soul sleep

[mark_a]

I have known protestants of many different mainstream denominations that have lost a loved one and believed that the loved one was “looking down” on us from heaven or “with the Lord”.

Are there denominations that have a view of the afterlife similar to Catholocism’s?

 

[tkdnick]

How does this not fit with the Catholic view of afterlife? We believe in the communion of saints, and can pray to saints for intercession. Isn’t that looking down upon us?

 

[mark_a]

tkdnick:

How does this not fit with the Catholic view of afterlife? We believe in the communion of saints, and can pray to saints for intercession. Isn’t that looking down upon us?

My bad.

My question presumed that many mainstream protestants reject Catholic beliefs of eternal life (i.e. a person’s soul is alive and aware after his earthly death, not in a state of “soul sleep”).

Is this presumption incorrect? Let me know if I can further confuse you.

 

[puzzleannie]

several times in inquiry sessions I have heard this question, from non-Catholics usually of a fundamentalist or evangelical bent, as to whether the soul goes directly to heaven or hell upon death, or is it just “asleep” until the last judgement. Two people have actually expressed the belief that the soul and body lie in the grave together until the last judgement, which leads to all sorts of weird possibilities. But if people can believe a soul is somehow “not yet ready for prime time” at the time of death, how is that a barrier to belief in purgatory? Anybody who can shed light on these variations of belief and their origins will be doing me and my class a huge favor.

 

[Katholikos]

puzzleannie:

several times in inquiry sessions I have heard this question, from non-Catholics usually of a fundamentalist or evangelical bent, as to whether the soul goes directly to heaven or hell upon death, or is it just “asleep” until the last judgement. Two people have actually expressed the belief that the soul and body lie in the grave together until the last judgement, which leads to all sorts of weird possibilities. But if people can believe a soul is somehow “not yet ready for prime time” at the time of death, how is that a barrier to belief in purgatory? Anybody who can shed light on these variations of belief and their origins will be doing me and my class a huge favor.

The Seventh-Day Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses are the primary purveyors of the doctrine of “soul sleep” but with 1,000s of denominations, there may be others as well. SDA’s were founded by Ellen Harmon White in 1844 based on the teachings of William Miller. JW’s were founded in 1872 by Charles Taze Russell. It definitely was not taught by the Apostles!

Search Google under “soul sleep” and you’ll find several articles for and against this doctrine.

This abberent belief results from Luther’s doctrine of Sola Scriptura – different Protestants read the Bible and come to different conclusions about what it means.

JMJ Jay

 

[ahimsaman72]

mark a:

My bad.

My question presumed that many mainstream protestants reject Catholic beliefs of eternal life (i.e. a person’s soul is alive and aware after his earthly death, not in a state of “soul sleep”).

Is this presumption incorrect? Let me know if I can further confuse you.

Actually, Mark there are only a handful (or fewer) denominations that believe in “soul sleep” (the state of the believer resting in the grave until the resurrection when Christ shall come and raise the person - body, soul and spirit into heaven).

Only groups like the Seventh-Day Adventists believe in “soul-sleep”. That’s the only specific group I know personally that espouses that doctrine as official church teaching. Other groups or individuals may believe that, but they are not official teachings of their respective churches.

Mainstream denoms believe that believers who die go to heaven directly and that others (unbelievers) go directly to hell. The resurrection comes later when spirit is re-united with the body and the general judgement of believers begins which is the “rewarding ceremony”.

I must mention that for unbelievers the belief is that they are personally judged after death (“it is appointed unto men once to die and after this, the judgement”) and are sentenced to their destination of hell, while believers have already been justified and need no further judgement or purifying.

Just wanted to help you understand the “mainstream” theology a little better.

 

[ahimsaman72]

Katholikos:

The Seventh-Day Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses are the primary purveyors of the doctrine of “soul sleep” but with 1,000s of denominations, there may be others as well. SDA’s were founded by Ellen Harmon White in 1844 based on the teachings of William Miller. JW’s were founded in 1872 by Charles Taze Russell. It definitely was not taught by the Apostles!

Search Google under “soul sleep” and you’ll find several articles for and against this doctrine.

This abberent belief results from Luther’s doctrine of Sola Scriptura – different Protestants read the Bible and come to different conclusions about what it means.

JMJ Jay

This belief in no way detracts from the believer’s relationship with God. What does it matter if one believes this or not? Can the belief in such a doctrine send them to hell? Is it a mortal sin to believe that instead of going straight to heaven that you simply wait for the resurrection for Christ to take you to be with Him?

Conclusions such as these groups have come to are not grave matters. They believe in the bodily resurrection of the believer (just like Catholics).

 

[tkdnick]

mark a:

My bad.

My question presumed that many mainstream protestants reject Catholic beliefs of eternal life (i.e. a person’s soul is alive and aware after his earthly death, not in a state of “soul sleep”).

Is this presumption incorrect? Let me know if I can further confuse you.

Ah, got it now. I personally have never even heard of this idea. I always assumed that everyone knew when you died your soul went to heaven.

p.s.-I love your signature quote about 3 lefts making a right. I always use the opposite (maybe because I’m left-handed)…2 wrongs don’t make a right, but 3 rights make a left.

 

[StephiePea]

I think the Baptists (which is what I was before I became Catholic) believe that when you die, you go to heaven or hell, depending on whether you were a believer or not. They don’t go into much depth on what the resurection means (although I think they believe in it). That is why I love the Catholic Church so much, they have answers for everything!

 

[mark_a]

Thanks folks.

I’ll tell ya- I’m losing it. Maybe I’m spending too much time learning what other denominations think of Catholics and why. My ever increasingly feeble mind totally mixed up this information. It was in my head, but got stirred up somehow.

 

[Katholikos]

ahimsaman72:

This belief in no way detracts from the believer’s relationship with God. What does it matter if one believes this or not? Can the belief in such a doctrine send them to hell? Is it a mortal sin to believe that instead of going straight to heaven that you simply wait for the resurrection for Christ to take you to be with Him?

Conclusions such as these groups have come to are not grave matters. They believe in the bodily resurrection of the believer (just like Catholics).

Truth matters. If “. . .the Truth will make you free,” (John 8:32), the converse is equally true.