the afterlife taking a physical form?
- parable of the sheep and the goats
- physically separates the sheep from the goats - lazarus and the rich man
- “but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent” - revelation 21:
- “he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes”
what is scholarly refute for the afterlife taking a physical form?
- these concepts/ parables are best understood metaphorically not literally
- origen:
- heaven must be a perfect place, but physical bodies are imperfect, so we cant have our physical bodies in heaven, so heaven must not be physical
- cant be a physical afterlife as it would be inferior to our spiritual one
- our physical bodies are slaves to the “passions of the flesh and blood”; so its when we are in a state of perfection that we will then be free from those bodies
what is scholarly overcoming for the afterlife still having to take a physical form? (in response to origen and metaphorical/literal things)
- the christian view on the afterlife is not based purely on parables; especially revelation 21 where there will be a “new heaven and new earth”
- augustine:
- origen assumes that people will still struggle with earthly desires even after death in the afterlife
- those who are saved will be free from earthly temptations in the after life as they already resisted them on earth
what is scholarly support for the afterlife taking a spiritual form?
- origen:
- heaven must be a perfect place, but physical bodies are imperfect, so we cant have our physical bodies in heaven, so heaven must not be physical
- when we are in a state of perfection, is when we will be free from our physical bodies
- our physical bodies are slaves to the “passions of flesh and blood” - anselm:
- afterlife must take a spiritual form as its for eternity which means that it cant be affected by time, whereas physical things occupy space and time
- so the afterlife must be spiritual
what is scholarly refute against the afterlife taking a physical form?
- there are references throughout scripture that the afterlife will be physical
- for example, the parable of the sheep and the goat and lazarus and the rich man - origen:
-“passions of flesh and blood” only exist on earth and our body will not be subject to the same temptations
- revelation 21, “he will wipe every tear” does suggest a physical afterlife
what is scholarly overcoming for the afterlife still infact having to take a spiritual form? (response to revelation 21 and references to scripture)
- aquinas:
- the wiping of every tear is not meant literally
- seeing God face to face is meant in a spiritual sense
- “ the blessed will not behold God’s essence with their bodily eyes” - you cannot use the parables literally
- best understood metaphorically to help humans understand intangible concepts like the afterlife
what is scholarly support for the concepts of heaven and hell not being symbolic of moral states on earth?
- the parable of lazarus and the rich man or the parable of the sheep and the goats
- heaven and hell are eschatological destinations, not symbolic of life on earth
- the rich man lived a lavish life on earth but experienced the complete opposite eschatologically - origen:
- heaven is an eschatological destination where we will be free from the “passions of the flesh and blood”
- this illustrates that we are enslaved on earth and that are our earthly life is not symbolic of our afterlife
what is scholarly refute of heaven and hell being symbolic of moral states on earth?
- sartre:
- “hell is other people”
- parables are metaphorical and so shouldn’t be taken literally - aristotle:
- the soul cannot survive bodily death and so any reference to a heavenly life can only be symbolic of a life on earth (our soul doesnt live on after we die)
- people can achieve their telos and flourish when reaching eudaimonia
what is a scholarly overcoming of heaven and hell being just a moral state on earth? (response to sartre and aristotle)
- sartre’s view is based on the lack of faith
- the process of exegisis provides a much more thorough and reliable understanding of the afterlife - aristotle contradicts himself later on as his later development on human telos tells us that telos can only be achieved after we die, therefore showing that heaven and hell are more than just symbols of a moral state
- heaven and hell are rewards/punishments for our moral behaviour
what is scholarly support for purgatory existing?
- hick:
- neccessary for it t exist to be able to morally and spiritually develop in the image of God - hick:
- the concept of hell is inconsistent to the attribute of God being omnibenelovent
- “burning lake of sulphur” doesnt show omnibenevolence
what is scholarly refute to purgatory not existing?
- parable of the sheep and goats
- shows two distinct groups going in two seperate destinations
- heaven and hell; no inbetween - augustine:
- limited election( only certain people get to go to heaven) shows that God is omnibenevolent
what is scholarly overcoming of purgatory not existing? (response to parable and augustine)
- parable of the sheep and the goat shouldnt be taken literally but is a simple story to help people understand how to grow into God’s likeness and reach heaven
- augustine’s idea is inconsistent with christian doctrine
- Jesus’ sacrifice was the ultimate act of benevolence, it makes sense that God would continue it eschatologically
what is scholarly support for judgement taking place immediately after you die?
- the parable of the rich man and lazarus
- anselm:
- is immediate as there cannot be a final judgement as waiting is a construct of time
what is scholarly refute for judgement taking place immediately after you die?
- fallacy of appeal to authority
- augustine:
- judgement cant take place immediately after we die as hell itself was created after the creation of the universe so it is physical
- if if its physical, then we would have to break the laws of physics for us to be judged immediately
- so we are therefore judged at the end of time
what is scholarly overcoming for judgement taking place immediately after you die? (response to augustine and fallacy of appeal to authority)
- not all elements of the bible should be taken literally
- Jesus’ words to the criminal on the cross was, “tonight, you will be with me in paradise”
- the death of Jesus was the most frequently documented events implying that its very much a true event - augustine’s view is grounded in the historical understanding of “the fall”, so its better understood metaphorically
what is scholarly support for what is scholarly support for all people being able to go to heaven?
- augustine
- limited election
- only the elect will go to heaven - barth
- unlimited election
- only those that believe in christ will go to heaven
what is scholarly refute for all people being able to go to heaven?
- hick:
- all people will eventually go to heaven as an omnibenevolent God will not send people to hell - hick:
- all people will eventually go to heaven once they have grown into the likeness of God
what is scholarly overcoming for all people being able to go to heaven? (response to hick)
- augustine:
- its omnibenevolent that God wants to save any of us at all and allow us to go to heaven
- we arent deserving due to our natural sinful nature - moral development isnt enough to gain access to heaven
- john 3:16, “those who believe in me shall not perish but have eternal life”
what is scholarly support that only those who believe in Jesus will go to heaven?
- augustine:
- limited election
- only the elected will be saved - hick:
- unlimited election
- only humans will be granted salvation eventually
what is scholarly refute for only those who believe in jesus will go to heaven?
- barth:
- thats unfair
- a just God will save all - moral development (just trying to believe in Jesus) alone isnt enough to gain access to heaven
- john 3:16
- if this were not the case, the crucifixion of christ would have been futile
what is scholarly overcoming for only those who believe in Jesus will go to heaven? (in response to barth and Jesus’ crucifixion)
- augustine:
- since human’s are fallen in nature, it would be omnibenevolent of God to even allow any of us to go to heaven as we dont deserve it - hick:
- the bible is just a symbolic parable that shouldnt be taken literally
what is scholarly support for the view that only a limited of people will get to go to heaven?
- barth:
- an omnibenevolent God only saves those who believe in him - hick:
- all humans will eventually be granted salvation when they develop into the likeness of God
what is scholarly refute for only a limited number of people will go to heaven?
- augustine:
- God is omnibenevolent in that he wants to save any of us at all - calvin:
- we have no say in who goes to heaven as God has already chosen
