Spiritual death
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In Christian theology, spiritual death is defined as a spiritual separation from God, usually brought on by sin. Christians believe that both spiritual death and physical death (defined in this context to be the separation of the body and the soul) were brought into the world through the The Fall of Man.
Some Christian religions define[citation needed] Hell as the ultimate spiritual death; being completely removed from the presence of God both physically and spiritually. This is also called the Second Death.
In Catholic theology, spiritual death is often associated to the notion of mortal sin, where one commits an irreparable harm to the soul.
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[edit] Mormon
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints make a distinction between two types of spiritual death, respectively termed a "temporal separation" and a "spiritual separation" from God (see [Alma 42:7]).
The first type is a physical separation from God the Father, which was caused by the Fall of Adam and Eve. Because of their choice, all their descendants are born into a fallen world that is physically separated from God's presence. This separation is necessary so that individuals can be tested to see whether they will continue to be obedient even when not in God's presence. This separation is overcome unconditionally when all people return to God's physical presence for the Judgment.[1]
The second type is a spiritual separation from God the Holy Spirit, which is caused by individual sins; when we sin we alienate ourselves from the influence of the Holy Ghost, God's spiritual presence. This separation is absolutely unnecessary, and only impedes our growth and ability to develop Godly attributes. This separation is only overcome on the conditions of faith and repentance.[2]
[edit] New Age
Followers of Ascended Master movements such as the Theosophical Society, I AM Foundation, and Elizabeth Clare Prophet have a different definition of the second death: The final extinguishing of the identity of a soul deemed by God to be beyond redemption. In this theology, people are believed to continue to reincarnate for many lifetimes on Earth with one of two final outcomes: 1) Reunion with God in the ritual of the Ascension, like Jesus, or 2) Final judgment at the "court of the sacred fire," where the soul would be destroyed forever.
[edit] Other views
The Unification Church teaches that spiritual death is the state of separation from God, but that it is not ever irreversible.
Spriritual death is the art of learning to die. It is only through this art that the death of oneself (the self that is afraid to die) is transformed into the new self (the self that accepts death).
The Book of Revelation makes reference to a second death in Revelation 2:11
In social science, Dr. John B. Calhoun saw the social breakdown of a population of mice given ample resources as a second death. He saw this as a metaphor for the potential fate of man in an overcrowded but resource rich environment and made reference to the second death of the Book of Revelation. [3] Conservative Christian writers, such as Bill Perkins, have echoed this warning. [4]
[edit] Famous Quotes
In his famous anti-war address "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence," delivered 4 April 1967 at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. observed that "[a] nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."
[edit] References
- ^ Gerald N. Lund, "The Fall of Man and His Redemption," Ensign, Jan 1990, p. 22.
- ^ True to the Faith, "Death, Spiritual."
- ^ John B. Calhoun, "Death Squared: The Explosive Growth and Demise of a Mouse Population" Proc. roy. Soc. Med. Volume 66 January 1973, pp80-88
- ^ Bill Perkins, “Six Battles Every Man Must Win”, Tyndale Press, 1993, p 10
