![[Under Construction]](../images/undercon.gif){kind=small}
THE AFTERLIFE
Chapter 12
Stages of Faith—A context preceding the afterlife
Faith
An aspect of believing and trusting what a religion teaches
Universal
Stages
Imagination
Imitation
Integration
Individuality
Inspiration
Incarnation
Imagination
Ages 2 – 7 (generally)
Understanding the world through images.
Can’t yet sort out fantasy from reality
Imitation
Ages--Elementary School
Begins to integrate beliefs that have been taught and his or her behavoir
Stories and myths give meaning to experience.
Taking everything literally
Integration
Ages—Junior High to Adult
A knowing of who I am and what I want to do with my life
May be too sure of one’s beliefs, too much in conformity with one’s religious culture
One’s faith may fail in difficult times
Individuality
Ages—Adult
This stage is somewhat rare.
Capacity for critical reflection
Too much confidence in the conscious mind and critical thought
Loss of the mystical, the mythical, the surprise of the transcendent.
Inspiration
Ages—Adults whose spiritual journey is their priority
Very rare
Ability to hold paradox—the numinous truth in the myth without the myth being literally true
A lethargy due to no clear statement of truth
Old understandings are insufficient and new understandings have not yet arisen.
Incarnation
Ages—The Saint
Extremely rare
One who "becomes" love and justice in the world.
The Saint
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Working with the dying, the poorest of the poor, without thought to self, trusting transcendence
The Saint
Billy Graham
Taking the good news of Jesus Christ to the nations regardless of rejection
The Saint
The Dalai Lama
Leaving the monastery to take the Tibetan Buddhism persecution by the Chinese to the larger society
The Saint
The fully mature spiritually
Limitations of the Saint
Physical problems, such as old age or illness.
Prevents active ministry in the world, but not contemplative ministry to Mystery
An Example of One Person’s Journey Through the Stages
Beth’s Journey, A Christian, A Methodist
Imagination—Stage 1
Going to Sunday School
A loving teacher
Experience: Going to Church is fun
Beth’s Journey
Imitation
Children’s church
Learning the hymns of the church
This is my Father’s World
Learning the values
Children’s sermons of contemporary examples; caring only about self is wrong
Learning the stories
Adam and Eve, Jesus’ birth and death
Experience: Having fun and feeling inspired, hopeful, settled, curious about God.
Beth’s Journey
Integration—Part I
I’m going to be a high school teacher.
I’m a Christian. I read and believe the Bible. I try to do good.
I’m going to be a virgin when I marry.
Experience: The experience of church becomes boring. Boy’s become more interesting. Drops out of church, but reads the Bible when needing emotional support and encouragement.
Beth’s Journey
Integration—Part II
What church is the right one?
What religion is the right one?
What’s right for me?
Adult commitment to Christ
Complete confidence in the Christian biblical beliefs and practice
Experience of the transcendent
Beth’s Journey
Individuality
Life Crisis—death of a beloved
Deep grief
Christian beliefs and church community can’t support the pain
Goes to Methodist theological school
Challenged by unknown and uncomfortable Christian beliefs
Loss of the mystical; too much rational
May begin exploring social action
Beth’s Journey
Inspiration
Missing the vitality of Integration—Part II
Attempt to find the transcendent outside of as well as within a new Christian perspective. Reading autobiographies.
The numinous breaks through occasionally
Attends church only occasionally, prays for others now and then, generally lethargic without an image of God that fits experience. Tries to read spiritual writings and pray, but finds no vitality there. Is held by earlier faith experience.
Engages in social action
Beth’s Journey
As a "saint"
Is challenged to choose a new God image
In a flash of insight, a very broad and deep understanding of God emerges—
The transcendent-- male energy in God as strong, wise and involved in one’s life; the female energy of God as radically free and transformational; God as an energy in the world revealed as love and justice, intentional evolution, and more when incarnated in the material world.
Encompasses all religions while Christianity remains the foundation and is precious but not separating from others.
Beth as a "saint"
Christ is seen as image of self in Jungian terms breaking through in numinous dreams, meditation on scripture, contemplative loving awareness of God.
Full giving of oneself to God and others; yet due to being a senior citizen, chooses to prioritize ministry and take care of her own needs.
Seen by others with flaws but deeply loved and/or appreciated—a "fully human being"
The Afterlife
The "uncommitted" person
Pg. 203 quote
Two Near Death Experiences
Pg. 208, quote; non-Christian
Pg. 209, quote; Christian
Death and the Afterlife—Cultural perspectives
Judaism
We have a God-given soul.
After death this soul is sheltered in God’s eternal dwelling forever
We will live again in the world to come.
All the righteous are included.
Christianity
Death is the penalty for sin
Christ has defeated death
We have been freed from sin’s effects and defeated death in Christ
The dead will all be raised
God gives us a spiritual body
Raised in glory
Raised in power
We will not all die
End time: Trumpet sounds, dead raised, living transformed
Hinduism
Present life—samsara, subject to karma
Moksha—release from samsara
Death is just another phase
Death is the separation of the soul (Atman) from the body
This soul becomes the starting point for the next life.
Taoism
Human beings are an aspect of Tao
Death is but another incident in the eternal movement of nature.
Death is a change into a new aspect, as fall merges into winter
Shintoism
Human beings have a kami nature—a spiritual aspect
Kami—the enormous life-giving power; not God, but all human beings and nature can become Kami; Kami also is attributed to that which brings evil.
Goal of life is to be remembered with official approval—enshrined by the community after death. Yet all human beings are revered after death as ancestral Kami. Death is preferable to fail in one’s duty.
Native American
At death the person continues in a new form of existence.
When the "extra-physical" soul leaves the body, it is "attracted magnetically" to the realm of the dead.
Native American—Various Tribal beliefs
(Ake Hultkrantz, Soul and Native Americans)This soul is considered to be the whole person.
It may be transformed into a totem or guardian spirit.
It may go to the underworld
Various Tribal Beliefs
It may go through various stages: for a time it stays with the body; gradually it looses its connection to body; begins its journey, overcoming obstacles along the way. The obstacles purify the soul.
It may choose to be a "wandering spook-ghost" rather than go to the realm of the dead.
Various Tribal Beliefs
There are dual souls—life-soul and free-soul.
The free-soul may go to the realm of the dead or transmigrate into an animal, while the life-soul becomes a grave-ghost or is reincarnated in a new person.
The End
Remember your paper due May 2—two weeks away!