A Theodicy of Hell - Report Example

The Hell Debate; The argument for ical and annihilation view points Theological debates are analyzed on the basis of their strengths and weaknesses, as all other worldly debates. However, such debates are of greater significance as they affect the lives of many people individually and socially. The proponents of different theories of hell debate have been in a conscious struggle for ages to define the relationship of man’s actions in this world, and their respective repercussions in the other world. As the hell debate has been around for centuries now and various theories have been developed by different schools of thought out of which two main theories: classical theory and annihilation theory are worth mentioning. The classical or traditional theory on the existence of hell was initially based on the literal meanings of the Holy Scripture; later, theorists began to interpret its metaphoric meanings as well. However, the foundations of this theory are based upon the concept of eternity or eternal life. It places its firm belief in eternal life and specifically in life after death. This theory aims to justify man’s existence and the impact of his actions on his/her life, in the hereafter. The classical theory derives its essence from the life of Jesus, who died a painful death for the resurrection of his people. “In Christianity, heaven and hell are eternal realms not only beyond the universe, but also beyond space and time.” (D’Souza, 2009, p. 74) In this regard, a clear distinction has been made between the characteristics of this world which is defined in space and time as opposed with the hereafter, where there is no sense of time or space. Moreover, the hereafter is comprised of two opposite worlds or realms- hell and heaven. The world we live in is comprised of all types of people- the good and the wicked and the in-betweens. Humankind would be segregated in the hereafter, on the basis of their deeds and their rewards or punishments would be waiting for them in heaven or hell respectively. The classical theory emphasizes upon the infinite- for instance, infinite happiness of being with God in heaven, and similarly infinite pain and torture in hell. This sense of infiniteness and eternity is sharply contrasted with that of the material world and the mortal death of human beings. The entire classical theory revolves around the justice of God that rewards or punishes people on the basis of their deeds. Thus, the philosophy behind the creation of heaven and hell was to define a system of justice for man, and he is held responsible for the choices he makes in this world. Thus in this respect, the issue of preordained destiny also comes to light. The classical theory clearly puts man in a position to shape his/her destiny in the hereafter. He is given various opportunities in this world to define his actions and roles to play in this world and depending on that, he is judged in the hereafter. The classical theory maintains that the actions or fate of man are not pre-destined and he is given a choice to do either good or bad deeds. The phenomenon of hell and the literal descriptions in the bible of the burning fire help in visualizing the painful torture that would be inflicted upon the people for their evil deeds or sins. Perhaps, such vivid descriptions in the bible were translated in their literal meanings to frighten mankind of the consequences of his actions and its drastic impact on his eternal life. For centuries, such literal interpretations made by the clergy were used to induce fear in people regarding the day of judgement. The issues of death and judgement became the focal point of theological debate between various schools of clergy. Some argue that there is: ...death and judgement, first of all, but not so much God’s judgement on us as our own judgement on our past life... As Jesus in John’s gospel remarks, “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32). If one accepts the truth, then one is in heaven... If one refuses to accept the full truth about oneself, one is equivalently in “hell”... (Bracken, 2006, p.110) Thus, man was compelled to judge his own actions and categorize them as good or wicked deeds. The task of judging human actions was not left to God alone- humankind was also involved in this process, so that it could take upon the responsibility of his/her individual actions. The debate on hell rendered a good deal of realization on the part of human beings who started taking the matter of death and judgement seriously. Thus the idea of believing in the classical theory of hell is to judge one’s own actions and repent, if required. God will start judging people in the life in the hereafter- before that, it is up to the individuals to mend their ways so as to evade hell. Perhaps the reason for illustrating hell as a torture cell in Bible with flaming fires and excruciating pain, was to make people may shun evil paths and follow the path of Jesus and God. The quote of Jesus about truth explains the ideology of Christianity. It’s all about seeking the truth in life that would save humanity from the wrath of hell. The traditional Christian views of hell are explained by ...Augustine in book 21 of The City of God. Three features of his discussion are worth pointing out. First he argues that the fire mentioned in the scripture as the abode of the damned is a material fire which burns the bodies of the wicked without destroying them... Second, he believes that after death there is no opportunity for repentance... finally, Augustine affirms that the damned find hell miserable enough that they would prefer some other fate- at the very least, they would rather be separated from the body which causes them so much pain. (Seymour, 2000, p.24) This interpretation by Augustine contributes to the literal interpretation of the theme of hell in Bible. According to it, the physical senses of the human body would still be alive in the hereafter, so that one can feel the pain physically. The entire scenario of hell, as explained by Augustine seems like an extension of the life of this world to the hereafter. Everything is physical in nature- the human body, the fire and the human senses that make man wish that he/she had another fate. Even the human yearning to get rid of their physical state is so worldly-like. In reaction to such physical interpretations of Bible related to hell, another school of thought started interpreting such illustrations in a metaphorical way. They argued that the illustration of hell as given in the Bible should not be taken in a literal sense as human soul would be considered to be in anguish in any case, if the love or nearness to God is shunned from it. Thus, metaphorical interpretations of hell started gaining popularity as, “the older dogmaticians saw the torment of hell in the exclusion from God, in spite of full consciousness of his nearness.” (Pannenburg, 1977, p. 270) The metaphoric meaning of hell did not negate its existence but only altered the meaning of torture in hell. The meaning of pain shifts from the physical sense to the soul that is inflicted with the thought that God is away from it. This definition takes away the material meaning of hell as illustrated in the classical theory and gives it a new ephemeral meaning. Regardless of this shift in the meanings of torture, the fundamental belief of all Christians regarding hell remained the same: “If one dies, one either goes to heaven, purgatory, or hell... If one is in hell, then all the prayers in the world cannot release one from hell, since hell is eternal.” (Pasquini, 2003, p. 129) The annihilation theory reduces the impact of punishment in hell by proposing that the souls of the wicked shall be destroyed, thus saving them from eternal punishment. This can also be inferred that the decision of God is irrevocable and His decisions would be unalterable and final. The focus of such interpretations by the Classical theorists might have been to urge people to repent for their misdeeds in this world before it gets too late. Another major difference between the classical and the annihilation theories of hell is the nature of death. According to the classical theorists, death is seen as a mere transition to the other world. In case one ends up in hell, his/her physical senses would not die but accompany him/her to face the torture inflicted by the fires of hell. The annihilation theory has a different approach towards death. It sees death as a destructive force that annihilates the soul of man. In this respect, death can also be seen as a merciful element that evades the fires of hell. The phenomenon of death is rather complex as it abruptly finishes or destructs the human soul without giving it a proper and due ending. However, the annihilation theory views death as an end to the physical being along with its senses. In a way, death is supposed to liberate the human body from the wrath of God or the day of judgement. On the contrary, the classical theory of hell held the fate of human soul in between hell and heaven. If one went to hell, then there was no escape from it what-so-ever. This is where the theory of annihilation slowly began to be accepted by many people across the world for the liberation or salvation it offered to the human soul from the fires of hell. This theory is based on the assumption that nothing is eternal- and it negates the existence of hell on the belief that God is too merciful to torture anyone in hell, regardless of his/her sins. Annihilation theory “denotes that the wicked will be annihilated immediately after their deaths, or will first be severely punished in hell, then will be annihilated.” (Shahid, 2005, p. 236) The souls in heaven would meet the same eternal fate and they would live in heaven for ever. Classical theory establishes equilibrium between the two realms in the hereafter by attributing the same characteristic of eternity to each of them. Thus, the two realms in the hereafter would cater to the punishments or rewards for the wicked and the good people respectively. In view of the balance maintained by the classical theory between heaven and hell, classical theory offers a comparatively satisfactory solution to the issues pertaining life and death and the impact of human actions on life after death. It also emphasizes on the control human beings have on their fates in the hereafter. God did not have to create this universe with all its complexities if everything was preordained. He is just and awards punishments or rewards according to the actions one chooses in this world. Though annihilation theory offers more consolation to people than the classical theory of hell, yet it fails to answer a lot of questions. It assumes that the wicked or the sinners would not have eternal lives and they would be annihilated simply because God doesn’t want to be with them. It offers an easy escape to the wicked souls by suggesting that the punishment would not last till eternity. Though it acknowledges the existence of heaven and the fact that good souls would be sent to heaven, yet it “mathematically destroys heaven since there is only one common judgement: Would there not then also be a serious disproportion between good deeds consciously committed in time and grace consciously experienced throughout eternity.” (Cronfel, 2004. p. 32) Annihilation theory throws the entire concept of judgement into misbalance. Technically, according to the classical theory of hell, heaven and hell are antithesis of each other and by negating the existence of one of them; the existence of the other entity is automatically negated. It gives birth to an important question: Why the souls of wicked people would be annihilated only? Or why there is an imbalance between the continuity of lives of the good and the bad? “Perhaps the strongest argument against annihilation is that only one kind of being has both an eternal and physical dimension- we human being... That means, annihilation is not even a possibility.” (Gungor, 2009, p.203) It is not possible to categorize human beings as both- mortal and immortal. It is agreed upon by the classical theorists that human souls have eternal lives and thus it makes more sense that all human beings have eternal souls- whether they are good or wicked. Annihilation theory attributes eternal lives to the good souls only, and classifies wicked souls as mortals that would be annihilated shortly after their deaths in one way or the other. In this respect, this theory is biased and does not have much substance or credibility. “A proponent of annihilation might object that it is a natural end to human existence, except when god intervenes to ensure that someone lives on in heaven... A response to this objection is that god created persons who have this natural end. He could have created them with a different end because mortality is not essential to free being, good being, or any other type of being he might create.” (Buenting, 2010, p. 130) Hell debate has generated significant interest among the followers of the faith. Like other theological debates, it has a deep impact on the minds and beliefs of people who tend to shape their opinions and philosophies on the basis of the established theories like classical and annihilation theories. Each theory looks at the existence and meanings of hell from different perspectives and the followers of each belief retain their viewpoints accordingly. It is also interesting to note that both theories have more or less the same views about heaven- the abode of the blessed souls where they shall be nearer to God. Both the theories agree upon the theme of infinity or eternity for heaven; however, they deviate in defining the existence of hell and in associating infiniteness to it. Bibliography Bracken, A. J. Christianity and Process Thought: Spirituality for a Changing World. PA, USA : Templeton Foundation Press, 2006. DSouza, D. Life after Death : The Evidence. Washington, DC, USA: Regnery Publishing, 2009. Seymour, S. C. A Theodicy of Hell. The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic publishers, 2000. Pannenberg, W. Jesus God and Man. 2nd ed. Pennsylvania: Westminster Press, 1977. Pasquini, J. J. True Christianity: The Catholic Way. Lincoln, USA: iUniverse Inc., 2003. Cronfel, J. Eternal Christianity. USA: Tyndale house publishers, 2004. Shahid, S.The Last Trumpet. USA: The Lockman foundation, 2005. Gungor, E. What Bothers Me Most about Christianity: Honest Reflections from an Open-Minded Christ Follower. New York: Howard books, 2009. Buenting, J. The Problem of Hell: An Philosophical Anthology. England: Ashgate publishing limited, 2010. Read More