Plato's View of the Afterlife
Throughout time there have been many different views of what afterlife is. Plato and Christianity are no different; between the two ideas there are many similarities and differences that can be distinguished. Plato believed in the idea of immortality and dualism. He believed that the soul was immortal both before and after death, and that the body was mortal and ceased to function after death. Plato believed that your soul has always existed and always will, and that your embodied life as a human is just a small part of your existence. Plato believed that the disembodied soul was the highest form of survival because the immaterial realm of the forms is the highest form of existence. In other words Plato suggests that your embodied existence is not nearly as ideal as your disembodied existence. The basis of Christianity is bodily resurrection. Like Plato’s theory Christianity also believes in the cessation of bodily functions after death, and also believes that the soul does exist for a time disembodied. However in Christianity the soul begins at birth and is not immortal, it dies with the body, and then is resurrected after an unknown period of time by God. Christianity suggests the theory that people follow the Christian Doctrine of Predestination. This is essentially the theory that humans cannot chose whether they will be saved to heaven and from hell. It is the idea that some humans are chosen by God as elect, and some humans are damned by God. In other words; a person can do nothing about their predestination. The idea of predestination is not contingent upon status, or moral character, it is only by the grace of God that a person may be saved. This idea has been controversial, but many well known Christians were known to believe in predestination. Many Christians also believe in the idea that humans have partial control over their afterlife. They believe that they can achieve salvation by through moral character, and belief. This is also a widely accepted