This is the final script in a series of 6 podcasts on what is in store for us if we survive death. So far I have explored accounts of death survival, inner character, the concept of selfishness, and reasons for permanence of unhappiness in those who are basically selfish. I now provide a summary of the 6 podcasts concerning the fate of selfish people, and suggest some Christian mistakes about life after death.
Listen to the sound track of this episode
Why one can believe we survive death
The human mind survives bodily death because subjective consciousness is not part of objective physical reality.
Also, because every mind has the ability to form itself in a way that transcends the natural effects of ‘nature and nurture’.
This is possible because human beings have an inner freedom of moral choice that makes us responsible for who we become.
What life after death is like
Swedenborg as well as spirit communicators describe a non-physical realm of after-death consciousness
The environment after death is a projection of inner thoughts and feelings.
Time and space there obey psychological rather than physical rules.
The individual wakes up in a spirit body with sensations and movement.
The character of one’s mind determines the quality of one’s environment in life after death.
Individual character doesn’t change at death
Our individual mind reflects the character we have become before we die.
Our individual character is formed from the pattern of intentions we choose during bodily life.
A person’s inner character can be seen in the light of divine truth but unacknowledged in the darkness of self-justification.
Those with unselfish character are separate from those of selfish character.
During life after death, those with basic good intentions undergo experiences which removes their mistaken ways of thinking so they live in light.
The rational understanding is removed in those who are basically self-centered.
In the afterlife one associates with those with similar character to oneself who will be like-minded.
In the afterlife, how people want to live limits their happiness
When one craves for what one wants for oneself there can only be restlessness and frustration because others are wanting the same thing.
When all are like this there is rivalry and no sense of shared community.
Yet selfish people are only happy when they are trying to get their own way.
A deeper kind of happiness arises however from focusing our minds on the needs of others and serving some useful function
If the light of truth were to shine on the life selfish people have chosen for themselves, they would suffer distress and want to hide away.
Those of selfish character stay in their selfish state
During life after death, selfish people prefer to continue in the delusions of self-justification.
Only when the light of truth sometimes shines do they acknowledge their selfish character which is reflected in their ugly distorted features.
Then they want to return to their normal state where they don’t have to honestly face themselves for what they are.
Universal compassion wants to lead such people away from their selfish state of life but not if it means taking away their freedom choose the life they wish.
Conclusion
If we do live after death, then we should live differently in the here and now. By improving our lives on earth, we can improve our life circumstances after death. Craving for worldly things closes the door to what is spiritual. Not indulging in worldly and bodily pleasures make more room for deeper experiences. The afterlife of the spirit is not just accessible after death. It is also a real dimension to the here and now which we can become more aware of through meditation and reflection.
What Christian mistakes are made about life after death?
If what we are saying is true, then there are a few Christian mistakes in thinking about the next life.
1: It is a mistake to believe that at some point following death, one’s existing physical body will be resurrected.
Although in the past the churches widely taught this, no geographer or astronomer has ever located a heavenly paradise or hellish inferno. It is one of the Christian mistakes to suppose that the afterlife is a physical place where one will live in a physical body resurrected from this life on earth.
As I have described, Swedenborg says that, following death, we wake up in a non-physical spirit body. This spirit body can see, hear and smell as well as think and feel. Accordingly, the ‘spirit world’ follows psychological rather than physical rules.
2: It is not true that hell is an eternal punishment for a life lived badly.
The old idea in Europe was that if I have been a bad person, I will ‘rot in hell’. These days, however, the picture of such a place of never-ending torture is very much in doubt. Nevertheless, Christians still see life after death as a reward for good people and an everlasting punishment for bad people.
I would like to say that this teaching is not strictly accurate. Admittedly, it does have the advantage of showing the importance of how we choose to live our lives. But I believe it mistakenly implies a process of judgment by a higher divine power; a deity who is thought to condemn certain people to eternal damnation. I don’t see how any God of love could adopt such an attitude handing out rewards and punishments in this way.
An alternative view I have presented is more associated with the idea of self-determination. The quality of life to be experienced will not be a reward for good conduct nor a punishment for bad conduct during life. Each person’s state of afterlife will simply be a continuation of the kind of life led before death. It is we who cut ourselves off from the sphere of loving kindness when we adopt self-centered ways.
3: It is an error to assume that hell is for those who lack religious belief
The account of an afterlife I have given challenges the old Christian idea that getting into heaven is simply a matter of believing in God and making confession when the time comes.
4: It is a mistake to think that an all-powerful God of love will rescue those who have paid the price for their sins
A God of love would indeed wish everybody to be at peace, contentment and joy. But this can only result from generosity of spirit, consideration for others, and other virtues of an unselfish person. This is the divine hope for all. But in giving us freedom to live as we will, God permits us to sabotage the divine plan and tragically many people do so. Hence one of the statements about hell by the Roman Catholic church:
“a state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed.”
Swedenborg claims that nevertheless God’s compassion will do what it can. The power of love continually tries to lead people, if they will, away from the joylessness of selfishness into the heavenly joy of kindness and compassion. However, if they were to cling to their selfishness then all that can be done is to try to lead them from a more grievous to a milder hellish state.
I would say it is a kindness by a loving God to allow those who are unwilling to give up their selfishness and all the related bad desires, to escape from the light of justice. For if they were continually exposed to it, the light of truth would bring about continuous discomfort.
The Lord protects those who are not ready to change. If they did then they may return to their old ways and be worse
“Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed” (Isaiah 6:10)
Actually, Swedenborg says, in the afterlife, people are as happy as is possible given how they want to live. Sadly, selfish people are only happy when they are trying to get their own way.
Podcasts in this series
2 An afterlife – What is it like?
3 Individual character – After death?
4 Selfish character – A valid idea?
5 Selfishness and unhappiness – Why?
6 Christian mistakes about life after death?
Copyright 2020 Stephen Russell-Lacy
Author of Heart, Head & Hands Swedenborg’s perspective on emotional problems
