Death and the afterlife - assessing Heaven and hell Flashcards
Issues with the nature of God
Hick - God wouldn’t keep people in Hell forever
Some respond to this saying people condemn themselves to hell - not a very good CP
If God is just, the idea of punishment makes sense
Why does not God not prevent us going to hell?
Issues with continuity
Surely we would need our bodies to experience punishment - however symbolic/state approach answers this
However, if it physical, what age and in what state would we arrive - would people still be disabled in heaven, or disfigured if they were killed in a car crash?
Issues with Biblical evidence
The Bible appears inconsistent in teachings on eschatology - ie some argue Jesus described spiritual hell but Paul described a physical hell
The idea of physical hell may rely on literally
interpreting the Bible
However, the Bible is very clear that there is some form of afterlife
Issues with believability
How is there simply one punishment and one reward for all the possibilities of human life?
Some argue Heaven would be boring - Aquinas said after the beatific vision, our attitude to time would change
If hell and Heaven are physical, where are they?
Some argue that since many other faiths have Heaven and Hell, we can assume there is an essential truth
