OCR A Level Religious Studies: DCT - Death and the afterlife

heaven

a place where the believer experiences unending bliss and joy. the joy will be in the vision of God that each person experiences

the firmament

a biblical idea relating to the structure above the atmosphere, believed to be a vast solid dome

the empyrean

the highest part of heaven, thought be early Christians to be the dwelling place of God

the blessesd

those who are rewarded with heaven

hell

a place of permanent, everlasting punishment

- now the most least accepted doctrine as contradicts an all loving God

purgatory

a traditional catholic idea of a 'between' state so that a person can be purified after death before they go to heaven

beatific vision

ultimate direct face-to-face communication of God to a person

intellectual vision

supernatural knowledge in which the mind receives an extraordinary grasp of some revealed truth

limited election

the idea that God has only chosen some to be saved

unlimited election

that idea that all people are called to salvation but not all are saved

universalism

that beliefs that all humans will be saved through Jesus and eventually come to harmony in Gods kingdom

final judgment

the final judgment by God of all humankind

the parable of the sheep and goats

a parable used by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew teaching that all those on earth will be brought before God, and he will separate them "as shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. he will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left"

disembodied existence

existing without a physical body

resurrection

living in after death in a glorified physical form in a new realm

inaugurated eschatology

aspects of the end times that have already begun to be a present reality in the lives of believers

single predestination

God elects only those who will enter heaven

double predestination

God elects those who will enter heaven and condemns the rest to hell

election

predestination, chosen by God for heaven or hell

election

'then he will send out the angles, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven' - mark 13:27

orignal sin

a state of wrongdoing in which people are born because of the sin of adam and eve

particular judgement

judgment for each person at the point of death

parousia

the second coming of Christ

christian ideas about the afterlife

- reject reincarnation and

Plato's idea that soul and body could part and disembodied existence

- death comes in the form of resurrection

christian ideas about the afterlife: the Old Testament

- not prominent but referenced e.g. in Genesis, death of Abraham recorded: "then Abraham breathed his last and died... and was gathered to his people" (Gensis 25:8); he will be re-joined with something he was familiar with or people of similar belief

- Jews developed idea of life after death as a way of coping religious persecution for those who remained faithful and obedient to God's commands

Jesus' resurrection

- movement of hope over despair

and moment in which God acted in a mysterious and spectacular way

- Jesus' teachings about the afterlife e.g. kingdom of God deeply rooted in Jewish eschatology - Pharisaic Judaism (most popular strength of Jewish thought in Jesus' time) taught the dead were resurrected in the afterlife, the soul was immortal and souls of good people would be reincarnated but souls of wicked people would suffer eternal punishment

christian view of heaven

- describe through metaphors e.g. justice: heaven the just reward for the faithful, who have suffered; in NT, where Jesus tells his followers they will suffer and die for their beliefs but will be risen again

catholic view of heaven

- adopts Aquinas' notion of the beatific vision; eternal moment with God

- it is difficult to reconcile this idea with the Christian belief that the person remains an individual, resurrected with a spiritual body, as this kind of existence different to what we have experienced

Protestant view of heaven

- people will live in their spiritual bodies in the presence of God, and resurrected with their loved ones

- however how will people occupy their time in such an existence? and what about those who have remarried

Christian view on hell

- separate from God for eternity, where the Devil rules and eternal punishment

- "The cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral... they will be consigned to the fiery lake of sulphur this is the second hell." - Revelation 21:8

- parables of Rich Man and Lazarus, and the Sheep and Goats

Catholic teaching of purgatory

- a place where some souls go after death when they're not ready to go to heaven or hell

- its purpose to purge all unrepented sin and to remove all worldliness so that the soul can enter glory and be close to God

- if one doesn't confess their sins to the church before they die then they will go to purgatory

- if a child dies before it is meant to then soul goes to purgatory to mature and the family and church pray it will leave and go to heaven

heaven as a physical place: mediaeval belief

- thought to be located above stars/ firmament/ empyrean

- on day of resurrection, resurrected bodies will literally be transported here

- hell (underworld) -> heavens (sun and moon) -> highest heavens

heaven as a physical place

- located in another dimension, or end of time

- god brings us back to life physically during resurrection

- Jesus raised from the dead as a physical body

- new body wont be exactly the same, as cannot sin or decay

hell as a physical place

- parable of Rich Man and Lazarus

- located in another dimension

- some Christians disagree; against all loving God

Augustine on hell as a physical place

- with physical bodies, and eternal torture

- punished by their sinful nature, due to the fall

- "literal lake of fire in which the damned will experience the horror of everlasting torture"

purgatory as a physical place

- only someone who is purified can go to heaven

- anything impure in heaven would not survive due to heaven being the dwelling place of God

heaven as part of a spiritual journey after death

- beatific vision

- ridiculous to talk of it as physical: science disproves

- afterlife not state of existence

- understood as a state of 'being'

- AQUINAS: intellectual vision

hell as part of a spiritual journey after death

- separation from God, and source of joy

purgatory as a part of a spiritual journey after death

- mental process of development

- continuous mental struggle to achieve state of perfection, not purified by fire

- fire a symbol of self-improvement as soul faces its sins and mentally purged of their effects

heaven, hell and purgatory as a symbol of spiritual life on earth - Phillips

- anti-realism perspective

- symbols about morality/ how we should live

- no afterlife: refers to ones wordy life

- God doesn't exist, also a symbol

- purgatory symbol of mental struggle to be perfect

heaven, hell and purgatory as a symbol of spiritual life on earth - Phillips

e.g. Hitler was in a moral hell when he was on earth, due to his moral choices. Someone like Nelson Mandela, had a more heavenly way of thinking and behaving, decimating his life to selfless aims

St Paul on hell as a spiritual state

- eternal

- images on hell in scripture need to be interpreted correctly: actually show frustration and emptiness of being separate from God

- due to free will, which the loving God gave to us, if they choose to ignore this they should be punished and it is their own fault

Satre on hell as a symbol of a person's spiritual life on earth

- 'hell is other people'

- hell is other people and the pressure they put on you to prevent you from being who you really are

Calvin's argument for limited election

- God's will absolutely sovereign, so if he chose all people for salvation, then all would go to heaven

- clear in the Bible not all go to heaven

- God omnipotent and omniscient, nothing occurs outside his knowledge and control

Calvin's argument for limited election - doctrine of divine election

- humans don't choose if they are going to heaven

- we should act as though all can be saved, and live a moral life on the assumption that God would elect those who freely choose to do good

Calvin's argument for limited election - double predestination

- God acts in the lives of the chosen and not in the lives of those who haven't been chosen

Aquinas and Catholicism single predestination

- fall didn't destroy human ability to recognise right from wrong

- elect chosen by God as he knows they will achieve their good end (omniscient), and wicked will condemn themselves to hell

- beatific vision

- only way to achieve perfect happiness

- can only happen to humans as they are the only ones with rational souls

criticism of limited election

- not consistent with all-loving God

- however, not fair if everyone goes to heaven e.g. a Jew with a Nazi, and people are born with os and so no one deserves eternal life with God

Augustine on limited election

- even faith is not enough to receive eternal salvation

- will too weakened by the fall

- God's grace key, and freely given

- although God calls all to salvation, he knows only elect will receive it

- only God's grace gets us to heaven, not our decisions

- God has 'foreknowledge'; knows peoples destiny before they are born

ultimate election

- most Christians probably believe in this

- Christ's death has made salvation possible for everyone, but not certain for everyone

- not everyone will go to heaven as they don't believe in God

Arminius' argument for unlimited election

- God's salvation open for all

- Christ died for all on the cross

- God has done all the work, it takes our free will to make this offer effective

- we can choose to ignore or reject the gift of salvation; but if we ignore it we will go to hell

Barth on election

- double predestination, a misinterpretation of the Gospels

- if we accept Christ, we will be saved and visa versa

- we have free will due to Gods grace: so rejection of Christ means we will go to heaven

Barth on election

- Jesus' sacrifice saved our relationship with God, allowing salvation and enteral life with God for all

- God in Christ reveals love for humans by entering fallen state and dying on the cross

hell from Roman Catholic and Protestant perspectives

- supports unlimited election

- no one is predestined to go to hell; God loves everyone and wishes to forgive them

- however, if one chooses to live a life of wrongdoing, they will be separated from God; making punishment their fate

Hick's argument for universalism

- Christianity based on reconciliation; Jesus: "forgive 70x7"

- we are made in the image of God, and have divine spark and love within us

- life a moral journey whereby one learns right way to live, continues in afterlife

- we can find no rest until we are united with God

Hick's argument for universalism

- after death, sinners sent to hell, but this is more like purgatory, as we will slowly be drawn towards God

- our telos is to be with God

- God allows us to have free will, so people can reject God, but eventually he is powerful and loving enough to bring everyone into his Church

universalism

- everyone will end up in heaven, due to the love and mercy of God

- an all loving God wouldn't create a hell

- God will 'win over' the most dreadful sinners e.g. Hitler

- God will work on bad individuals after they die and win them over, until they ask for forgiveness, and will be sent to heaven

The Sheep and the Goats Gospel of Matthew (25:31-46)

- final judgment from God, who will assess the worthiness of ones life (universal)

- will happen when Jesus returns at the end of history

- warning to Christians

- heaven: those who have cared for others

- hell: those who did not feed the hungry, donate clothes e.g.

immediate judgement

- when one dies their soul goes straight to judgement, then heaven or hell

- parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus

- baptism, entered kingdom immediately

- kingdom already within humans

- by following laws of God, placed ourselves there

- 'you will be in paradise with me today'

judgement at the end of time (judgement day)

- soul reunited with body, and face judgement

- parable of the Sheep and the Goats

- many verses refer to the dead as 'sleeping', may seem we have gone from physical body to spiritual immediately, but many years egg, could have passed

The Catholic Church - judgement

- there must be a truth to both

- immediate judgment with 3 kinds of fate

- soul immediately judged

- however, unity of soul and body means, on judgement day, the full person (soul an body) reunited and given its final judgment

Jesus' resurrection

important to NT writers, but there is no explanation of the afterlife. they agree on three things

- Jesus' death and resurrection mark the foundation of Christianity

- Jesus' resurrection a moment of hope over despair

- God acted in a mysterious and spectacular way

Ambiguities

Jesus' teaching on the afterlife rooted The Pharisees, came from Greek dies but Jesus taught the emphasis was in a new order:

- his life a sacrifice for sin

- his death would prompt God establish new order

- he would be raised up and his followers would have a place in heaven

The kingdom of God as a present moral and spiritual state

- Jesus' teaching a call for moral and spiritual reform

- inaugurated eschatology: the kingdom already here

- his miracles a sign of present new age

- emphasis now time to overcome prejudice, discrimination and failing of new religious practices

- Temple of God: Jesus visited and kicked all sellers out, as not a place to sell goods

The kingdom of God as a future redeemed state

- the righteous will live with God

- ST PAUL: resurrection a sign of restored world where humans can know and see God. before, they could only see him through a 'dark glass'. only occurs when Jesus returns

- 'a new heaven and a new earth'; points to future

The kingdom of God: punishment and justice

- "why does the way of the guilty prosper? why do all who are treacherous thrive?" - Jeremiah 12:1

- "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God" - Mark 10:25

- Jesus: wicked have enjoyed their "reward" and so as a matter of justice will be excluded from the future Kingdom

- parable of rich man and Lazarus

The Parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus

- a rich man ignores Lazarus, a beggar

- when they die, the rich man can see Lazarus in heaven from hell and begs him to 'dip the tip of his finger in the water and cool'

- Abraham replies 'he is comforted here, and you are in agony'

The kingdom of God problem: the delay of Parousia

- early generations hoped for Jesus' return and the arrival of Gods kingdom, but never happened

- eschatology developed

- Jesus said 'about that day and hour no one knows... only father' (Matthew 25:36) ; try not to calculate when judgement will come

- "therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour" (Jesus)

The kingdom of God problem: place

- DANTE: heaven not disembodied state but a continuation of this world

- 1st saints who have undergone first resurrection rule in some form of heavenly state in this world for 1000 yrs

- 2nd after final vanquishing of satan, world replaced by 'new earth and new heaven'

The kingdom of God problem: purgatory

- although not in the Bible, it is a widely accepted idea that people can continue to seek forgiveness before the final judgment

Dante on hell

- a Catholic, and bases his ideas on Aquinas' teachings

- hell a place divided into circles, where people are punished according to their sins

- 9th circle populated by the biggest sinners, and

is where lucifer has his throne

Hick on hell

- not eternal as not compatible with benevolent God

- we developed hell to control people and make them behave in a way which is good by our norms

Tillich on hell

'heaven and hell [are] metaphors for the polar ultimates in the experience of the divine'

- symbol of alienation

Sartre on hell

wrote a play, huis clos, showing 3 people in a room 'waiting' for hell but eventually realise that living with themselves and each other is true torment

- symbol of alienation

Origen on hell

- spiritual and self-inflicted

- God doesnt cause pain, results from separation

- not permeant and passes when world redeemed

C.S. Lewis on hell

- a benevolent God would prefer to see everyone saved, but he allows humans to control their own destinies through free will

- people who do not wish to be with God are not forced to be

- to be totally separate from God forever would be more torture than the physical aspects of hell

Bultmann on hell

- science doesn't make room for possibility of heaven and hell

- nature cannot be changed/ dictated by a God

- miracles/ wonders of Jesus are legends e.g. resurrection

Joyce on hell

- hell literally a place where the damned go and suffer for all of eternity

- "torment of fire" "awful stench"

Catholicism on hell

- hell an eternal place of separation for moral sinner

- a choice of a person, not God

- self-exclusion

- used to urge people to use freedom and do good

the Bible on hell

- 'burning in a fiery pit of sulphur' (Relevations 21:8) - suggests a second death = eternal

Ambrose on purgatory

- an immediate state

- a place where you get a taste of heaven and hell before judgment

Rahner on purgatory

- Catholic

- purgatory not a place of pain, but metaphor for souls greater awareness of consequences of sin between time after death and last judgement

- any pain entirely self-inflicted and personal

Origen on purgatory

- purgatory probationary school for souls to develop and perfect themselves

Pope Gregory of Nyssa on purgatory

- 'age to come' (Jesus): forgiveness doesn't only happen in earthly life but is also a possibility after death

- has a purifying purpose, completing Gods purpose of redeeming and resorting creation

- not a destination but immediate state between moment of death and heaven

Dante's version of purgatory

- a place where those who believed in Christ and repented before death can purify themselves of sin before heaven

- souls moving up a mountain, given by God

Catholic teaching of purgatory

"all those who die in God's grace and friendship, but still die imperfectly purified... after death they undergo purification... to enter the joy of heaven"

- interim state of souls journey, explains why they pay for the souls of the dead to be free from sin

Hick on purgatory

- part of the soul making process

- 'gap between the individual's imperfection... and the heavenly state... has to be bridged'

purgatory as a state everyone goes through

- necessary for all souls to be sufficiently purified to enter the holy presence of God

purgatory as not a state everyone goes through

- doesn't exist as not mentioned in the bible

- Protestants: unnecessary doctrine, and Jesus' sacrifice on the cross means there is no need for it

- only bad souls go to purgatory as good souls go straight to heaven

criticisms of purgatory

- if God was omniscient then there would be no need for purgatory

- rejected by protestant christians: its contradictory to the bible's teachings about salvation

Dante's version of heaven

- heavenly should yearns for ultimate good and harmony

- end of the journey: knowledge and illumination through God

- 'to go beyond the human control cannot be put into words'

- 10 levels, each soul finds resting place and degree of bliss

Catholicism on heaven

- state of supreme happiness where God revels himself

- community of immortal souls obedient to God's will

- not physical as beatific vision is enlightenment of being fact to face with God

- communication of love and life with the trinity, with Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessings

Williams on heaven

- heaven could get boring as would achieve every goal we set ourselves and no longer have free will, so no freedom; part of the appeal of life is deciding what to do with it

- same of hell, could become immune to the pain

St Paul on death and the afterlife

- believed in resurrection, which told Christians that they would too be resurrected and transformed in 'another realm' (PLATO) where we wouldn't be corrupted

Aquinas and Catholicism on death and the afterlife

- the fall didn't destroy out ability to choose right from wrong

- good will let good into heaven and bad into hell

- purgatory for those who are neither elected/ condemned

- a mortal sin needs to be committed for immediate entry to hell

Aquinas and Catholicism on death and the afterlife

- reason separates humans from animals, and made us unique

- immaterial; not a product of the physical world and so must be capable of surviving death

- the rational soul allowed humans to fulfil their purpose in life; to live in fellowship with God - as the world is flawed, this could only occur in the afterlife

Aquinas and Catholicism on death and the afterlife: beatific vision

- face to face encounter with God, where faith is replaced by knowledge: no longer be possible to doubt God, as humans will experience him

- afterlife is beyond space and time, so this encounter one eternal moment

criticisms of Aquinas and Catholicism on death and the afterlife

- if we possess 'rational souls' and believe we will continue to be the same person in the afterlife, it is unclear how this would be meaningful considering the difference in our day to day lives and the 'eternal moment' with God

- eschatological vertification: an idea which can be proven to be true or false

Rahner on death and the afterlife

- we have a limited span of our earthly lives; so we have an unlimited life in heaven or hell

John 11:25

"I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die"

- if you believe in Jesus and God, you will experience life after death