Transcript Halewood College Department of Religious Education

OCR GCSE RS (Philosophy and Ethics) Short Course Specification B
Unit 4
Death and the After Life
Revision
Philosophy and Ethics
Unit 4: Death and The AfterLife Revision
Halewood College
Department of Religious Education
In this Unit you need to revise:
~ What Christians believe about the SOUL and
life after death
~ What Christians understand about HEAVEN,
HELL and PURGATORY
~ What Christians believe about God acting as a
JUDGE
~ What happens during a Christian FUNERAL,
and its importance to Christian faith
Philosophy and Ethics
Unit 4: Death and The AfterLife Revision
Mr.Chapman© 2006
Halewood College
Department of Religious Education
Christian beliefs about the Soul
Christians believe that humans have a ‘soul’, because
they are made ‘in the image of God’. The soul is a
spiritual element to human existence.
Christians believe that the soul does not die, but
lives on after the death of the physical body.
Christians DO NOT believe in REINCARNATION.
They believe in RESURRECTION.
This means that they think that their souls will be raised
back to life, just like Jesus, to live in Heaven with God
for all eternity.
Philosophy and Ethics
Unit 4: Death and The AfterLife Revision
Mr.Chapman© 2006
Halewood College
Department of Religious Education
Understanding Hell, Heaven and Purgatory
Christians used to believe in HEAVEN and HELL more literally than
they do today. Today, Christianity is more concerned with the
symbolism of Heaven and Hell.
Philosophy and Ethics
Unit 4: Death and The AfterLife Revision
Mr.Chapman© 2006
Halewood College
Department of Religious Education
Understanding Hell
~Some Christians believe that HELL is a place of eternal
punishment for people who have done wrong and rejected God.
~Some think that it is a real place OR a type of spiritual existence.
~Other Christians believe that HELL is a poetic way of describing
eternity without God. They do not think of it as a geographical
location.
HELL is sometimes described as a ‘pit’ or ‘lake’ of fire, where the souls
of the ‘damned’ are lost for all eternity.
Philosophy and Ethics
Unit 4: Death and The AfterLife Revision
Mr.Chapman© 2006
Halewood College
Department of Religious Education
Some Christians believe that
HELL is the domain of the Devil
or Satan.
They believe that sinners will
be eternally tortured and
endure an afterlife of pain
and suffering.
Philosophy and Ethics
Unit 4: Death and The AfterLife Revision
Mr.Chapman© 2006
Halewood College
Department of Religious Education
Christians will try to love and obey God so that they will
not spend eternity in HELL.
Philosophy and Ethics
Unit 4: Death and The AfterLife Revision
Mr.Chapman© 2006
Halewood College
Department of Religious Education
Understanding Heaven
A common image of HEAVEN
is a place of perfect love and
happiness.
Christians believe that there
will be no sadness, pain or
suffering in Heaven.
They believe they will be
resurrected into a new, perfect
‘body’.
Philosophy and Ethics
Unit 4: Death and The AfterLife Revision
Mr.Chapman© 2006
Halewood College
Department of Religious Education
Sometimes HEAVEN is thought of
as somewhere high in the sky.
Some Christians think it is real
place; Others consider it to be a
word to describe a spiritual
existence somewhere in ‘paradise’.
Philosophy and Ethics
Unit 4: Death and The AfterLife Revision
Mr.Chapman© 2006
Halewood College
Department of Religious Education
Understanding Purgatory
~ Roman Catholic Christians believe in PURGATORY. They
think that this is a ‘place’ for people who have died but are not
ready to go straight to heaven.
~ PURGATORY is sometimes called LIMBO.
~ Catholics believe that if they pray for the dead persons soul and ask for
forgiveness for the sins they committed their soul may reach heaven more
quickly.
Philosophy and Ethics
Unit 4: Death and The AfterLife Revision
Mr.Chapman© 2006
Halewood College
Department of Religious Education
A common image of PURGATORY is that of a struggle between the
opposing forces of Good and Evil.
Philosophy and Ethics
Unit 4: Death and The AfterLife Revision
Mr.Chapman© 2006
Halewood College
Department of Religious Education
Catholics believe that
PURGATORY is a place of
goodness and mercy.
They believe that God is
offering people one last
chance to ‘purge’ their sins
so that they are ‘fit’ enough
(pure, and clean enough) to enter
Heaven.
Philosophy and Ethics
Unit 4: Death and The AfterLife Revision
Mr.Chapman© 2006
Halewood College
Department of Religious Education
God as Judge
Christian believe that God will JUDGE them when they
die.
If you have loved and obeyed God your soul will rejoice and be
rewarded with a place in Heaven for all eternity.
If you have not loved God and disobeyed Him your soul will lament
and be punished with a place in Hell for all eternity.
BUT Christians believe that God is FORGIVING.
They think that JESUS was a SAVIOUR, who died on the Cross
and took away the sins of the world. He did this so people could
repent (say sorry) and be forgiven for the wrong things they do.
Philosophy and Ethics
Unit 4: Death and The AfterLife Revision
Mr.Chapman© 2006
Halewood College
Department of Religious Education
Christian Funerals
A Christian FUNERAL service reminds people that one
day a Christian’s SOUL will be raised up to eternal life
with Jesus. This is called RESURRECTION.
Christians are sometimes cremated, but are usually buried. They believe
that death is not the end.
A lot of Christian FUNERAL services begin with the
words of Jesus:
‘ I am the Resurrection and the Life ‘
Philosophy and Ethics
Unit 4: Death and The AfterLife Revision
Mr.Chapman© 2006
Halewood College
Department of Religious Education
Christian funerals share a lot of common features:
Most Christian funerals take place in a church, where a short service
of remembrance is led by a priest or minister.
Usually passages from the Bible are read to offer comfort for the
bereaved and provide hope for eternal life.
Prayers are said to ask for comfort and to give thanks for the
life of the dead person.
Friends or family may give a short talk to celebrate the dead
person’s life.
Hymns are sung to praise God and give thanks to Him for all He
does.
Philosophy and Ethics
Unit 4: Death and The AfterLife Revision
Mr.Chapman© 2006
Halewood College
Department of Religious Education
Christians, like everyone else, are sad when someone they love
dies. But a Christian funeral service teaches that death is not
the end. Christians believe in life after death.
A Christian funeral service reminds people that all life is
given by God, and that God is also responsible for taking
life away.
Philosophy and Ethics
Unit 4: Death and The AfterLife Revision
Mr.Chapman© 2006