Heaven and Hell in Christian Thought
Charles Taliaferro, Stewart Goetz · 2024 · Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Summary
Survey of philosophical and theological treatments of heaven and hell, including punishment, reward, beatitude, annihilation, universalism, and the moral problems raised by eternal destiny claims.
Why it matters here
Reference for claims about postmortem destinations within Christian frameworks; it clarifies the conceptual options before any evidential claim is assessed.
Linked claims
A near-universal religious claim with massive cultural footprint and zero empirical evidence. Sits downstream of theism and survival-after-death — its plausibility tracks theirs.
Massively documented in tradition, zero direct evidence, and substantial harm record from belief — eternal-torment doctrines have warped lives for centuries.
NDEs, past-life cases, terminal lucidity and mediumship cluster suggestively. Each line is contested; together they earn a hearing.
The claim that a literal, personal adversary — Satan, Iblis, Mara, Ahriman — is an active intelligent force behind evil and temptation, considered here at the generic level rather than within any specific tradition.
The claim that a personal, conscious deity created and continues to engage with the universe — considered here at the generic level rather than within any specific tradition.
Related evidence hubs
Physics-adjacent worldviews — block universe, many-worlds, simulation, free will.
World religions and traditions, scored as systems.
Whether anything of mind continues.
Evidence around dying, near-death experience, and what (if anything) continues.
The nature of subjective experience.