In the previous chapter we mentioned the research on fantasy
carried on by André Virel and Roger Frétigny. Their discussion
of the physical body and the fantasy body has important theological implications that they do not, of course, develop. It
suggests a reason why Christianity has stubbornly stuck to
what seems to be the incredible notion of the “resurrection of
the body,” rather than accepting the more “spiritual” idea of
the “immortality of the soul.” Ideas or fantasies that are not
“embodied” have little reality for Christianity. The idea of the
resurrection of the body suggests an interactive relation between the ‘“‘fact” world and the “fantasy” world that gives each
its due. Both worlds are “real” worlds. So both the hardheaded citizens who enclose themselves completely in facts
and the flipped-out individuals who live only in fantasy inhabit truncated worlds, sealed off from full reality. Christianity
sticks obstinately to the resurrection of the body. This ties it
indissolubly to earth, flesh, and history. On the other hand, the
fact that no one can “make sense” of the resurrection, that it
does not fit nicely into the “fact world” is also important. It
keeps us alert to that larger reality that is not fully exhausted
by “facts”.