Immortality

Question 1

What is meant by Death?

Answer 1

When the physical body stops functioning, and their life on Earth in their current physical form ends.

Question 2

What are the different ideas about life after death?

Answer 2

1. Continuation of genes in children and descendants
2. Legacy
3. Live on in people’s memory
4. Rebirth
5. Resurrection
6. Reincarnation

Question 3

What is immortality?

Answer 3

The idea that even though an individual is physically dead, they continue to live on in some way.

Question 4

What do Christians believe about life after death?

Answer 4

We are judged on judgement day/on death and resurrect to heaven (state of eternal happiness in the presence of God) or Hell (state of separation from God, seen as punishment). It can be a physical/spiritual resurrection.

Question 5

What do Buddhists believe about life after death?

Answer 5

They believe that based on karma, your karma moves through different realms and in the human realm, you have the chance to reach enlightenment to get to nirvana which is the end of Suffering and an escape from the 3 poisons.

Question 6

What do Hindus believe about life after death?

Answer 6

They believe that your soul reincarnated into different realms due to karma and in the human realm, you can get the chance to be united with Brahman and obtain moksha (escape from the cycle of samsara).

Question 7

What evidence do Christians use with resurrection?

Answer 7

The bible talks about Jesus resurrecting and raising people from the dead. Jesus also talks about his fathers kingdom.

Question 8

What evidence do Buddhists use with rebirth.

Answer 8

Teachings of the Buddha.
The Tripitaka (collection of Buddha’s teachings.
Dharma.

Question 9

What evidence do Hindus use with reincarnation?

Answer 9

Four Vedas
The Upanishads
The Bhagavad Gita.

Question 10

Problems with accepting scriptures:

Answer 10

Not everyone follows that religion
Religious scriptures don't agree therefore one must be right and all the others wrong.
Lack detail
Can be interpretation differently
Conflict with new scientific knowledge.

Question 11

Evidence of immortality

Answer 11

1. Ghosts
2. Channelling
3. Near Death Experiences

Question 12

Ghosts as evidence for immortality

Answer 12

Genuine manifestations of dead people and often seen by more than one person. The ghosts walk through walls giving evidence of resurrection of the body in a spiritual form.

Question 13

http://www.cram.com/flashcards/aqa-gcse-religious-studies-b-immortality-key-words-6650871

Answer 13

http://www.cram.com/flashcards/aqa-gcse-religious-studies-b-immortality-key-words-6650871

Question 14

Channelling as evidence for immortality

Answer 14

Communicating with the dead through a medium.

Question 15

NDE’s as evidence for immortality

Answer 15

Some people, when they are close to death or in an intense operation situation, claim to have had a sense of themselves leaving their bodies and seeing what exists
beyond this life;
Many accounts of these events and often they are very similar / share similar qualities.

Question 16

Dualism

Answer 16

The idea that the mind and body are two distinct elements that makes up a human. (Often the mind / soul in this sense is the spiritual / non physical part of you. It is this part that would continue on after death.

Question 17

Monism

Answer 17

Monism is the belief that that either the body & soul(Spiritual self) combined make up a person or it is simply the body and that the idea of the soul simply represents the mind’s concept of self awareness. The latter is known as Materialism

Question 18

Problems with ghost experiences

Answer 18

Ghosts could be hallucinations. It could be a trick of light, a breath of wind, poor eyesight
or a hoax.

Question 19

Problems with channelling experiences

Answer 19

Some mediums are frauds. Others could be reading the body language of the person.

Question 20

Problems with NDE’s

Answer 20

NDES are given that name because the person is not actually dead. The experience is the result of
oxygen starvation that causes hallucinations.

Question 21

Rene Descartes

Answer 21

Descartes argues we cannot doubt the existence of our minds
Because we have individual thoughts –“I think therefore I am.”
Even if we are dreaming, we must still exist to have thoughts. He argued physical body and
mind/soul are made up of different substance.

Question 22

Richard Dawkins

Answer 22

Belief in the soul is a result of people refusing to accept that there is no purpose to life and he believes that each human is a product of evolution. People only survive by passing on their DNA to the next generation.

Question 23

Cryonics

Answer 23

involve the preservation of humans in their physical form using low temperatures. Cryonics are used when people can no longer be kept alive by modern medicine, until such a time when the person can be resuscitated using new medicines.

Question 24

Case Study for Cryonics: Kim Suozzi

Answer 24

At 23 years old, she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She posted pleas on reddit and Facebook asking for financial aid for her brain to be frozen as soon as she died and aid for when she was finally revived.
Cryonics has a 1/2% chance of offering [me] another shot at life!

Question 25

Kim Suozzi’s families thoughts:

Answer 25

They were unhappy as she placed more hope in science than accepting her death as final. They believed it was unnecessary as they believed God would one they resurrect all the dead!