UNIT SIX: THE AFTERLIFE

This unit explores why some people believe in life after death, the ideas of resurrection, rebirth and reincarnation and how valid the arguments are for life after death. Beliefs in the afterlife Nearly all religions have a belief in a life after death. This takes one of two forms: 1) the soul of the dead person enters a new eternal state of happiness with God or punishment 2) the soul of the dead person is reborn or reincarnated to come back to another earthly existence Evidence of immortality the existence of ghosts the resurrection of Jesus the way some people claim to remember events from a previous life out of body, near death experiences (NDEs)

LIFE AFTER DEATH IS A MATTER OF BELIEF, NOT KNOWLEDGE

What are the difficulties with each of these? Evidence Ghosts Resurrection (scriptures) Remembering past events Out of body/near death experiences Made up!? Not accepted by all Problem

Resurrection This is the Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead and entered into eternal life. They believe that all souls will join in this resurrection in the Last Day. Explain the evidence some people give for believing in the afterlife (4 marks) Some people believe that scripture is evidence for an afterlife. Jesus death on the cross paved the way to heaven. He said he who believes in me lives on. Christian views vary but many Christians believe that after death, the body or soul is resurrected and moves to another place. Many people report sightings of ghosts. This could be taken as proof that the soul survives. People who experience NDEs all report the same feelings. This is evidence to some that there is an afterlife. How many marks would you give this answer? Why?

Heaven, Hell & Paradise Heaven = the state of eternal happiness in the presence of God that Christians believe will be granted to the faithful after this life Hell = the opposite of heaven, a place of eternal despair and separation from God Paradise = the ideal place in which the faithful are rewarded for all eternity, a name used about heaven by Muslims What do the following quotes teach about Christian beliefs of life after death? Quote I am the way, the truth, the light. Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. My Fathers house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? This means

Reincarnation The Hindu belief that when a person dies their soul will have another life on earth as a living thing. Complete the key words that can be used to explain this Hindu belief: Samsara . Atman . Karma . Brahman . Moksha .

Rebirth Rebirth is a belief held by Buddhists. They believe there is no soul (anatta) that moves on, but there is an ever changing individual character which moves from rebirth to rebirth (the karmic energy)

The best way to imagine this is like a candle. The flame lights a new candle, there is a connection between them but they are not the same. What are the problems or difficulties with these ideas? The body decays so how can it rise! No proof of a soul Are only images of heaven, hell and paradise Space exploration has not discovered heaven or paradise People may by lying Why is the population expanding? How might a religious believer respond to these objections?

Out of Body & Near Death Experiences Out of body experience: some people claim they have felt themselves looking down at their own body from a distance. There have been accounts of people who during surgery have seen the operation from above Near death experiences: some people when they are close to death claim to have had a sense of themselves leaving their bodies and seeing what exists beyond this life. Near death experiences prove that there is life after death Do You Agree (6 marks) .. How does belief in afterlife affect life now? There is a direct connection between the actions in this life and what happens in an afterlife Key ideas include PAROUSIA (judgement day in Christianity) and KARMA (in Hinduism) You need to be able to explain how these ideas impact the way a believer lives their life Do people only behave in order to get a reward in the afterlife? If a person does not believe in an afterlife does this mean they can do as they please?

Possible Exam Questions: Explain two pieces of evidence that people might put forward to justify belief in the afterlife (4 marks) Believers lives are not affected by what they believe about life after death Do You Agree (6 marks) Rebirth and reincarnation make sense of life after death Do You Agree (6 marks)