death and afterlife

• Soul


  Something that is capable of surviving death, not just linked to the body
• Christian concept of the soul


  • People have souls which are capable of surviving death
  • Soul is not just linked to the body, it can continue after death
• Christians reject the idea of bodily rebirth (reincarnation)


  Instead, they believe in the idea of a renewed spiritual body in the form of Resurrection
• Resurrection


  Life after death will take the form of Resurrection, where the person will be given a renewed spiritual body to continue their journey
• The Pharisees taught of Resurrection whereas the Sadducees taught of no afterlife
• Jesus's tomb was found empty, implying Resurrection
• Jesus was seen in physical form after his death
• It is unclear whether Jesus's Resurrection was in his physical body or a spiritual body
• Doubting Thomas


  Disciple who doubted that the resurrected person was Jesus, until he saw and touched the wounds
• The story of Doubting Thomas shows that Jesus returned in the exact same physical body that was crucified and buried
• Possible reasons for the empty tomb

  • Jesus rose from the dead
  • They got the wrong tomb
  • Jesus's tomb was moved
  • Grave robbers stole the body
• Christians believe the empty tomb and Jesus's appearances showed his actual physical body was resurrected
• Questions and issues surrounding Resurrection

  • Is it metaphorical or literal?
  • Was Jesus's Resurrection unique to him?
  • What happens if you are cremated or severely dismembered?
  • When does Resurrection take place - immediately after death or at the end of time?
  • What form will the resurrected body take - physical or spiritual?
  • Will people retain their personal identity and any disabilities they had in life?
• Saint Paul tried to answer early church questions about Resurrection, using examples like a seed being sown and raised imperishable
• Perishable


  Will die, decay, deteriorate
• Imperishable


  Will not perish in the same way
• Spiritual body


  More substantial, eternal "house" rather than impermanent physical body
• Central beliefs about Resurrection

  • It will involve bodily life, evidenced by the empty tomb and Doubting Thomas
  • The resurrected person will be the same person, not just similar
  • Life after death will be a miracle given by the grace of God
• The resurrected person will be the same person as the one who died, not just similar
• Life after death will be a miracle given by the grace of God
• Grace of God


  The power and love of God
• All questions will be answered and things that don't make sense now will be understood, because it is a miracle beyond human understanding
• Christians believe in the resurrection, based on what happened to Jesus
• Christians believe in an afterlife, including heaven, purgatory, and hell
• Parable of the rich man and Lazarus

  • The rich man was too interested in material possessions and ignored the poor man Lazarus
  • When the beggar Lazarus died, the angels carried him to heaven, while the rich man went to hell and was in torment
• Parable of the sheep and the goats

  • Jesus will separate people based on their deeds, not their beliefs
  • The sheep (those who helped others) will go to eternal life, while the goats (those who failed to help others) will go to eternal punishment
• Personal identity


  What makes you the person you are, and whether that can be the same in the next life
• Bernard Williams questioned whether an eternity in heaven would be desirable, as it may become boring
• Aristotle's concept of the soul


  The soul is the life principle and distinctive characteristics of a living thing
• Aquinas' concept of the soul

  The soul allows us to reach our potential and accomplish our purpose, and perfect happiness can only be achieved after death in the beatific vision of God
• Purgatory


  A place or state where the soul is purged of sin, according to Catholic teachings
• Protestants do not believe in purgatory
• Carl Rainer's view of purgatory


  Purgatory is about learning from and repenting the consequences of one's sins, rather than just being punished
• Sin


  The individual's own sin before judgment, the pain is more the self-inflicted pain of recognizing your wrongdoing
• The speaker's cat flung their keyboard mouse off the table
• Purgatory


  Learning and repenting the consequences of the sin that you have done
• Purgatory is like Scrooge

  Scrooge saw the actions he had done in his past so that he could repent those actions
• Protestants do not believe in purgatory as it is not in the Bible and not biblically supported
• Jesus does not talk about purgatory
• Pope Gregory


  Developed the idea of purgatory from a passage in the Bible about forgiveness in this age or the age to come