Self, death and afterlife

• 10 marker – Info on glorifying God

  .-        OT refer to God’s glory

  -        In John’s gospel God’s glory is seen through Jesus

  -        ‘Glorify your faither in heaven’ Matthew 5:16
• 10 marker – Info on preparing for judgment


  .-        Genesis 2, humans made for the fellowship w/ God

  -        Final act of reconciliation is the judgement that all humans will face
• 10 marker – Info on bringing about God’s kingdom on earth


  .-        Christians believe Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom

  -        Some believe the kingdom is a partial reality now

  -        Some think they should now live using Christian values

  -        Should show stewardship

  -        OT spoke of a new age marked by justice and peace

  -        It arises by having a personal relationship w/ God through prayer
• 10 marker – Info on concept of the soul

  .-        Jewish: Associated w/ the principle of life, often linked to the word heart

  -        Greek: We live in an imperfect world with only partial understanding of truth, soul is immortal and goes to the perfect world of forms

  -        Modern ideas: moral and spiritual dimensions of human life distinct from body, soul was given and returns to/by God (dualism)
• 10 marker – Info on resurrection of Jesus


  .-        Forms the basis of CH hope in life after death

  -        All 4 gospels state that the tomb was empty

  -        It was a unique event – Jesus conquered death
• 10 marker – Info on resurrection according to Augustine


  .-        The fall affected not only Adam and Eve but everyone (all have sin)

  -        Humans are totally dependent on Gods grace

  -        Jesus death = atonement and physical actions not spiritual

  -        God can do this to anyone, at resurrection all sin is erased and this is seen most through Catholics
• 10 marker – Info on spiritual resurrection


  .-        Due to what Paul taught

  -        Soul goes on to live w/ God
• 10 marker – Info on significance of 1 Corinthians 15;42-44, 50-54


  .-        Paul believed Jesus’ death and resurrection had freed humans from the power of sin

  -        He believed in resurrection of the body rather than immortality of the soul

  -        Not the physical body but a new spiritual body

  -        He believed that the 2nd coming of Jesus and the end of the world of human experience were imminent

  -        ‘It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body’
• 10 marker – Info on Christian teachings on H,H and Purg


  .-        Catholics believe in particular (judgement occurs after death) and general judgement (at the end of time)

  -        Those free from sin go immediately to heaven

  -        Mortal sin = straight away hell (murder etc.)

  -        Venial sin = go to purgatory
• 10 marker – Info on H.H and Purg as physical


  .-        Humans will physically ascend to heaven like Jesus

  -        Those done good will go to heaven (typically seen as a city)

  -        ‘I saw a great white throne (Christ) who was seated on it’ Rev 20:11-12
• 10 marker – Info on H.H and Purg as spiritual


  .-        More Catholic belief

  -        Heaven is a spiritual state

  -        Hell is not physical torture

  -        Purgatory is not a place

  -        ‘Heaven is the endless moment of love ‘ Youcat
• 10 marker – Info on H.H and Purg as psychological


  .-        H,H and Purg lack empirical evidence

  -        Live in a way that brings heaven on earth

  -        Products of the human mind

  -        Inner conflict = hell
• 10 marker – Info on objective immortality in process thought

  .-        Process theology = God and the universe are uncreated and eternal, God is not omnipotent, God and the universe exist panentheistically

  -        So most process theologians believe in objective immortality (remain eternally as ‘objects’ in the mind of God, so they never die

  -        They reject subjective immortality, humans existing as thinking subjects with continued experiences
• 15 marker – Weaknesses of process theology afterlife

  .-        Most Christians reject it because it is meaningless – if a person no longer has induvial experiences what significance can being in the mind of God have on that person

  -        Innocent suffering will be redeemed in normal CH afterlife, if a person no longer exists as an individual but simply as an object in Gods mind there will be no awareness of this being done and suffering was for nothing