And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7 KJV).…and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7 ESV).
As Seventh-day Adventists, we believe that, when we die, our body decays, as all organic matter does, and our spirit, or soul, rests in a state of unconsciousness, waiting to be resurrected and reunited with our recreated body by God when He returns. Seventh-day Adventist Fundamental Belief no. 27, “Death and Resurrection,” states that “[t]he wages of sin is death. But God, who alone is immortal, will grant eternal life to His redeemed. Until that day death is an unconscious state for all people.”
The Church wanted to find out how effectively this belief was being shared with members around the world, so the Global Church Member Survey asked participants whether they agreed with this statement: “When people die, their bodily remains decay and they have no consciousness or activity until they are resurrected.”
In 2018, 69.3% strongly agreed with the statement, 20.3% agreed, 4.3% were unsure, 1.7% disagreed, and 4.3% strongly disagreed.
When asked again in 2023, figures were very similar: 71.7% strongly agreed, 19.9% agreed, 3.4% were unsure, 1.6% disagreed, and 3.4% strongly disagreed.
While just under 90% in 2018 and just over 91% in 2023 agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that the dead “have no consciousness or activity until they are resurrected,” around 10% of members were unclear or disagreed that physical consciousness ceases at death.
When broken down by Division, the figures show that a strong belief in the non-immortality of the soul was exhibited mainly in largely secular North America and Europe, while those who strongly disbelieved were mostly found in South America, Africa, and Asia.
In 2018, 5% of survey participants in the East-Central Africa Division, 5.8% in the South American Division, and 6.3% in the Southern Asia-Pacific Division strongly disagreed with the statement that the dead have no consciousness. In 2023, these figures decreased slightly: 4.1% in the West Africa Division, 4.7% in the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division, 4.0% in the Southern Asia-Pacific Division, and 4.5% in the Chinese Union Mission (which was not included in the 2018 survey) strongly disagreed with the statement.
In 2018, 80.8% of survey participants in the Euro-Asia Division, 83.4% in the Trans-European Division, and 83.9% in the North America Division strongly agreed with the statement that the dead have no consciousness.
In 2023, the average percentages increased slightly, with 84.9% in the Inter-American Division, 85.7% in the North American Division, and 87.1% in the Trans-European Division strongly agreeing.
It is possible that the answers from members in more secular areas reflect post-modern cultural beliefs that life itself is the be-all-and-end-all of existence, and there is nothing after that. It is also possible that the answers disagreeing that we are unconscious after death reflect cultures that tend to be more religious and/or superstitions in general, or have strong ancestor-worship beliefs.
It is heartening to see the slight shift away from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree,” but more work needs to be done to instruct members around the world of our belief that our spirit sleeps after we die, waiting for the day that Jesus returns to raise us all together. This will be the subject of a separate blog in due course.
You can access the full report here.
Created in collaboration with the Institute of Church Ministry.
Published by ASTR on 10/08/2024.