1.1.6 Life after Death

Question 1

What is a soul?

Answer 1

The spiritual aspect of a being; that which connects someone to God. The soul is often regarded as nonphysical and as living on after physical death, in an afterlife.

Question 2

What do Christians believe regarding life after death? (4)

Answer 2

• Belief in life after death is a central Christian belief; after death Christians hope that they will have eternal life with God.
• Throughout life Christians aim to achieve salvation through the way they live and, for some, through participating in sacraments. * They believe that after death there will be a day of judgement when they will be judged on how they lived and treated others.
• This will decide what happens next, although Christians do not all agree on the details of life after death

Question 3

What do Dualist Christians believe regarding the body and the soul? (5)

Answer 3

• They believe that the body and soul are two separate parts.
• The soul resides within the body but is not part of the body, as such it can survive the death of the physical part of us.
• According to this believe the soul is eternal.
• Christians who believe this might believe that the afterlife is spiritual – that a physical body is not needed; after death it is the soul only that is united with God.
• Other Christians might believe that the soul will be reunited with the earthly body at the end of time when all physical bodies will be resurrected.

Question 4

What do Non-Dualist Christians believe regarding the body and the soul? (4)

Answer 4

• They believe that the body and soul form a whole and cannot be separated; when the physical body dies the soul will temporarily cease to be.
• God will resurrect the soul and body together.
• Evidence for ‘bodily resurrection’ is the resurrection of Jesus; Biblical accounts of the resurrection of Jesus suggest that it was a physical resurrection – his body was missing from the tomb and on one occasion Jesus showed the wounds of his crucifixion to the disciples to prove that it was
  him.
• In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul suggests that after death the person will be raised as a ‘spiritual body’; this is not the same as spiritual existence without a body (existence as a disembodied soul).

Question 5

What do Christians believe about the soul? (3)

Answer 5

• Christians believe that the soul is created by God at the moment of conception; it is the “self”, what makes you, you – it forms our personality and individuality.
• Each soul is unique and is divinely created.
• Christians believe that it is the soul that connects each person to God; during their life Christians work towards salvation which is to save the soul from sin in preparation for judgement after death.

Question 6

What does 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 say (about the soul - non-dualist? How do some Christians interpret this passage?

Answer 6

“So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory, it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”
* Some Christians interpret this passage to say that the spiritual body will be the same as the earthly body but perfected or made better – It will be glorified; illness and pain will no longer exist.

Question 7

What is judgement day?

Answer 7

Judgement day is a time in the future when human existence on the earth will cease and God will decide who will be rewarded and punished. At this time Jesus will return to earth to judge people on how they have lived; this is known as the ‘Parousia.’

Question 8

What does the Bible teach people they will be judged on? (2)

Answer 8

• Their belief in Jesus and how they have responded to his teaching.
• How they have treated others. The Parables of the Sheep and the Goats and the Rich Man and Lazarus teach that the way you treat others is important – those who fulfil the Law of Love, are concerned about the suffering of others, and help those in need, will be rewarded. Good works are evidence of faith – they follow the teachings and example of Jesus.

Question 9

What does John 11:24-26 say - relates to Jesus being important part of Judgement?

Answer 9

Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. ’

Question 10

What do Christians believe about heaven?

Answer 10

• All Christians believe heaven is a place of reward in Gods presence.
• There are few descriptions of heaven in the Bible; most Christians believe these passages are symbolic and depict a state of existence beyond human knowledge and imagination, a state of serenity and love.
• Some Christians believe that heaven is a physical place, others believe it is spiritual.

Question 11

What does 1 Corinthians 2:9 say about heaven?

Answer 11

“But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him’”

Question 12

What do Christians believe about hell? (2)

Answer 12

• Hell is believed to be a place of punishment where those who have rejected God and have failed to treat others well will be separated from God.
• The belief is based on passages in the Bible which refer to punishment in the next life and on the belief that God is just and will not allow wrongdoing to go unpunished.

Question 13

What does Revelations 20:15 say about hell?

Answer 13

“and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Question 14

What did many Christians believe hell was traditionally?

Answer 14

Traditionally many Christians believed that hell was a physical place of fire where people suffered eternal pain – some Christians (for example literalist Christians) still believe this today.

Question 15

Why do many christians disagree with traditional beliefs about hell?

Answer 15

Many Christians disagree and argue that this does not reflect God’s loving, forgiving and just nature – it can never be just or loving to punish somebody for eternity when an earthly life of wrongdoing is short in comparison.

Question 16

What do many christians believe about the symbolic nature of fire in hell?

Answer 16

Fire was traditionally used to cleanse and purify, it burnt away disease and infection, as such many Christians believe that hell is a place of purification or correction. It is not a place of physical torture but is a state of separation from God.

Question 17

Why do some Christians believe hell is temporary - with Biblical quote?

Answer 17

• If Hell is a place of purification it follows that Hell must be temporary – after the individual is purified or ‘corrected’ their separation from God ends.
• This believe can be supported by Revelations 21:27;

“But nothing unclean shall enter [heaven]”

Question 18

What is another idea about judgement - involving fire and bright lights (not purification)?

Answer 18

Another idea is that at the judgement everything a person has done and all that they are is revealed to them, some will not be able to stand this revelation. The presence of God’s Holy light will be a burning fire to them, whist for others it will be a joy.

Question 19

What are the 5 (s)kandhas?

Answer 19

• Physical form
• Sensation
• Perception
• Mental formations or response
• Consciousness

Question 20

Do Buddhists believe in a soul?

Answer 20

The self, or consciousness, is constantly changed by karma (pratityasamutpada) – there is no ‘soul’ which is reborn into a new body.

Question 21

What do Buddhists believe about rebirth? (2)

Answer 21

• The self, or consciousness, moves from lifetime to lifetime - this is the cycle of samsara; death is a stage in the cycle, it is not an end.
• The self, or consciousness, which is reborn arises out of the previous life and is changed by karma.

Question 22

What are 2 analogies that illustrate Buddhist beliefs about there being no permanent self?

Answer 22

• It is like the seed that becomes the tree – the tree is different to the seed but has developed out of the seed and as such the essential ingredients are the same.
• It is like milk that becomes butter – butter is different to milk but it comes out of milk and as such has the same essential ingredients.

Question 23

What do Buddhists believe about ‘judgement’ - karma? (4)

Answer 23

• Karma is not a punishment - Buddhists do not believe in a creator God who judges individuals on their moral actions; all actions have proportionate consequences which will be experienced by the individual in this life or the next.
• Our lives at this moment are the effect of our actions in the past.
• All actions have effects; Positive actions = positive effects, negative actions = negative effects.
• Your life is a collection of things waiting to happen – things which you have caused to happen through your actions.

Question 24

Is a person different when they have been reborn - Buddhism?

Answer 24

When a ‘person’ is reborn they are not the same person who previously existed because they have been changed by their karma.

Question 25

What are the 6 realms of Existence? Where do they come from? Are they permanent? (4)

Answer 25

• People often create and
  recreate the same Karma; negative actions lead to negative effects which lead to more negative responses/actions.
• People often get stuck in one state, for example, a person might get stuck in the state of anger.
• Buddhists call these mental states the Six Realms of Existence (they comprise: misery, arrogance, greed, anger, serenity and happiness).
• These states are not permanent and Buddhism teaches that whilst you cannot prevent karma from taking effect, you can take action to improve your karma.

Question 26

What is the aim of Buddhism?

Answer 26

The aim of Buddhism is to experience the state of nirvana – a state of peace when all craving has ceased.

Question 27

What is materialism? Who believes in this?

Answer 27

• Humanists are materialists.
• Materialism is the belief that the only substance that exists in the universe is matter; there is no spiritual dimension to human existence.

Question 28

Do humanists believe in a soul? (3)

Answer 28

• The thing people call the ‘soul’ is the mind.
• The mind is an effect of the brain – once the body dies, the brain dies and so the mind ceases to exist.
• Continuing to exist as a disembodied mind seems unrealistic, as there is no part of us that can continue to exist after death.

Question 29

Do humanists believe in life after death? Why? (3)

Answer 29

• Humanists believe this life is the one life we have: it is not a ‘dress rehearsal’.
• Evidence is important to humanists when deciding what to believe and they see no good evidence that we live on after we die.
• Because this is the only life we know we have, humanists think we should make the most of it.

Question 30

What does Medical Science tell us about life/death? What do humanists believe about this?

Answer 30

• Medical science currently tells us that we are dead once our brain activity stops.
• For many humanists, modern science and medicine have given us a better understanding of the human body and mind that leaves no room or need for a soul.
• Most religious scripture was written, and most practices connected with the idea of an afterlife were introduced, long before modern science helped us to understand the nature of human beings.

Question 31

What do humanists believe about the claims of ‘evidence’ for life after death? (2)

Answer 31

• They do not believe any of the claims of ‘evidence’ for an afterlife are strong enough to take seriously: such as near-death experiences, ‘sightings’ of ghosts, or channeling via a medium.
• Science and skeptical investigation have explained away many of such claims.

Question 32

How do humanists respond to the absence of evidence for an afterlife? (3)

Answer 32

• Humanists accept that the absence of evidence for an afterlife does not prove that there isn’t one.
• But most humanists see no reason to believe in anything unless there is good evidence for it.
• Humanists would highlight the fact that there are lots of other things for which there is no evidence (e.g. unicorns) and we don’t believe in them.