ESSENTIAL INFORMATION BOOKLET TOPIC 3—The Importance of this life & Life beyond Death
THIS BOOKLET CONTAINS WHAT YOU MUST KNOW FOR THIS PART OF THE UNIT – YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH THIS MATERIAL SO THAT YOU CAN USE IT AND BE FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR UNDERSTANDING IN ANSWERING QUESTIONS.
What happens when we die? Does my present life in any way shape or determine my afterlife? What is this life for? If death is the end, what importance or meaning can my present life have? Does my life have a specific purpose? These are all significant existential questions and they have led to a great deal of beard-stroking over the centuries as philosophers and theologians struggled to deliver a coherent answer to the meaning of life.
A Christian perspective
There are plenty of overlaps here to the topic on the nature & value of human life, but make sure you stay focussed on the question.
In Christianity, human life is intrinsically valuable. There is something inherently special about being alive. It is seen as a gift from God – unique, precious and sacred. According to Christians, our life is not accidental: Psalm 139 describes the intimate knowledge God has of every human being and clearly states that God planned our existence. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” This means that, according to Christianity, we are placed on earth for a purpose. This gives our life enormous intrinsic value – we are set apart from the rest of the world, purposefully designed by God and our existence is planned and intended. For centuries different philosophers and theologians have tried to identify what the meaning and purpose of human life is. A year 9 student will tell you that the purpose of life is “to get to Heaven”. This is a remarkably succinct assertion; however as A-level students you need to be able to unpack what that simple idea really means. This topic area explores both religious and secular views about the importance of the present life, and life after death. This gives rise to a number of key questions that are worth careful consideration. On the religious side:
Is our life intrinsically valuable, or instrumentally so? ie, does is my value affected by what I do?
What is the importance of this life? Am I here for a particular reason? Is there a plan that I must follow? If so, how free am I to choose my own path in life? What is the nature of Judgment? On what will I be judged? Can I do anything to ensure safe passage into Heaven? From a secular viewpoint, there are equally important questions to consider:
If death is the end, is there any real purpose to our existence?
Is there any way in which I can ‘live on’ after my death?
How can I be held accountable for my actions & behaviour, if there is no divine judgment?
We’ll start with the Religious Views: Most Christians believe that when they die, they will go to Heaven. This is because of the central belief in Christianity of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ. It is through the sacrifice of Jesus that anyone who repents of their sins can be reconciled to God upon death. However, many Christians do believe that they will face a final judgment, although they may be uncertain about the precise timing of this (see the topic on Eschatology & apocalypse for notes on Future Based Eschatology). This belief in Judgement can, for many Fundamentalist Christians, be all pervading – defining their very existence. References to Judgement are found throughout the Gospels, as well as in the Book of Revelation. The story of the Sheep & Goats, also called the “Judgement of the Nations”, has shaped the majority of Christian beliefs about what Judgment will entail. Matthew 25:31–46 : 31
"But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will tell those on his right hand, 'Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. 36I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.' 37
"Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? 38When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?' 40
"The King will answer them, 'Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' 41Then he will say also to those on the left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry, and you didn't give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; 43I was a stranger, and you didn't take me in; naked, and you didn't clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn't visit me.' 44
"Then they will also answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn't help you?' 45
"Then he will answer them, saying, 'Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you didn't do it to one of the least of these, you didn't do it to me.' 46These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
This passage indicates that a person will be judged on their behaviour – the way they treat others, for example. This means that there is a direct relationship between the way in which people live their lives -the choices they make, and their actions, that impacts directly upon whether they will gain entry to Heaven.
(The nature of an afterlife, and the justice of God are explored in more detail in the topic booklet on Beliefs about Death & Beyond)
This view of Heaven and Hell in terms of reward and punishment appears to be the most fair. To many people, it makes sense that if I live a good life, I will be rewarded in Heaven after I die. This is particularly reassuring if I’ve been a really good person, but lived a really tough life – conversely, many people rely on some kind of divine punishment for those who seem to have ‘got away with’ being immoral in this life. The apparent injustices of life on earth can be redressed in an afterlife. However, is this entirely fair? Is an eternity of punishment really justice for a temporal life of sin? Throughout the rest of the New Testament, the basis upon which we will be judged is not always clear. In his letters, St Paul grapples with the idea of Justification by Faith. In other words, what is more important, being a Christian, or being a good person? If it is my faith that gets me to Heaven, then what value is there in being good? Equally, if it is possible to get to Heaven simply by being good, and not enduring the difficulties a life of faith can present, then what value is there in being Christian? Yet we know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified (Gal 2:16).
Paul is pretty clear: in order to get to Heaven, you must have Faith. Being a good person is not enough. The sheep and goats then, for Paul represent those who recognise and have accepted the truth of Jesus Christ and those who have not. The idea that it is our actions, or our choices upon which we will be judged was something that was challenged by the 16th Century religious reformer and apologetic, John Calvin. He argued that the omnipotence and omniscience of God were undermined by the idea that we could determine our place in the afterlife through our actions and choices on earth. Instead, Calvin argued, our final destination has already been predetermined by God and there is nothing we can do to alter it. The ‘sheep’ and ‘goats’ in the story represented what Calvin called the ‘damned’ and the ‘elect’. Our nature is determined by the group we have been assigned to and thereby those who are good, are good by nature, and so will go to Heaven. Those who are not are part of ‘the damned’ and so will inevitably go to Hell. This has significant implications for the idea of Judgment. If I am lucky enough to be among the ‘elect’, then my place in Heaven is assured. There is nothing I can do to alter my final destination. Equally, unfortunately, the same is true if I am among the ‘damned’ instead. This of course poses a few questions regarding the nature of our freedom to choose (our Free Will) but that is not really the focus of this topic. It is important to note however that Calvin taught our nature is defined by the group we have been assigned: it is not that I can do what I like and still go to Heaven, but that being among the elect means my nature is geared towards the good – I am a naturally good person on account of being among the elect (and vice versa). The justice of God, according to Calvin (and Augustine, before him) is
is demonstrated by God saving the Few, rather than condemning everyone to Hell, as would be our rightful place on account of Original Sin. Perhaps there is more to it than simply being good, or believing in God. Within the Catholic Church, drawing on the Aristotelian philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, the idea is for individuals to flourish as God intends us to. Being a Good Person is about much more than simply doing the right thing. Being good, for Aquinas, involved following the Natural Moral Law as this would enable us to reach our divine potential and become “good” human beings. At death Aquinas believed that after a time in Purgatory, we will find ourselves in the “Beatific Vision”. The length of time which we must endure in Purgatory is determined by God, although confession and penance before death may speed things up a bit. Although you only need to know the details of one religious tradition, it is also possible to draw comparisons with different religions too. Why not explore the ideas of Karma and Dharma and Reincarnation in Hinduism too?
The idea that our present life is an opportunity for us to develop in the way God intends for us can be also be seen in John Hick’s soul-making theodicy. According to Hick, our present life is one stage in our total existence. As humans, we are capable of entering into a conscious relationship with God. Our life is seen as a pilgrimage from moral & spiritual immaturity into the “likeness of God” achieved through responding freely to the challenges of this world. For Hick then, our present life holds tremendous value as it is the means by which we become ‘children of God’. For other thinkers this life is more than just a pre-cursor to the next life. Many Christians will argue that their purpose on earth is to establish the Kingdom of God. This means opposing injustice and inequality to bring about the kind of world that God intends for all his people. Just as Jesus sent out the apostles before his ascension into Heaven, many Christians see it as their duty and purpose to do God’s work on Earth. Such are unlikely to see their life in terms of their own individual situation – instead they are willing to dedicate their life to making a difference, leaving behind a legacy that will be beneficial to generations who come after us. Think about Martin Luther King: Do you think he would have viewed the purpose of his life in terms of getting himself into Heaven? Can we get into Heaven if trying to get there is our sole purpose in life? The conclusions we draw about the purpose of life will be directly related to the understanding we have of the nature of heaven & hell. For this we will need to consider traditional beliefs about heaven & hell as well as more modern concepts. In addition, we shall also consider whether atheists believe we can continue after our death.
Think about religious martyrs such as Joan of Arc, Edward Wightman, or Irenaeus. What does martyrdom suggest about the way in which the present life is perceived? You can use modern examples too of religious fanatics who are prepared to martyr themselves.
Secular Views: "Forget the gods, the 'Here and now' is what is important". (Confucius, 500BCE)
For those who are non-religious, death is usually seen as being the end. It is not a stage in our existence, but simply the end of existence. Most atheists may also describe themselves as materialists – this means there is nothing supernatural about us, we are just our bodies. When we die, like other animals, our bodies will decay and we will cease to exist. This means that the importance of the present life is not determined by an afterlife. This does not necessarily mean my life is without meaning. Many atheists will argue that there is great meaning in life –my life is given meaning from the love of my family and friends, and the impact I have on the world, and the imprint I leave when I die. “There is something infantile in the presumption that somebody else has a responsibility to give your life meaning and point… The truly adult view, by contrast, is that our life is as meaningful, as full and as wonderful as we choose to make it.” Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion
According to the Council for Secular Humanism, in the United States, the purpose or importance of our present life is found in striving for greater understanding of our world, ourselves, and others. It is also about acting ethically – which means enhancing human wellbeing and individual responsibility, and working to overcome intolerance and discrimination. Existentialist philosophers claim that human beings “stand out” from the rest of the world. Their aim is to expose the illusions of everyday life and call human beings to take a serious view of their responsibilities. Many existentialists believe there are no moral laws written into the structure of the universe –instead, people have to choose what they want to do and how they want to be. Freedom, individuality, responsibility, and choice are all commonly occurring themes in existentialist writings In “The Death of Ivan Ilyih”, Leo Tolstoy expresses a deeply existential feeling: “It occurred to him that what had appeared perfectly impossible before, namely that he had not lived his life as he should have done, might after all be true” The idea is that we hold ourselves in judgment – we don’t need an external judge to hold us accountable. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) was one of the most famous & influential existentialists. His main concerns were “being” and “ethics”. In 1943, Sartre published “Being and Nothingness” in which he identified 2 main ways in which people can live: 1. Authentically 2. In a state of self deception (Sartre called this bad faith)
Sartre said most people believe that there are laws or moral codes written into society. These laws are formed perhaps by God or perhaps by human nature. However according to Sartre, there is no God and there is no such thing as Human Nature. This means that there is no real basis or authority behind the laws which we live by. We are deluding ourselves – living in bad faith – if we think otherwise. The great tragedy of human experience according to Sartre was people living inauthentically or in “bad faith” – this is people spending their lives as if they have no option to do otherwise, like robots or fixed objects. The goal of human life, according to Sartre is to live authentically – of our own choosing, shaping our character and giving meaning to our own existence. Like Heidegger before him, Sartre focused on the importance of standing out from the crowd – identifying yourself as an individual and living your own personal, individual authentic existence. So although most non-religious people would say that this life is all that there is, most would object to the claim that it is after life which gives this life its importance. Many Christians would also object to this too, as they will believe that they have a duty towards others and that their life is planned in order to carry out God’s work effectively. “We believe in Life Before Death” is the motto of the charity Christian Aid and demonstrates the importance most Christians place on their present existence.
Questions & Past Papers: 1. Why am I here? (according to Christian beliefs?) 2. What do Christians believe about Judgment? (incl references to Biblical teaching) 3. Explain the teaching of the story of the Sheep & Goats. 4. What does it mean to establish the Kingdom of God on earth? 5. How might belief in judgment affect the way someone lives? Is this a good way to live, in your opinion? 6. What might be the meaning of life for a humanist? 7. Explain what Sartre thought about the importance of this life.
Examine the ideas of one or more religion(s) on the importance of the present life. (45 marks) June 2011
Examine religious beliefs about the importance of the present life and about life beyond death. (45 marks) June 2010
‘Religious and secular ideas about this present life are essentially the same.’ How far do you agree? (30 marks) June 2011
‘The purpose of life is to prepare for death.’ Assess this view. (30 marks) June 2012