Death and afterlife DCT

Why are there diverse views within Christianity?

• Fundamentalists/liberals - interpret Bible differently

• We just want an explanation

• There isn’t empirical evidence

• Influential figures with contrasting views e.g. Augustine/Hick

• Jesus - can we as humans follow his example? Mixed messages in what LAD was like

• Impact of Judaism - Jews were waiting for Messiah, didn’t believe in soul, Parousia - waiting for Jesus’ return to earth

• Plato - dualist - soul - appealed to people at time

• Aristotle - monist - soul + body = inseparable

• Protestants v Catholics - strictly biblical vs reason + logic

Where in the Bible does it give mixed messages about Jesus’ LAD?

Quote some things that prove Jesus was physical or more spiritual after death

GOSPEL OF LUKE

Jesus is physical, like before his death: ‘he took bread, gave thanks, broke it’ ‘Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have’

Jesus is not the same as before his death (spiritual): ‘Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them’ ‘But they were kept from recognising them’

Early Christians were not imagining a platonic dualist disembodied state:

Still continued personal identity - you are still yourself in the sense of personality, but different in physical sense e.g. spiritually - can walk through locked doors

This means that ultimate hope for Christians is to have a resurrected body like Christ - bodily resurrection

What did the gospel accounts tell us of Jesus’ resurrection?

• Are there any CAs?

• Are there any problems/inconsistencies with the resurrection?

→ In gospel accounts, Jesus was seen as a physical person, he could be seen, touch, heard

→ His friends didn’t always immediately recognise him, suggesting his appearance changed in some way

• CA: Might be a pictorial way of saying something else; e.g. Jesus lived on in people’s memories

• Unclear as to whether Jesus discarded resurrected physical body or if he lived on in a new kind of spiritual form → Most Christians believe Jesus continued to live in transformed spiritual body

Why write symbolically about Jesus' resurrection, and do the differences in accounts undermine its validity?

→ Gospels differ in details (e.g. who visits the tomb, what they see) due to differing authors, audiences, + theological aims

• Despite variations, all affirm the core claim: Jesus rose from the dead.

• Writers likely believed resurrection was literal, but used symbolic language to express a mysterious, transformative event

• Symbolic language helps express profound, mysterious nature of resurrection

• Differences in the Gospels reflect varied perspectives, not fabrication

• All agree Jesus rose + appeared to followers, suggesting shared core belief rather than contradiction

• These variations strengthen authenticity, as they resemble genuine eyewitness diversity, not scripted fiction

Give an example of differences in resurrection accounts and explain their significance

→ Mark: Women find an empty tomb; a young man tells them Jesus has risen - no appearances of Jesus

→ John: Mary Magdalene meets the risen Jesus + speaks with him

Significance:

• Shows different theological focuses:

  • Mark emphasizes mystery and faith without seeing

  • John emphasizes personal relationship + recognition of Jesus

• Despite differences, both affirm the resurrection. Variations suggest oral tradition + eyewitness memory, not fabrication.

Although gospels provide basis for Christian belief in LAD, what key questions remain unanswered?

• Was Jesus’ resurrection a unique experience to only Jesus, or can everyone expect the same, or just for believing Christians?

• Will resurrection of the dead take place for each individual as soon as death, or will it be an event at the end of time?

• Is there some kind of temporary way of existing before end of time?

What analogy does St. Paul use to explain resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15?

What is he trying to say? Possible CAs?

Paul compares the resurrection of the body to a seed being sown:

“What you sow does not come to life unless it dies... what is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 15:36, 42)

Meaning:
Just as a seed transforms into something greater, so too will our bodies be changed — from physical to spiritual — in the resurrection

CA: What is a ‘spiritual body’? Is it made of the same stuff are bodies before death are made of?

*Is a fully-grown plant the same as the which was planted? → Raises questions about personal identity in afterlife — if body is totally transformed, what connects the old self to the resurrected one?

Olivet Discourse

Is a significant teaching of Jesus about the end times, prophecy, return of Christ - themes of sovereignty of God, suffering, tribulation + the ultimate triumph of God’s kingdom

(e.g. The parable of sheep and goats is found in the Olivet discourse)

Who tells the parable of the sheep + goats, which gospel is it found in?

Gospel of Matthew

Why are the sheep righteous? What did they do + what will they get because of their actions?

Gave others food, drink, clothes, were kind + looked after people ‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers + sisters of mine, you did for me’

They will inherit the kingdom, go to heaven, have eternal life

Why are the goats cursed? What did they do + what will they get because of their actions?

Didn’t give others food, drink, clothes, weren’t kind + didn’t look after others ‘Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me’ - punished for what they didn’t do - not necessarily for what they did - is this fair?

They will go to hell for eternal punishment

Does the parable of the Sheep + Goats offer support for the view that non-Christians can go to heaven? Why?

Yes - because it focuses on the actions of people, rather than focusing on self-righteous preaching - non-Christians can be considerate + kind etc

How might the parable be used to argue that it is important to be a Christian, and not just to do good deeds?

• Faith is the foundation of readiness

• involves more than outward actions; it requires inward faith and trust in God

• Salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9), not merely through works

• Being spiritually ready involves accepting Jesus as Lord + Saviour

• Good deeds are not enough without the foundational belief in Christ - they do not address the problem of sin + humanity’s need for redemption

What is the particular failing of the goats? Why are they punished? Do  you think this is fair?

Failure to recognise that Christ is within everyone - ignore the needy

It is fair that they are punished - but maybe too harsh? Could be forgiven instead of being sent to eternal punishment

It’s not that they did wrong, they just didn’t do right

Christian beliefs in LAD:

• Resurrection (rising up again)

• You will be WITH God + be CONSCIOUS of that

• You are still yourself in afterlife - personal identity is maintained, even though you have a transformed ‘spiritual body’ - this means that your body is still a body but is transformed/glorified - like Jesus’ - no more sickness/weakness

• Body is part of your identity - God created humans as embodied beings - rejects Platonic dualism - body + soul = full identity

• Miracle - act of God

Disembodied existence

Existing without a physical body

Plato’s idea - most Christians reject this → believe in resurrection

Parousia

Used in Christianity to refer to the second coming of Christ

Election

Predestination, chosen by God for heaven or hell

Resurrection

Living on after death in a glorified physical form in new realm (e.g. free from sickness)

Christian teaching on heaven

• What does it mean/symbolie?

• What is Jesus’ depiction?

→ Catechism of Catholic Church: ‘Heaven is the ultimate end + fulfilment of the deepest human longing, the state of supreme, definitive happiness’

• Often represented as a place where an individual experiences absolute joy + happiness

• A place all Christians strive to end up

• Gospel of Luke: ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise’

• Gospel of John: ‘My Father’s house has many rooms, and I am going to prepare a place for you’ → implies there is enough room in heaven for all those who repent

Christian teaching on hell

• What does it mean/symbolise?

• Which parable is particularly relevant?

→ Catechism of Catholic Church: ‘The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell + its eternity’

• Immediately after death, souls who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell

• Suffer punishments of hell, an ‘eternal fire’

• ‘Chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God’ (CCC 1035)

• Permanent, everlasting punishment

• Parable of Rich Man + Lazarus → shows hell is a place of agonising torture ‘In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up + saw Abraham far away’

Christian teaching on purgatory

→ ‘Purge’: to clean/remove - Catholics believe purgatory is a stage of purification, place where they will be cleansed of sins

• Catechism gives reason: ‘to achieve holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven’ (CCC 1030)

• ‘Purgatory’ is never explicitly mentioned in Bible but is hinted at e.g. Corinthians 3:15 ‘He himself will be saved, but only as through fire’

Heaven as an actual place

• Which scholar talks about beatific vision?

• Which scripture talks of physical resurrection?

• Aquinas spoke of heaven as a beatific vision - ‘face to face with God’

• Seen as a relationship of love, peace + joy, those in heaven will live in perfect harmony + peace

• Christians believe at the end of time, dead will be resurrected as Christ was → God will bring back Christians physically = literal, physical resurrection

• Creed: ‘We believe in resurrection of the dead. And the life of the world to come’

• Luke: ‘Look at my hands + feet’

What are some traditional ways heaven is viewed as an actual place?

• Heaven was traditionally considered as corporeal, located above earth but clearly a physical place

• We see Jesus looking to the sky in prayer, indicating a belief in a physical heaven above earth

• Medieval period: pictured in art + literature as a physical domain

Many challenge a physical resurrection, but what does Peter Geach say in support of it?

→ Only way one can speak meaningfully of a life after death

• Personal identity is kept (in some respects, just you are different spiritually) - so a sense of continuity is kept

What scientific challenges are there to believing that heaven is a physical place? (3)

• We can’t see it (lacks empirical evidence): modern tech + space exploration have found no evidence of a ‘physical’ heaven in observable universe

• Physicality vs spirituality: heaven is often described in spiritual terms in religious texts - makes it difficult to see where laws of physics coexist e.g. time/space

• Infinite universe: universe is always expanding - heaven in physical framework raises logistical questions e.g. where would it be located?

What theological challenges are there to believing that heaven is a physical place? (3)

• Metaphorical Interpretations: heaven - often described using symbolic language (e.g., streets of gold, mansions, or divine light). If these are metaphors - complicates idea of interpreting heaven as a literal, physical space.

• Diverse Religious Beliefs: diff religions + denominations within same religion have varying concepts of heaven. Some describe it as a state of being (union with God), while others think of a physical locale, creating ambiguity about its nature

• God's Omnipresence: if God is often omnipresent (present everywhere). Raises question of why a specific, physical location for heaven would be necessary if divine presence is already universal

What philosophical challenges are there to believing that heaven is a physical place? (2)

• Interaction Between Realms: If heaven is a physical place, how does it interact with material world? E.g. how would souls, often considered non-physical, transition to a physical heaven?

• Infinite Regress: If heaven is part of a physical universe, then it might require its own set of physical laws. Does this imply an infinite regress of heavens + realities?