Laurence Jackson School Religious Studies Department

Paper 1/Unit4/MLD

4.5 and 4.6: Life after Death Heaven and Hell

Task 1: Brainstorm all the things you think of when you hear the words Heaven and Hell.

Ideally, use two different coloured pens to show those words that are describing heaven and those words that are describing hell. Alternatively draw your ideas of Heaven and Hell.

Why Christians believe in life after death

• Christians believe that God will reward the good and punish the bad in some form of life after death.

• All Christians believe in life after death because:• Jesus rose from the dead. All 4 Gospels record that he was crucified and buried, and three days

later the tomb was empty.• However, different Gospels record different resurrection appearances of Jesus.• The remainder of the New Testament is full of references to the resurrection.• If he rose from the dead, there must be life after death.

Laurence Jackson School Religious Studies Department

Type of Life after death

What is it? Evidence of this type of Life after Death

Arguments for and against this type of life after death

NearDeath

Experiences

Paper 1/Unit4/MLD

Resurrection

• Christians believe the resurrection is the strongest evidence of bodily resurrection.

• Christians believe the resurrection of Jesus has made sure that there will be an afterlife for all who believe in him.

• Jesus taught that he would come again at the end of the world for a final judgement, sending people to heaven or hell.

• The major creeds of the Church teach that Jesus rose from the dead and that there will be life after death.

• All Christian Churches teach that there is life after death.• Many Christians believe that people are made up of a body and a soul. They believe in the

immortality of the soul. They believe that when the body dies, the soul leaves the body to live with God.

How do Christian teachings and beliefs support the existence of a life after death?

• The Bible promises an afterlife: ‘An God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus’ Ephesians 2:6.

• If God is eternal, and he created life to have purpose and significance, then surely he would want human beings to continue to live beyond the grave.

• The resurrection of Jesus is guarantee of life after death for all those who believe in him: ‘But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?’ 1 Corinthians 15:12.

Why is believe in life after death significant for Christians?

It is a core reason why Jesus came to Earth – to free humanity from sin and enable them to live forever. Believing in life after death impacts a Christian’s life: they believe that they will one day be with God in

heaven, which gives them joy and hope for the future. Believing that God will one day judge people based on how they have lived their lives impacts the

decisions that Christians make in their day-to-day lives.

Optional task: Parable of the Sheep and Goats Listen to the Parable of the Sheep and Goats explain how it links to Christian views on life after death.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD3Zr7JOUdM

Non-religious reasons for believing in an afterlife

• Non-religious reasons for believing in life after death are often connected to evidence for the paranormal.

• This can be refer to a wide range of things from ghosts to telekinesis (moving objects without touching them).

• However, there are three main parts of the paranormal that provide reasons for believing in life after death.

Task 2: Research different types of belief in life after death and complete the table below.If you are unable to do web based research there are three examples below that will help you. Examples: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zn6ncdm/revision/1

Laurence Jackson School Religious Studies Department

Spirit World - Mediums

Reincarnation      

Paper 1/Unit4/MLD

Non-religious arguments against the afterlife• Humanists and atheists do

not believe in life after death.

• They believe that just like animals and plants, humans cease to exist when they die and reject the arguments for life after death.

Because:

• Different religions have different ideas about life after death.

• Religious evidence for life after death is based on holy books, but a non-believer can’t decide which book is true.

• Evidence for near-death experiences is also unreliable.

Death, British Humanist Association

‘The more important question for Humanists is not whether there is an afterlife but how we should live this life. For Humanists, the absence if an afterlife makes this life more important and meaningful than it would be if we had another life to live after it.’

Personal reasons:

• They do not believe in God and if there is no God, and if there is nothing non-material (not physical), then there is no heaven to go to after death.

• Science proves that the mind cannot exist without the brain.• There is a problem as to where life after death could take place.

Task 3: Which is the most convincing argument for Life after Death? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Task 4: Summarise it!

Produce FIVE key points which summarise Life after Death

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Laurence Jackson School Religious Studies Department

Paper 1/Unit4/MLD