DEATH AND THE AFTERLIFE ESSAY PLANNING SHEET
Possible essay questions:
Critically discuss Jesus’ parable of the Sheep and the Goats
Discuss the view that the idea of purgatory makes more sense than hell
‘Heaven and hell are physical places’
Critically asses the view that hell is a spiritual place
‘Hell is not consistent with the concept of a loving g-d’ Discuss
To what extent is a universalist belief the most coherent
Does g-ds judgement take place immediately after death or at the end of time
Is heaven the transformation and perfection of the whole of creation
Is purgatory a state through which everyone goes
‘Everyone goes to heaven’ Asses this view
Is election unlimited?
, HEAVEN AND HELL ARE PHYSICAL PLACES- DISCUSS (40)
INTRO:
- Christian eschatology proposes debate within Christianity as to whether or not heaven and hell are physical
places or if they are spiritual and metaphorical
- Christians agree on the existence of eternal punishment (hell) and eternal bliss (heaven)- there are opposing
ideas about the nature of it
My line of argument: the ideas of heaven and hell being physical places is the most biblically coherent and consistent
with Christian theological perceptions- descriptions of heaven and hell within the bible- lots of evidence
, PARA 1- HEAVEN
For- The idea of heaven and hell as physical places can be seen throughout the bible and other Christian
teachings
- Heaven: The lord’s prayer gives us some context for the belief in the physical idea of heaven- “our Father
who art in heaven”- shows that heaven occupies a physical space
- Jesus at the Ascension, was raised body and soul into heaven to sit at the right hand side of G-d, and
some Christian’s argue that this shows that physical bodies must be present in heaven
Against: whilst it could be argued that the accounts of the Ascension in Mark and Luke say that Jesus was taken
up into heaven but there is no actual reference to his body (could be spiritual/ metaphorical)
But: for-
- “he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud his him from their sight”- implies a physical
ascension into heaven- think its made very clear
- There are many other examples in the bible where heaven is given a physical description
- “in my fathers house there are many rooms”
- “today you will be with me in paradise”
- These bible passages teach us of the powerful and strong physical imagery of heaven in the bible
Against: they cant be physical places
- Williams and Rahner would challenge my view on heaven and hell being physical places
- Williams states that while at first the concept of hell would be pleasurable it would eventually become
dull- do we really want an eternity in heaven
- “her problem lay in having been at it for too long. Her trouble was, as it would seem, boredom”
- The idea of heaven in this way might be flawed- would g-d create a place of boredom for us?
Supported: Rahner
- Rahner argues that the concept of time gives meaning to our life and purpose- the concept of a physical
heaven or hell that in which existence is without end is not coherent or logical
But- for- why they are physical places
- Williams argument lacks validity as he is perceiving heaven in a physical sense in the way and terns that
we understand it
- He is interpreting it too physically- the concept of the afterlife and the way that we will exist in the
afterlife/ feel is beyond human understanding
- Just because we cannot understand what the idea of physical will mean in the afterlife does not mean
these places do not exist- we just can’t understand or express them in human terms- Williams’
perception is wrong
- Same applies to Rahner- it is unlikely that the same concept of time will exists in heaven as it does on
earth
- We cannot assume that the “physical” we experience now will be the same in heaven- g-ds
omnipotence -he could come up with a new concept of time which is forgein to us
So- they are perceiving heaven and hell in a way that is too physical- I would hold the view that just because
heaven and hell are actual places does not mean they are confined to finite understanding and language
Possible essay questions:
Critically discuss Jesus’ parable of the Sheep and the Goats
Discuss the view that the idea of purgatory makes more sense than hell
‘Heaven and hell are physical places’
Critically asses the view that hell is a spiritual place
‘Hell is not consistent with the concept of a loving g-d’ Discuss
To what extent is a universalist belief the most coherent
Does g-ds judgement take place immediately after death or at the end of time
Is heaven the transformation and perfection of the whole of creation
Is purgatory a state through which everyone goes
‘Everyone goes to heaven’ Asses this view
Is election unlimited?
, HEAVEN AND HELL ARE PHYSICAL PLACES- DISCUSS (40)
INTRO:
- Christian eschatology proposes debate within Christianity as to whether or not heaven and hell are physical
places or if they are spiritual and metaphorical
- Christians agree on the existence of eternal punishment (hell) and eternal bliss (heaven)- there are opposing
ideas about the nature of it
My line of argument: the ideas of heaven and hell being physical places is the most biblically coherent and consistent
with Christian theological perceptions- descriptions of heaven and hell within the bible- lots of evidence
, PARA 1- HEAVEN
For- The idea of heaven and hell as physical places can be seen throughout the bible and other Christian
teachings
- Heaven: The lord’s prayer gives us some context for the belief in the physical idea of heaven- “our Father
who art in heaven”- shows that heaven occupies a physical space
- Jesus at the Ascension, was raised body and soul into heaven to sit at the right hand side of G-d, and
some Christian’s argue that this shows that physical bodies must be present in heaven
Against: whilst it could be argued that the accounts of the Ascension in Mark and Luke say that Jesus was taken
up into heaven but there is no actual reference to his body (could be spiritual/ metaphorical)
But: for-
- “he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud his him from their sight”- implies a physical
ascension into heaven- think its made very clear
- There are many other examples in the bible where heaven is given a physical description
- “in my fathers house there are many rooms”
- “today you will be with me in paradise”
- These bible passages teach us of the powerful and strong physical imagery of heaven in the bible
Against: they cant be physical places
- Williams and Rahner would challenge my view on heaven and hell being physical places
- Williams states that while at first the concept of hell would be pleasurable it would eventually become
dull- do we really want an eternity in heaven
- “her problem lay in having been at it for too long. Her trouble was, as it would seem, boredom”
- The idea of heaven in this way might be flawed- would g-d create a place of boredom for us?
Supported: Rahner
- Rahner argues that the concept of time gives meaning to our life and purpose- the concept of a physical
heaven or hell that in which existence is without end is not coherent or logical
But- for- why they are physical places
- Williams argument lacks validity as he is perceiving heaven in a physical sense in the way and terns that
we understand it
- He is interpreting it too physically- the concept of the afterlife and the way that we will exist in the
afterlife/ feel is beyond human understanding
- Just because we cannot understand what the idea of physical will mean in the afterlife does not mean
these places do not exist- we just can’t understand or express them in human terms- Williams’
perception is wrong
- Same applies to Rahner- it is unlikely that the same concept of time will exists in heaven as it does on
earth
- We cannot assume that the “physical” we experience now will be the same in heaven- g-ds
omnipotence -he could come up with a new concept of time which is forgein to us
So- they are perceiving heaven and hell in a way that is too physical- I would hold the view that just because
heaven and hell are actual places does not mean they are confined to finite understanding and language
