Heaven, Hell and Purgatory

• Christian teaching about the afterlife: pt 1

  • there is life after death
  • Christians reject the idea of reincarnation
  • believe that there will be a form of resurrection
  • the idea of resurrection is seen with the Resurrection Of Jesus
  • also the idea of eternal life is seen through Genesis 25:8 and Daniel 12:2
  • although not prominent in Jewish scriptures -> there are subtle references to it
• Christian teaching about the afterlife: pt 2

  • Influenced by the Greeks
  • Plato influenced Christian teaching as he had dualist ideas about the body and the soul
  • Life after death for Christians is much clearer than Judaism as seen by Jesus' resurrection after the crucifixion
  • resurrection will happen to people
  • Jesus' physical resurrection -> then ascended after 40 days
  • spiritual resurrection
• Ideas Central in Christianity:

  1. some form of bodily afterlife
  2. some person who died is in the after life
  3. the afterlife is a miracle from God
• Aquinas and the afterlife:

  • inspired by both Aristotle and Plato
  • believed that all living things had a soul => came from Aristotle's idea of the hierarchy of the soul ---> the human soul can reason and reason to follow God
  • the ability to reason came from an organ although not physical
  • had Plato's view that the soul lives on after death
  • CREATED THE IDEA OF BEATIFIC VISION
  • perfect happiness through the Beatific Vision -> faith replaced by Knowledge of God
• Beatific Vision: positives

  • can't get bored -> it is timeless, and can vary from person to person although it is completely satisfying
  • influenced by Plato => final end for humans was the contemplation of unchangeable goodness
  • no need to wonder how other people will be in heaven
• Beatific Vision: negatives

  • how can it be the same person who was on earth -> the person lived a physical life and therefore many physical characteristics make up their life
  • also Aquinas believed that the soul and body made the person up -> the body may not be retained
• Traditional Christian Teaching: pt3

  • belief in heaven and hell -> Christianity, Islam and to an extent Judaism
  • somekind of judgement
• Heaven: pt1

  • place without suffering or pain
  • place to live forever
  • Aquinas believed that heaven is about -> beatific vision (Catholic Belief)
  • Heaven is described as a state of fulfilment, where all human longings and wishes are to be in a right relationship with God
  • Protestants -> achieve heaven through faith
  • Catholics, Orthodox Christians -> achieve heaven through faith and actions
• Heaven: pt2

  • God described as a Father ~ heaven seen has having comfort and family
  • described figuratively
• The problems with heaven:

  • Bernard Williams = after an eternity, wouldn't people get bored in heaven ~~ God miracuously stops people getting bored --> wouldn't that result in a loss of free will
  • if people life for an eternity after death, wouldn't people lose their identity as they can't feel pain or suffer
  • if loved ones don't make it, then why wouldn't we miss family members -> pure satisfaction
  • Beatific vision solves this
• Hell: pt 1

  • state of separation from God in a place of punishment
  • sometimes referred to as a rubbish dump -> useless people are thrown into
  • agricultural metaphor
  • lake of fiery sulphur
  • sometimes linked with the Greek word Hades -> dwelling place of the dead
  • more popular theory is a second death -> people's souls aren't eternal like God as he can take it away
• Hades not Hell:

  • Hades only occurs 10 times in the New testament -> "Now you will go down to Hades" -> Matt 11:23
  • all except 1 mean the dwelling of the dead
  • no ideas for eternal torture or torment
  • Orthodox -> intermediate stage after death but before resurrection which will end at the Final Judgement Revelation 20
  • Richman and Lazarus shows that hades connects with eternal punishment
• Issues with Hell:

  • John Hick -> universalist, believes that a loving God wouldn't create a world of eternal torture. Human construction to create fear.
  • Hume said the idea of God calls Gods justice into question
  • Hick says death stops suffering
  • second death-> no eternal soul
• Purgatory:

  • the word is not found in the Bible
  • Catholic teaching developed by Origen, Augustine and Pope Gregory
  • Pope Gregory ~~ passage from Matthew's gospel
  • everyone goes to purgatory before they go to heaven or hell (Saints don't stay long)
  • place/state after death ->> purged and cleansed of sin ~~ allows for forgiveness
  • temporary
  • people pray for the souls of those in purgatory >> get through quicker
  • Karl Rahner - Doctrine of Purgatory - souls greater awareness
  • undermines Jesus
• Purgatory video:

  • eternal consequence of Jesus' sacrifice taken away
  • get rid of earthly attachment
  • not all sins -- just earthly attachment
  • temporal sins -> purgatory gets rid of them
  • intrinsic justification
• Christian teachings about the afterlife affect moral behaviour

  • many Christian believe that they have to accept Jesus but also do good works
  • not a universal view
  • desire for heaven shouldn't be the only view
• Some Christians believe that the afterlife isn't a real place, but better understood after death
• Are Heaven and Hell eternal:

  Yes

  Heaven -> ultimate goal of human existence, beatific vision -> Aquinas face to face with God, endless praising of the Lord, "heaven is the ultimate end and fulfilment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme definitive happiness" = Catechism of the Catholic Church

  Hell -> Augustine said we all deserve to be in eternal hell, Lazarus and the richman, Eleonore slump (people go to hell due to not bonding with God)
• Are Heaven and Hell eternal:

  No

  Heaven -> physical afterlife

  Hell -> finite sin doesn't equal punishment, Hick believes a loving God wouldn't allow eternal punishment, could be symbolic
• Is Heaven the transformation and perfection of the whole of creation:

  Yes

  • Parousia - second coming of Christ -> metaphorical or physical
  • Messaih -> God's rule
  • Book of revelation, describes the vision of the end of time
• Is Heaven the transformation and perfection of the whole of creation:

  No

  • some people don't go to heaven -> if they have the mark of the beast
  • parable of the sheep and goats
• Is purgatory a state through which everyone goes through:

  Yes

  • 1 Corinthians 3:10 - 15 -> "Escaping through a wall of flames"
  • a period of discomfort
  • 2 Maccabees 12:46 -> "wholesome thought to pray for the dead"
  • loose sins that attach us to this world
  • Matthew 12 -> sins can be forgiven
  • purified to see God by going through purgatory
• Is purgatory a state through which everyone goes through:

  No

  • Jesus sacrifice on the cross means purgatory isn't needed for Protestants
  • In Catholic belief -> saints can go through quicker
  • Martin Luther -> created Protestantism as the Catholic church sold goods to get through Purgatory quicker
• New Earth:

  • After final judgement, the resurrected bodies of the righteous will have eternal life there. This is suggestive of physical resurrection, and thus a physical afterlife, since the earth is a physical place.
  • The whole earth will be a recreation of the garden, and the glory of the temple will cover it,  “no more death, or mourning, or crying or pain.”-> revelations 21
  • but during his crucifixion -> Jesus implies the thief went straight to heaven
• near death experience could prove an afterlife, scott drummond dies on the operating table, and see's himself
• Mother knows when her son will die at her near death experience - it occurs