What is our eventual destination when we die? Over the past two
thousand years, conservative and liberal Christian faith groups and
theologians have studied the Bible and disagreed about its teachings on life after death. Various serious, intelligent,
devout, have prayerfully concluded that Heaven, Hell, purgatory,
reincarnation, some sort of shadowy existence, and/or even annihilation (no
existence at all) awaits:
Currently:
Conservative Christians generally view the authors of the Bible as
having been inspired by God. Thus, their biblical writings are inerrant. They believe that all of the authors
present a coherent picture of the afterlife: reward for very few believers in Heaven
and eternal punishment for the vast majority in Hell.
Liberal Christians view the authors of the Bible as each
promoting their own specific -- and very different -- beliefs of the
afterlife. Liberals see these beliefs as having evolving during the ten
centuries or so over which the Bible was written.
Each group believes that their conclusions are correct and solidly based on the
Bible. At least one is wrong.
Other topics: How Bible translators handle the afterlife. What
Americans believe.
Related essays on this web site:
Salvation: This is a topic closely tied to Hell, because many
Christians believe that most of humanity will end up in Hell; only those
few who are saved will attain Heaven.
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