For centuries, religious scholars have debated the question of what happens after we die. Most major religions contain some notion of an afterlife, where those who are good and virtuous will reside in heaven with God (at least this is the common interpretation in Western religions).
But how will we be when we reach heaven? Will we resemble ourselves, and if so, in what form? If you die at 89, will you resemble the aged person who occupied your body in your final years, or will you look more like the virile person you were in the days of your youth? Will you even maintain the form of your body, or are you simply the spiritual incarnation of your soul?
While we can never definitively answer these questions with any degree of certainty, several orthodox Jewish and Christian scholars have been hotly debating this topic in recent years. Many of these scholars argue that a person’s resurrection to heaven after death should be viewed as a physical transformation — literally, a reversal of death. This may be a difficult idea to swallow among secular circles, but among the orthodox, a belief in this physical resurrection is looked upon as a miracle from God.
Several of the Christian scholars have quoted St. Augustine as evidence that this notion is true. According to St. Augustine, in heaven, “Our bodies will be the very same ones we had in life, but buff and beautiful.” In other words, you will be a more perfect version of yourself. If you were fat in life, you will become slim and attractive. If you had aesthetically unpleasing features in life, they will wither away and be replaced by the beauty that marks you on the inside.
In a sense, these orthodox scholars are making the argument that when we die, God will transform us into the beautiful people we have always wanted to be, giving us a “heavenly makeover.” Interpreted loosely, you can claim that God approves of cosmetic makeovers, since that is what He will ultimately do for you when you die.
Why wait until you are dead to be your most beautiful self when you can go to your local cosmetic surgeon and achieve the perfect face and body today? As long as God approves of cosmetic surgery, you may as well too.
Cosmetic surgery — it’s “God-approved.” See for yourself what a facelift, breast augmentation, tummy tuck, or liposuction can do for your appearance.
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