Jerry L. Walls
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195113020
- eISBN:
- 9780199834815
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195113020.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
The Christian doctrine of heaven has been a moral source of enormous power in Western culture. It has provided a striking account of the ultimate good in life and has for two millennia animated the ...
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The Christian doctrine of heaven has been a moral source of enormous power in Western culture. It has provided a striking account of the ultimate good in life and has for two millennia animated the hope that our lives can be fully meaningful. Recently, however, the doctrine of heaven has lost much of its grip on the Western imagination and has become a vague and largely ignored part of the Christian creed. Not only have our hopes been redefined as a result, but also our very identity as human beings has been altered. In this book, Jerry L. Walls argues that the doctrine of heaven is ripe for serious reconsideration. He contends not only that the orthodox view of heaven can be defended from objections commonly raised against it, but also that heaven is a powerful resource for addressing persistent philosophical problems, not the least of which concern the ground of morality and the meaning of life. Walls shows how heaven is integrally related to central Christian doctrines, particularly those concerning salvation, and tackles the difficult problem of why faith in Christ is necessary to save us from our sins. In addition, heaven is shown to illumine thorny problems of personal identity, and to be an essential component of a satisfactory theodicy. Walls goes on to examine data from near‐death experiences from the standpoint of some important recent work in epistemology, and argues that they offer positive evidence for heaven. He concludes that we profoundly need to recover the hope of heaven in order to recover our very humanity.Less
The Christian doctrine of heaven has been a moral source of enormous power in Western culture. It has provided a striking account of the ultimate good in life and has for two millennia animated the hope that our lives can be fully meaningful. Recently, however, the doctrine of heaven has lost much of its grip on the Western imagination and has become a vague and largely ignored part of the Christian creed. Not only have our hopes been redefined as a result, but also our very identity as human beings has been altered. In this book, Jerry L. Walls argues that the doctrine of heaven is ripe for serious reconsideration. He contends not only that the orthodox view of heaven can be defended from objections commonly raised against it, but also that heaven is a powerful resource for addressing persistent philosophical problems, not the least of which concern the ground of morality and the meaning of life. Walls shows how heaven is integrally related to central Christian doctrines, particularly those concerning salvation, and tackles the difficult problem of why faith in Christ is necessary to save us from our sins. In addition, heaven is shown to illumine thorny problems of personal identity, and to be an essential component of a satisfactory theodicy. Walls goes on to examine data from near‐death experiences from the standpoint of some important recent work in epistemology, and argues that they offer positive evidence for heaven. He concludes that we profoundly need to recover the hope of heaven in order to recover our very humanity.
Jerry L. Walls
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195113020
- eISBN:
- 9780199834815
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195113020.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
The arguments presented in the book are briefly summarized, pointing out that what has been defended is a Christian vision of reality (focusing on heaven) that is profoundly more hopeful than that of ...
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The arguments presented in the book are briefly summarized, pointing out that what has been defended is a Christian vision of reality (focusing on heaven) that is profoundly more hopeful than that of secular accounts, whether modern or postmodern. The conclusion is that we profoundly need to recover the hope (belief) of heaven in order to recover our very humanity.Less
The arguments presented in the book are briefly summarized, pointing out that what has been defended is a Christian vision of reality (focusing on heaven) that is profoundly more hopeful than that of secular accounts, whether modern or postmodern. The conclusion is that we profoundly need to recover the hope (belief) of heaven in order to recover our very humanity.
Richard McCarty
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199567720
- eISBN:
- 9780191721465
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199567720.003.0008
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, History of Philosophy
Being evil by nature we ought nevertheless to become good; and so we can. Kant's philosophy is supposed to give us grounds for hope in an “afterlife”, when we can be good, or at least better, and ...
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Being evil by nature we ought nevertheless to become good; and so we can. Kant's philosophy is supposed to give us grounds for hope in an “afterlife”, when we can be good, or at least better, and when happiness will be proportioned to virtue as the highest good. Yet it remains unclear how to understand the temporal relation of this present, sensible life and the afterlife. Some of Kant's reflections suggest that heaven and hell may belong to the intelligible world we already occupy. Because the world would have been created for a moral purpose, and because the highest good is a just reward, we have rational grounds for hope in an afterlife.Less
Being evil by nature we ought nevertheless to become good; and so we can. Kant's philosophy is supposed to give us grounds for hope in an “afterlife”, when we can be good, or at least better, and when happiness will be proportioned to virtue as the highest good. Yet it remains unclear how to understand the temporal relation of this present, sensible life and the afterlife. Some of Kant's reflections suggest that heaven and hell may belong to the intelligible world we already occupy. Because the world would have been created for a moral purpose, and because the highest good is a just reward, we have rational grounds for hope in an afterlife.
Richard Swinburne
- Published in print:
- 1989
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198248491
- eISBN:
- 9780191598555
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198248490.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
When we do good or harm to each other, we acquire merit or guilt; deserve praise or blame, reward or punishment, and may need to make atonement. Others may need to forgive us, or show mercy to us. ...
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When we do good or harm to each other, we acquire merit or guilt; deserve praise or blame, reward or punishment, and may need to make atonement. Others may need to forgive us, or show mercy to us. The first part of this book (Chs. 1–7) is an account of how these moral concepts apply to humans in their dealings with each other. The second part (Chs. 8–12) then applies the results of the first part to reach conclusions about which versions of traditional Christian doctrines that utilize these notions are morally plausible. It considers the doctrines of sin and original sin, redemption, sanctification, Heaven and Hell.Less
When we do good or harm to each other, we acquire merit or guilt; deserve praise or blame, reward or punishment, and may need to make atonement. Others may need to forgive us, or show mercy to us. The first part of this book (Chs. 1–7) is an account of how these moral concepts apply to humans in their dealings with each other. The second part (Chs. 8–12) then applies the results of the first part to reach conclusions about which versions of traditional Christian doctrines that utilize these notions are morally plausible. It considers the doctrines of sin and original sin, redemption, sanctification, Heaven and Hell.
Jonathan Klawans
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195162639
- eISBN:
- 9780199785254
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195162639.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter analyzes two distinct symbolic understandings of the Jerusalem temple and its rituals. It finds evidence for a belief in the temple as representing the cosmos in Josephus, Philo and ...
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This chapter analyzes two distinct symbolic understandings of the Jerusalem temple and its rituals. It finds evidence for a belief in the temple as representing the cosmos in Josephus, Philo and rabbinic literature, and evidence for a belief that the earthly temple represents a heavenly sanctuary in the Pseudepigrapha, Dead Sea Scrolls, and other rabbinic sources. It attempts to identify one or another of these two symbolic understandings as the precursor of the other are rejected.Less
This chapter analyzes two distinct symbolic understandings of the Jerusalem temple and its rituals. It finds evidence for a belief in the temple as representing the cosmos in Josephus, Philo and rabbinic literature, and evidence for a belief that the earthly temple represents a heavenly sanctuary in the Pseudepigrapha, Dead Sea Scrolls, and other rabbinic sources. It attempts to identify one or another of these two symbolic understandings as the precursor of the other are rejected.
Chenyang Li
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691154602
- eISBN:
- 9781400844845
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691154602.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This chapter defends another interpretation of heaven that is neither transcendent nor anthropocentric: it argues that heaven is necessarily interrelated in a “heaven–earth–humanity” triad. It calls ...
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This chapter defends another interpretation of heaven that is neither transcendent nor anthropocentric: it argues that heaven is necessarily interrelated in a “heaven–earth–humanity” triad. It calls into question Jiang's view that there is one transcendent heaven occupying a higher position that generates a differentiated heaven. The notion of a transcendent heaven is redundant and illogical. It makes no sense to say that heaven can be both one thing that generates something else and one part of something else that is generated by it. The chapter speculates that the real reason for Jiang's metaphysical position is the need to justify an Academy that represents heaven and stands above the tricameral parliament.Less
This chapter defends another interpretation of heaven that is neither transcendent nor anthropocentric: it argues that heaven is necessarily interrelated in a “heaven–earth–humanity” triad. It calls into question Jiang's view that there is one transcendent heaven occupying a higher position that generates a differentiated heaven. The notion of a transcendent heaven is redundant and illogical. It makes no sense to say that heaven can be both one thing that generates something else and one part of something else that is generated by it. The chapter speculates that the real reason for Jiang's metaphysical position is the need to justify an Academy that represents heaven and stands above the tricameral parliament.
John Casey
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195092950
- eISBN:
- 9780199869732
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195092950.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter explores the development of ideas of the afterlife amongt the ancient Egyptians, Mesopotamians, and Jews, including accounts of ascents to heaven. The Mesopotamian earthly paradise ...
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This chapter explores the development of ideas of the afterlife amongt the ancient Egyptians, Mesopotamians, and Jews, including accounts of ascents to heaven. The Mesopotamian earthly paradise (“Dilmun”) and its difference from the Jewish paradise is described. The philosophical Judaism of Philo of Alexandria is outlined. There follows discussion of images of heaven in the sayings and parables of Jesus, and in particular the idea that heaven is within us. St. Paul's account of the spiritual, risen body is discussed, and St. John's account of the descent of the heavenly Jerusalem.Less
This chapter explores the development of ideas of the afterlife amongt the ancient Egyptians, Mesopotamians, and Jews, including accounts of ascents to heaven. The Mesopotamian earthly paradise (“Dilmun”) and its difference from the Jewish paradise is described. The philosophical Judaism of Philo of Alexandria is outlined. There follows discussion of images of heaven in the sayings and parables of Jesus, and in particular the idea that heaven is within us. St. Paul's account of the spiritual, risen body is discussed, and St. John's account of the descent of the heavenly Jerusalem.
Michael Ward
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195313871
- eISBN:
- 9780199871964
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195313871.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature
Lewis was interested in the medieval heavens both from an academic and an imaginative perspective. The pagan gods, to his mind, were aesthetically beautiful and also apologetically useful, and ...
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Lewis was interested in the medieval heavens both from an academic and an imaginative perspective. The pagan gods, to his mind, were aesthetically beautiful and also apologetically useful, and Ptolemaic astrology was deemed consonant with Christianity until at least the sixteenth century (Dante being chief among those poets who Christianized it). The seven planets Lewis regarded as spiritual symbols of permanent value, able to convey truths relating to psychology, rationality, and novitas. Lewis's Idealism and his dislike of spiritual introspection pertinent to the question of Enjoyment of these symbols. Contemplating the planets and their influences in the Chronicles of Narnia.Less
Lewis was interested in the medieval heavens both from an academic and an imaginative perspective. The pagan gods, to his mind, were aesthetically beautiful and also apologetically useful, and Ptolemaic astrology was deemed consonant with Christianity until at least the sixteenth century (Dante being chief among those poets who Christianized it). The seven planets Lewis regarded as spiritual symbols of permanent value, able to convey truths relating to psychology, rationality, and novitas. Lewis's Idealism and his dislike of spiritual introspection pertinent to the question of Enjoyment of these symbols. Contemplating the planets and their influences in the Chronicles of Narnia.
Candida R. Moss
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199739875
- eISBN:
- 9780199777259
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199739875.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Early Christian Studies
This chapter examines the martyrs’ rapid ascent to heaven following death and the roles that the martyrs play in the afterlife in heaven. In opposition to the ordinary dead, martyrs quickly ascend — ...
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This chapter examines the martyrs’ rapid ascent to heaven following death and the roles that the martyrs play in the afterlife in heaven. In opposition to the ordinary dead, martyrs quickly ascend — by various routes — to heaven and participate in a number of activities similar to those of the exalted Christ. It argues that, rather than assuming that martyrs serve in a similar capacity as angels in heaven, it is possible to view the martyrs’ participation in a heavenly banquet, judgment scenes, and role as heavenly intercessor as analogous to the roles of Christ. This suggests that the question of the martyrs’ identity is more complicated than is usually assumed.Less
This chapter examines the martyrs’ rapid ascent to heaven following death and the roles that the martyrs play in the afterlife in heaven. In opposition to the ordinary dead, martyrs quickly ascend — by various routes — to heaven and participate in a number of activities similar to those of the exalted Christ. It argues that, rather than assuming that martyrs serve in a similar capacity as angels in heaven, it is possible to view the martyrs’ participation in a heavenly banquet, judgment scenes, and role as heavenly intercessor as analogous to the roles of Christ. This suggests that the question of the martyrs’ identity is more complicated than is usually assumed.
Raymond P. Scheindlin
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195315424
- eISBN:
- 9780199872039
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315424.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
Halevi justifies his journey to himself and others in four poems. In the first poem, he reproaches himself for worldliness and urges himself to put his ideas of trust in God to the test. In the ...
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Halevi justifies his journey to himself and others in four poems. In the first poem, he reproaches himself for worldliness and urges himself to put his ideas of trust in God to the test. In the second poem, he disputes the contention that the Holy Land has lost its sacredness since the Jews were exiled by asserting that it will be the locus of resurrection of the dead and by unleashing his famous tirade against Greek philosophy. The third poem is a reply to someone who attempted to persuade him to stay in Egypt on the grounds that it, too, was the site of miracles for the Jewish people. The last poem is a long internal monologue in which he responds to friends who objected not only to his pilgrimage but to his whole turn from worldliness to piety.Less
Halevi justifies his journey to himself and others in four poems. In the first poem, he reproaches himself for worldliness and urges himself to put his ideas of trust in God to the test. In the second poem, he disputes the contention that the Holy Land has lost its sacredness since the Jews were exiled by asserting that it will be the locus of resurrection of the dead and by unleashing his famous tirade against Greek philosophy. The third poem is a reply to someone who attempted to persuade him to stay in Egypt on the grounds that it, too, was the site of miracles for the Jewish people. The last poem is a long internal monologue in which he responds to friends who objected not only to his pilgrimage but to his whole turn from worldliness to piety.
M. A. Aldrich
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789622097773
- eISBN:
- 9789882207585
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789622097773.003.0061
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
The mosaic of Old Peking is complete. The Italian diplomat Daniele Vare struggled with the dilemma of cultural relativism during his postings in Peking. Vare wrote novels set during the Qing and ...
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The mosaic of Old Peking is complete. The Italian diplomat Daniele Vare struggled with the dilemma of cultural relativism during his postings in Peking. Vare wrote novels set during the Qing and Republican eras. One day, he dreamed up a dramatic incident. A Qing official remonstrates against the emperor's willingness to issue a decree for reform. The official submits a memorial protesting the contents of the decree. He is ignored. To persuade the Son of Heaven of the sincerity of his protest, the official mortally stabs himself in the courtyard of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The great divide between Vare and his teacher is described. As Stanley Karnow once quipped to fellow foreign devil Dick Hughes, “the Far East is a university in which no degree is ever granted”.Less
The mosaic of Old Peking is complete. The Italian diplomat Daniele Vare struggled with the dilemma of cultural relativism during his postings in Peking. Vare wrote novels set during the Qing and Republican eras. One day, he dreamed up a dramatic incident. A Qing official remonstrates against the emperor's willingness to issue a decree for reform. The official submits a memorial protesting the contents of the decree. He is ignored. To persuade the Son of Heaven of the sincerity of his protest, the official mortally stabs himself in the courtyard of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The great divide between Vare and his teacher is described. As Stanley Karnow once quipped to fellow foreign devil Dick Hughes, “the Far East is a university in which no degree is ever granted”.
Antony Black
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199281695
- eISBN:
- 9780191713101
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199281695.003.0012
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Jesus's original idea, so far one can judge, was an imminent ‘kingdom of heaven’ which would transform human relationships, and was already doing so. Family was downgraded, the status of women ...
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Jesus's original idea, so far one can judge, was an imminent ‘kingdom of heaven’ which would transform human relationships, and was already doing so. Family was downgraded, the status of women enhanced. Paul taught salvation by faith in Christ, which made observance of any law, and all social distinctions, irrelevant to spiritual life. Christianity developed its own ritual and community, with a strong distinction between believers and unbelievers. The church was a parallel universal society, supposed to embody Christian social ideals. Early congregations elected their leaders and conferred together. But, partly because Christians based their religious knowledge primarily on intuition and mystical experience, Christians became bitterly divided. The early catholic tradition assigned authority to bishops and their councils. Christians saw the state as separate but legitimate.Less
Jesus's original idea, so far one can judge, was an imminent ‘kingdom of heaven’ which would transform human relationships, and was already doing so. Family was downgraded, the status of women enhanced. Paul taught salvation by faith in Christ, which made observance of any law, and all social distinctions, irrelevant to spiritual life. Christianity developed its own ritual and community, with a strong distinction between believers and unbelievers. The church was a parallel universal society, supposed to embody Christian social ideals. Early congregations elected their leaders and conferred together. But, partly because Christians based their religious knowledge primarily on intuition and mystical experience, Christians became bitterly divided. The early catholic tradition assigned authority to bishops and their councils. Christians saw the state as separate but legitimate.
David Quint
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691161914
- eISBN:
- 9781400850488
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691161914.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter demonstrates how—through a complicated chain of intermediary texts—the depiction of Satan's fall through Chaos in book 2, which invokes the myth of Icarus, and the Son's successful ride ...
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This chapter demonstrates how—through a complicated chain of intermediary texts—the depiction of Satan's fall through Chaos in book 2, which invokes the myth of Icarus, and the Son's successful ride in the paternal chariot of God at the end of the War in Heaven in book 6, which rewrites the story of Phaethon, both trace back to the De rerum natura of Lucretius. They counter the Roman poet's depiction of an Epicurean cosmos ordered by chance and in a constant state of falling through an infinite void—the “vast vacuity” of Chaos. The myths of these highfliers who fall are further countered in Paradise Lost by the motif of poetic flight. The shaping power of poetry itself and the epic high style counteract the specter of a universe without bound and dimension, or of the shapelessness of Death; poetry raises the poet over his fallen condition.Less
This chapter demonstrates how—through a complicated chain of intermediary texts—the depiction of Satan's fall through Chaos in book 2, which invokes the myth of Icarus, and the Son's successful ride in the paternal chariot of God at the end of the War in Heaven in book 6, which rewrites the story of Phaethon, both trace back to the De rerum natura of Lucretius. They counter the Roman poet's depiction of an Epicurean cosmos ordered by chance and in a constant state of falling through an infinite void—the “vast vacuity” of Chaos. The myths of these highfliers who fall are further countered in Paradise Lost by the motif of poetic flight. The shaping power of poetry itself and the epic high style counteract the specter of a universe without bound and dimension, or of the shapelessness of Death; poetry raises the poet over his fallen condition.
David Quint
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691161914
- eISBN:
- 9781400850488
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691161914.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter looks at book 3 of Paradise Lost, which sets apart an invisible God and heaven from the visible universe, divine light from sunlight. Book 3 points to a contrast between the internal ...
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This chapter looks at book 3 of Paradise Lost, which sets apart an invisible God and heaven from the visible universe, divine light from sunlight. Book 3 points to a contrast between the internal illumination invoked by the blind poet and an Apollonian solar inspiration that motivates the poetry of paganism. In the episode of the Paradise of Fools, the book further criticizes—with a particular eye toward Catholic practice—the tendency of men and women to read back through analogy from God's and their own visible works to the invisible Creator, and to confuse the two. Yet, in distinguishing God's lower works from God and his heaven, Milton knows that he risks unlinking creation from Creator altogether, as do the book's alchemical philosophers, and as Satan does when he later suggests to Eve that the sun, not God, is the power source that gives life, as well as light, to the universe.Less
This chapter looks at book 3 of Paradise Lost, which sets apart an invisible God and heaven from the visible universe, divine light from sunlight. Book 3 points to a contrast between the internal illumination invoked by the blind poet and an Apollonian solar inspiration that motivates the poetry of paganism. In the episode of the Paradise of Fools, the book further criticizes—with a particular eye toward Catholic practice—the tendency of men and women to read back through analogy from God's and their own visible works to the invisible Creator, and to confuse the two. Yet, in distinguishing God's lower works from God and his heaven, Milton knows that he risks unlinking creation from Creator altogether, as do the book's alchemical philosophers, and as Satan does when he later suggests to Eve that the sun, not God, is the power source that gives life, as well as light, to the universe.
Richard Swinburne
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199283927
- eISBN:
- 9780191712524
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199283927.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
A creed explains how the pursuit of a particular religious way will achieve the goals of that religion. It does that by explaining in what salvation consists (e.g., in what the blessedness of Heaven, ...
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A creed explains how the pursuit of a particular religious way will achieve the goals of that religion. It does that by explaining in what salvation consists (e.g., in what the blessedness of Heaven, or of Nirvana, consists), and how pursuing a certain sort of life will enable you to achieve it (e.g., because if you live such a life, you will go to Heaven or attain Nirvana). This is illustrated by showing how the different items of the Nicene creed have consequences for how we should worship and serve God and thereby mould our characters so that we would be happy in Heaven. One trusts God (and so has faith in the crucial sense) to the extent to which one acts on the assumption that by living in this way God will provide for one the goals of religion.Less
A creed explains how the pursuit of a particular religious way will achieve the goals of that religion. It does that by explaining in what salvation consists (e.g., in what the blessedness of Heaven, or of Nirvana, consists), and how pursuing a certain sort of life will enable you to achieve it (e.g., because if you live such a life, you will go to Heaven or attain Nirvana). This is illustrated by showing how the different items of the Nicene creed have consequences for how we should worship and serve God and thereby mould our characters so that we would be happy in Heaven. One trusts God (and so has faith in the crucial sense) to the extent to which one acts on the assumption that by living in this way God will provide for one the goals of religion.
Richard Swinburne
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199283927
- eISBN:
- 9780191712524
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199283927.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
Someone is rational in following a certain religious way to attain a certain goal only if he believes that it is more probable that following that way will achieve that goal than that following any ...
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Someone is rational in following a certain religious way to attain a certain goal only if he believes that it is more probable that following that way will achieve that goal than that following any other way will achieve a similar goal (one that has a similar understanding of salvation and Heaven). Which way a person should follow depends both on his judgement of the relative probability of the creeds of rival religions and on his judgement of the worth of the goals which they offer; and everyone should devote much time investigating the claims of different religions and the worth of the different goals which they offer. This will include considering the relative probabilities of different claims to have a revelation, which depend both on the moral plausibility of the purported revelation and on any miraculous authentication it purports to have (for example, the Resurrection of Jesus authenticating his teaching).Less
Someone is rational in following a certain religious way to attain a certain goal only if he believes that it is more probable that following that way will achieve that goal than that following any other way will achieve a similar goal (one that has a similar understanding of salvation and Heaven). Which way a person should follow depends both on his judgement of the relative probability of the creeds of rival religions and on his judgement of the worth of the goals which they offer; and everyone should devote much time investigating the claims of different religions and the worth of the different goals which they offer. This will include considering the relative probabilities of different claims to have a revelation, which depend both on the moral plausibility of the purported revelation and on any miraculous authentication it purports to have (for example, the Resurrection of Jesus authenticating his teaching).
John Casey
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195092950
- eISBN:
- 9780199869732
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195092950.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
Christianity from its earliest times taught the existence of heaven and hell as places where good and evil deeds in this life were judged, rewarded and punished. In the course of time ideas both of ...
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Christianity from its earliest times taught the existence of heaven and hell as places where good and evil deeds in this life were judged, rewarded and punished. In the course of time ideas both of promised bliss and threatened woe went beyond anything than can have a purchase on human experience. Nevertheless, in their most developed form, doctrines of heaven and hell were explorations of moral psychology, as seen in their greatest imaginative expression, Dante's Divine Comedy. The present book explores and comments on ideas about post-mortem existence from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Israel, Greece and Rome, as well as in Christianity and (more briefly) Islam. Having traced the early history, growth, and refinement of these ideas over five millennia, it ends with the discordant voices of spiritualism, liberal theology, Mormonism, Evangelical Christian preachers of Rapture and Armageddon, modern Muslim apocalyptics, and Coptic visions of the Last Days. In a Prologue and an Epilogue the ironic treatment of some of these themes in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce is evoked to set them in a context of modernity.Less
Christianity from its earliest times taught the existence of heaven and hell as places where good and evil deeds in this life were judged, rewarded and punished. In the course of time ideas both of promised bliss and threatened woe went beyond anything than can have a purchase on human experience. Nevertheless, in their most developed form, doctrines of heaven and hell were explorations of moral psychology, as seen in their greatest imaginative expression, Dante's Divine Comedy. The present book explores and comments on ideas about post-mortem existence from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Israel, Greece and Rome, as well as in Christianity and (more briefly) Islam. Having traced the early history, growth, and refinement of these ideas over five millennia, it ends with the discordant voices of spiritualism, liberal theology, Mormonism, Evangelical Christian preachers of Rapture and Armageddon, modern Muslim apocalyptics, and Coptic visions of the Last Days. In a Prologue and an Epilogue the ironic treatment of some of these themes in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce is evoked to set them in a context of modernity.
Cynthia Grant Tucker
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390209
- eISBN:
- 9780199866670
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390209.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Pulling the narrative strands together, this chapter describes first the Eliots' evolving perceptions of life after death, from a literal heaven of family reunions to an ongoing mystical life of ...
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Pulling the narrative strands together, this chapter describes first the Eliots' evolving perceptions of life after death, from a literal heaven of family reunions to an ongoing mystical life of spirits who visit and counsel the living, to memories and good works that live on through subsequent generations, to the natural process of human atoms being returned to the universe to recombine in new forms and to take on new missions. More central, the chapter looks at the ways the Eliots manage the distance between the living and dead by preserving mementoes, creating memorials, writing their loved one's biographies, recording their histories on tape, and embracing the pain and struggle of separation.Less
Pulling the narrative strands together, this chapter describes first the Eliots' evolving perceptions of life after death, from a literal heaven of family reunions to an ongoing mystical life of spirits who visit and counsel the living, to memories and good works that live on through subsequent generations, to the natural process of human atoms being returned to the universe to recombine in new forms and to take on new missions. More central, the chapter looks at the ways the Eliots manage the distance between the living and dead by preserving mementoes, creating memorials, writing their loved one's biographies, recording their histories on tape, and embracing the pain and struggle of separation.
Charles Ramble
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195154146
- eISBN:
- 9780199868513
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154146.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
The case for civil religion is developed further by exploring the relationship between Te's institution of headmanship and Tibetan ideas of sacral kingship. Historical records point to the ...
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The case for civil religion is developed further by exploring the relationship between Te's institution of headmanship and Tibetan ideas of sacral kingship. Historical records point to the pervasiveness of these ideas in the civil society and the mythology of Mustang, where true monarchy, as opposed to despotism, is represented as a form of democracy. The ceremony for the appointment of Te's headmen is seen as a dramatisation of the Tibetan myth of the heaven‐appointed king. The headmen are not elected by ballot, but selected as the outcome of a complex ceremony amounting to a game of chance. In other such games, the outcome is commonly understood as an expression of divine will. However, the Tepas do not attribute the result to the choice of a particular god, and the chapter argues that the divinity in question is the hypostatic form of the community of Te itself.Less
The case for civil religion is developed further by exploring the relationship between Te's institution of headmanship and Tibetan ideas of sacral kingship. Historical records point to the pervasiveness of these ideas in the civil society and the mythology of Mustang, where true monarchy, as opposed to despotism, is represented as a form of democracy. The ceremony for the appointment of Te's headmen is seen as a dramatisation of the Tibetan myth of the heaven‐appointed king. The headmen are not elected by ballot, but selected as the outcome of a complex ceremony amounting to a game of chance. In other such games, the outcome is commonly understood as an expression of divine will. However, the Tepas do not attribute the result to the choice of a particular god, and the chapter argues that the divinity in question is the hypostatic form of the community of Te itself.
Jane Idleman Smith and Yvonne Haddad
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195156492
- eISBN:
- 9780199834662
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195156498.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
Islamic concepts of life after death, reward and punishment, human decision, and divine judgment have always held a certain fascination for Western readers. Recent world events have served only to ...
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Islamic concepts of life after death, reward and punishment, human decision, and divine judgment have always held a certain fascination for Western readers. Recent world events have served only to heighten those interests and to raise new questions about how Muslims understand the developments that are to signal the coming of the day of resurrection, whether martyrs have immediate access to paradise, who are the black‐eyed maidens waiting in paradise for the believers, and who will intercede for communities of Muslims, Christians, and Jews at the final judgment. The text looks at two distinct periods of time in the ongoing story of life after death in Islam. First is the period between individual death and the coming of the day of resurrection, about which the Qur’an says little and the traditions a great deal. Second is the series of events that will take place at the time of judgment, which are detailed thoroughly by the Qur’an. Interpretations of the materials related to each of these periods are provided first from the writings of the classical exegetes and theologians, and then from those of contemporary Muslim thinkers and writers. The narratives are presented so as to give the reader an overview of the whole process from death to resurrection to final consignment in the abodes of reward or of punishment. The entire discussion is placed within the framework of the Islamic understanding of God's expectations of human belief and behavior, and human ethical responses to those expectations. Two appendices deal respectively with evidence of afterlife concerns in pre‐Islamic Arabia, and the special case of women and children in the afterlife.Less
Islamic concepts of life after death, reward and punishment, human decision, and divine judgment have always held a certain fascination for Western readers. Recent world events have served only to heighten those interests and to raise new questions about how Muslims understand the developments that are to signal the coming of the day of resurrection, whether martyrs have immediate access to paradise, who are the black‐eyed maidens waiting in paradise for the believers, and who will intercede for communities of Muslims, Christians, and Jews at the final judgment. The text looks at two distinct periods of time in the ongoing story of life after death in Islam. First is the period between individual death and the coming of the day of resurrection, about which the Qur’an says little and the traditions a great deal. Second is the series of events that will take place at the time of judgment, which are detailed thoroughly by the Qur’an. Interpretations of the materials related to each of these periods are provided first from the writings of the classical exegetes and theologians, and then from those of contemporary Muslim thinkers and writers. The narratives are presented so as to give the reader an overview of the whole process from death to resurrection to final consignment in the abodes of reward or of punishment. The entire discussion is placed within the framework of the Islamic understanding of God's expectations of human belief and behavior, and human ethical responses to those expectations. Two appendices deal respectively with evidence of afterlife concerns in pre‐Islamic Arabia, and the special case of women and children in the afterlife.
