Is Your Happiness in Heaven Disturbed by Permanent Separation from Your Beloved in Hell? | EP. 5

I'm joined by Dr. Eric Yang to discuss his fascinating article "Heaven and the Problem of Eternal Separation." According to traditional Christian commitments, these two claims hold: (1) Some human beings will be in heaven eternally enjoying bliss and union with God; and, (2) Some human beings will be eternally separated from God (and therefore eternally miserable) in hell. The problem of eternal separation exposes a tension between these two claims. Any person in heaven that loves those they loved on earth, and is aware that those loved ones are now eternally damned, cannot have perfect bliss in heaven. They cannot possess eternal blessedness. So, given that (2) holds, (1) cannot be true at the same time. Dr. Yang offers a defense of the two traditional commitments. He canvasses two solutions that show how it's possible for the claims to hold at the same time. The first solution involves people in heaven possessing quasi-impassibility. The second solution involves a "refrigerium" whereby people in heaven are temporarily reunited with their loved ones that are suffering in hell. Join us in exploring this fascinating problem!