If you have visited my site before than you know that I take pretty seriously the notion that relations form identity. I would go so far to say that understanding of self is impossible without the other.
As I sit with the implications of these thoughts I find that I often circle back to understandings of the afterlife. The language of heaven and hell are seen in much of the NT and we see a few glimpses of the afterlife language in the OT.
A relational understanding of selfhood seems to flow naturally into a theology of heaven. As such heaven may look similar to the trinitarian life of God. Not unlike a fully realized version of Christ’s prayer in the seventeenth chapter of John’s gospel.
The more challenging question for me continues to be hell (going back to Brian McLaren’s book). Separation from God is often translated as complete isolation; complete isolation, it would seem, translates to an identity vacuum. Thus to be truly separated from God would be to cease to exist. Without selfhood (requiring Other) consciousness is inconceivable and without consciousness (as we understand it) would suffering be possible?
Therefore, suffering could only exist as a relational experience of God. Any view of Hell as complete separation from God cannot be understood as a hell of eternal suffering.
Thus hell – like heaven – is God’s presence. Without the presence of God suffering is impossible. Hell is separation precisely because it is not complete separation.
peace, dwight
Dwight,
This is actually quite a comment and I appreciate your drawing this out. Two issues for me are these: (1) Lewis made the brilliant point that hell is diminishment rather than annihiliation, and I wonder if existence without relationship is more of a massive diminishment? (2) Who is to say that hell doesn’t involve relations with other diminished persons?
These are thoughts beyond our ken, and they are also thoughts about subjects that strain our sense of personhood and dignity, but our Christian traditions requires that we face such subjects.
Thanks.
Hell is relationship with my mother in law
Since Lewis’ language of diminishment has been brought in I will continue to use it…
If hell is diminishment, who will be thos courageous citizens of heaven who go out of their way to bring the diminished out of their self-imposed exile. Who will be the Christian Bhodi-satvas who make the pledge that they will not enter the full presence/communion with God until all who are diminished first make the journey? Who will allow hell to win out in their personal lives so that heaven may enter the personal life of others as they become fuller persons? The first and ultimate answer is Christ, but what of us Christ-followers? Would the delay of our own bliss on behalf of our brothers and sisters breed contempt?
Dwight, great post. My "tribe" is Unitarian Universalist–you are very close if not fully within the Universalist frame in your comments. We are always in God’s love (loving) presence.
Cheerfully, Roger Kuhrt