John Hick’s Lives After Life

Abstract

JOHN HICK'S LIVES AFTER LIFE JOHN HICK HAS written extensively on the philosophy of religion. In fact, he has, with the appearance of his book on survival of death,1 elaborated a rather complete philosophical theology. We find in Hick's writings his argument for believing in God,2 his concept of religious faith,3 his proposed solution to the problem of evil,4 his answer to critics of religious language,5 and his account of and arguments for life after death. An examination of Hick's works reveals that his concept of after-life is central to his entire view. In this paper I shall indicate how after-life is central for Hick and analyze his description of and arguments for it. I shall also discuss some of the major criticisms of Hick's after-life view and consider how Hick has replied or could reply to these. I shall conclude by offering my own assessment of Hick's view. I With regard to the rationality of theistic belief, Hick contends that the arguments for God's existence do not prove 1 Death and Eternal Life (New York: Harper and Row, 1976). Further references to this volume will be within the text and denoted by DEL. Editor's Note: Cf. the review by Bruce Reichenbach of this volume that immediately follows in the Book Review Section. •See esp. Arguments for the Existence of God (New York: Seabury, 1971), pp. 101-l!W. Further references to this volume will be within the text and denoted by AEG. •Faith and Knowledge (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1957; second edition, 1960), esp. pp. 95-268. •See esp. Evil and the God of Love (New York: Harper and Row, 1966), pp. 279-400. •See esp. "Theology and Verification," Theology Today, 17 (April, 1960), pp. l!'!-81, reprinted in The Logic of God: Theology and Verification, eds. Malcolm L. Diamond and Thomas V. Litzenburg, Jr. (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1975), pp. 188-208. References are to this reprint. 653 654 HOUSTON CRAIGHEAD God's existence but show it to be possible (AEG, p. xiii). He then goes on to state that any Christian understanding of human existence requires a belief in after-life.6 For God to create us and then let us be eternally obliterated is inconsistent with Judeo-Christian theism. So, for Hick, a belief in after-life is necessary from the very outset. We find that a belief in after-life is also central to Hick's attempt to deal with the problem of evil. Stated very briefly, Hick's move here is to say that God's purpose in creating the world was to produce free, moral beings who could, ultimately, commune with God and with one another. Since this purpose requires human free will, moral evil is accounted for. Since it also requires a natural order with natural laws (free beings cannot develop morally in a paradise), natural evil is accounted for. Further, since God's purpose is rarely fulfilled in this present world there must be a series of incarnations (see esp. DEL, pp. 414-422) for each person freely to realize his potential , and, ultimately, there must be a state of complete fulfillment (DEL, ch. 22). Hence, a doctrine (and defense) of after-life is needed. Also, Hick's response to the verificationist challenge is interms of what he calls "eschatological verification." Religious beliefs will be verified after death. Again, an after-life doctrine is needed. II In this section I shall give an account of Hick's doctrine of a£ter-life and his argument for the plausibility of this doctrine. Hick contends that it is logically possible for there to be a number of worlds, each in its own space, and all observed by God, but only one being observed by the embodied beings which inhabit these worlds. To explicate his position Hick presents •DEL, p. 11. See also "Eschatological Verification Reconsidered," Religious Studies, 18 (June, 1977), p. !WI: "Hence I can only say that a Christian understanding of the universe includes a belief in life-after-death as an indispensable component, and if that belief could be proven to be false Christian theism (though not...