I can't help thinking to myself how one would go about substantiating the claim that "no religion has the total truth" It too must be as difficult to substantiate as the claim that there is no God.
But if no one ever answered your question, have you done the research to find the answer on your own.?
Each priest has a basic knowledge of theology. I took courses from a priest with 3 doctoral degrees (not unusual when there is an abbey or a priory nearby), yet he knew he didn't understand everything.
Seek first to know God---He'll help you understand how He works.
I did find the answers I was looking for. I did years of looking and reading. Once I sought God and not man's answers things were revealed to me. My questions were finally answered.
I am pretty sure that when you are dead, that is it for you. Any punishment would come when you are still alive by what ever laws are enforced for whatever crime was committed.
If the concept of justice exists after we end this life, I would not be surprised to find punishment to exist as well.
I would expect it to be ordered to a different end than it is here in this life however. And if so, it would make a lot of sense and would do a lot of good.
This post was edited by tom jackson at December 22, 2016 3:07 PM MST
Unless you are an unco holy Willie, you may give pause before answering 'of course they should'.
This may be mitigated by having a merciful God, or none.
The punishment would be a stick to persuade people to be 'good' (whatever that means), the carrot being promises of heavenly bliss.
This post was edited by Malizz at December 22, 2016 3:07 PM MST
It is natural for people to think that you shouldn't be allowed to get away with murder, cheating stealing and such sins. If you can't get such persons in this life, perhaps in the afterlife...
These kinds of sins have always been recognized as wrong even before religions included them in their holy writ.
Of course things like not honouring God or holy days are purely religious.
Do you really think everybody should be punished for their 'sins' after they die? Does it make any sense; what good would it do?
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"what good would it do?" ok I see what you mean. You're looking at punishment as a reforming measure. Someone goes through a punishment. It reforms them and they become a "better" person. From that point of view one has to agree that any punishment after this life is bizarre and meaningless.
However, the setting out of a scale of punishments for different behaviours conveys a message of the different levels of undesirability of various behaviours and their consequential punishments. The aim being to deter people from those behaviours. So outlining punishments [a fine for stealing shampoo and life imprisonment for murder] is meant to tell people that those acts will not be tolerated, especially murder. Similarly, outlining punishments in the hereafter for "crimes" committed in the here and now, is meant to deter people from committing those "crimes" in the here and now. THAT is the good that it is meant to do.
Lulu'sMom 