Modern science tells us that bodies decay and don’t live on and that no “soul” exists in our bodies, so ancient philosophers were incorrect in their assumptions. Actually, I doubt that Jesus had a belief in a disembodied soul since the ancient Jewish view of resurrection was a bodily resurrection (this was Paul’s view also) which would happen in the last days and began with Jesus as the first fruits of this resurrection. However, I do acknowledge that Jesus did likely have a belief in after-life. Not all 1st century Jews did (in particular the saducees). I accept Jesus’ teaching on life, community, purpose, and hope, but I wouldn’t accept a 1st century citizens views on after-life any more than I would accept their views on cosmology or automotive repair.
Along with taking over the trappings from various pre-Christian world-views, the idea of heaven/hell/purgatory also seem to alleviate a certain anxiety and fear we all naturally feel in the face of finitude. We human beings have the ability to project our minds both far back in to the past, and in to the future - yet, we will die (as a professor of mine in seminary once said, the death rate is the same it's always been, 100%). I have had to deal with death in a variety of situations over the years, from the death of my paternal grandfather when I was not yet seven years old, to the suicide of my best childhood friend 20 years ago, to the recent death of another childhood friend. I have, on at least two occasions that I can recall, actually stared it in the face quite closely myself, and will tell you the threat of non-existence is overwhelming - knowing that I will no longer be while all the world goes on much as it has and will continue to, without me.
On the other hand, non-existence is something that is difficult to imagine, really. One really cannot wrap one's mind around not-being. It is far easier to imagine the whole pearly-gates-wings-harps-St.-Peter-at-the-gate thing as a substitute for the impossibility of imagining non-existence in its most basic sense. Yet, I for one cannot escape the thought that non-existence is no worse than some alternative imaginings (not the least of them being reincarnation; conscious reincarnation would be a nightmare, truly hell on earth), and is really no different from the fact that, prior to my birth, I was not. The world seemed to operate just fine without me, and will do fine without me later. Death is a tragedy for those around the deceased, but hardly a tragedy for the deceased.
All of this is to say that I do not, for now, accept the idea that in some manner, fashion, or form, human beings somehow exist in some way past physical death. How do I square this with my own ghostly experiences, I refuse right now to go into, and anyway, my mind will most likely change on this whole issue next week or next month. For now, though, I am no less comforted by annihilation than by the promise/threat of eternal reward/punishment.
