[quote name='jaykrue'][quote name='epobirs']The problem is that the Gnostics never pursued power nor came into it accidentally as sometimes happened. They were on the scene but had little bearing on how events played out. By their nature they appealed to intellectuals and didn't have much to offer people who wanted simple assurance of an eternal that they would actually enjoy, as opposed to a conceptual eternal contentment which was only a small upgrade over the Hebrew tradition in which there was neither a heaven or hell but there was a sort of unpleasant afterlife to which everybody was subjected regardless of their behavior in life. The idea was that the soul was eternal but without a body it had no ability to interact with the world and was helplessly blown about for eternity.
The big upgrade of Christianity, that drew upon the supposed word of Jesus but were not part of his follower's beliefs in their lifetimes, was that there was an actual reward for good behavior that was given in the afterlife and part of this included being issued a new flawless body. (Whether that body would possess genitalia was another issue.) This was a big selling point.
The idea of God creating immortal souls in mortal bodies and showing no interest in them after the bodies crapped out was quite common back then, even though many Jews who haven't ever really read the Torah don't know about it and tend to have a view of the afterlife largely in line with that made popular under Christianity. Still, it plays a large part in the essential character of Judaism with an emphasis on making the most of life under God's laws rather than making a big bet on a post-life payoff for good behavior.
Although it is part of her Vampire series, Anne Rice did a great take on how the concept of the afterlife evolved in the Judeo-Christian world in the novel, 'Memnoch the Devil' in which Lestat encounters a being who claims to be the one angel who always dared to question God's choices and stick up for the souls cast into nothingness after their bodies failed.[/quote]
I'm not sure on the whole 'issue new bodies after old ones died' thing. I don't recall anything like that from what I've learned when I was a kid. Isn't that more in line w/ Hinduism and the idea of reincarnation?[/quote]
It is plainly accepted in most branches of Christianity based on how the Book of Revelation describes the fate of humanity after the end of the mortal world. Actually, carried to its logical conclusion this also applies to those condemned to hell as they need bodies with which to experience their punishments. It is those consigned to Limbo who lack bodies and thus the ability to perceive any external sensation, leaving this as the remnant of the earlier Hebraic view of where all end up in the end.
Looking around at the various sects there are many fascinating details of how each has decided the time after The End shall be. If you ever find yourself stuck conversing with a really fanatical born-aginner, this can be ripe territory. They can be all over the map, depending on their take on sex, animals, etc. Will our new bodies have genitals? Will there be animals, especially the brighter ones like primates? The first time I ran into this was in 1978 when I was having dinner with my boss after work and this longtime friend of his from his circus childhood was along. She turned out to be a raging lunatic about this stuff, the first I met to tell me in all sincerity the name of the band KISS stood for 'Knights in the Service of Satan.' Oooh, scary!
In many cases the presumption is that your new body will be your old one after a full factory refurb. Consequently, many religions are sticklers for making sure you're buried with all your bits. If anything got chooped off or taken out along the way, you need to keep them around so they can go in the coffin with you. Although ancient Hebrews didn't expect much of the afterlife they had this tradition, too, on the basis that you had to show up with all your bits when you ran into God. (Contradictory, yes but this is religion.) This also get into the proscription against alterations like tattoos.
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k Please, continue.
