Unitarian beliefs about immortality have evolved
considerably over the centuries. Pre-20th century Unitarians believed in life
after death with some certainty. But during the last century, things have
changed.
In the original version of Beliefs of a Unitarian, British Unitarian Alfred Hall stated that
“Unitarians believe in the survival of human personality after death.” But by the time the third edition was published, in 1962, three years after his
death, the editors added the following rider: “but now it must be said that
Unitarians are far from unanimous in their views about life after death.” They summarise current (early 1960s) attitudes as follows: firstly, the general
belief that “it is more important to concentrate on living the good life on
earth than in speculating about the hereafter.” A variety of views are
mentioned: “Some believe that life hereafter is conditional upon our using
rightly the opportunities for spiritual development … in this life. Some
believe that … our souls are not completed in this short phase of existence,
and that future life or lives … will continue and complete the ‘making’ of the
soul. Some believe that the souls of men will ultimately be absorbed into the
infinite being of God. Some Unitarians … believe that human life is limited by
the duration of the human body.” But the authors state that many
Unitarians would still agree with Alfred Hall, “that there are rational grounds
for believing in the survival of human personality.”
In his 1977 book On Being A Unitarian, Canadian Unitarian minister Philip Hewett
summarises four Unitarian views on immortality. Firstly, those who believe in
personal continuity – the immortality of the soul. But not in the traditional
views of heaven and hell. Secondly, those who believe in reincarnation – a
succession of re-births. There is an element of continuity here, but what part
of us continues? Thirdly, that death is the end of everything, and that nothing
continues on. Fourthly, the death of the individual but survival as part of a
larger whole. The analogy here is of a raindrop falling into the sea and
becoming part of the ocean.
Bringing us right up to date, Cliff Reed has a
section on life after death in Unitarian?
What’s that? He states that while some believe in personal survival after
death, most are less categorical, not wishing to be specific about how, where
or in what form.
All views on immortality have to be conjectural.
Some are congenial, some touch us, some don’t. The thing that emerges clearly
is the desire for an afterlife; longings for immortality. My own view is summed
up by the Quaker Geoffrey Hubbard: “The concept of the indwelling spirit of God
must incline us to see resurrection as symbolising the death of the ego-self
and the rebirth in awareness of God which can happen to us in this life. It
also inclines us to accept death as breaking the link between the physical body
and the divine light within us, letting that of God which is in us return back
to complete unity and absorption with the totality of God.”
A bit like Philip Hewett’s raindrop in the ocean.
Hubbard also argues that thinking about
immortality relates back to our present life, and it is how we live this
present life that is important.
Nevertheless, most present-day Unitarians hold some
views on the question. Perhaps partly because of the old adage that only two
things in life are certain: death and taxes. In other words, death is something
that happens to all of us in due course, and it is only human nature to
speculate what (if anything) happens afterwards. So much has been written in
the Bible and other sacred texts about the immortal soul, that it is something
we have grown up with, and perhaps accepted without thinking too much about it
(that we each have one, I mean). Personally, I believe that human beings are
divided into mind, body and spirit (or soul or heart). The part of us that
feels and emotes and loves is not our mind and not our body; it is something
other. That is what I mean by the divine spark in everyone. And it is this divine
spark that “goes on” after death.
As we have seen earlier, some Unitarians do not
believe in an afterlife of any kind, believing instead that death is the end of
everything. But I would guess that a majority believe in life after death in
some form or another; whether it is the reuniting of the divine spark or soul
or spirit with the divinity of God, or reincarnation of some kind, or simply
the fact that the person “lives on” in the memories and lives of others.
I think another reason why many Unitarians are
attracted to the idea of some kind of life after death is that it can be a
great comfort at a time of bereavement. If you can believe that the late
beloved has survived in some form, and that you might perhaps be reunited with
them after death, that must be a comfort. Also, when an individual is
approaching death themselves, the belief in some kind of afterlife might enable
them to accept death more easily, perhaps seeing it as the next great
adventure, rather than desperately clinging to this life in terror of what is
to come or in fear of annihilation.
Another factor may be that life after death is one
of the few things that we cannot approach using our beloved Unitarian tenet of
reason. It is a mystery; perhaps the ultimate mystery. A late Unitarian friend
whose word and rationality I trust had a near-death-experience, and described
it in some detail. I have no reason to disbelieve him. But it is a mystery – we
cannot know the answer until we are dead. So perhaps the widespread belief
among Unitarians in some kind of life after death is just a matter of hedging
your bets: you cannot know the answer, but it might be foolish to reject the
idea completely, in case it’s true. But in any case, I think most Unitarians
would believe that it is what we do in this world that matters, in the here and
now.
