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Author Topic: What does the Orthodox Church say about the concept of the Afterlife?  (Read 672 times) Average Rating: 0
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WPM
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« on: January 29, 2013, 03:32:54 PM »

Does the Orthodox Church have a teaching or vision about the Afterlife? ...
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« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2013, 05:17:21 PM »

Orthodox Christians have said quite a bit on the topic of the afterlife. It would behoove you to be a bit more specific in your questioning. This is probably a decent place to start.
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« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2013, 05:21:05 PM »

Where shall we start? Some possible subjects to begin with:

- What happens to the soul at death?
- Can people be saved after they die?
- What will the judgment be like?
- Are people in the afterlife concious and awake?
- What will heaven and hell be like?
- Will all or most be saved, or only a few?
- Are there toll houses or some kind of purgation?
- Will theosis go on forever, and what does that mean if so?

We can discuss all of them of course, but it'd help to tackle one or two ideas/questions at a time...
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« Reply #3 on: January 29, 2013, 06:06:42 PM »

Is time irrelevant after I die and if so do I immediately get my new body cuz the ressurection of the dead has already happened?
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WPM
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« Reply #4 on: January 29, 2013, 06:56:00 PM »

The Afterlife seems like a concept or tradition borrowed from ancient mythical religion.
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« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2013, 07:11:27 PM »

Orthodox Christians have said quite a bit on the topic of the afterlife. It would behoove you to be a bit more specific in your questioning. This is probably a decent place to start.

Or the place of purgation must be where the soul/body goes after death for preparation to live in the presence of God.
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« Reply #6 on: January 29, 2013, 07:12:09 PM »

Read "Life after Death" by Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos.
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« Reply #7 on: January 29, 2013, 07:31:55 PM »

The Afterlife seems like a concept or tradition borrowed from ancient mythical religion.
How's that?
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« Reply #8 on: January 29, 2013, 07:33:25 PM »

The Afterlife seems like a concept or tradition borrowed from ancient mythical religion.
How's that?

The belief system of the Egyptians for example.
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« Reply #9 on: January 29, 2013, 07:46:53 PM »

The Egyptians were also theistic and thought you could multiply length and width to get area. I'm not sure a belief being held by ancient people intrinsically invalidates it, especially a belief so broad as "There's some kind of afterlife."
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« Reply #10 on: January 29, 2013, 11:16:54 PM »

Is time irrelevant after I die and if so do I immediately get my new body cuz the ressurection of the dead has already happened?

This is a good question, and I wish I knew the answer to it, as I've also wondered about it (and about prayer, and other stuff related to time in the afterlife)...
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« Reply #11 on: January 30, 2013, 12:20:52 AM »

Any tips & ideas on how to make my prayer corner compatible with the Church?..
« Last Edit: January 30, 2013, 12:21:13 AM by WPM » Logged
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« Reply #12 on: January 30, 2013, 12:23:29 AM »

Any tips & ideas on how to make my prayer corner compatible with the Church?..

What do you have at the moment? Jesus Christ? Mary? Trinity? Patron saint of yourself/family? Candles? Cross? Bible? Prayer book(s)? Smiley
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« Reply #13 on: January 30, 2013, 01:03:58 AM »

Any tips & ideas on how to make my prayer corner compatible with the Church?..

What do you have at the moment? Jesus Christ? Mary? Trinity? Patron saint of yourself/family? Candles? Cross? Bible? Prayer book(s)? Smiley

Religious items, candle, and small icons.
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« Reply #14 on: February 01, 2013, 06:16:58 PM »

The Egyptians were also theistic and thought you could multiply length and width to get area. I'm not sure a belief being held by ancient people intrinsically invalidates it, especially a belief so broad as "There's some kind of afterlife."

Does the Orthodox Church have an Afterlife?...
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« Reply #15 on: February 01, 2013, 06:22:30 PM »

Any tips & ideas on how to make my prayer corner compatible with the Church?..

What do you have at the moment? Jesus Christ? Mary? Trinity? Patron saint of yourself/family? Candles? Cross? Bible? Prayer book(s)? Smiley

Religious items, candle, and small icons.

Sounds like a good start--or for all I know a good icon corner period Smiley Have you seen the thread of pictures of icon corners? The pics might give you some ideas...
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« Reply #16 on: February 01, 2013, 06:23:13 PM »

The Egyptians were also theistic and thought you could multiply length and width to get area. I'm not sure a belief being held by ancient people intrinsically invalidates it, especially a belief so broad as "There's some kind of afterlife."

Does the Orthodox Church have an Afterlife?...

The Orthodox Church teaches that there is an afterlife, and Orthodox Christians will be there, if that's what you're asking about?
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« Reply #17 on: February 27, 2013, 09:30:32 PM »

The Egyptians were also theistic and thought you could multiply length and width to get area. I'm not sure a belief being held by ancient people intrinsically invalidates it, especially a belief so broad as "There's some kind of afterlife."

Does the Orthodox Church have an Afterlife?...

The Orthodox Church teaches that there is an afterlife, and Orthodox Christians will be there, if that's what you're asking about?

-(I think the traditional understanding is that after a person dies they go to Heaven?)-
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« Reply #18 on: February 27, 2013, 09:31:50 PM »

The Orthodox Church is a visible representation of God's Kingdom on Earth?..
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« Reply #19 on: February 27, 2013, 10:46:52 PM »

The Egyptians were also theistic and thought you could multiply length and width to get area. I'm not sure a belief being held by ancient people intrinsically invalidates it, especially a belief so broad as "There's some kind of afterlife."

True. Plus, they made cool writing with little pictures, like birds and twigs. How sad that we don't.
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« Reply #20 on: February 27, 2013, 10:48:45 PM »

The Orthodox Church is a visible representation of God's Kingdom on Earth?..

Ideally yes. I've often thought of it as a school where one can learn how to model oneself on Christ.
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« Reply #21 on: February 27, 2013, 11:05:02 PM »

The Orthodox Church teaches that the soul separates from the body upon the passing from this life as it transitions from the "Church Militant" to the "Church Triumphant," and, receives a "Partial Judgement,"  experiencing a "foretaste" of the "Final Judgement" when all will be before the "Fearsome Judgement Seat of Christ."  The "foretaste" refers to either a state of comfort or a state of torture--or unpleasantness.  The Church does not know if the soul can be saved after the death of this life, acknowledging that there is no scriptural justification for such.  However, the Church teaches that the soul senses a "temporary reprieve" from the prayers of those in the Church Militant.  The church teaches that all the saints and those of the "Church Triumphant" join the "Church Militant" during celebration of the Divine Liturgy.  There are icons of Christ as the celebrant of the Divine Liturgy surrounded by deceased hierarchs at the "holy, invisible and celestial altar."  The church also teaches that the soul does not experience time.  There will be a reuniting of the soul with the body--the resurrection of the body, during "the life of the ages to come."  The body will appear as it best appeared on Earth, perhaps when the person was age 33.

These teachings are found in the writings of Church Fathers and are considered within the consensus of church teaching, but are by no means dogma.
« Last Edit: February 27, 2013, 11:07:51 PM by Basil 320 » Logged

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