John Hick attempts to demonstrate that resurrection of the body is logically possible based on the idea of God’s omnipotence. He claims that it would be feasible for God to create an exact replica of a human being, complete with memories and characteristics, which could be identified as the same person as he who had died. Hick’s theory complies with the teaching of St. Paul, who taught that although the body will be raised after death, it will be transformed into a spiritual body:
‘And there are heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies…’ (1 Corinthians 15: 39)
Nevertheless, this idea has been heavily criticised by Anthony Flew on the grounds that ‘survival of death’ is a contradiction, since death is not lived through. According to Flew, a resurrected individual would not be the same person. Idealism also contradicts this view, holding that the physical world consists of ‘ideas’ rather than matter, and that matter is really spirit. Therefore there is no physical body to decay at death.
Many Christians, despite belief in the Resurrection, have a Platonic perception of life; life’s purpose is to give meaning to the afterlife. Such ideas beliefs have given fuel to the claims of Marx, who asserts that religion is an illusion, and belief in life after death simply gives hope to the oppressed in society. In spite of this, the work of Plato has had a profound influence on the work of philosophers. He asserts that the soul is immortal and part of the unchanging world of ‘ideas,’ where it existed before entering the human body. The soul aims to return to this realm, and upon death it will do so, leaving the human body behind. For Plato the soul is our personal identity, so after death the true spirit of the person continues.
Although Aristotle was also a dualist, his philosophy was different to that Plato, in that he believed that neither the body nor the soul is capable of surviving death, since they are inseparable. In a sense the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas is very similar, but from a theistic perspective. Aquinas accepted that it was the soul which gave the body life, but argued that the soul operates autonomously. Maintaining that things only decompose if they are divisible, Aquinas claimed that the soul could survive death since it cannot be divided into parts.
The validity of the dualist theory has been questioned by Bernard Williams, amongst others. He rejected the notion that one’s identity is shaped solely by memories and actions in the mind, claiming that identity stems from physical characteristics also. Furthermore, it is important to acknowledge our ability to affect the mind, through the use of alcohol or drugs, for example. Another criticism being that science has discovered links between the mind and the brain, thus casting doubt over the premise that the soul can exist independently. The concept of reincarnation also stands in contrast to dualism, for it rejects the idea that survival of personal identity after death is dependent on memories; memories of previous lives are usually non-existent.
There is much evidence to support the existence of life after death in some form. Near- death experiences may be cited as proof, for advances in technology have resulted in a number of people being resuscitated after being declared clinically ‘dead.’ Research carried out by Dr Raymond Moody has revealed patients’ accounts of experience to be very similar. Similarly, regression to past lives under hypnosis may support the theory of life after death in the form of reincarnation. However, it is doubtful as to whether memories of a former life can be classed as ‘proof,’ since the individual may be confusing information gained in childhood with a former life. It is also possible that we have a cultural gene which passes down information of our ancestors. Failing that, some ‘memories’ may be the result of psychological problems. Other arguments for afterlife include sightings of the dead, spiritualism and cryogenics.
In conclusion, there is no absolute proof of afterlife. However, for the Christian it is a matter of faith; life after death undoubtedly exists.
Bibliography
Philosophy of Religion
H J Richards
Philosophy of Religion for A Level
Anne Jordan
Philosophy of Religion
Brian Davis
The Puzzle of God
Peter Vardy
